June 22 - Saturday - Workshop and Wedding

Saturday started out with the Amy Sanders workshop presented by the Carolina Clay Matters Pottery Guild.  It was a fun workshop and Amy did a great job of informing and entertaining us.  I often see Amy teaching at Clayworks in short visits, but have never seen her whole making process.  It was quite interesting to hear how she approaches her art.

Being the video projectionist, I always have a pretty good seat.  (Yeah, still in the A/V club from high school... :8^)

In the evening it was off to Mint Hill for Shelley and Rick's wedding.  It was quite beautiful and we had a great time.  Carol (Shelley's Mom) hosted the festivities in her backyard.  There were tents, an ice sculpture,  and lots of food and drink.

After a very nice ceremony, a lot of good food and cake, we sent off wish lanterns.  If you didn't have a good time you were somewhere else.

I wish Mr. and Mrs. Ellis the best of luck and happiness for the rest of their lives.

Amy working the workshop.

On the big screen.

Rick and Shelley making their vows.

A wish lantern rising above the trees.

A whole flock of them heading
off into the night.

The same photo after applying
the Van Gogh treatment.
(Auto-fix in Picasa.)

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June 21 - Friday - Raku!

Friday night we had a community raku at Clayworks.  Students from all classes were invited to come and fire a pot and enjoy some food and fellowship.  We had a great turnout and there was an amazing amount of food and fun.  A raku firing is always dramatic and you almost never know exactly how your piece is going to turn out.

We had a wonderful time and I can't wait for the next one.

Ju-Ian, Angela, and Ann in the break room.

Getting ready for the first load to finish in the kiln.

A panorama shot of the courtyard.
Kimberly was walking at almost the same speed as my panning.

Detail of Kimberly walking behind Ju-Ian.
Pretty cool.

Rob and Kary removing
Rob's pot from the kiln.

They set it on a kiln shelf so Rob
could get a different grip.

Into the reduction can.

Not so much reduction yet...

That's better.

Rob "burping" his pot.

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June 20 - Thursday - Charlotte Squawks, Ninesense

Thursday Karen and I went to see Charlotte Squawks.  It's an hilarious review full of song parodies and jokes about local and national headlines.  This is the ninth year and the fourth that we have attended.  We wouldn't miss it and highly recommend it to anyone who likes to laugh.  It's a good sign when your face hurts from laughing at the end of the show.

We were in the second row.

My lovely wife and seatmate.

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June 18 - Tuesday - Lumberton

I was working in Lumberton on Tuesday and as I was leaving I grabbed this photo of a rainbow ending on the building of my customer.  I think it's a good sign that the company is associated with a rainbow.

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June 11 - Tuesday - Clayworks

Tuesday I got back to glazing my two-piece pots and my latest face pot.  We are trying to get enough work to fill the gas kiln and I am doing my best to contribute.

I am really enjoying these two-piece pots and am curious to see where they take me.  We'll see.

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June 10 - Monday - Pinehurst

We were in Pinehurst for the NC Credit Union League annual convention and we had a nice time.  You can't help but relax there with good meals and even a high tea in the lobby at 4:00 pm.

It was an abbreviated trip this year:  arrive late Sunday and leave early Tuesday.

A panoramic view of the front of the lobby.

I found this plaque in the floor of the gazebo .

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June 9 - Sunday - Carolina Horse Park

Sunday we went to Raeford, NC to see Meredith compete in her first official horse show.  We were heading to Pinehurst and took a twenty minute detour to see her.  We missed her dressage performance since it was in the morning, but we arrived in time to see her jumping and cross country runs.  Needless to say, we were very proud.  She has become quite the horse woman.

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June 5 - Wednesday - Clayworks

On Wednesday we were back in NC and I put a chunky rim on my latest crackle pot.  I added a coil and fully intended on throwing a smooth rim but decided the chunky rim fit the pot.  I asked Greg for his opinion and he agreed that it worked well together.

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June 4 - Tuesday - Delaware Valley College

Tuesday we went to visit Delaware Valley College for Meredith's orientation.  I'm very proud of her and hope she continues her academic excellence at this school.

After orientation we headed back to NC.


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June 2 - Sunday - Celebration

Sunday we were celebrating Meredith's graduation in Pennsylvania with the rest of the family.  We went out to dinner and then back to the house for dessert.

Karen ordered custom cookies on etsy.com

Meredith with a smile.

Special pound cake.

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May 31 - Friday - Meredith's Graduation

Friday Meredith graduated from high school.  We are very proud of her and her academic accomplishments.

Karen arranged a small tribute on the front lawn, we attended her commencement ceremonies, and afterwards we went to dinner with our friends Dennis and Patty to celebrate.

A good day.

Traversing the stage to get her diploma.

The shots of her on stage a bit blurry,
but this is where I took them  from.

Back at home.

Downtown on the way to the restaurant.

Aw, sisters.

The whole table.

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May 27 - Monday - Lazy 5 Ranch

Playing catch-up again.

Saturday Stephanie's boyfriend, Brett came for a visit and we took them to the Lazy 5 Ranch.  It's a great place where you can hand feed almost all of the animals.

We had a nice time and fed everything in sight.

Stephanie was especially taken with feeding the bison.  It was quite an experience so I included the series of photos.  Fun stuff.

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