2014-02-15 - Saturday - More bowls

I glazed the last of my Empty Bowls and the Bowling for Dollars bowls on Saturday.

I'm enjoying playing with underglazes on these.  It's a different direction for me and everything is worth exploring when you're curious.  I probably don't need to reiterate this, but for me every pot is an experiment.  There's always a whole new thing to try or something to tweak.

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2014-02-15 - Saturday - Last snow post

I forgot to post this video I made of the snow outside the window on Thursday.

It was nice to see the snow change the view for a day or so, but it will be gone quickly.

That's not a bad thing.

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2014-02-13 - Thursday - Snow break

It stopped snowing this afternoon and it immediately started melting.  Things were looking up until the meteorologists mentioned that it might snow again on Friday night with "little or no accumulation".

Call me a cynic, but I don't have much faith in meteorology.  In January 1988 we were told to expect flurries...
              ...we got more than a foot.

I know, science has advanced a lot since 1988, but they still get it wrong way too often for my peace of mind.

I like the snow, I like spending time at home, and I like spending time with my wife, but I've got the worst case of cabin fever I can remember.  I apparently would never survive someplace that gets snowed in routinely.

I'm ready to get out to the store.

                          I'm ready to change my scenery.

I'm really ready to get back to the studio and make some pots.  

Oh, and I'm ready to get mail again.

It's been two days with no mail.


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2014-02-12 - Wednesday - Snowed in

The weather can be pretty frustrating sometimes.

I'm sure I'm the first human to say that in all of history.

Tuesday it snowed consistently from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and only managed to leave a couple of inches on the grass.  The roads were wet but clear all day.  What a waste.

Wednesday it started snowing at about 10:00 am and snowed pretty heavily until about 4:00 pm when it switched to sleet.  We got about 4-5 inches of snow (even on the roads).  Now it's been sleeting for several hours and there is talk of freezing rain tonight before getting more sleet, snow, and possibly more freezing rain before this all clears out of here by tomorrow afternoon --after it changes to just rain.

I am not from here and have done my share of driving in snow.  Snow does not bother me too much.  It's all this sleet and freezing rain that makes me crazy.  Why can't we ever seem to have just a snowfall without messing it up with ice.  I miss the days of just snow.

We were in PA during the holidays and while we were there it snowed.  The temperature was down to 12 degrees during the snowstorm and dipped to -4 the next night, but the snow stayed snow.  No ice, no sleet --snow.  As a matter of fact the weather was so cold and the snow was so dry that you couldn't make a snowball.  It just wouldn't stick together and that would have been a whole different frustration when I was a kid.  It squeaked when you walked on it, but it was snow.

By Friday this white stuff will be a dimming memory and the yard will be back to it's winter browns.  The daffodils are starting to poke up their heads and Spring is just around the corner.

In the meantime what do I do with all this bread and milk?

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2014-02-09 - Sunday - Charlotte Checkers game

Sunday we joined several other couples at the Time Warner Arena to watch the Charlotte Checkers play hockey.  We had a fun time, but the Checkers lost 4-3 in overtime against the Oklahoma City Barons.

We took the light rail to the arena, so when we left we went to The Tavern on the Tracks for supper.  It's a very Buffalo-centric place, so I had the beef on weck with a side of wings.  Good stuff.

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2014-02-08 - Saturday - Joining the pots

I put the two pieces together, but they were a bit drier than I wanted them to be.  I wet the edges and scored them and wet them again.  I had to be really careful since the walls were pretty thin.  It's stuck together right now and I hope it stays that way.

I had a lot of fun with this piece by pushing it in and pushing parts of it back out again.  I also did some carving on it --because I wanted to.

Pot I spent time pushing around.

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2014-02-05 - Wednesday - Large pot?

Still inspired by the workshop last weekend, I threw two pieces to put together as one large pot.  I am hopeful for this pot, but I wasn't paying enough attention and threw the pieces a bit thinner than I would have liked to at the point they are to be joined.  I'm going to let them firm up a bit before attempting the build.

Either it will work or it won't.  Time will tell.

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