June 9 - Busy Saturday

Saturday was wild.  We had so many things to do and see that there just wasn't enough time in the day.

I started out by going to Clayworks to touch up and move some of my dried pieces to the greenware shelf for bisque firing.

Next I stopped by the Southeast Linux Fest (SELF) to check out the vendors represented there.  It was small, but good with many new (to me) vendors.  I talked to several and gained some insights into new products to offer my customers.

After that, it was across the street to the Clay on Fire show.  This show consists of a group of clay artists that have met online.  They come from and tour several states.  The theme of the day seemed to be "anything with a face on it" and they were executed brilliantly.

Last week I was surfing the web (does anybody actually say that anymore?) and stumbled onto Ron Free's work.  His faces really have character and I was intrigued by them.  Imagine how surprised I was when found him at the Clay on Fire show.  We had a nice conversation about his work.  He comes at clay from an illustrator's background, which really adds a lot to his characters.

I enjoyed talking to several of the other artists about their work and was amazed at some of their processes and the paths that led them to where they are today.  Artists are some of the nicest people.

Then it was off to a high school graduation party at our friends Cathi and Jett 's house.  It was nice to see everyone since it had been a while and we had some laughs and some great food.  We wished the girls good luck in college and we were back on the road again.

When we got home I cooked some cod and vegetables before heading out again.

This time Karen and I had tickets for Charlotte Squawks, the annual satirical revue.  We were in the second row and the show was as clever and funny as it has been other years (this was our third year attending).  I HIGHLY recommend Charlotte Squawks to anyone living here.  It always makes my face hurt from laughing out loud for two hours.  Go see it.

It was a wild day, but we accomplished most of what we set out to do.  I'm ready for a lazy Saturday.

Southeast Linux Fest (SELF).

The Clay on Fire sign.

The ducks.

Ron Free and his work.

More vendors.

Still more vendors.

Yup, more.

At the graduation party.

Lots of good food

and conversation.

Beautiful cake.

This is how close to the stage we were in the second row.

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