tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40153758931869886852024-03-14T00:49:27.149-07:00Buzz and MudAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-8861051372079537982017-09-11T11:10:00.003-07:002017-09-11T11:10:56.634-07:00Octopus' Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYC58rSJMHYwtvTnR-yxskEWKcReSNN8coAafnKbAWXoUllmXfch1z3hnde46zfrkLH-LRr6nwqHM_V88G9x1GBiYSfsRhMGo9uk6rtYLMM8o73TLPeoBaJEqKj9CJt4I5mFg9uvrn0Paw/s1600/octogardenbanner2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="1105" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYC58rSJMHYwtvTnR-yxskEWKcReSNN8coAafnKbAWXoUllmXfch1z3hnde46zfrkLH-LRr6nwqHM_V88G9x1GBiYSfsRhMGo9uk6rtYLMM8o73TLPeoBaJEqKj9CJt4I5mFg9uvrn0Paw/s320/octogardenbanner2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still in use!</td></tr>
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I’ve been painting octopuses practically since I first started playing with drawing on my pots, before I started diving, and long before I decided to be a professional potter. Over the years I’ve painted thousands of them, so much that their broken parts, softened by a noisy spin in the cement mixer, decorate and provide mulch in my yard. In addition to reading all the books about octopuses (the latest being, <u>Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness</u> which was delightful), watching documentaries and scavenging images, I love seeking them out under water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzsyiIBjg3U1iB34uZUGTltuGa2nD2VodjpugPUx9ch63z5AhStjk-psEnC_-bpbhFWupW_06UVhhJGaTIglK3LACwvSW_16isaFjc-4iHY_9GLgRw8Tk88ANt8dn6sdds2dW9mUMJelF/s1600/OctoPapillaePlateDated.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzsyiIBjg3U1iB34uZUGTltuGa2nD2VodjpugPUx9ch63z5AhStjk-psEnC_-bpbhFWupW_06UVhhJGaTIglK3LACwvSW_16isaFjc-4iHY_9GLgRw8Tk88ANt8dn6sdds2dW9mUMJelF/s200/OctoPapillaePlateDated.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Octopus (w/papillae)</td></tr>
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<br /> This summer we encountered a severely tormented octopus, only 3 complete tentacles and under the constant menacing of garibaldis, off the Mexican Coronado islands just south of San Diego. I giggled and gushed so exuberantly that I filled my mask with water and sucked my oxygen like a maniac. I was like the double rainbow guy for the entire encounter and will be again the next time. This same passion guides my sculpting and painting, I love tangling the tentacles and placing their suckers just so. This year I received a commission to do a Cephalopod dish set, so my fascination was given business expense legitimacy (just like my diving trips). In doing this and my latest <a href="https://youtu.be/ase_RnwZdPk">GoPro-recorded love-fest</a>, I realized I have overlooked the glorious papillae that the octopus uses to change its texture. So there are new octopus designs for 2017 and more varieties of them too. I may have been doing this for a while, but I still adore it and it still feels fresh. Thank you, truly, for your support.<br /> <br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ase_RnwZdPk/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ase_RnwZdPk?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><span style="text-align: start;"> In addition to sharing my passion for octopuses, which, if you’re a fan of my pottery, you likely are too, I am writing this to report that I will be off in Europe for the latter half of September to, amongst other things, celebrate my (and the Octopus') birthday. Feel free to place orders while I’m gone, as I’ll keep track and make them when I return, fresh and possibly inspired in new directions. There’s only one show left for me thi</span>s year and it’s all the way in December (KPFA). In the meantime, I will be doing a Day-of-the-Dead celebration whose details I will hold close until I return… <br /> Stay well, Stay inspired, Stay joyful!<br /> Thank you! <br /> -Liz R </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Argonaut</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamboyant Cuttlefish </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpD6URLjmd-Z_gVj6QkNcvP-zY3EDrfqYIb2BwKBcxxCnqkP7HZY8TlJZ_V0ORz4YYB3khDvcfDTUeUIpltFxRc-ZUpvmjf_bXdzhwNB6sOq0ghVJQ6w1s_nwIcPKBXNW3kotqU4YWwRW/s1600/CuttlefishPlate2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1522" data-original-width="1600" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpD6URLjmd-Z_gVj6QkNcvP-zY3EDrfqYIb2BwKBcxxCnqkP7HZY8TlJZ_V0ORz4YYB3khDvcfDTUeUIpltFxRc-ZUpvmjf_bXdzhwNB6sOq0ghVJQ6w1s_nwIcPKBXNW3kotqU4YWwRW/s200/CuttlefishPlate2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuttlefish</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dumbo Octopus</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSz8T4wp5o9Wh5QYfYQ1muCnWKnMke4N2IqN_ljp2V9hyphenhyphenpLx8CMbmLJxnBjfPLrXL6QWeRG8B1v-YzSxHKFJI8wq8Bm8rjk-xFpKNMeV6OfTKcouGPAry3TMgBU2ImdpRNed1t1kvopQOg/s1600/nautilusPlate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1514" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSz8T4wp5o9Wh5QYfYQ1muCnWKnMke4N2IqN_ljp2V9hyphenhyphenpLx8CMbmLJxnBjfPLrXL6QWeRG8B1v-YzSxHKFJI8wq8Bm8rjk-xFpKNMeV6OfTKcouGPAry3TMgBU2ImdpRNed1t1kvopQOg/s200/nautilusPlate.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nautilus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squid</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHStiJP0zWsZR4sjvlYxA6qprgEe0ryLVAELQetq34lUk1ioHOEjE7FsrXabMyUYN_nNN9Byd-WMtiwuHfcKwQAWL1qSef9bmHITol-GBReO6vPjcZkIogBJ6XLcSgboBH3iH8eozZ1uZ/s1600/OctoNOtherMinds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="271" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHStiJP0zWsZR4sjvlYxA6qprgEe0ryLVAELQetq34lUk1ioHOEjE7FsrXabMyUYN_nNN9Byd-WMtiwuHfcKwQAWL1qSef9bmHITol-GBReO6vPjcZkIogBJ6XLcSgboBH3iH8eozZ1uZ/s200/OctoNOtherMinds.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-22822006391802713982017-08-10T09:55:00.001-07:002017-08-10T09:55:49.010-07:00OCF 2017 and Hopefully More<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5naX8tV9kxtzjjmb6UMaqUXAimmt41Z_js8e9VmnSZc0VAZNVQEqYw3wmRyLbQKb52_xAwuGAP2VeClpjOv_ty-qi5IUE1NNK4IrBw48PhGck496dod5mbCWOB1YsTDIF0cx7OlC8UMX/s1600/Boothmates2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1482" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5naX8tV9kxtzjjmb6UMaqUXAimmt41Z_js8e9VmnSZc0VAZNVQEqYw3wmRyLbQKb52_xAwuGAP2VeClpjOv_ty-qi5IUE1NNK4IrBw48PhGck496dod5mbCWOB1YsTDIF0cx7OlC8UMX/s320/Boothmates2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://rhoneypots.squarespace.com/ocf-petition" target="_blank"> Petition for a Permanent Spot</a></b></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunXjKmCIY1ErtSRB5DT332nhGixYOvNEJZygxCXH-n7LJLr48HxjmKWVQ5NXy1YsOooTeIwqg-yhJ3LrTEAjwm5l4ySWsFzDA5CPhjyww8OfUpFhLzaDUa0tCQc7E820FMAUX_uicdgLf/s1600/Xavanadu+Tree+Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunXjKmCIY1ErtSRB5DT332nhGixYOvNEJZygxCXH-n7LJLr48HxjmKWVQ5NXy1YsOooTeIwqg-yhJ3LrTEAjwm5l4ySWsFzDA5CPhjyww8OfUpFhLzaDUa0tCQc7E820FMAUX_uicdgLf/s320/Xavanadu+Tree+Man.jpg" width="179" /></a>I tell my family it’s the “Naked Hippy Festival”, but it’s
so much more than that. Yes there are
many exposed body parts and body types of every variety, but it’s more than a
nudist experiment. Teeming multitudes of
volunteers work for months before, during, and after the event, taking care of
everything from security to trash collection, intake and construction, and
firing the cauldron that heats the gloriously hot water at the Ritz (where <i>everyone</i> is naked on a freshly re-built
wooden floor under an open sky). There
is a genuine concern for the land where the event is held, attendance to its archaeological
heritage and the environmental impact of tens of thousands of tromping dazedly
all over and camping within it. It is an
amazing feat. At night, when the paying
guests have been “swept” from the grounds, a whole other faire begins under the
twinkling lights reflected on the the trees and dangling disco balls. There are nearly as many people at night , a population made up solely of volunteers, vendors and faire workers of every sort. There are spontaneous pockets of music and darkness appropriate wear. I felt like the belle-of-the-ball with my LED outlined jacket.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWTng5aDdVZo0gCABSBk-dqEe8_4S5IsOrN8Xou2nkqpwo-nEKZJmchM_h1ya9dvYyBu0EhQtztP9i4fAPCfeFmj4rZokBO3Bh_0TPWQ6wkzDpT8AksNJUGnwIQl-lql9_RKET-uu8sS5/s1600/Phoenix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWTng5aDdVZo0gCABSBk-dqEe8_4S5IsOrN8Xou2nkqpwo-nEKZJmchM_h1ya9dvYyBu0EhQtztP9i4fAPCfeFmj4rZokBO3Bh_0TPWQ6wkzDpT8AksNJUGnwIQl-lql9_RKET-uu8sS5/s320/Phoenix.jpg" width="180" /></a> This was our 5th time, which, according to the rule book, means we are eligible for a permanent spot. I've been all over the faire under the One-Year-Only (1YO) butterfly. This time we were in the newest section, Xavanadu, which boasts a massive oak tree, glowing jellyfish lights and a phoenix at night. Once I got over trying to call it Xanadu, with its disco associations (and I find it more than appropriate that when I googled Xanadu, it quickly led me <a href="https://youtu.be/wh3i3vWgPyk" target="_blank">here</a>: which exemplifies the spontaneous expression of joy and art that reflects the OCF experience), I've declared it my favorite spot. We had about 1/2 the traffic, but there was room to stretch (literally: a yoga tent out front), a tree house, and the grass hasn't been turned to dust like it has on the eight. I missed the parades, but hopefully they'll start to trickle down there.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0Du6I4GNkMjjaHBd-3YUhtOfZmI40h_XVTqomBdTOm_hL5N2R2SCu9QQWdJLlT-LhYZ0jvy8QRmqxTa9-wliV2gEAZCe_JyCnhp2eNVYZCFXaaZMc48yBujGWqj9tJHhreCGuZzxau5T/s1600/booth2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="968" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0Du6I4GNkMjjaHBd-3YUhtOfZmI40h_XVTqomBdTOm_hL5N2R2SCu9QQWdJLlT-LhYZ0jvy8QRmqxTa9-wliV2gEAZCe_JyCnhp2eNVYZCFXaaZMc48yBujGWqj9tJHhreCGuZzxau5T/s320/booth2017.jpg" width="320" /></a> Which brings me to <a href="https://rhoneypots.squarespace.com/ocf-petition" target="_blank">THE PETITION</a>. Namely, I would like anyone who would like to kibitz in on my behalf, to see me permanently at the Faire, to send me an email, or even mail me one if you hate computers, so I can add your input to my petition. As it is, I apply each year for the floating available spots, or share a spot with someone (thank you Colin of <a href="http://www.liottadesign.com/" target="_blank">Liotta Designs</a>!) One of the more interesting, and challenging aspects of this event is the extent of sharing. If you receive the honor of a booth assignment, you <i>have</i> to share it with another juried artist. At all the other shows I attend, I get my 10x10 easy-up tent space and fill it with my own things and chat with the neighbors about tying ourselves together against wind or getting each other snacks. But at the Oregon Country Fair, you have to negotiate with structures that have been flooded many times, moss, roses, natural obstacles, uneven everything, and truly chaos in every form. And then you have to divide up the space amicably so that we can all sell and live and pack peaceably together: an idealistic microcosm. And I would like to make it my July home. Even if you've never been, if I've wooed you with my story to explore the Faire for the first time, please fill out my <a href="https://rhoneypots.squarespace.com/ocf-petition" target="_blank">petition </a>and tell them so. It's a truly amazing event! Hope to see you there next year!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-50576360172682904482017-04-26T06:09:00.002-07:002017-04-26T06:09:12.716-07:00100 Days...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been hard.. for me as I think it has for many people in America. "45" somehow became president (like Voldemort, I can't say his name). It felt like a massive punch in the gut, as a woman, and a nightmarish repeat in the racist kickback it has enabled... I wanted to simultaneously curl up in my studio and scream from every skyscraper. The Woman's March was therapeutic and energizing.. but it was just a walk, with funny hats. Clearly there was some actual WORK to be done. The next day was the anniversary for Roe v. Wade and I attended an event where I sold "Never Again" cups as a Planned Parenthood fundraiser. That felt good (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/LizRHoneyPots/shop/?rt=19" target="_blank">still have more left</a>)... <br />
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And the more I listened, the more I got overwhelmed and disheartened, but also inspired to hear how many people ARE standing up. So what do I do? Continue painting whimsical owls in my studio in the forest? Make ospreys with 45's hair grasped in their claws? I felt a need for heroes, so I spent several days thinking and listing and breaking away from animal form to struggling with human. I ended up with 4 mugs: Michele Obama, Sylvia Earl, Elizabeth Warren and Rachel Maddow. They are all people who give me hope, who make me feel like I have a voice and that if something matters to you, there are things you can do to change it. I'm not sure what to do with these 4 that stand out from my usual collection. I will most likely auction them to raise funds for Sylvia Earl's <a href="https://www.mission-blue.org/" target="_blank">Mission Blue</a>. They diverge from my characteristic confident line. But then, I wasn't feeling very confident. I have to admit that I did some crying. But there is a song running through my head: <br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/SacTVXa5f5c" target="_blank">"Cuando todo parece jodido es cuando hay que poner!"- <i>When everything looks f-*, it's time to act-</i> ("Jose Sabia" by La Vela Puerca).</a> </div>
There's inspiration out there.<br />
It's time to stop reading and focusing on dystopian narratives and look for sustainable solutions, even in the smallest scales. The robots ARE taking over. They drive better than we do. But that also means the massive work force of drivers will lose their employment. What should they do next? Do we become a nation of artists? Re-users? Bug-eating chefs? Farmers? Inventors? Trash eliminators? The main point is that we remember and celebrate our humanity.<br />
I was recently uplifted by a news item about local restaurant making their play for sustainability; using their kitchen scraps to feed maggots who then feed fish which poop in the water that feeds the plants that go to the restaurant (Perennial, SF). Nathan Coffman, the director of Living Systems , Oakland, who provides this service says, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://news.vice.com/story/this-restaurant-is-using-its-own-scraps-fish-poop-and-worms-to-change-the-industry" target="_blank"><span id="goog_698575337"></span>"T</a></span><a href="https://news.vice.com/story/this-restaurant-is-using-its-own-scraps-fish-poop-and-worms-to-change-the-industry" target="_blank">he way you subvert the dominant paradigm is by having way more fun than them and making sure they know i</a><a href="https://news.vice.com/story/this-restaurant-is-using-its-own-scraps-fish-poop-and-worms-to-change-the-industry" target="_blank">t</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">"<span id="goog_698575338"></span> </span></h3>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I can stand by that.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-42758313465688983392017-03-16T10:23:00.002-07:002017-03-16T19:23:19.136-07:00Kiln update/Warning to potters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Generally I try to focus my energies on positive experiences, which is why I posted, at length, about the excitement I felt about my new L&L kiln last year. What ensued afterward was ugly and disheartening and I <i>planned</i> to write about it, but was so stressed at the time to be having issues in my busiest season, that I put it off. But then, because I did not, and because I fell out of communication with my sister, she ordered <i><b>the same</b></i> horrible L&L kiln for her school and experienced the same difficulties. SO... lest someone else be taken in by the slick ceramic element holders that made me swoon:<br />
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<b>DO NOT BUY AN L&L SCHOOLMASTER KILN!</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiln Sitter w/cone</td></tr>
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Before I purchased this kiln, I had a manual Skutt kiln, with an old fashioned kilnsitter that turned itself off by melting a cone. I had to babysit it a lot. First I had 3 1/2 hours on low with all the plugs out and the lid propped open, then I turned it up for an hour on medium, and then closed the lid and plugged all the holes but one and switched the kiln on to high. Since I was always cramming to fulfill orders/deadlines, this often occurred in the middle of the night.<br />
I wanted a computer to take over. The photographs of the L&L element holders in Ceramics Monthly were seductive. Over the years, I replaced the elements in the old Skutt and my aunt's Olympic kilns multiple times, and every time little chunks of the fragile kiln brick chipped off. I even had to replace the bricks themselves a few times (a hair-raising gamble that puts even more bricks in harms way!). So the ceramic holders looked like a perfect solution. And they made the controls so simple (they said) that even an elementary school teacher could run them (their words, not mine.. and not true anyway).<br />
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So I ordered it, online, happy with a 5-year warranty, and set it up in my studio. However I soon noticed that it was not firing to temperature. The glaze was not vitrifying, the witness cones (one below expected cone temp, one at, and one above) I put in there to test it, were not bending. When I contacted the company, I was given phone access to a technician in
Oregon. One of his first comments, when he learned it was my first
computerized kiln, was<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, “like [his] car mechanic always says, ‘It’s the nut behind
the wheel that’s the problem.'" He walked me through some steps, but because the control panel was so "simplified", I could not simply extend the hold time, or adjust what temperature it considered cone 04 or 5 to be. It would only display, momentarily, the temperature it was currently at. So I stood next to the kiln and watched it turn itself off BEFORE it reached proper cone temperature.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbceh-h7JhbeJN0nU6bAE284Nomr87Kdhzj9zKTHvcMB-YDVegMe7KV0rC5KP78cFmO5YpEmiuUlXFd7ssn8242wAmrWbfgRKWPHwgs1_MDoYT4x-1npM0x0sldHB0V2MjiOKkngQGtrE/s1600/Bisque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbceh-h7JhbeJN0nU6bAE284Nomr87Kdhzj9zKTHvcMB-YDVegMe7KV0rC5KP78cFmO5YpEmiuUlXFd7ssn8242wAmrWbfgRKWPHwgs1_MDoYT4x-1npM0x0sldHB0V2MjiOKkngQGtrE/s320/Bisque.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unmelted cones in LnL kiln</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The way that cone gauges work is <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">they melt at a</span> <i>range</i> of temps. For example, bisque firing is generally cone 04, or a 1945-1971<sup><span style="font-family: "" serif "" , "serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o</span></sup> range. Cone 5 (glaze) is 2167-2205<sup><span style="font-family: "" serif "" , "serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o</span></sup> range. But the L&L kil<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">n consistently</span> turned itself off at </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">below temp: 1921<sup><span style="font-family: "" serif "" , "serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o</span></sup> for cone 04 and 2123<sup><span style="font-family: "" serif "" , "serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">o</span></sup> for cone 5 and with the recommended VentSure system sucking the heat out, there was no way any part of the kiln reached bisque or glaze temperature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> So I called L&L again. They sent me a new control card. Simple though it was, I was unimpressed that, with their highly advertised 5-year warranty, I had to install it myself and no mechanic was sent out to check my situation out, especially when the first message it flashed was "ERR P" which meant "bad control card". This time, they had me remove the entire control panel and ship it to them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I had already sold my old kiln to a friend so I was effectively without a kiln during my busiest season. When I called L&L to put an express rush on the control panel shipment, I was
told by the office manager, Denise, that I should "take [my] greenware to a
friend’s kiln to fire it" while they shipped parts back and forth. Clearly inexperienced with the product she sells! Greenware is already like egg shell, likely to crack with the lightest tap, and my pots are decorated with slip that can also be rubbed off with the friction of bubble wrap. So that was NOT AN OPTION!! Luckily, she did express the shipment. But that was not the last of my problems....</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1npJXtJJIrqFOm26wjglXuBXYKB4dOcpsRNMaeh9Gk7BCADDVV3AV5dSoPHfXzxD7k14jqLXyd0dBzK6wRYqthAmlTGxDBYcwl__ftH9ly0eSToA-R6juckubVZL-uihBMAKpy4W5hri/s1600/goodvsbad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1npJXtJJIrqFOm26wjglXuBXYKB4dOcpsRNMaeh9Gk7BCADDVV3AV5dSoPHfXzxD7k14jqLXyd0dBzK6wRYqthAmlTGxDBYcwl__ftH9ly0eSToA-R6juckubVZL-uihBMAKpy4W5hri/s320/goodvsbad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LnL on left, Beautiful Skutt on right </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> In the end, I spent way too much time and money troubleshooting, test firing, calling a technician, <i>being</i> a technician and being talked down to<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">After</span></span> they <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">delivered</span> and I installed the upgraded control panel<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">, </span>Dynatrol<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">, </span>which <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">ha<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">d</span> twice the <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">value of the original, </span></span>was more dynamically controllable and</span> could supposedly take <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">the kiln <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">up</span></span> to cone 10<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">-</span> I was THROUGH! So I sold it<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">, at a loss, </span>to another potter in Novato and did what I should have done in the first place: bought a Skutt kiln at my local ceramics store, Creative Ceramics, where they are knowledgeable and helpful and if anything goes wrong, they will help me make it work again. A lesson I can apply to almost every purchase<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I've said my piece. On to better things... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(BTW, </span>in the photo, terrible temporary cord placement until LnL moved out.. don't do that! It's not like that now)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> In short, here's the Calendar of Events as they occurred to me. A season of <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">woe</span>: </span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Date</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Event</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Result</b></div>
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4/13/16</div>
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Noticed that kiln was underfiring<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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Ran tests to identify problem: Kiln turns itself off before it
reaches the temperature appropriate to the cone selection- 04 & 5</div>
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5/10</div>
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Contacted LnL kiln about issue</div>
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5/17</div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.5in;" valign="top" width="240"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
LnL Kiln sent new control card</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Arrived 5/25</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.9pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
5/25</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.5in;" valign="top" width="240"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I installed new control card</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Got “ERR P” message (bad card)</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.9pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
5/27</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.5in;" valign="top" width="240"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Returned entire control box</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“fixed” control box arrived 6/9</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.9pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
6/9</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.5in;" valign="top" width="240"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Test bisque firing</div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Underfired</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.9pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
6/13</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.5in;" valign="top" width="240"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Test glaze firing</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Underfired</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.9pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
6/17</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.5in;" valign="top" width="240"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Called technician. Offset thermocouple</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Contacted LnL and they sent new thermocouple</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.9pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
6/21</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.5in;" valign="top" width="240"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I installed new thermocouple</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Did not solve problem</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 45.9pt;" valign="top" width="61"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
7/5</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.5in;" valign="top" width="240"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Returned entire control box</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.9pt;" valign="top" width="337"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
arrived 8/8. Upgraded to Dynatrol (fires to "cone 10". GOT RID OF KILN! </div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-38209077593789160552016-08-14T18:14:00.000-07:002016-08-14T18:16:13.023-07:00Cooking with Pottery and Blue Apron<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ODl3RyM8jBfUWD1vZocVk-h98wQX0kLQ7_jBHLVC4V0J6o6lhRNiyFkCS-krlSGje7rYDGuL2eTlC_pRI5K2kKwBqsMITrRT3V3g6MeKRiWOCXvLGb_fyvpra6J3tC-6zstxP0NR3uQT/s1600/prep1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ODl3RyM8jBfUWD1vZocVk-h98wQX0kLQ7_jBHLVC4V0J6o6lhRNiyFkCS-krlSGje7rYDGuL2eTlC_pRI5K2kKwBqsMITrRT3V3g6MeKRiWOCXvLGb_fyvpra6J3tC-6zstxP0NR3uQT/s200/prep1.jpg" width="200" /></a>I listen to a lot of podcasts while I paint. From NPR to Radiotopia and RISK, most are sponsored by Blue Apron. My mom joined Blue Apron first and when she brought it on a short trip, I cooked pleasantly with my Dad. It was a tasty meal and there was no bickering at all.<br />
So I signed up, and when I went to visit my sister for a week, I had it delivered to her house. The meals are nicely designed, can be easily adapted to feed more, but mainly, it's a good restaurant-quality meal that you don't have to plan ahead of time and all the ingredients are fresh and thoughtfully harvested. But the best part is the ease of cooking it together, with anyone, and the kitchen bonding that creates when it goes smoothly.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkQkthwhliliia0ds_u7uFjaWOwrvq5pGJ1KKSv1JdfrFkzOYOneySnJzNN1nwIDpBCJE3Edw5W4duD42BoAfQECmUsl4gci7h1XLf_reWVaZwmGUP7d9zeKmCLZUV3jjMOtNRG7jiyGx/s1600/prep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkQkthwhliliia0ds_u7uFjaWOwrvq5pGJ1KKSv1JdfrFkzOYOneySnJzNN1nwIDpBCJE3Edw5W4duD42BoAfQECmUsl4gci7h1XLf_reWVaZwmGUP7d9zeKmCLZUV3jjMOtNRG7jiyGx/s320/prep.jpg" width="320" /></a> I love using "plate" as a verb and the pride in the meal it creates when you plate it nicely. So now it's time for my own product placement.... People often complain that they can't see the design when it's full of food.. but what motivates you to stay on target better than a gawking owl! And when you empty it of the prepped portion, he stares at you again!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigorpCEJ_E95hlbhHdN3q7XmmFseUmP66ZP67C1flKWA0wyUJSITJ1seHLgLXmxPt2RHq1IJlt2NHZX2699ZUZ0oJJeETkKoj2bHBxkHCWWKN8RjI3p72JapGA4aGC4oeFP3OL-dZS67HK/s1600/fulllCROPPED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigorpCEJ_E95hlbhHdN3q7XmmFseUmP66ZP67C1flKWA0wyUJSITJ1seHLgLXmxPt2RHq1IJlt2NHZX2699ZUZ0oJJeETkKoj2bHBxkHCWWKN8RjI3p72JapGA4aGC4oeFP3OL-dZS67HK/s320/fulllCROPPED.jpg" width="320" /></a> Ever since I started making octopus serving dishes, people have said it would be perfect for Squid Ink Pasta. So when it was an Blue Apron meal, I felt the cycle was complete and I had to test the hypothesis.<br />
I got out all the mini bowls I tell all my customers are great for preparing meals (they are trully the bowls we use most). And we filled my octopus platter with squid ink pasta. It was delicious!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSrTA-d2aEA8VOQhOnb7Q9EULSg1To8X6oS1fsW96tZ5j1CgdXkSBHOvX81tO2PCDRUob5AXHB6Y5P_CZ5891BeVHf_yLqgdjEhUNFe5RjnqBx8E8gPXkcRpcYv5mJQJs4UlXTAy5_kIe/s1600/platedAngled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSrTA-d2aEA8VOQhOnb7Q9EULSg1To8X6oS1fsW96tZ5j1CgdXkSBHOvX81tO2PCDRUob5AXHB6Y5P_CZ5891BeVHf_yLqgdjEhUNFe5RjnqBx8E8gPXkcRpcYv5mJQJs4UlXTAy5_kIe/s400/platedAngled.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Plated" pasta</td></tr>
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Some customers worry that the pots are "too beautiful to use". People have been cooking in ceramics longer than anything else. The casserole dishes I've been making recently are built on a mold made from a set of antique Danish (?) ceramic dishes that have been heavily used. I fire my pots to 2200 degrees, so your oven is certainly not a shock for them. Just recently we had friends over and we cooked Dutch Babies in my pots (though I neglected to take a photo). And with all the apples and berries ripening, I've been making pies like mad... . Now I'm determined to make new pie pans this week...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32ftrtp992pOc2RiBqMfBKf2gmGIQRkrlHeyv-ClEu_i83of6u_HX2vHP3m1RF0S8rpPnRa97nQtjkZ9WsdPjaGSU3pJvPwjM2ewzAS8Vd8ZUv1rbQSfpmm-yc6kCIBXvWgghEdqDNuDW/s1600/P1150242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32ftrtp992pOc2RiBqMfBKf2gmGIQRkrlHeyv-ClEu_i83of6u_HX2vHP3m1RF0S8rpPnRa97nQtjkZ9WsdPjaGSU3pJvPwjM2ewzAS8Vd8ZUv1rbQSfpmm-yc6kCIBXvWgghEdqDNuDW/s320/P1150242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindrUrhs-Ea2CNBlNeiwUITK__AUAtZnJ8J63nNQG4K6y90wN-as8o6SuhefN1z7WAz4gKRuYQ0Yw8tkcXj6Z-Kiuom_tLixb9zsMfmHKkthmOV60bPjITMrnuORUBiyuXf9INZNnxVEp6/s1600/P1150241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindrUrhs-Ea2CNBlNeiwUITK__AUAtZnJ8J63nNQG4K6y90wN-as8o6SuhefN1z7WAz4gKRuYQ0Yw8tkcXj6Z-Kiuom_tLixb9zsMfmHKkthmOV60bPjITMrnuORUBiyuXf9INZNnxVEp6/s320/P1150241.JPG" width="320" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-59291836836550060302015-11-16T20:56:00.001-08:002015-11-16T21:00:04.149-08:00NEW Kiln!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWed4ELg411PVGqz0ZI_hBSaflJGgnLiIjL76y1sEjpU1DdNGfvdAqICrRUEcfFnt5RE0nZrj3AZZJ-cxihTA_jQaAzZ9-ZMGnk_OUH9nGgKWIHaAQKTZFIvWTnhGXUNBI210gRk44g22/s1600/olympic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWed4ELg411PVGqz0ZI_hBSaflJGgnLiIjL76y1sEjpU1DdNGfvdAqICrRUEcfFnt5RE0nZrj3AZZJ-cxihTA_jQaAzZ9-ZMGnk_OUH9nGgKWIHaAQKTZFIvWTnhGXUNBI210gRk44g22/s320/olympic.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Aunt's old Olympic kiln. <br />
Yes, that's a big redwood root behind it</td></tr>
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I started out with my aunt's little Olympic kiln. The bricks looked ancient when I inherited it, but I made it work hard. Replaced its elements several times, moved it, grew my hobby into a business with it. Until I needed to make more product, because I was finally giving myself more time to do it. Then I bought the Skutt, from another potter who was moving on to a digital control. It was pretty new, 7 times<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MQ6Ww2GVLbjHb1xFktYCIkMTa-ZzMAYGVYZU0Yrrr9UCK7vtErtyoWt1sG7CwBSqW92xldeUN_HOrZbLqvvZji_o278YehdhgbGU5eRx8RaIWeY-CFUJkVUTGL4wb-hhpC-0tEsOo8BX/s1600/kilnsitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MQ6Ww2GVLbjHb1xFktYCIkMTa-ZzMAYGVYZU0Yrrr9UCK7vtErtyoWt1sG7CwBSqW92xldeUN_HOrZbLqvvZji_o278YehdhgbGU5eRx8RaIWeY-CFUJkVUTGL4wb-hhpC-0tEsOo8BX/s200/kilnsitter.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiln Sitter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBnK89t_aWFhH3yqcYa8AUPnDXVey0LGP-sj58Gn3XfXwGq9RzPWD1WsDHXz0G1kwUtnjRBL_hLnF1YntHJnMC5ZWGk1afNt4OIP4ujLVMEjCmkcUz1Or9HMh_6gn_ss-QZz3CDDLBQd1/s1600/skutt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBnK89t_aWFhH3yqcYa8AUPnDXVey0LGP-sj58Gn3XfXwGq9RzPWD1WsDHXz0G1kwUtnjRBL_hLnF1YntHJnMC5ZWGk1afNt4OIP4ujLVMEjCmkcUz1Or9HMh_6gn_ss-QZz3CDDLBQd1/s320/skutt.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Skutt</td></tr>
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bigger than the Olympic, and came with all the kiln furniture. Both of my first kilns are controlled by the melting of a ceramic cone, in a device called a kiln sitter... and, of course, an eye on the clock. The firing process required me to prop the lid up with the plugs all out for 3.5 hours on low to get the water out of the clay, or in the case of the glaze firing, out of the glaze. Then you turn the kiln up to medium for an hour, after which you plug all the holes but the top one, close the lid, and turn it up to high. I set an alarm for when I hoped the kiln would stop, but it was never exactly correct. So many factors affect the timing from the age of the elements, the density of the load, the weather... So I usually just hoped it wasn't a faulty cone and would melt at just the right moment. I could peek in the peephole. But I really can't differentiate the 1000 degree red from the 2000 degree red. I could use, and officially should use, a "witness cone", a backup melting blob of clay that I could peep at, if my eyeball didn't melt off in the process, to see if it too was melted. Usually I was too stingy with my space to give it up to precision. Most of the time the firings were fine...but sometimes, making a change in the middle of the night, I would neglect to plug all the holes, or not set the timer long enough for it not to go off before the cone melted...and then I'd have to start all over again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARtzLqphW3lZ4HTzlr7NrcsrLir7PPEgheWMq7mUVgrp5_85sb3B92uKQqwWCdkc5jDP6SMo2l3AjU_CsjRu3DRAAl5_4vRHsmkyncn3GutqwmMsiimUfu-7iYyD665y3yedptdAD3xNc/s1600/LnL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARtzLqphW3lZ4HTzlr7NrcsrLir7PPEgheWMq7mUVgrp5_85sb3B92uKQqwWCdkc5jDP6SMo2l3AjU_CsjRu3DRAAl5_4vRHsmkyncn3GutqwmMsiimUfu-7iYyD665y3yedptdAD3xNc/s320/LnL.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New L&L Kiln</td></tr>
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My NEW kiln, an L&L SchoolMaster, tells me what temperature it is all the time. It also has a venting system that eliminates my need to wake up different times to adjust the air flow. And it turns itself up exactly as I request it to do. And once I determine my ideal firing schedule, I only have to press the one button. One for Bisque, one for Glaze. It's not perfect, mind you. The binder of information that came with it was clearly written by engineers, not the school teachers the kiln is marketed to. It doesn't do voice control or an app interface, but it keeps me sleeping at night. And though I was nervous to open up this first load... I am so happy with the result! And I passed my old Skutt onto another aspiring potter so she can learn the down and dirty of the firing process before retiring to a digital control version.<br />
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Oh technology...<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-6243130082880746832015-10-14T08:49:00.000-07:002015-10-15T16:51:31.625-07:00Things I Do to Make a Buck Self-employment means you have to seek a variety of means to make a living. Here's how I define those current differing activities that support R Honey Pots:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7b5bYL4GpyKJ-a0DuMxDxM4aJSuaPqaGsePclwl17U-UezlH9nELFAnVTmpK4hApynOD-i-wWJ3Rcm0rdQyMuCg4NuSToahLKBBKiiymJ0GhEDjYwTLwfQzq9zH_Ee5D2LTWVR726JKj/s1600/bees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7b5bYL4GpyKJ-a0DuMxDxM4aJSuaPqaGsePclwl17U-UezlH9nELFAnVTmpK4hApynOD-i-wWJ3Rcm0rdQyMuCg4NuSToahLKBBKiiymJ0GhEDjYwTLwfQzq9zH_Ee5D2LTWVR726JKj/s200/bees.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bees</td></tr>
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<b>1) Bees.</b> We take honey bees, live, from buildings where they're not wanted and put them in our box. Then we wait over night for them to move in and collect them, at the crack of dawn, before they wake up. Transport them home, nurse them and check for queen rightness, then move them to the apiary (at the crack of dawn). If we're lucky, which, thanks to the drought we haven't been for the last 2 years, we harvest honey which is the extremely messy process of transporting heavy boxes, flinging sticky substances, bottling it, then giving the frames back to the bees to clean up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUdyFn2M29yS9r3Pfdk196zF8L9M_FaPi8sm25Ok-Hal-kQkVascCGF24b-V2dNaaFTW599hjpUlNNAlV-JfPquxY5-dyA20ieZUYaKFLwzunH9LOlIVb-he4eFRf6zmprtlTW7vE_rKk/s1600/throw2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUdyFn2M29yS9r3Pfdk196zF8L9M_FaPi8sm25Ok-Hal-kQkVascCGF24b-V2dNaaFTW599hjpUlNNAlV-JfPquxY5-dyA20ieZUYaKFLwzunH9LOlIVb-he4eFRf6zmprtlTW7vE_rKk/s200/throw2.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Throwing</td></tr>
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<b>2) Make Pottery.</b> I heave a ton of clay from my van down to my studio in 50lb increments where I fling it on a wheel or pancake it in my slab roller. When it dries, I paint it, fire it, dust it, glaze it, fire it, photograph it, put it in a box and heave it back up the hill to my van. Then I update the website, post to facebook, instagram, send out postcards.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3luaaRMneBkzXfLnmTrd8-J16V4cDIUjSA572BdEiabU0fhb_05uSkpALkDaJCaqinAHeV9wlCKHfBdgj6ABonW7ZNH5u1YRbMS5rLQ93LyXBAg_vMJHusns2OOkpnI8syDirIRP0rXL/s1600/packing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3luaaRMneBkzXfLnmTrd8-J16V4cDIUjSA572BdEiabU0fhb_05uSkpALkDaJCaqinAHeV9wlCKHfBdgj6ABonW7ZNH5u1YRbMS5rLQ93LyXBAg_vMJHusns2OOkpnI8syDirIRP0rXL/s200/packing.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Van</td></tr>
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<b>3) Sell Pottery. </b>While an increasing amount of my sales are done online, I still fill the van monthly and transport everyone to craft shows, the farthest of which, this year, was to La Jolla- 11 hours one way. Usually we leave at our favorite hour, crack of dawn, and set up in the 2+ hours before the show starts. We unload all the boxes, set up the tent, then the display structure, and finally, painstakingly, Joey displays as much pottery as he possibly can in our 10x10 domain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQ68C-nzLGHp_77gjMdaEgy5y53jo52jYHalLsZROfnJumRXVB6utair1jeYoFePDbz3-ttmHRInaoVCI4IX-sumoAgoI3_8p5ciw2p2-lXGP_TL5F74YriatW1y1_OCGc4bjpX2luKra/s1600/kmaf2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQ68C-nzLGHp_77gjMdaEgy5y53jo52jYHalLsZROfnJumRXVB6utair1jeYoFePDbz3-ttmHRInaoVCI4IX-sumoAgoI3_8p5ciw2p2-lXGP_TL5F74YriatW1y1_OCGc4bjpX2luKra/s200/kmaf2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some sights have a lot of variation (KMAF)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJPufosVkrndxNIjncD6yJ6yBnG-ig1NL9xPprC1-I6XO0FvBR9wRa3FLoZiCPWOf3uznzQJcggbtFFaSdlbLNtCPJAldXqhFaX96nwVM2WqwuVDnUyQlpDwW_Xwifx8N3kNNkQSDSkk4/s1600/kmaf4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJPufosVkrndxNIjncD6yJ6yBnG-ig1NL9xPprC1-I6XO0FvBR9wRa3FLoZiCPWOf3uznzQJcggbtFFaSdlbLNtCPJAldXqhFaX96nwVM2WqwuVDnUyQlpDwW_Xwifx8N3kNNkQSDSkk4/s200/kmaf4.jpg" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levelling the booth at night</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhYWALgJ9hXUVOw2eWd2sBVAGc7Zaad_f00qRbBaJji2oDJ2qJ1nTCd6rgGLzCArD29cRPslNiRml5_9n8W9kQzlmDEQCDRRH6sQXcQqXpGUfp0wKHRZKUXdjyNGf9WVCIov8nevVoWbz/s1600/setupLJAF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhYWALgJ9hXUVOw2eWd2sBVAGc7Zaad_f00qRbBaJji2oDJ2qJ1nTCd6rgGLzCArD29cRPslNiRml5_9n8W9kQzlmDEQCDRRH6sQXcQqXpGUfp0wKHRZKUXdjyNGf9WVCIov8nevVoWbz/s200/setupLJAF.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joey arranging the booth</td></tr>
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<b>4) Take on New Challenges.</b> Every year there's someone asking if I can do something I haven't quite done before. I always say yes. This year I'm making new tables and meeting with architects and interior decorators to design remodels. Tile projects I have only completed in my own home are now going to be adapted to someone else's (there will be photographs of this after January). With Joey's metalworking and carpentry skills, we are hoping to develop and expand this custom installation side of our business.</div>
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<b>5) Share the Knowledge. </b>Around January (details still being ironed), I will be teaching a ceramics class at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts (http://sebarts.org/index.php/classes/). In February, I will be giving a presentation to the Rossmoor Ceramics Club (http://www.rossmoorceramics.com/)</div>
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<b>6) Enjoy life. </b>Swim in the ocean as much as possible. Do pilates. Garden. Rock climb. Kayak. Hunt mushrooms (if it rains!). Visit friends. Play music. Dance...I love being my own boss, even if the common themes are waking up at the crack of dawn, heaving boxes, and being filthy. The rewards are great!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doran Beach</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98x24anHS3Zfkck6XljPmITLeHpJsKFhrsewWaQFjmaR4Va2C0BIkvucBqvkwfQMGiafH7i7hES9_7Ao8uk4Eb3NZOHYf9Tj4dFxgDXhujRHfLUoi2aQhaCf2vBGcxf0JOu9LLPF5cPJL/s1600/surftogether.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98x24anHS3Zfkck6XljPmITLeHpJsKFhrsewWaQFjmaR4Va2C0BIkvucBqvkwfQMGiafH7i7hES9_7Ao8uk4Eb3NZOHYf9Tj4dFxgDXhujRHfLUoi2aQhaCf2vBGcxf0JOu9LLPF5cPJL/s320/surftogether.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-75375581728048032652015-05-20T23:04:00.001-07:002015-05-21T09:25:55.629-07:00Summer of Bees<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yxoo9oK87p7DByFsEe5ma0rKDOP2eq0QrqmrXiK8zDylaK0FEHcGIu1WeCO2OxOv9Xb0HdwlorH86gfBRj_-yUvugqKuZ9M8VDOIRNO1_AHz4oS_ye9-hh6rHY13q7_J9-GBwyVpm4Ol/s1600/wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yxoo9oK87p7DByFsEe5ma0rKDOP2eq0QrqmrXiK8zDylaK0FEHcGIu1WeCO2OxOv9Xb0HdwlorH86gfBRj_-yUvugqKuZ9M8VDOIRNO1_AHz4oS_ye9-hh6rHY13q7_J9-GBwyVpm4Ol/s200/wall.jpg" width="181" /></a>When we first checked this situation out, the bees were just exploring.. visiting in small groups and taking the building's measure. A week later we got the call that, "the queen is here!" In fact, two separate queens moved in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiS8qn97JfyuWVJ82shQxGrZgHzjOUhz1uGaf3fF3ItAnMPrzQtlO1WndO-Bp7RcZPI9ByB1vg01NVhOt6SQsxEEgFXVIayUahwjPQ3k5uFe-J-suKyi2JONPCJZbclgxo2oPFfdzn9Co_/s1600/boroscopeSm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiS8qn97JfyuWVJ82shQxGrZgHzjOUhz1uGaf3fF3ItAnMPrzQtlO1WndO-Bp7RcZPI9ByB1vg01NVhOt6SQsxEEgFXVIayUahwjPQ3k5uFe-J-suKyi2JONPCJZbclgxo2oPFfdzn9Co_/s320/boroscopeSm.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1. Drilling a hole through the plywood on the inside, Joey located the hives using a boroscope</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk1p391m-WJVa62uCFxkUBIqnGf45kl3M6LzOhOm4WZMkpvyCmaZmqbtR_kQWszJMlWkImvyWlX6x05slmU35EZ53qoPoNH_4WXQb5T-EwCvYuO3Xsip9my0X7D0p8rwc44xRjdTPfq1f/s1600/cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk1p391m-WJVa62uCFxkUBIqnGf45kl3M6LzOhOm4WZMkpvyCmaZmqbtR_kQWszJMlWkImvyWlX6x05slmU35EZ53qoPoNH_4WXQb5T-EwCvYuO3Xsip9my0X7D0p8rwc44xRjdTPfq1f/s320/cut.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2. Cutting the white plywood a prying open</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0VHkJTCXOQO40ngboX8pUX4cMf55xgs3ZPOzdiSDUkdJo2WgwgGeZFec4LRaToVycJne4qgIM-cYGGXtBAy732lKNYF5B6vPfVwjCj2kFe4r8Q15qBprS6Vt6h2NZb9CPz6tMlQwkRbD/s1600/plywood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0VHkJTCXOQO40ngboX8pUX4cMf55xgs3ZPOzdiSDUkdJo2WgwgGeZFec4LRaToVycJne4qgIM-cYGGXtBAy732lKNYF5B6vPfVwjCj2kFe4r8Q15qBprS6Vt6h2NZb9CPz6tMlQwkRbD/s320/plywood.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3. Half the hive attached to the plywood</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C8NbSbfMm5RVoSuyqo2nUaoj09krgY6mgPdsiKmWtMs_MVPrRHbtyL76kkNMcaPOT3KLEyHjAWCvfferqxVRJ_dld7s5hdKHezEwtg-QH-tuvfNSXTBvPgkN5sKaqj9M9RvkMCtFwxVP/s1600/openWall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C8NbSbfMm5RVoSuyqo2nUaoj09krgY6mgPdsiKmWtMs_MVPrRHbtyL76kkNMcaPOT3KLEyHjAWCvfferqxVRJ_dld7s5hdKHezEwtg-QH-tuvfNSXTBvPgkN5sKaqj9M9RvkMCtFwxVP/s320/openWall.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4. The other half of the hive in the bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzuHwiT6IC8ppzJErNgU_kHWoQg7aSnOaQnHAsc64VS-ZOsny0JpEMH_UK57KzJ4PZzakDpziF4syJHBLWznJU-kGYES4GVjP0nJBc8I3RebcJjT20EmvJ53Yy1TqujpstAHmKAJIePIw/s1600/scoop1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzuHwiT6IC8ppzJErNgU_kHWoQg7aSnOaQnHAsc64VS-ZOsny0JpEMH_UK57KzJ4PZzakDpziF4syJHBLWznJU-kGYES4GVjP0nJBc8I3RebcJjT20EmvJ53Yy1TqujpstAHmKAJIePIw/s320/scoop1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scooping</td></tr>
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We smoked them lightly to assure calmness, but they still behaved like a swarm when they were exposed: calm, disinterested, and nicely clumped together.<br />
I scooped bees and cut the fresh comb so Joey could fit it into empty frames, temporarily holding them in place with rubber bands (in a few days, once the bees have attached the comb to the wood, they will dispose of the rubber bands)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AmvQXxzMCRbyWXsQfSx5GxLZOXwkWrqw1j-Iy7u1sAiduY3Xw_Hle_VoMwfiJrSsuCRerb2MPRd56pUGjSZgom9SsLceRi_YDgDXKVh2KB_ybCQX8-6L2w7WHU_HFnNn7onQjQh0zsXH/s1600/ExposeHive2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AmvQXxzMCRbyWXsQfSx5GxLZOXwkWrqw1j-Iy7u1sAiduY3Xw_Hle_VoMwfiJrSsuCRerb2MPRd56pUGjSZgom9SsLceRi_YDgDXKVh2KB_ybCQX8-6L2w7WHU_HFnNn7onQjQh0zsXH/s320/ExposeHive2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5. Exposing the second hive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3jWlzAL1TpNVXk1egPqz8CJJ3Y1g0tBBn8xiys8ZZspLeWSOHU0HSyO5kcwXqiAcMimcUlpM-E5da1fAecUW01rnRiUHoxAuUtTuigSuJJdGhT5QgUnHSC3DV4gUaRk1iIEZ5X0aX4ln/s1600/hive2box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3jWlzAL1TpNVXk1egPqz8CJJ3Y1g0tBBn8xiys8ZZspLeWSOHU0HSyO5kcwXqiAcMimcUlpM-E5da1fAecUW01rnRiUHoxAuUtTuigSuJJdGhT5QgUnHSC3DV4gUaRk1iIEZ5X0aX4ln/s320/hive2box.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6. Hive #2 revealed and new box in place</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzuHwiT6IC8ppzJErNgU_kHWoQg7aSnOaQnHAsc64VS-ZOsny0JpEMH_UK57KzJ4PZzakDpziF4syJHBLWznJU-kGYES4GVjP0nJBc8I3RebcJjT20EmvJ53Yy1TqujpstAHmKAJIePIw/s1600/scoop1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVaAX7Zv3nH2gX2MDk9zKRByZ2W5-g-mCoETwQ2_5agYs269amRjVk0rSv3_c5FlZH2LV1gROQhuZ2Tf6nD3aSOtifYzbTBeTomCSemT4Bpd8y7sByV_rxGLo_oFN-njAvwN4zO20IKB2/s1600/hive2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVaAX7Zv3nH2gX2MDk9zKRByZ2W5-g-mCoETwQ2_5agYs269amRjVk0rSv3_c5FlZH2LV1gROQhuZ2Tf6nD3aSOtifYzbTBeTomCSemT4Bpd8y7sByV_rxGLo_oFN-njAvwN4zO20IKB2/s320/hive2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7. Slightly smaller second hive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Following the same procedure as the first hive, I cut and scooped while Joey prepared the comb for the new hive. We verified we had two queens since each section had fresh eggs in it. This queen kept trying to run away and we had to corral her using smoke and cloth soaked with the nontoxic but dissuading, Bee-Gone.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCxi8AlaK7etUqio2CGTIoxW23WYQKhY_O4CyMf8CeAB4nPfgPrHf0w3cM2mcPvoJ-m0iKl_Y0o4Rx5-VwanGDzGjmwuiaC3pHUrl4IrOnveipsLukld2QRvshkBShyphenhyphengg_gVz96zzSxXw/s1600/comeHither.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCxi8AlaK7etUqio2CGTIoxW23WYQKhY_O4CyMf8CeAB4nPfgPrHf0w3cM2mcPvoJ-m0iKl_Y0o4Rx5-VwanGDzGjmwuiaC3pHUrl4IrOnveipsLukld2QRvshkBShyphenhyphengg_gVz96zzSxXw/s320/comeHither.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8. Finally, she is in the box, indicated by the bees fanning their "Come hither" pheromone at the entrance</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once we got the majority of the bees inside our boxes, we'll leave them for a day or so to reattach their comb and adjust themselves to our boxes. Then we'll return before sunrise, wrap them in a sheet burrito, and take them home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFXdfvFJHxg27WDCLhFaEUcVGBiTWGTCMU_5HLk23kZyN-NZeWseEtwZdsMZOQy06L1ZseDxRnHeV0hsEBI71_qKJ9z7ASIo_2jpcLBuPYqMt0DoWvzt5Diq-W_nG7IYxzquofWaL_z8k/s1600/done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFXdfvFJHxg27WDCLhFaEUcVGBiTWGTCMU_5HLk23kZyN-NZeWseEtwZdsMZOQy06L1ZseDxRnHeV0hsEBI71_qKJ9z7ASIo_2jpcLBuPYqMt0DoWvzt5Diq-W_nG7IYxzquofWaL_z8k/s320/done.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9. Two hives, One wall, One happy Liz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-64492452690703348012015-05-19T10:24:00.002-07:002015-05-19T10:24:16.535-07:00Maker Faire<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGksGlyTPgJ5DxfBp6i2OVOwhtD-Cex4dI0ahnUiTGEMdDGcJNXsN0X1336-CaHG_w2MGwNCz-EOBaH6oex66vxE2srefoL5pvjRMJkQX7PL4fx13hb0kvUky_D1nb-ls0TX3ZBQDRiXYr/s1600/MakerRobo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGksGlyTPgJ5DxfBp6i2OVOwhtD-Cex4dI0ahnUiTGEMdDGcJNXsN0X1336-CaHG_w2MGwNCz-EOBaH6oex66vxE2srefoL5pvjRMJkQX7PL4fx13hb0kvUky_D1nb-ls0TX3ZBQDRiXYr/s320/MakerRobo.jpg" width="167" /></a>I expected 3D printers and Burning Man vehicles, which I saw... but there was so much more! I love this new (10 years old) truly empowering trend, breaking away from mere consumer fair to engaged and interactive. They had small children using sewing machines, learning silk screening, observing glass blowing and metallurgy, puppets, legos, making buttons with LED lights...<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2_Ne_6kn2p_ZD8yGeWn0QnpnMt1PBUlS3SdCgtXv90Gts3QLKRleNH9ZYliLg30pqQwxOMmTrBFbSqbgvel0lGJRbrUgFOWOMJEUg11Mgiumt_JFe3UnVtRtA952sJ0ZDFI8NFiTVdQn/s1600/MakerRhino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2_Ne_6kn2p_ZD8yGeWn0QnpnMt1PBUlS3SdCgtXv90Gts3QLKRleNH9ZYliLg30pqQwxOMmTrBFbSqbgvel0lGJRbrUgFOWOMJEUg11Mgiumt_JFe3UnVtRtA952sJ0ZDFI8NFiTVdQn/s320/MakerRhino.jpg" width="320" /></a> While there was certainly a technological focus, flying robots and such, the main thrust of the whole event is to support creativity in all its forms. In the spirit of things, I handed out my "How I make a Mug" card. Our neighbors on one side made dresses from dress shirts salvaged from salvation army bins. On the other side, Frankenstuffies swapped heads and other parts to make new creations from discarded stuffed animals. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnWfGQapAADglp-zIAhtu-wkSuvoX_ut5xvn8RzMTXL1XZBH6pt2MUdGKO2SmIGrUVyk4iE9danHNn5AJQjwmncFCi_G_V7itoX__bF5IiskKGRdZkHHaLim_JjFWTkCC4MOpXsx93gAZ/s1600/Banner_processSM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnWfGQapAADglp-zIAhtu-wkSuvoX_ut5xvn8RzMTXL1XZBH6pt2MUdGKO2SmIGrUVyk4iE9danHNn5AJQjwmncFCi_G_V7itoX__bF5IiskKGRdZkHHaLim_JjFWTkCC4MOpXsx93gAZ/s640/Banner_processSM.jpg" width="361" /></a> We met a club of people who "haunt" each others' houses with moving skeletons that have grotesque rotting flesh thanks to plastic sheeting melted with a heat gun and painted with gel stain. People walked around in massive, complex and uncomfortable costumes. While the Burning Man crowd made explosions and apocalyptic organ noises, the Greenies collected and sorted the waste, sending me home ecstatic with two massive bags of clean bubble wrap. <br />
This was the most inspiring event I have ever attended! I will most certainly be back for more!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPr-T0h79TT5dPDBXlnRzavnG5DqIFeYeCd8FoJHr8Hk4WIaUpAOA2UB1TR5NLKVkEiygAJuLny_mv2uMbNlm_4pU8oQpB_Aco6DXbR1gUzeEL5DgYlnrR1Wq3_rNALYGNPqVq9N183KP/s1600/MakerOcto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPr-T0h79TT5dPDBXlnRzavnG5DqIFeYeCd8FoJHr8Hk4WIaUpAOA2UB1TR5NLKVkEiygAJuLny_mv2uMbNlm_4pU8oQpB_Aco6DXbR1gUzeEL5DgYlnrR1Wq3_rNALYGNPqVq9N183KP/s200/MakerOcto.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHB3E-9PkIxj67Jgu0Fj3eARGK3hPNCC4FLnWbdavsb90qkqxCY37lvh7rFniekfR2E7BQzpcm1JZvBbCVt9eOEnplZRpsmDy08fQ-vkuqfq5x22rjslRykGP9ou_RbBg2rc04veqAPrcL/s1600/MF_WeAreAllMakers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHB3E-9PkIxj67Jgu0Fj3eARGK3hPNCC4FLnWbdavsb90qkqxCY37lvh7rFniekfR2E7BQzpcm1JZvBbCVt9eOEnplZRpsmDy08fQ-vkuqfq5x22rjslRykGP9ou_RbBg2rc04veqAPrcL/s320/MF_WeAreAllMakers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-76366240958133204252015-05-04T09:34:00.002-07:002015-05-24T19:28:55.045-07:002 swarms in 1 weekend!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FWlCcMiWJz5KUKwxq62sQDmzfGGuHfOhKc508G3SHWDNMOk2fgAgn8l8hoLMFFLYCN6U7KedVG1mTJbXSSIzCUaG_8cqDj7JTwoem8nVgkyajGnxJNztOkOjQaAFrN8hs5uGy7s4IJif/s400/guerneville.jpg" width="400" /> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPaBo0iDQHBvlqzvAURR6ETv1gAdoRs0OLEN9oJdacXN57lvJGKRkakRAQzqh_xDQVoyeM4yUurDUekjOSO_s9SML_WxTrHtEmdKpqaHqzWFlgmftPhlbpFfN0aAeLmgJHcjN7rXcsZ-6/s1600/stagtree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPaBo0iDQHBvlqzvAURR6ETv1gAdoRs0OLEN9oJdacXN57lvJGKRkakRAQzqh_xDQVoyeM4yUurDUekjOSO_s9SML_WxTrHtEmdKpqaHqzWFlgmftPhlbpFfN0aAeLmgJHcjN7rXcsZ-6/s200/stagtree.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> </span>I was putting the finishing touches on a large stag tree bowl when I got the call. A swarm sprawled across a potter's Art Walk display downtown Guerneville. Couldn't be more appropriate for the first call of the year! I grabbed my nuc with freshly waxed frames, my smoker, my eager neighbor and we took off. At the bottom of our hill, the woman called again. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"> "Are you on your way?"</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> </span>"Be there in a couple minutes.."</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> </span>"Good! He wants to power wash them off..."</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> </span>"Did you slap him?"</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> She didn't, and he didn't either. I parked my car in the center lane with hazards on and joined the small crowd. As soon as I put my box on the table, the bees paraded in, to an appreciative ooh from the observers. They asked questions while I coerced more speed from the bees with my smoker. They all entered the box and got wrapped up, burrito style, in a towel from my car in less that an hour. Then home for a jar of sugar water until they find a decent nectar source.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7-yb1aW0H6UFt9O_03TrxAKUf0Yad5GmxGFRM5FaqX4nbHQPMKjhX4JCf3uOwc_65Peti-GdS_DE4ZLhANyLbybo0S3q8R0KcXhWymDUrbE2QEgeg0Jw8QwkXOALF3e59wWZRKyIAFoy/s1600/OliversSwarm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7-yb1aW0H6UFt9O_03TrxAKUf0Yad5GmxGFRM5FaqX4nbHQPMKjhX4JCf3uOwc_65Peti-GdS_DE4ZLhANyLbybo0S3q8R0KcXhWymDUrbE2QEgeg0Jw8QwkXOALF3e59wWZRKyIAFoy/s200/OliversSwarm.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who could resist?</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> Sunday I got a text from a woman in Santa Rosa. She said a swarm was hanging on a tree in front of a busy shopping center for the last couple days. When she texted this photo and another photo of the tree for orientation, I called the high school student who wanted to explore bees for his senior project.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> "Are you ready to go?"</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> Luckily, he was and he and his parents met me in the parking lot with a ladder. The branch the bees were on was too large to simply snip or give a decent shake, so we set the box under them and smoked and scooped them down into it. Ian, still grinning from a perfect prom the night before, calmly worked the smoker, unfazed by bees landing on him.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbhjIXXZqBQuLw5CwbPOYYml1qt89fadgLYVlabOVG0nwy6A1lLxqa26U7W_qBSGvnLhMs3eMF3uublwTOpcH7PTqxFFCjiqmbzB0HzqqYngVQ21jrAdz4AcyMt_k2H34kdBhPNcIyTV7/s1600/ian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbhjIXXZqBQuLw5CwbPOYYml1qt89fadgLYVlabOVG0nwy6A1lLxqa26U7W_qBSGvnLhMs3eMF3uublwTOpcH7PTqxFFCjiqmbzB0HzqqYngVQ21jrAdz4AcyMt_k2H34kdBhPNcIyTV7/s200/ian.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiejDXar0aKVMB-Q1B0phWM2-pRFs-FJ1msOJQFfuW3TyXr0cjz52jRqE_ZIBoe62irhGhv3RxNnnemsQPAkqAWDh3L0SHRJNxMI6n56kKae8MSDbl65HPxGEATeq-hR4GEHgKOchUW4OL/s1600/warehive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiejDXar0aKVMB-Q1B0phWM2-pRFs-FJ1msOJQFfuW3TyXr0cjz52jRqE_ZIBoe62irhGhv3RxNnnemsQPAkqAWDh3L0SHRJNxMI6n56kKae8MSDbl65HPxGEATeq-hR4GEHgKOchUW4OL/s200/warehive.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> Soon we wrapped these bees up too, burrito style, in a sheet this time, and took them to his high school where he built a Ware hive. This is a top bar style hive, no prepared beeswax foundation like the Langstroth hives I use now (though similar to the Kenya Top Bar hives I was promoting in Peace Corps Paraguay). I shook the bees off my frames into his box and coaxed them again with smoke. Without the obvious lure of beeswax (though he said he rubbed the bars with wax), the bees were not as easily convinced of its merits. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> I found a clump on a corner of the box that, with a little examination with a stick, contained the queen. She climbed onto my stick and I delivered her into the entrance. Hopefully, now they will stay. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> We put a feeder at the entrance which should help the bees with their reorientation, but I warned Ian that, while in the search for the new nectar source, the bees might be a little more all-over-the-place for a few days. Since the hive is directly adjacent to the school, it might make them temporarily unpopular.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> Few things give me more joy than capturing a swarm. In that state, they are so focused on finding a new home, there is no need for protective gear. You can stand in the middle of cloud of bees, have them banging against your face, and, unless you crush one, you won't get stung. I love the opportunity to talk about bees, their castes, challenges, behaviors. And I love the awe that they generally inspire in the lucky observers. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> And I got to see the queen! Lucky me! So please, if you see a swarm, call your local beekeepers. Often the police have their numbers, or even exterminators do (since they're not allowed to kill them). Certainly, any store that sells bee equipment can help out. In Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties, if I can't get them, here's our swarm list: </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> http://sonomabees.org/swarm/index.html</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">but call me first...(707) 696-0861 </span> </span></div>
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UPDATE: 5/24 - Guerneville bees moved into their permanent new home. They filled out the 5 frames of foundation beautifully and were clearly ready for more. For all those observers who asked what I was going to do with them, here's the answer: They are now pollinating and making honey in Santa Rosa.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-3014690966766274482015-04-14T10:02:00.000-07:002015-04-14T10:07:33.401-07:00To Market...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_U7EtLh_m9y-XXlLwiinhH3eujRihXhdOvJTiMEfmal8XUJGqvGgRbml6qrl1pqryINv2JqqCC8Ha44NXK0nIBnhRX-WuLBIN5wKerNTO5hXJORK5tpx7I54O5d6CfCNubWokyiWFZjj/s1600/BodegaSpring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_U7EtLh_m9y-XXlLwiinhH3eujRihXhdOvJTiMEfmal8XUJGqvGgRbml6qrl1pqryINv2JqqCC8Ha44NXK0nIBnhRX-WuLBIN5wKerNTO5hXJORK5tpx7I54O5d6CfCNubWokyiWFZjj/s1600/BodegaSpring.jpg" height="137" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bodega Bay Fishermen Festival..our "backyard"</td></tr>
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I am daily amazed that I can do what I do for a living. In my own little studio, in the companionship of podcasts and recorded books, I can feel very disconnected...from reality, from people, from the economics of it all. Which is why I love selling my wares in person. Not only am I able to gauge reactions to my pottery, but I collect stories that people associate with different creatures. Like the ladies who love hedgehogs because they raised a hubub by mistakenly identifying a frayed carpet as one in a zoo. Or the marine biologists who nerd out on my creatures and introduce me to new ones (from oarfish to roosterfish then nudibranchs). The familiar context of the marketplace allows conversation between strangers that do not normally occur. I feel a genuine connection to people, most of whom are not making purchases, just simply enjoying a day out. Maybe it's because I'm more of a sunlight person than a night one, but I have more interesting conversations in my booth than I do at most parties. Thank you all who visit!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_15Nu6KvtQ7DYRa-krCFDJzaSANUuk7DjeA32GTY1Uh8sx4sF1ac8XN0ZT94qMu4Lxd18vfurD2Q_BjWr63MKRy_qQvDyN_jo3dD63Da_47XbS8ZXpIf_myZiHN8QyBvvDuFuGM0wpnZj/s1600/tentacle2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_15Nu6KvtQ7DYRa-krCFDJzaSANUuk7DjeA32GTY1Uh8sx4sF1ac8XN0ZT94qMu4Lxd18vfurD2Q_BjWr63MKRy_qQvDyN_jo3dD63Da_47XbS8ZXpIf_myZiHN8QyBvvDuFuGM0wpnZj/s1600/tentacle2.jpg" height="157" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tentacle found at Goat Rock Sun morn</td></tr>
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At a market, there are no middlemen (aside from the show promoters & the credit card processors).. it's about as fundamental as you can get. I love the vendor scene. There's a nervousness on Saturday morning, setting up expectations along with displays. We peer sideways at each others' prices and marketing schpiels. In close quarters, we hear their repeated phrases as I parrot my own ("an you can put them in the dishwasher too!"). This year I got to know the family who raise jellyfish and cast them in resin when they die. They make great, glowing lamps. Of course there are always products that you wonder how or why they filled a whole booth with them, though the same can be said of many manufactured products (like shipping containers of blow-up Santas crossing the oceans.. and the engineers who brought them to reality). There's Sunday sales comparisons and then the joyful closing down racket and dance of the vehicles at the end. Being so close to home, this time, we even got to squeeze in some boogie boarding at Doran Beach before crashing from over stimulation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Tt53lrpCAFwlfVpx3vqVw_o8qelSvgGIOeTPHdyk8t-nzp7Tg_Jm7n8LicHdoFUO5aVgwIwU8OgiutO-ctXV4ANLSwbRizQBZyeTLnV4reWwcj4riMTEZdUM4b_GKpQXntu3SYz-60MD/s1600/Bodega2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Tt53lrpCAFwlfVpx3vqVw_o8qelSvgGIOeTPHdyk8t-nzp7Tg_Jm7n8LicHdoFUO5aVgwIwU8OgiutO-ctXV4ANLSwbRizQBZyeTLnV4reWwcj4riMTEZdUM4b_GKpQXntu3SYz-60MD/s1600/Bodega2015.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging with my Oarfish.. current favorite</td></tr>
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I can see that, on the whole, I'm bringing joy to people... even if they're just passing by, or noticing that my dress matches the booth. And I'm OK with that on my tombstone.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-42258954451232310382015-01-13T16:42:00.000-08:002015-01-13T18:43:25.963-08:00Praise to the Bugs!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZWkT_UCV55kRyuueyBTSL23WxWZT3CVqzH3gkEs9O5fva862EV25zq8Y3P3zebldXj6yimbyuUMq3gYcDNCOeHDFAeoqccFFlDrybEQLguClTqRnXvW4WBBCtcXOQKfpEKl94bHBQKdl/s1600/BugPots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZWkT_UCV55kRyuueyBTSL23WxWZT3CVqzH3gkEs9O5fva862EV25zq8Y3P3zebldXj6yimbyuUMq3gYcDNCOeHDFAeoqccFFlDrybEQLguClTqRnXvW4WBBCtcXOQKfpEKl94bHBQKdl/s1600/BugPots.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAa1ExEd2ZzplrERLGoJXKAWNykEfQqfYq8AJVDOwhwZwjUtOaodhSXIBFew5Y41aPnG10J-nC_aBRjOP72P8cKTQEroKhguQA1p82Dtojm8MH0FnhX5dFZgCECZJnyo956jKPeSSf2rah/s1600/edibleCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAa1ExEd2ZzplrERLGoJXKAWNykEfQqfYq8AJVDOwhwZwjUtOaodhSXIBFew5Y41aPnG10J-nC_aBRjOP72P8cKTQEroKhguQA1p82Dtojm8MH0FnhX5dFZgCECZJnyo956jKPeSSf2rah/s1600/edibleCover.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDGF5lsB-2_OOFMRBa0wcdWb3tkhMhVVcJlG6rbMW2jaFoYVLWQ7PBXhC1YoLvv3CQZ947r0gHI4wxMFVJIp9yM0wq0NYxScJcVGV8eyvCR0DrHjUxLT_y5QTALthtCd8d_1Eujzncdhst/s1600/bugNutrition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDGF5lsB-2_OOFMRBa0wcdWb3tkhMhVVcJlG6rbMW2jaFoYVLWQ7PBXhC1YoLvv3CQZ947r0gHI4wxMFVJIp9yM0wq0NYxScJcVGV8eyvCR0DrHjUxLT_y5QTALthtCd8d_1Eujzncdhst/s1600/bugNutrition.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a>I listen to a lot of podcasts while I throw, trim, paint and glaze my pottery. One theme that it is absolutely impossible to ignore is that there are more people, less land, less water, less clean air and less food. Ted Talks suggest viable ideas from <a href="http://blog.ted.com/2010/03/10/how_i_fell_in_l/" target="_blank">sustainable fish farms</a>, self-stuffing <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_s_surprising_foie_gras_parable" target="_blank">foie gras</a>, and many other notions that keep you wondering. In California, we're experiencing the longest stretch of drought I've ever seen. Even glorious Lake Tahoe sports peers over rocky expanses instead of water, there's hardly any snow to play on, the bees are thrown off (this was the first year we didn't harvest honey because they so clearly needed it more than we did), mushrooms are even scarce... it makes you think. Then I heard about this book, <u>Edible: An Adventure into the World of Eating Insects and the Last Great Hope to Save the Planet</u>. I've read books about eating bugs before, but they always focus on the gross-out and the aren't-they-weird factors so that it was not something to take seriously. But when you consider that 80% of US water use goes to agriculture and half of that is going to livestock, it would be wise to choose less water-consumptive, and even more importantly, less methane-producing protein sources. Bugs offer more protein, with less input and output, in less space. All the other considerations you would want to apply to standard livestock, like being able to turn around or get fresh air, don't apply to bugs. They like it cozy and crowded and confined. We've already been eating "acceptable" amounts of insects in all our processed foods. The paper strip around the neck of the ketchup bottle was initially placed there to disguise the black line of insect bits that floated there before they figured out a better method to incorporate them. With all the ingenious food scientists and chefs, I expect to see tasty bug-based products on our shelves. They can be cleverly disguised. The revulsion reveal of "Snowpiercer" that the otherwise unappealing protein slabs were made of insects was a non-issue. How else would you provide food for a sample of humanity contained on a train? If this catches on, maybe we can cut back on the pesticides and genetic manipulations that are killing us and the beneficial insects we love (like bees).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cicadas are apparently tasty</td></tr>
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Which brings me to my new design plan for the year: Edible Insects. I've started out with Cicadas (because they have beautiful red highlights), crickets, and wood lice (sow bugs, rolly pollies).. there are a ton more and I plan on tasting them too (heard there is a bug food truck that shows up at Fort Mason on occasion). Dragonflies are apparently delicious, so they will be coming back too....<br />
Never fear, cephalopod fans, I will never abandon the octopus in my quest for new designs. They will just have a lot of varied company, a couple fewer legs.....<br />
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<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/marcel_dicke_why_not_eat_insects" target="_blank">Another bug-eating Ted Talk</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chapul-Cricket-Energy-Bars-Sampler/dp/B00K5E9Q7E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421196534&sr=8-1&keywords=cricket+protein+bar" target="_blank">Cricket Protein Bars</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/JR-Unique-Foods-Cricket-Flour/dp/B00OMCTODQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1421196534&sr=8-4&keywords=cricket+protein+bar" target="_blank">Cricket Flour</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-35197545476623804832014-11-26T11:12:00.003-08:002014-11-26T11:12:56.315-08:00Travel<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4m9FBYUf_bRPCWPQ9aNhdPnx34q1TRCKzBzhGI3MMPRe5mDAKiRDwwR5tGjWl-1VQJffjzWo4RqKr9LbarUbUPfQ2f4biBRDwbWW9BAIV3DbuhiRbc6Z21VViL81W6EtU-q2z0GZaCli/s1600/morePostcards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4m9FBYUf_bRPCWPQ9aNhdPnx34q1TRCKzBzhGI3MMPRe5mDAKiRDwwR5tGjWl-1VQJffjzWo4RqKr9LbarUbUPfQ2f4biBRDwbWW9BAIV3DbuhiRbc6Z21VViL81W6EtU-q2z0GZaCli/s1600/morePostcards.jpg" height="110" width="400" /></a></div>
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Under normal circumstances, I am so busy my husband calls me a hummingbird. In a car, I become a caged tiger.. a case of restless leg syndrome takes over my entire body. So I have learned to prepare a project to complete in the car to keep myself occupied instead of insane. I have worked on quilts, tied labels for my Anthropologie order, made cards, and this latest trip to Portland... decorated postcards. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n5Psbfs3Y9ISpcbsd1Z9wOIgIbs7kz7i1MhATrCgJzJ0A1oAAq9LS7fiJTDRxMz_c3k3eNpt5BgB-O-ovVo4dslFhNwqKmygEQqnEXnD_YfPL9kHiwqv9QWo0ueh0iFaS26U-cOUnXJz/s1600/before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n5Psbfs3Y9ISpcbsd1Z9wOIgIbs7kz7i1MhATrCgJzJ0A1oAAq9LS7fiJTDRxMz_c3k3eNpt5BgB-O-ovVo4dslFhNwqKmygEQqnEXnD_YfPL9kHiwqv9QWo0ueh0iFaS26U-cOUnXJz/s1600/before.jpg" height="200" width="184" /></a> To prepare, I cut some discarded album covers into postcard dimensions ( First-Class Mail postcard: At least 3.5 x 5", no more than 4.25 x 6" x 0.016" thick). Cereal boxes also work. I put these in a zip-lock bag with glue sticks and scissors. I also bring any books that would be better as images. Children's encyclopedias or science books are awesome as the illustrations are precise but outdated to assuage the book-destroying guilt. Many children's books have brilliant graphics and insipid text... And you can make gift cards from the pages too. Avoid reading, naturally, to deter car sickness.</div>
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Leg-stretching stops can occur at thrift stores to find more image resources. </div>
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And thus I am amused for hours with hilarious juxtapositions: angler fish with the Andrew Sisters, John Travolta with a shark dance partner, Puffins in space.... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByLOTbGz2toIGSuIlHl1nz2lusB_oOh8k9qtl__hiWhEtaEijxk0WcTyZHR5o3XdZaYxO9oiHt5y4hAKKTIMJdlimUMW7bfE2lXu0FYKn92G02k0eRseFfq6mpgEsDSIjRg06rHWusCj3/s1600/postcards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByLOTbGz2toIGSuIlHl1nz2lusB_oOh8k9qtl__hiWhEtaEijxk0WcTyZHR5o3XdZaYxO9oiHt5y4hAKKTIMJdlimUMW7bfE2lXu0FYKn92G02k0eRseFfq6mpgEsDSIjRg06rHWusCj3/s1600/postcards.jpg" height="489" width="640" /></a></div>
2 gluesticks, 80 postcards, and many many podcasts later, we made it home again....Best to embrace that "artist disposition"<br />
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....Happy travels this holiday season!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-17419535518333100412014-10-30T09:37:00.001-07:002014-10-30T09:47:57.530-07:00Monterey<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pdiuK4A0UakDvYJDdsQ1xQXeqooND40R6fDG_hdGFFRdLTK0AcDDMv6bd2JGT-brL7FPITnCOloU1iy85xdT-_BHZt9_-7TaofjWlZNdNuYZcsxoR6l4r-N8BAhVPZS0TzzhTYJV9ZAW/s1600/Octopus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pdiuK4A0UakDvYJDdsQ1xQXeqooND40R6fDG_hdGFFRdLTK0AcDDMv6bd2JGT-brL7FPITnCOloU1iy85xdT-_BHZt9_-7TaofjWlZNdNuYZcsxoR6l4r-N8BAhVPZS0TzzhTYJV9ZAW/s1600/Octopus.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a>People always ask where I get my inspiration and the amazing (ongoing) "Tentacles" exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium certainly qualifies. The town is decorated in banners of tentacles. Heaven! I want them as curtains, or bed spreads, or just to snuggle up with on the couch! As the name indicates, they feature every kind of cephalopod (my darling octopuses, squid, cuttlefishes and nautiluses) and some artwork they inspire. In addition to scientific illustration and robot versions of each cephalopod, they display samples of pottery and glassware and other art forms seduced by the tentacle. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNylTYMBQM1VpLAfHaD5y2PjKz90c8DwiYFgBwSnmOiORFlPxqqNdCO6C33QNAfmaIFWtCX57yx1KjsFGQgjww6OOGKrropTAfbjG3JjvfaA1mQD_8Xy5SwAhl9HkXvtoH5JNVt-DK5nR/s1600/flamboyant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNylTYMBQM1VpLAfHaD5y2PjKz90c8DwiYFgBwSnmOiORFlPxqqNdCO6C33QNAfmaIFWtCX57yx1KjsFGQgjww6OOGKrropTAfbjG3JjvfaA1mQD_8Xy5SwAhl9HkXvtoH5JNVt-DK5nR/s1600/flamboyant.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>My favorite was the flamboyant cuttlefish, a mini bulldog of a cuttlefish that appears to walk on its tentacles and changes colors as it demonstrates dominance, curiosity, submission, tantrum... The following evening I spend looking up videos of the little guys and exclaiming with rapture (Nova video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-cxg8mF_Lw). And then I painted them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PBF3f8v06WO9-UfdlJlWZm1udtnZ-EPkUC-Ghvi2CBM4qZ4x0ukjQz9gfdtS_ldOotVyeEus9fRTBeA-A9Uao2Ghi9d9XQw-8TmFa8rKT55Z6hd051_Zn-wdabfmGSboIUcB_A06koRY/s1600/flamboyant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PBF3f8v06WO9-UfdlJlWZm1udtnZ-EPkUC-Ghvi2CBM4qZ4x0ukjQz9gfdtS_ldOotVyeEus9fRTBeA-A9Uao2Ghi9d9XQw-8TmFa8rKT55Z6hd051_Zn-wdabfmGSboIUcB_A06koRY/s1600/flamboyant.jpg" height="163" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamboyant Cuttlefish</td></tr>
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Also present was the angelic reef squid, the first cephalopod I interacted with when learning how do dive in Honduras. A line of five of them flapped their "wings" and examined us while we adapted to breathing underwater, clearly the only creature actually interested in our bumbling presence.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hu9cYs-9psRyKsob1fAyL-xT3LVWc_QUdBu2BdjZ1PytBf-JnkaUEJIZ-_pj_N4psmege2Io5g0ls2KevldSWd6MADyKuLopbNCSM-Y9p4_kmpriiIjJCE_6oF0A83e4p0F3CRtnHBZW/s1600/Bigfin-reef-squid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hu9cYs-9psRyKsob1fAyL-xT3LVWc_QUdBu2BdjZ1PytBf-JnkaUEJIZ-_pj_N4psmege2Io5g0ls2KevldSWd6MADyKuLopbNCSM-Y9p4_kmpriiIjJCE_6oF0A83e4p0F3CRtnHBZW/s1600/Bigfin-reef-squid.jpg" height="231" width="320" /></a> Naturally, there were also octopuses of every color and personality, and instructive videos about the differences in eye shape, propulsion, tentacles of the cephalopods and the kind of mischief the octopuses get up to in the aquariums (i.e. sneaking out and stealing fish at night from other tanks then returning undetected except by security cameras).<br />
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And then I got to feed the bat rays. No tentacles, but as the presenter described them, with "nibbling gums like a horse". You had to hold a sardine through your fingers, perpendicular to your palm, so the bat rays could come up and gobble the fish out. You could pet their velvety skin as they passed by! They were amazingly unbothered by the fondling hands despite the presence of three venomous barbed spines at the base of their long tails (apparently they are as disinclined to use them as honey bees.. for defense only)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkrLTB3vNLPGud-hph3GXrjO-0cUq18sgnQ6_eMPI_YHJYIV53KR_ieJzd5cCjUM_76mB0kjAhLhEASZ7K6sZc3PSXq1N_Q3T-o5Ue51hW_AK0ChmBMB01yKaS_Gz30jB0wK3CdFxyQwO/s1600/batray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkrLTB3vNLPGud-hph3GXrjO-0cUq18sgnQ6_eMPI_YHJYIV53KR_ieJzd5cCjUM_76mB0kjAhLhEASZ7K6sZc3PSXq1N_Q3T-o5Ue51hW_AK0ChmBMB01yKaS_Gz30jB0wK3CdFxyQwO/s1600/batray.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bat Ray in Kelp</td></tr>
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To complete the exploration, we decided to dive the bay, since it is purported to be the best cold water diving (as long as the visibility holds). I heard that the kelp forests were mesmerizing to swim through. Well, it was cold. And clear enough. We were joined by an otter. A variety of nudibranchs, which I am desperately in love with (like flamboyant sea slugs), showed off their color through the murk. As of yet, I haven't quite figured out how to bring out their majesty in clay and black and white. Might have to learn glass blowing to fully capture them.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhZKR55ibdMmsWnqTkOLdyvPz52gKCWsAK0xPji4inmE2WpP0_Q9DMz39CB0FDlcJSHN8rlJY3UUhZIIMjinsXa4bQrbjV8XbDhui2lY6ZNvX_hGji4DzUrFy7B13BqxOGr4_pC8G6R9v/s1600/Nudibranch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhZKR55ibdMmsWnqTkOLdyvPz52gKCWsAK0xPji4inmE2WpP0_Q9DMz39CB0FDlcJSHN8rlJY3UUhZIIMjinsXa4bQrbjV8XbDhui2lY6ZNvX_hGji4DzUrFy7B13BqxOGr4_pC8G6R9v/s1600/Nudibranch.jpg" height="131" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nudibranchs.... their variety seems endless. Usually very small too. Found in every shape all over the world</td></tr>
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But the most amazing sight hovered in the water near us. When lit from below, it glowed like an old Metal-halide lamp. Our dive master wasn't sure what it was so I researched it that evening while the image was still fresh.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VwHq6xw0NCdwffk8zLO-D25NPuJY95qrSBjWmkrJODCQa3YLyEzxf9lOkdrO_wR_hgUBFZuN9g4TQEbifcihEeZDVMCjmm7r6HD9bRAq9hbpC1rRk_QY8Hf4IhxhsRVkFtwLaprgYyRS/s1600/thetysvagina.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VwHq6xw0NCdwffk8zLO-D25NPuJY95qrSBjWmkrJODCQa3YLyEzxf9lOkdrO_wR_hgUBFZuN9g4TQEbifcihEeZDVMCjmm7r6HD9bRAq9hbpC1rRk_QY8Hf4IhxhsRVkFtwLaprgYyRS/s1600/thetysvagina.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Gelatinous Zooplankton</span></td></tr>
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Apparently it was some kind of gelatinous zooplankton (a group that includes jellyfish), and possibly was a Thetys vagina, which has asexual solitary form, the oozooid, which buds and develops into a colony of sexual individuals, the blastozooids (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak3uc3aBvHI). Not only a fascinating creature but a rare functional use of 'z's!</div>
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So, life inspires. Endlessly. Thankfully. And my job is to remain inspired. Love it.</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-rcmioVorvAk%2FVBUTic7pjGI%2FAAAAAAAAVNo%2FBvjfl922Jyw%2Fs1600%2Fthetysvagina.jpeg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VwHq6xw0NCdwffk8zLO-D25NPuJY95qrSBjWmkrJODCQa3YLyEzxf9lOkdrO_wR_hgUBFZuN9g4TQEbifcihEeZDVMCjmm7r6HD9bRAq9hbpC1rRk_QY8Hf4IhxhsRVkFtwLaprgYyRS/s1600/thetysvagina.jpeg" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-25052623864200718562014-10-07T10:43:00.001-07:002014-10-07T18:42:19.013-07:00Maybe not...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtecgcNzOsSu7NvNUInIox4bZcCWbOBUK003JJwNFF2rgc-JJI5prgVX54vza2rfoHgk3641Mc2gKzj_eET9gapQCZlg0KTFcOTxOGhILyKDMa4m_MQk_6Gykj35wcBEhYsSfkP6mURx2I/s1600/anthropologielabel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtecgcNzOsSu7NvNUInIox4bZcCWbOBUK003JJwNFF2rgc-JJI5prgVX54vza2rfoHgk3641Mc2gKzj_eET9gapQCZlg0KTFcOTxOGhILyKDMa4m_MQk_6Gykj35wcBEhYsSfkP6mURx2I/s1600/anthropologielabel.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a>A while back I wrote about the dubious adventure of saying, "Yes". Here's the followup to the big Yes I said to Anthropologie...<br />
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I should have said, "No thanks."<br />
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While the wholesale price seemed fair, I was completely unaware of the reality of working with a massive corporation. Nonetheless, I dove in with what my husband calls, "reckless abandon." Like all corporations, they involve lots of middle people. Each connected me to websites of videos and documents about how they wanted things done, but no one person could provide all the answers. Like where I was shipping them to, specifically, how to use their bizarre database system to make packing lists... I had to pay one company to make labels, two different kinds and individually mailed. Being a required element of the process, they have no incentive to charge a decent price or even share an envelope, so I paid $19.50 for 40 labels ($10 to ship from LA) and the same amount for 100 labels. These then had to be applied, per their specifications, along with a personal tag (which I strung with emrboidery thread on the 3 hour trip home from Monterey) to each mug.<br />
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And then there was the packaging. One of our business philosophies is to tread environmentally as lightly as possible. With islands of plastic clogging the seas, I don't feel comfortable contributing new bubblewrap and polybags to the mess. For this massive packing project, we diverged from the recommended materials and used:<br />
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oQJeMHvAu9Ktf5Ylu79jBYlNnLbTdfFGx9nPCNRiWO4xG8yLJZZGG8P-98rD9z0O-zz8nBXOPli0stDLKZIoGRSAvzj40oO7L0UrTz9NAAqayH0RC1ZR4WaTnUkkq7ZxBiZ6LtOEFyXx/s1600/anthropologietag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oQJeMHvAu9Ktf5Ylu79jBYlNnLbTdfFGx9nPCNRiWO4xG8yLJZZGG8P-98rD9z0O-zz8nBXOPli0stDLKZIoGRSAvzj40oO7L0UrTz9NAAqayH0RC1ZR4WaTnUkkq7ZxBiZ6LtOEFyXx/s1600/anthropologietag.jpg" height="320" width="264" /></a>
<li>a roll of foam floor padding</li>
<li>a swimming pool cover (the thick blue bubble-wrap style)</li>
<li>foam padding from the dump's Recycle Town (sterilized, naturally)</li>
<li>a yoga mat</li>
<li>unused farmer's market produce bags (from our friend, Jason, who used to farm) </li>
<li>dumpster dived cardboard (from the recylce bins in a business park, of course)</li>
<li>lots of packing tape</li>
<li>and friends' and family's collections of bubble-wrap, cardboard and styrofoam...</li>
</ul>
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It took a solid 3 days to pack up all these mugs. Only 140 of them, but they became 10 massive boxes headed to two different locations in Reno (one for distribution to stores, one for distribution online). The livingroom became buried under styrofoam snowfall. <br />
Overall, it was a stressful experience. In the painting, my owls and octopuses did begin to feel jailed. I got more robotic than I was comfortable with, a little too mass production, a little too soul seduction. A lot of time was expended figuring out how to maneuver through their system. And when I was finally ready to wipe my hands of them, the freight pickup man called and insisted that my boxes had to be "palletized and shrink-wrapped". I told him that was impossible as this was a residential location (like I told the operator who took the order) and I don't have pallets. Another operator sent me a regular UPS truck and said I could make the labels online or the driver would have them. But I couldn't fill out the forms online because they wanted to charge me rather than the receiver and when Tom arrived, he laughed that she was clearly "in another state", that he didn't carry labels but was friendly with the UPS shop in town. He called her and she had labels that would work, but I couldn't transport the boxes in my tiny Honda Civic. So we loaded up his truck and he delivered them to her shop for me (saint!). I spent another hour there manually filling out forms and attaching them to boxes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjfLetGHL_wwQ9UxatFf0k7SUZlfAdCI6Eh5GlzNywyMDK8XRT4Ma7XYTzORIHmsfjDUN9CRjc4sow_7LHY7dWYrTHp-buYbgh-qqbuGe1rnrDi1q-3EyU1m9WEu03iY3T_L9vtpvMBXf/s1600/anthropologieowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjfLetGHL_wwQ9UxatFf0k7SUZlfAdCI6Eh5GlzNywyMDK8XRT4Ma7XYTzORIHmsfjDUN9CRjc4sow_7LHY7dWYrTHp-buYbgh-qqbuGe1rnrDi1q-3EyU1m9WEu03iY3T_L9vtpvMBXf/s1600/anthropologieowl.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Now I just cross my fingers that they get there. And I get paid. And they return my samples. And maybe the exposure will make it all worthwhile.....<br />
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Back to selling my pottery to humans.. one at a time<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-55525630712792071032014-09-11T11:41:00.001-07:002014-09-11T11:41:11.948-07:00Kitchen Remodel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1v_UUpsmRZrkGLaH37O1-rTTkEQ4LRGLIHFday_BL-71NX8R7Y8vDDDNhPlIQIh9_Xk1p5PSV-WuIqp0CzKP9uqiXNkLp3E18_x0NuzWo_sBEnp-ZmGFxrT4bYdxyl24WZ68JbgcaojUQ/s1600/kitchenentry1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1v_UUpsmRZrkGLaH37O1-rTTkEQ4LRGLIHFday_BL-71NX8R7Y8vDDDNhPlIQIh9_Xk1p5PSV-WuIqp0CzKP9uqiXNkLp3E18_x0NuzWo_sBEnp-ZmGFxrT4bYdxyl24WZ68JbgcaojUQ/s1600/kitchenentry1.jpg" height="200" width="181" /></a></div>
Our home was a summer cabin, remodeled, but only half-way, and therefore was a bargain fixer. The kitchen, the first room that greeted you, was a simple but hideous no-drawer eyesore. The counter consisted of beige 12" tiles with white (to begin with) grout that nauseated me every time I tried to clean it. I've moaned about it for years but there were more crucial problems, like a foundation, our septic, double-paned windows etc. that needed attention before the esthetic needs of the kitchen. It's been a slow process....<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahseSE1beS1t3ui4OQP5jN1kQ6DQO8iT9nLlaCmoDg_vTk3f9jbpn0TANL0GEUM6ClZ5H_hhDJ3sFAGf25g_kipFm2x7_EaycMK_qREhrNFawEaW-gCBSdNYLiYVDBDX6qHlCB-XcUHs_/s1600/kitcheninstall4.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="243" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Install</td></tr>
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We began with the flooring, lovely light-reflecting bamboo. Then the entry way: a queen bee mosaic tile set by me and surrounding black slate to provide a safe place to remove shoes. Then we moved up. Being in remodel-focused construction, Joey was replacing a kitchen and managed to rescue their cabinets for us. These he altered and fitted with better hardware before reusing in our kitchen. I got a new (to us, it's stainless!) sink from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IndustrialReusableMaterials">Industrial Reusable Materials</a> in Windsor (where remodelling treasures abound). And I created a tile back splash for around the stove and above the counter.</div>
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We bought PaperStone for the counter, a smooth product made of recycled paper (and recyclable!), praised by all the green builders and testers. We sealed it with oil and beeswax and I love it! No grout! And it's so strong you can buy a 1/2" thick slab and simply glue a little strip to the edge to make it appear like the traditional 1" thickness (you'll see that we haven't got to that finishing touch before I took the pictures).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwF5qpVQ6Xw6MyyrzmRqmB5K4KR8b1fG7kolxcSyM6mnyInPDlvJoHNfXEyIxMTPcHG2X7OMGRCwiFF2r-ryMsFL0JgTiKMEUOGBJ96tP35aNgMUCfmxl-T4BiriEQyuA-1HYeuolnWp0/s1600/kitchenStove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwF5qpVQ6Xw6MyyrzmRqmB5K4KR8b1fG7kolxcSyM6mnyInPDlvJoHNfXEyIxMTPcHG2X7OMGRCwiFF2r-ryMsFL0JgTiKMEUOGBJ96tP35aNgMUCfmxl-T4BiriEQyuA-1HYeuolnWp0/s1600/kitchenStove.jpg" height="148" width="200" /></a> Then Joey installed the tile. I numbered them on the back for easy placement. In one day, Joey on the Mastik and me on the tile saw (there will ALWAYS be miscalculations that need correcting), we glued the tiles in place. The next day we added black grout.</div>
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It's not perfect yet, but it's soooo close!</div>
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And I'm getting so much practice with tile, I'm ready for more...Anyone got a hideous kitchen??<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(mostly done)</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-23338010844393878062014-07-24T09:41:00.000-07:002014-07-24T09:41:46.475-07:00The Dubious Adventure of Yes<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgP8Esb6VtXy0gXCZWEnuZuzIZNvTBN_78f6jnjc7YKsMjz4QCeXBe2Ho_fv5tno0veFUu6CjwXEkWMLggYXprNJnMZ2r7WnErUqSinZvuzfbPmKZ_zkFqEWViHQXvLjOtQ9Mj7IleAVN5/s1600/20140617_115944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgP8Esb6VtXy0gXCZWEnuZuzIZNvTBN_78f6jnjc7YKsMjz4QCeXBe2Ho_fv5tno0veFUu6CjwXEkWMLggYXprNJnMZ2r7WnErUqSinZvuzfbPmKZ_zkFqEWViHQXvLjOtQ9Mj7IleAVN5/s1600/20140617_115944.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big pot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love a challenge. I consider myself to be optimistic and
positive, so I revel in saying "Yes!" Lately that has taken the
form of wedding registries, which I adore because it enables me to make a
cohesive set. Then I said, "Yes" to the challenge of an
18" tall vase with a 9" mouth which turned out to be much easier to
type than to achieve- though I did end up with my tallest vessel yet at
12" tall and a 7" mouth. With a tall lid it almost reaches
18". And I said, "Yes" to the custom tile project which has taught me
patience and how to reproduce a single piece of a puzzle (when one randomly
decided not to cooperate), calculating shrink rate and grouting. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvo7o2t-SVdXLh2f4YXMNewUNEPohoE9RfKZjlhfmVgIzRR4wUQl3F1PH59dP25AKwNznj7lxVuYqSzz2hdeD2_eacXGQqc_WIFDwfCyM1pEykhjjgwqld2b8cwm80BLTaJX1C-R85Paj/s1600/LiddedOcto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvo7o2t-SVdXLh2f4YXMNewUNEPohoE9RfKZjlhfmVgIzRR4wUQl3F1PH59dP25AKwNznj7lxVuYqSzz2hdeD2_eacXGQqc_WIFDwfCyM1pEykhjjgwqld2b8cwm80BLTaJX1C-R85Paj/s1600/LiddedOcto.jpg" height="190" width="200" /></a> Recently,
Anthropologie contacted me about being a handmade holiday showcase artist both
at their stores and online. They wanted 460 mugs initially, which, being
a 1-woman factory was not only impossible but unappealing. It’s forced me
to reevaluate my business plan (again) and my intentional lack of growth.
I generally say, "No" to galleries who want to buy my products wholesale and
retail them at 50% markup, especially not my mugs. I don't have the means to make endless
product, so it doesn't really benefit me to sell more products for less money.
I do not want to mechanize my pottery, as it would lose it whole purpose
of being an intentional object. I can't really imagine hiring someone
because I love the absolute control and flexibility I have over my schedule
(though I did solicit the aid of fellow potters to throw for me when my MS
first appeared and crippled my left hand.... but those were desperate times....
) </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV9Ub3MKAYV3cbIoMfaGc0VXAwgqNH76XmsxixsnS5z3KQy05SAGt8iKCrVYfA-BFNWGPnYDEg0CdryG74mDy3fTY5NsWYhUipSIRRn07HExM46kTXiMJ_f88rhoAixkHEvLPjWjJZ5To/s1600/done.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV9Ub3MKAYV3cbIoMfaGc0VXAwgqNH76XmsxixsnS5z3KQy05SAGt8iKCrVYfA-BFNWGPnYDEg0CdryG74mDy3fTY5NsWYhUipSIRRn07HExM46kTXiMJ_f88rhoAixkHEvLPjWjJZ5To/s1600/done.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broken tiles around the edges are ones I had to replace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My mugs are
pretty much my gift to my customers (or a gateway pot, accessible to almost
every budget), because they take as much time, concentration and effort as my
larger platters for which I can charge more. As a business, I want to be
truly sustainable; earning a supportive income and maintaining my physical, intellectual
and spiritual self while minimizing my environmental impact. If I
make a factory of myself, all joy that I hope oozes from my pottery might be squelched
in the drudgery.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRVf8xKxA5yZAeRptePjoJLFyR_pI6hUROHB5utBpu4DHrjxBu0iZ5ke8Xxy7h2oMmD4gkCkVLX4lMkErVGbaI3-W2WXx4kSzTc5Mz5U4Y_pkcGGok9mjYaXV5TeWVO2Uj66oiEB6x_W2/s1600/MassdProduction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRVf8xKxA5yZAeRptePjoJLFyR_pI6hUROHB5utBpu4DHrjxBu0iZ5ke8Xxy7h2oMmD4gkCkVLX4lMkErVGbaI3-W2WXx4kSzTc5Mz5U4Y_pkcGGok9mjYaXV5TeWVO2Uj66oiEB6x_W2/s1600/MassdProduction.jpg" height="320" width="117" /></a>I don't want to make 100 imprisoned owls. But I do
want to increase my online presence, to not have to heave my poor delicate pots
all over the country to hawk them in the sun. I love selling my pottery
in person, I thrive off the feedback. But it is exhausting and time
consuming. So I am tempted to dip my toes deeper into the online marketplace;
piggyback off a known brand. Anthropologie offered me a fair deal and I
feel respected in the exchange, (and I have negotiated a reasonable quantity
for them to sell). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2cKfXWPABpHwbU-ThB6pBGo6lptxBr9UBQzlkOrtCBKBX1UsaucwEYBKe6-lfyRnAdHNj64mYqgq62C1kJ4o035AAlcqngWxKB2CfOKXjEjbKexld9lA7nibIYvuv-eIT8qJpiW-BlRn/s1600/stags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2cKfXWPABpHwbU-ThB6pBGo6lptxBr9UBQzlkOrtCBKBX1UsaucwEYBKe6-lfyRnAdHNj64mYqgq62C1kJ4o035AAlcqngWxKB2CfOKXjEjbKexld9lA7nibIYvuv-eIT8qJpiW-BlRn/s1600/stags.jpg" height="125" width="320" /></a> To get in the
spirit, today I painted 20 stag mugs, to see if the repetition would be
productive or mind-numbing. I found the proportions skewed over time- my
stags grew a bit more Picasso-esque in their imbalance. I've put them
aside to reevaluate later. But there was also calm in the repetition, a
refining of the lines and details. I have certainly done over 1000
octopuses and they still make me smile. I even painted tentacles on the
Otter box of my phone so I can identify it as my own. I think I can
manage this. Feedback is certainly
welcome….</div>
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Life is apparently like my Pilates class; continually
seeking the balance, finding the relaxation in the work, the joy in the
challenge, and when you have to say "No" and take a break.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-79772233853296450622013-12-03T13:39:00.000-08:002013-12-05T07:00:01.737-08:00Kiln Diary - December<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HdQojU0LTRev36BXY6uzALZVY63jQ3Uci0w3TmU0al6nhk_J6xCcwasiue_R3ydBoaGrANs4L9v93OGyBchCTpEcpdPGo-xMwzZvNJOouWWo_Wqdpw5yThxp_AGTQRu3CUfzd6x722O7/s1600/top+shelf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HdQojU0LTRev36BXY6uzALZVY63jQ3Uci0w3TmU0al6nhk_J6xCcwasiue_R3ydBoaGrANs4L9v93OGyBchCTpEcpdPGo-xMwzZvNJOouWWo_Wqdpw5yThxp_AGTQRu3CUfzd6x722O7/s320/top+shelf.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Almost the last load of the year with some interesting new requests: Sugar Glider, Tiger, Sloth, Hammerhead shark, and the Unicorn/uniwhal. I signed up for Audobon magazine and got this amazing photo on their calendar of two bluebird-esque birds sharing a stick on opposite sides (as in one was upside down!). Naturally, I had to make a platter of that naturally occurring yin-yang.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbBFmlKoNeDNRmxXa5_3OB1mo9VZY1m0SX3SZunpHNfLczwbn9cQI3qgn_K-wSOJS9z-RAGJek1N9oCsb5wE8nK47PEMU1oBOXuwPscTv5_bKrptO8tFPX6OIJ39aGBbxqu0SO9o09n9Q/s1600/second+shelf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbBFmlKoNeDNRmxXa5_3OB1mo9VZY1m0SX3SZunpHNfLczwbn9cQI3qgn_K-wSOJS9z-RAGJek1N9oCsb5wE8nK47PEMU1oBOXuwPscTv5_bKrptO8tFPX6OIJ39aGBbxqu0SO9o09n9Q/s320/second+shelf.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bluebird yin yang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As to the Uniwhal, this was instigated by a fellow scuba diver who scribbled the secret behind the ocean's unicorn, the narwhal. Apparently there's a unicorn driving it from the inside (see the series of mugs).<br />
<br />
just a little exhausted.....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3J5a6Qf-UDCAY_xJ51Gg3XjR6eG9DJIPQzQ_Prub2KRm7tvDxh_MisFvq6TlozteuMHfGo6YRmcKirP_67vxFpIYHaqoRzMm5FwwJpGPIqgGW3SDjEEYN1-NTWuF7nHkKtCWfFs3Sfxun/s1600/third+shelf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3J5a6Qf-UDCAY_xJ51Gg3XjR6eG9DJIPQzQ_Prub2KRm7tvDxh_MisFvq6TlozteuMHfGo6YRmcKirP_67vxFpIYHaqoRzMm5FwwJpGPIqgGW3SDjEEYN1-NTWuF7nHkKtCWfFs3Sfxun/s320/third+shelf.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_vk1lm_NL95hfamoQsDazqcABmvX8tXe2qF5c85Jnc7kJJjYUZcvIvJI-xk6CI2nDtAqBqtF4NYPsGqbUkNOzxGU6iYh-jfqQARur7lXaAI_fPHJWRkGTsKZ7eve-H1gcqNSGopvQvk0/s1600/fourth+shelf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_vk1lm_NL95hfamoQsDazqcABmvX8tXe2qF5c85Jnc7kJJjYUZcvIvJI-xk6CI2nDtAqBqtF4NYPsGqbUkNOzxGU6iYh-jfqQARur7lXaAI_fPHJWRkGTsKZ7eve-H1gcqNSGopvQvk0/s320/fourth+shelf.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWzrzXEC0-TG07zfoz0twvAsJEmUT1jAaWFvFmFTg-hN2kN1b3_bZPrJU-RN48MatXubn2cXpJTO6CVtOp2_X2Zsepc-LPVB1OxDmM5qaSTCVmGfwdVPIUhRx3DTZTeoaXPyWtalKq_GJ/s1600/RingtailYinYangGRAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWzrzXEC0-TG07zfoz0twvAsJEmUT1jAaWFvFmFTg-hN2kN1b3_bZPrJU-RN48MatXubn2cXpJTO6CVtOp2_X2Zsepc-LPVB1OxDmM5qaSTCVmGfwdVPIUhRx3DTZTeoaXPyWtalKq_GJ/s320/RingtailYinYangGRAD.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFvYUH5rAEMe92rclg1AV-stCGNEr7-7XldrHAjUAOajrYAZuNMqfzeOD_zk9WUIaiO_khNLDndabod57_Aub6gVq1VZnVMPVoqJbNlXT6PhxWb8Gndd7rS3rBGfDvsujzocYuVttKMza/s1600/uniwhalEvolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFvYUH5rAEMe92rclg1AV-stCGNEr7-7XldrHAjUAOajrYAZuNMqfzeOD_zk9WUIaiO_khNLDndabod57_Aub6gVq1VZnVMPVoqJbNlXT6PhxWb8Gndd7rS3rBGfDvsujzocYuVttKMza/s320/uniwhalEvolution.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EVOLUTION?: Narwhal => Uniwhal => Unicorn => Horse<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRvRkfKB6skMxWFW4t11UOl1MS-TxsxjEpqGnWzJZ2rMwBiNe3sMjWsAGMr-5xhnLY7kMxYjobyI30g9x6YkISTN-Eyb8Av6zL2F8K8HdRVnMYsGEoraB40A_2MVpRb3d0TAqlaQPGMxS/s1600/uniwhal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRvRkfKB6skMxWFW4t11UOl1MS-TxsxjEpqGnWzJZ2rMwBiNe3sMjWsAGMr-5xhnLY7kMxYjobyI30g9x6YkISTN-Eyb8Av6zL2F8K8HdRVnMYsGEoraB40A_2MVpRb3d0TAqlaQPGMxS/s320/uniwhal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYuMQbqg8BE3gWxSzMwjc8OSkLG20Lu4xm-upt6GtqlaJRiS1LM7H4rv3pKaqcq-VuLNy8iZUpvJ36UD0NCRUzHSvCU4rC9LQiYJi6E-KzI2oTq8QXb1ezFcVz2l9W-VaH5D8FZQ5KlzC/s1600/SlothMugGRAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYuMQbqg8BE3gWxSzMwjc8OSkLG20Lu4xm-upt6GtqlaJRiS1LM7H4rv3pKaqcq-VuLNy8iZUpvJ36UD0NCRUzHSvCU4rC9LQiYJi6E-KzI2oTq8QXb1ezFcVz2l9W-VaH5D8FZQ5KlzC/s320/SlothMugGRAD.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sloth</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TQbDPoQezCuULVVKElxWVc7BEN0-ZiIDEt5q5qCrLvqCajfkXupCb7UyUoeZXSyabtyfoWjue8fBDAk8Fh075wy_ykJXbeIZuK6Hi3nUlfuTFwHeHCvlXmp_Cc2AVXhu4FNQEdpxvyBc/s1600/tigerMugGRAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TQbDPoQezCuULVVKElxWVc7BEN0-ZiIDEt5q5qCrLvqCajfkXupCb7UyUoeZXSyabtyfoWjue8fBDAk8Fh075wy_ykJXbeIZuK6Hi3nUlfuTFwHeHCvlXmp_Cc2AVXhu4FNQEdpxvyBc/s320/tigerMugGRAD.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally respecting my Analy heritage</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-67191851132213993872013-09-19T20:57:00.000-07:002013-09-28T16:20:28.463-07:00Kiln Diary #2- Bisque load Having to restock the mug population takes a long time. First I have to throw, trim and handle all the different styles. Then I have to paint them. I usually try to conquer only 2-3 different designs a day with about 10-15 mugs to show for it. While I'm adding to the mug collection, I'll branch out onto a larger bowl or platter once my wrist becomes accustomed to the lines and I've tuned my eyes into the space the creature inhabits. Sometimes a creature will get away with me, like the hummingbird, and I'll spend two days doing varieties of poses and dishware (they were battling ferociously at the feeder outside my studio window after all). The bluebirds too usually catch me in their sway, what with their extra painting required (lest I get too speedy in my production line!).<br />
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This week I'm working on the second shelf of mugs, filling the kiln as I create them and stacking the accompanying platters and bowls that are accumulating on the studio shelves. The mugs pack so densely in the kiln, it always takes longer than I expect to fill it! I choose larger accompanying platters so that the rest of the kiln will more rapidly become sufficiently occupied. But I have to complete the mug shelves first.<br />
Talking to my sister on the phone while painting a series of apple trees, I started to draw a pair of bluebirds dangling a robot from its arms. Before getting too detailed, I carved the robot off though, figuring I'd spend so much time on the bluebirds, the robot would just make a waste of it. <br />
Then I told Kate what I was doing.<br />
"Ooh yeah" she said, "and have one of them poking his eyes out!" and with even more glee, "and the other one can be jamming his foot in its ear!"<br />
So as our conversation shifted to drones and whether or how soon they will be used domestically, her husband, her kids, Louie and Breaking Bad, I started on a new platter. <br />
I finished the coloring after I got off the phone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM9kYoARN9CpjvWcosfdlKzbRGYakhIuHTpbvFL3MI1BgzO3FCQYSC6GktCDXxK7h_MxCeuopUcjVYKdZ8aRWMl-Uv9UFqB1Fg0s5JIZwNEJ9ejkXA0W9XwvgE0VrDcMBumRbuFkT3jZt/s1600/birdvsrobot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM9kYoARN9CpjvWcosfdlKzbRGYakhIuHTpbvFL3MI1BgzO3FCQYSC6GktCDXxK7h_MxCeuopUcjVYKdZ8aRWMl-Uv9UFqB1Fg0s5JIZwNEJ9ejkXA0W9XwvgE0VrDcMBumRbuFkT3jZt/s640/birdvsrobot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the battle, still dusty and before bisquing. Picture taken with my dusty phone on my work chair. The colors will darken and contrast further after the glaze firing.</td></tr>
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I think the robot lost.<br />
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ADDENDUM: - The final product:<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-47490436799610610952013-09-03T20:07:00.001-07:002013-09-03T20:07:40.511-07:00Kiln DiaryI've been taking photos of the kiln load as I unpack it and posting it on facebook, but the images get lost among the rest of the facebook flurry. So I've decided to log the photos here, so I can write commentary and keep track of developments...<br />
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Here's the latest load, most of which sold at Kings Mountain this past weekend or was part of Sara & Jerry's wedding registry.<br />
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And here's the load before that (minus a shelf-full of mugs which doesn't really look that exciting from above): <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This cone, set in place when loading the kiln for firing, <br />holds up a switch for the kiln</td></tr>
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It gives you a sense of the volume of the kiln. <br />
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To fire one glaze load, I turn the kiln on Low for 3.5 hours, Medium for 1 hour, then it takes another 10 for the kiln to get hot enough at High to melt the kiln sitter cone and turn it off. Then I have to leave it alone for 15 hours, minimum, and slowly cool it after that so I can unpack and start again. Most people seem to have computer controlled kilns these days, but there's something extremely attractive and natural about the melting of the kiln sitter cone, controlling when the correct temperature has been reached. Very easy to fix too, unlike the computer. Same with the electric elements. If the firings start to take too long, I can test the voltage to find a break and fairly simply replace them.<br />
Bisque fires, the kiln firing before the pots get glazed, take just as long to warm up but are on High for only about 6 hours, depending on how much moisture is in the air and the clay. As always, chaos reigns supreme.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYJdi86GZbgDM1bi0aQYx1XOtQSM6wj_qV9PY3Xi9tmZo-DRJMHVMkiB8QPXR1CMIut90CtvNrUdiczXFZspFculJfhUvfuGJplVKMfhJWQIghyAdv-UzRxLnEP9QWYzuw6O3fdZmqsjK/s1600/killn+sitter+cone+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYJdi86GZbgDM1bi0aQYx1XOtQSM6wj_qV9PY3Xi9tmZo-DRJMHVMkiB8QPXR1CMIut90CtvNrUdiczXFZspFculJfhUvfuGJplVKMfhJWQIghyAdv-UzRxLnEP9QWYzuw6O3fdZmqsjK/s1600/killn+sitter+cone+done.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the kiln gets to the desired temperature,<br />the cone melts and the switch drops,<br />turning off the kiln,</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-43726765955739687492013-07-27T16:08:00.000-07:002013-09-20T17:01:01.438-07:00Buddha Bees<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMKB1ei2U86saF80g2KWGFsxYYAvrrqlLDdBg7sy9fdezjepTEggnq6AEyfYxOqBXHXrRB7qWS3uxJKptprEFNBsRCOuAdZd5hMb_m2d62fWKtdRvPMD50Ca0ZS10RpTsfzPI4-NoaMjZ/s1600/buddhaKnob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMKB1ei2U86saF80g2KWGFsxYYAvrrqlLDdBg7sy9fdezjepTEggnq6AEyfYxOqBXHXrRB7qWS3uxJKptprEFNBsRCOuAdZd5hMb_m2d62fWKtdRvPMD50Ca0ZS10RpTsfzPI4-NoaMjZ/s200/buddhaKnob.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddha Knob</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ1b1Lv3G_XJ_5Xig6AyBvAIsphjZGjTshF2HnX9XSdfGxlSAQ5fyOtBpeWFaG7r2HFFtUUVqQl3AuGuJyqansjqeoRwSLR1vASqZln4lkRweXWL2b-H5sMfVwWeLq_mivjQrbqBj07Ye/s1600/IMG_2819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ1b1Lv3G_XJ_5Xig6AyBvAIsphjZGjTshF2HnX9XSdfGxlSAQ5fyOtBpeWFaG7r2HFFtUUVqQl3AuGuJyqansjqeoRwSLR1vASqZln4lkRweXWL2b-H5sMfVwWeLq_mivjQrbqBj07Ye/s320/IMG_2819.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
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This lovely Saturday morning, we got up at 5 AM to rescue bees. Apparently we've given up being night owls by any stretch and instead find our thrills in that golden dawning light trying to beat the bees to consciousness. With Joey's newly installed Buddha gear shift, we drove the hour and a half to the retreat, Odiyan, which looks like a mandala from a satellite perspective but is surrounded by tall fences and razor wire on the ground. The bees found a perfect location in a wooden hose box in the garden. Someone lifted the lid recently and caused their comb to collapse on itself, but the bees persevered regardless. They were grumpy to be disturbed again, but we removed their comb into our frames and guided the bees back into our box with smoke and without too many stings (except through the veil!). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkufC9fUH7n_QaNDuLwzWMN7z3GdbtZRr8uVFNEslGYiCs2vP1DIeJA3KWB0jXUo08dXU_biLWlYsdC0Q6jQOcvD3syeK8c9SqcfDvd5kuLPWLO1EMD0e8UjoC_dGfvTbSKyOJfZ37JHs/s1600/after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkufC9fUH7n_QaNDuLwzWMN7z3GdbtZRr8uVFNEslGYiCs2vP1DIeJA3KWB0jXUo08dXU_biLWlYsdC0Q6jQOcvD3syeK8c9SqcfDvd5kuLPWLO1EMD0e8UjoC_dGfvTbSKyOJfZ37JHs/s320/after.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After- All the comb is inside our box even if all the bees aren't.. yet</td></tr>
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We decided to leave them there for the week to give them time to repair the comb and move into our box completely. On the way to the bathroom, we passed a pond where I found my newest inspiration, the coot: well named and even better footed. I never before noticed the odd lumps so different from a duck's webbing. This may be another creature I end up decorating my own house with because I find them more fascinating than apparently anyone else does (like the dragon wrasse, the juvenile drum fish, the unicorn fish....) but I will persevere with yet another form of reckless abandon and paint coots! Hope someone else out there loves them too!<br />
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My new subject matter (conveniently in black and white) : The Coot. You have to love those crazy feet!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-67703169106629576192013-07-08T18:22:00.002-07:002013-07-29T07:37:44.772-07:00Sometimes it's best to walk away...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDUoX-Rmp2OX8bCu9gDUIAbcFtx3h3ccuOKuSsglC_zX6MKhCiCEELrRW3QqXvDcjRupiGttrNfTc_qwRgivBDEyU6GVbgQgI48FWKJpSPS-iYxmBBsOwbLmwadebRxijsLnUXYkLlScB/s1600/john+walsh+Bee+fan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDUoX-Rmp2OX8bCu9gDUIAbcFtx3h3ccuOKuSsglC_zX6MKhCiCEELrRW3QqXvDcjRupiGttrNfTc_qwRgivBDEyU6GVbgQgI48FWKJpSPS-iYxmBBsOwbLmwadebRxijsLnUXYkLlScB/s1600/john+walsh+Bee+fan.jpg" /></a></div>
For the past few years we have been working with an apartment complex that always attracts bees. This year they took us up on the suggestion of leaving bait hives on the roof of the building, near where we extracted bees previously. Early in the spring, with clockwork simplicity, we collected two swarms in them. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIGzIdFVJcRb5Q-XWq2ZTD1Wjkpl6LXkgorIpzHmOtA9b1Wyp6H1QqgCPNN8Vlf3sNUPkuHDsezv4fSMMj2f_doAD3ClUDDLQmjnHRFJXGT7oai1l71QHLvuXavwcwT44BeqaLEn-Jqd3/s1600/swarm2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIGzIdFVJcRb5Q-XWq2ZTD1Wjkpl6LXkgorIpzHmOtA9b1Wyp6H1QqgCPNN8Vlf3sNUPkuHDsezv4fSMMj2f_doAD3ClUDDLQmjnHRFJXGT7oai1l71QHLvuXavwcwT44BeqaLEn-Jqd3/s320/swarm2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This swarm is approx 4' wide</td></tr>
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Then our bee-enthusiast contact, John, called me about a "gigantic" swarm hanging on a tree at the entrance. Piggybacking on his enthusiasm, and needing a break from painting, I asked my neighbor Steve if he was up for an adventure. He grabbed his camera and we crossed town to what we assumed would be an easy job.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5AwfvbHb1A7XPiUEH5_Y0NyEc-fHtpOeaaMjtnwXuoahL7gOC_zbop1-iynHGbNLITR1VMWSHyB3lNP6tUfIwnvh_jyTQq6HaXGiQu8NhwkPreQENQhhmZxVgapUcLKzWaV-iM4anIE8/s1600/boxonladder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC5AwfvbHb1A7XPiUEH5_Y0NyEc-fHtpOeaaMjtnwXuoahL7gOC_zbop1-iynHGbNLITR1VMWSHyB3lNP6tUfIwnvh_jyTQq6HaXGiQu8NhwkPreQENQhhmZxVgapUcLKzWaV-iM4anIE8/s320/boxonladder.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First attempt</td></tr>
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John said he had a ladder set up and caution taped up the space. It was a 3-legged, 15 foot orchard ladder and the hive was still 8 feet above it. First I tried to attach the box to the top of the ladder and pull the branch down so I could shake the bees in it. But I had no maneuverability and the branch wouldn't move. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXp6ywyUWbhCWHGrxaJmQoNuHAhkM1DsTBKKwYXGa6RlIwA9sB8C6QbX1MWJYEILQWONg5N1sgQ7ECexwCWQ2uSy2_68tw9dG70dUtpgi7zBrpubDuvhp4Ts-IFaM-NlTIoO-9RPMsjv-Q/s1600/scoop2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXp6ywyUWbhCWHGrxaJmQoNuHAhkM1DsTBKKwYXGa6RlIwA9sB8C6QbX1MWJYEILQWONg5N1sgQ7ECexwCWQ2uSy2_68tw9dG70dUtpgi7zBrpubDuvhp4Ts-IFaM-NlTIoO-9RPMsjv-Q/s320/scoop2.JPG" width="240" /></a> So we put the box on a white sheet on the ground (to help the crawling bees not get lost in other debris) and we rigged up a scoop at the end of a paint roller extension and we began whittling down the swarm, two cups at a time. And it was a big swarm, possibly double-queened. I would fill the scoop and pass the apparatus down to John's assistant and she emptied it on the sheet in front of the entrance to the bee box. Luckily, on the second or third scoop, I apparently grabbed the queen because they began that adorable marching behavior, identical orientation and military-neat formation. Each subsequent scoop followed suit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_73ojQCv-nz_TqkT7Egyb-e6LRxD93jWu337HX-7SotkOpahNZ7lNp5OahwhE_auQqYfpZbK0xv1akeKVGtP_TWfADu2K_CFhK1GIzhZGwkHFfXFvBu8E39Xm8dxCOLJo-zHNrAaIXLM/s1600/beautiful+behavior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_73ojQCv-nz_TqkT7Egyb-e6LRxD93jWu337HX-7SotkOpahNZ7lNp5OahwhE_auQqYfpZbK0xv1akeKVGtP_TWfADu2K_CFhK1GIzhZGwkHFfXFvBu8E39Xm8dxCOLJo-zHNrAaIXLM/s320/beautiful+behavior.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mesmerizing behavior when they know where their queen is</td></tr>
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And that's the addicting part that keeps me going up ladders I shouldn't, over a skull-smashing pavement that should have deterred me, in swooning heat and falling perturbed bees who only naturally stung whatever was still exposed (my wrists). The excitement and enthusiasm of a teeming group of people, in addition to the bees, distracted us from the real danger I was putting myself in. It's another version of what Joey calls my "reckless abandon" which usually refers to wild leaps while snowboarding on powdery soft days. I was lucky this time<br />
We captured about 2/3 of the hive, but the rest stubbornly clung to the branch far out of reach no matter how much I shook it with an extension trimmer/saw or practically barbequed them with smoke in a can on that handy painter's extension pole.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgT7r362yLK1smb6mj1fP9SIVGRRXgpOWoUlyGduR0KvTVdGAphq3wKoicA4k_Nk2RgNtknSX-uBODFodAzdHgci9esHsFtfZX-HCEHsNDHgI1XRyoA_Tx8iS8mwG_QY_yu5n5nhPLTxf/s1600/smoke2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgT7r362yLK1smb6mj1fP9SIVGRRXgpOWoUlyGduR0KvTVdGAphq3wKoicA4k_Nk2RgNtknSX-uBODFodAzdHgci9esHsFtfZX-HCEHsNDHgI1XRyoA_Tx8iS8mwG_QY_yu5n5nhPLTxf/s320/smoke2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to smoke them off the branch</td></tr>
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After two hours, we went home with the majority, only fully grasping, as we were putting away our refuse, that I really should have done just that: Refuse to go up that ladder. I'll admit it was fun and I have since verified that we got a queen and they are perfectly happy in our apiary. BUT, I really should have taken my own safety into account. There's a reason Joey is so hesitant about taking on a new bee job. <br />
Somebody has to. <br />
Who knows, maybe they would have moved into one of our bait boxes if we'd given them a few more hours, or at least moved on somewhere else like the ones I left behind did......<br />
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Follow up: The ones I left behind moved into the building and were very harassed and uncooperative about staying in our box on removal. no easy solutions.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-29714398761554624302013-05-14T09:44:00.002-07:002013-05-14T09:44:38.881-07:00Prolific Bees!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBvxVekLW0MS0jxeLcofHzkEJMh2gIvxgXpvcEzfOzBfoc2yihe_BXqAgJ4EmYZ9m5R0UjGSWfWLcg-pI_e7um5Tsk-tG51DuoeIQGg_IHC8C42F4A-x4gNKNlVC0V7VNsnlVVEwZ-4Ch/s1600/IMG_2734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBvxVekLW0MS0jxeLcofHzkEJMh2gIvxgXpvcEzfOzBfoc2yihe_BXqAgJ4EmYZ9m5R0UjGSWfWLcg-pI_e7um5Tsk-tG51DuoeIQGg_IHC8C42F4A-x4gNKNlVC0V7VNsnlVVEwZ-4Ch/s200/IMG_2734.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New hive</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcOaMTg-4eBEQx4exFAqEpAQZPKjRQBR1PW6iC4dZ75TzfUFYDhkjh-At_5BfW9rJIXxg2XGw9w7pQKQMPfdf0sT_eMt81JEYFLessyzR6-zZbZZXrAHwQRpctfcy9Gm4cg435BYuLnO9/s1600/IMG_2737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcOaMTg-4eBEQx4exFAqEpAQZPKjRQBR1PW6iC4dZ75TzfUFYDhkjh-At_5BfW9rJIXxg2XGw9w7pQKQMPfdf0sT_eMt81JEYFLessyzR6-zZbZZXrAHwQRpctfcy9Gm4cg435BYuLnO9/s200/IMG_2737.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Hive</td></tr>
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When Joey went to investigate this bee job in Camp Meeker, there was a large hive going in between the frayed corner shingles on a second story deck. Less than a week later, we came back to remove the hive and discovered dead bees sprinkling the deck. On inspection, they were all drones. The bees had swarmed into a new spot just five feet away and the dead drones were evidence of a young queen's mating flight. Laying down our tarps, we opened up the new hive. They were gentle and cooperative. But the large hive.... we almost didn't do it. This building is old and vacuous. We were worried that the hive took up the entire north wall, which would require scaffolding on the outside of the building to access rather than our convenient deck location. After a full day of collecting a full bait hive in the morning, working construction all day, then facing two hives instead of one, Joey was full of curses. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVKZJebFysxVAvkIhKF5BopN0OXpcDyuGQ4mEgGGydWh5_PXMempEuKGs-rxp_437ojZWJDF3dEHV0E0HqpmVnq-v1cPXblwjzBZfZegzQLFd5LsDS27xWMxWnDYUsuQsGysD82Q4LoRV/s1600/IMG_2740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVKZJebFysxVAvkIhKF5BopN0OXpcDyuGQ4mEgGGydWh5_PXMempEuKGs-rxp_437ojZWJDF3dEHV0E0HqpmVnq-v1cPXblwjzBZfZegzQLFd5LsDS27xWMxWnDYUsuQsGysD82Q4LoRV/s200/IMG_2740.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoDsIFttz7XB4mXkgf49_-ivheO_2UFk7BOajkTH8nin6hUHyosCDYVwg2kDVDexTivgHMBbxQku60GRWBzXghHGXJKlEDsJcnpjORzfAPdK95ACEyhb2pO8UlPioAxQB3s3hc0-RGYRj/s1600/peekingbees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoDsIFttz7XB4mXkgf49_-ivheO_2UFk7BOajkTH8nin6hUHyosCDYVwg2kDVDexTivgHMBbxQku60GRWBzXghHGXJKlEDsJcnpjORzfAPdK95ACEyhb2pO8UlPioAxQB3s3hc0-RGYRj/s200/peekingbees.jpg" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Under the shingles, the bees peek<br /> out between the boards</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIr3IFkIopH8MAsfz0dZivIWj-V7kzzFL6JcNKf4el8U9bMMvIEr7yeSW9vTASXc4AjSKl-EHcgqfT9K9I_CVJAQ8tFItcGHZO-NQiTCL51MgIhJlRaQ0yC3leA8ntufVj8dP7pDGrT7TB/s1600/IMG_2753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIr3IFkIopH8MAsfz0dZivIWj-V7kzzFL6JcNKf4el8U9bMMvIEr7yeSW9vTASXc4AjSKl-EHcgqfT9K9I_CVJAQ8tFItcGHZO-NQiTCL51MgIhJlRaQ0yC3leA8ntufVj8dP7pDGrT7TB/s200/IMG_2753.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just 5 days of work!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4sqRG2jixcSxvA2Ek8CahO6rpUeKuuinJ9SkWn_spHjURfbUvPMYJV4IfjMBtRiEPotMLVIN8ASmpRR0eL4ZkxctCeptIuReGnm6Ua1iZzyJRTNhGeD7tdo6o_PkC8lYRf3NGEAH5ZLv/s1600/IMG_2756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4sqRG2jixcSxvA2Ek8CahO6rpUeKuuinJ9SkWn_spHjURfbUvPMYJV4IfjMBtRiEPotMLVIN8ASmpRR0eL4ZkxctCeptIuReGnm6Ua1iZzyJRTNhGeD7tdo6o_PkC8lYRf3NGEAH5ZLv/s200/IMG_2756.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small Hive in new Home</td></tr>
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I took his hand,""This is our quality time, remember? You love this." Squeeze.</div>
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"...and we don't have to do this right now if you're too tired."</div>
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But we crossed our fingers and dug in. Luckily, there was a bottom to their space and we were able to pull out all the comb. There were multiple queen cells along several panels, indicating that they had more intentions of swarming. As the sun faded, we left our two boxes in position for the bees to move in.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_hQ8BM1XrRYW4ggDX9VJnUTgVj1mbHGqbB3exS3galJexpxRYD-z8qx3YF3VewbGsIjrYdF3i7La-V5gZXERW4GLWYbbZU7JEZelmuT-k8yxtP5gFvK5k1ChtibMNueao7PKP5Lgt8nS/s1600/IMG_2759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_hQ8BM1XrRYW4ggDX9VJnUTgVj1mbHGqbB3exS3galJexpxRYD-z8qx3YF3VewbGsIjrYdF3i7La-V5gZXERW4GLWYbbZU7JEZelmuT-k8yxtP5gFvK5k1ChtibMNueao7PKP5Lgt8nS/s320/IMG_2759.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Hive exposed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJk-cKsbRHSNhw0X0VgFl2cLb9RZDBDUXyg1eVpHSBJazrr0PQartr8lSvY_96XRjPtGyTjMqser1UhmKMmc33EXJ7keDhedkttSvc9qNn6jAiJ7wEQfv0eXak9KhQbDu63_BOX2jJVN8/s1600/IMG_2762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJk-cKsbRHSNhw0X0VgFl2cLb9RZDBDUXyg1eVpHSBJazrr0PQartr8lSvY_96XRjPtGyTjMqser1UhmKMmc33EXJ7keDhedkttSvc9qNn6jAiJ7wEQfv0eXak9KhQbDu63_BOX2jJVN8/s320/IMG_2762.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big box for plentiful bees</td></tr>
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But when Joey checked on them the next day, the large box was not fully cooperating. Using cardboard and large yogurt containers, he scooped them into the box and commanded them to move in.<br />
Early next morning, returning to remove the hives, we discovered the problem. Though the space they occupied was limited vertically, the bees had expanded horizontally under the floor of the deck. As the majority of the bees were already in our box, we did a quick removal of this comb and population before the sun woke both boxes into further activity. We left a bait hive behind for stragglers and took the rest home to our apiary. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYZpM6hXQx7vA-XSazQB65fu8bxRa9k14i81NCW8SPFlECrd7fi3GmcDEhqVAqadlEMZP_bXRQgB8Vm76_VxFIhAKSKaA3UZgtiCX7ArsxmVuJl9zxx42Z-Y260IDpG_t9c87CDV0dIsC/s1600/IMG_2764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYZpM6hXQx7vA-XSazQB65fu8bxRa9k14i81NCW8SPFlECrd7fi3GmcDEhqVAqadlEMZP_bXRQgB8Vm76_VxFIhAKSKaA3UZgtiCX7ArsxmVuJl9zxx42Z-Y260IDpG_t9c87CDV0dIsC/s200/IMG_2764.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaned of bee debris, the space<br />is painted to mask any attractive<br />bee scent</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With the bees removed, Joey was able to repair our damage.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFng3iKkxema_T2DtR1Fg2A0Lxqf5OBqEt9zK9ZL28B-yyNf387VV_Ef24Z84sx9a-P0KWTo-SxUa4rawnXtwdEVZsvu1Y8qajR4VSVRgLySbu7KxkK99AC9J_N71I1MyBCijjlTCeInX3/s1600/IMG_2769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFng3iKkxema_T2DtR1Fg2A0Lxqf5OBqEt9zK9ZL28B-yyNf387VV_Ef24Z84sx9a-P0KWTo-SxUa4rawnXtwdEVZsvu1Y8qajR4VSVRgLySbu7KxkK99AC9J_N71I1MyBCijjlTCeInX3/s200/IMG_2769.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joey fixed the frayed corner problem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpDMwjhzfCXXmAiaUr5OdgB6HqFPTqca5aQoTJ_ZmCRWiWy0vyv0erTULL6bgLS71jDgE94FsqJ7cYAfgPyCYThaUAloMiOClkIVTwpIyQOrK7AEq067lR9g4eyb-929n6KF7BCwjhk8i/s1600/IMG_2766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpDMwjhzfCXXmAiaUr5OdgB6HqFPTqca5aQoTJ_ZmCRWiWy0vyv0erTULL6bgLS71jDgE94FsqJ7cYAfgPyCYThaUAloMiOClkIVTwpIyQOrK7AEq067lR9g4eyb-929n6KF7BCwjhk8i/s200/IMG_2766.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Insulation fills the gaps to prevent<br />future invasion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The bees are home now, bustling, and we're happy to wait a while for the next call of distress....<br />
<br />
<br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-7062775518286896162013-04-18T12:27:00.000-07:002013-04-18T21:42:44.249-07:00Octo Recharge!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxKizR-jMh0yLCJAZw0yaNUehZY3UB-AnXjKOFyoXU0zJhCnX-rdU3LmWjH9e83VSQk_e2aOBVFMx-ZBiLYDWSxkBYEUkFg2nev_ssp-z9m867LBuqNDGVgQucI3AI6nw59VrMk3jAS80/s1600/dayocto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxKizR-jMh0yLCJAZw0yaNUehZY3UB-AnXjKOFyoXU0zJhCnX-rdU3LmWjH9e83VSQk_e2aOBVFMx-ZBiLYDWSxkBYEUkFg2nev_ssp-z9m867LBuqNDGVgQucI3AI6nw59VrMk3jAS80/s320/dayocto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day Octopus<br />
(no, I don't have an underwater camera so this is someone else's memory<br />
...but I can relate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Spent the last week under water in Maui getting re-inspired for before my first show of the year! Fondled octopuses, ogled turtles, swam with unicornfish, fell in love with the blue boxfish, sharks and even a barracuda! I've got all kinds of new designs competing for attention now!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssktKOLso952NHsB5Hsn7gUQrDu71G1sduJXrQhogRwp28JHggub4WmdxiN1tTHmEn7Juq1-PNY32N1nDjWfImjrP1U6mOQhmKbSzkZcnLAU81kRlPqyCzXRDiKoGtD0Ps0j-y7O73zCI/s1600/greenseaturtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssktKOLso952NHsB5Hsn7gUQrDu71G1sduJXrQhogRwp28JHggub4WmdxiN1tTHmEn7Juq1-PNY32N1nDjWfImjrP1U6mOQhmKbSzkZcnLAU81kRlPqyCzXRDiKoGtD0Ps0j-y7O73zCI/s200/greenseaturtle.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Turtles are coming too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINWzTjyU5wTXkr4YeqNuLJLfS1iL2sYSrmJFvDmPYUBlZHGn2Mmw13ckKnqood88hR9DB4VE6lqR1Gooymr7aYGJH5s9_b1akKf8QJ205OYpeZLpMoYUIMfclvsrgIXcwPJjI_t-5quZX/s1600/unicorn+fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINWzTjyU5wTXkr4YeqNuLJLfS1iL2sYSrmJFvDmPYUBlZHGn2Mmw13ckKnqood88hR9DB4VE6lqR1Gooymr7aYGJH5s9_b1akKf8QJ205OYpeZLpMoYUIMfclvsrgIXcwPJjI_t-5quZX/s200/unicorn+fish.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unicornfish of course!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0isbOcuH96JGrw7HHKXRX_jOBQye6MP7Q2yoIL9ECt0RoFcb-gmP0R39ZTossdqadbVT4nk8GjBCx1thYVTqLXvM2FsuJBkQwE6FqyeqDng6WWf_IayzJW1IrDnwaqqDGy0DPUKCkiPt/s1600/BlueBoxFish1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0isbOcuH96JGrw7HHKXRX_jOBQye6MP7Q2yoIL9ECt0RoFcb-gmP0R39ZTossdqadbVT4nk8GjBCx1thYVTqLXvM2FsuJBkQwE6FqyeqDng6WWf_IayzJW1IrDnwaqqDGy0DPUKCkiPt/s320/BlueBoxFish1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted Blue Boxfish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Surprisingly, there was an Empty Bowls event taking place at Star Noodle in Lahaina. I donated one year to an Empty Bowls event in Sacramento so I was curious what actually happened. Potters provide handmade bowls which patrons buy and fill with the sponsoring <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJqpmFXrq7nIKeR4xHTsluBwfruCO0MsEAVIAoNFuieJCdORYkaAJ1Aq1L36TmTXCQPGPLttpflSTc_bRN254pkEUIF0YKW0XRDugVz20mwXy0J3_RsvGxqfE1FTRSr7aCC9FXnLJT2mL/s1600/rockmoverWrasse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJqpmFXrq7nIKeR4xHTsluBwfruCO0MsEAVIAoNFuieJCdORYkaAJ1Aq1L36TmTXCQPGPLttpflSTc_bRN254pkEUIF0YKW0XRDugVz20mwXy0J3_RsvGxqfE1FTRSr7aCC9FXnLJT2mL/s320/rockmoverWrasse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rockmover or Dragon Wrasse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
restaurant's food (which luckily, in my case, was Star Noodle where I was already recomended to go! sooooo tasty). All proceeds go to local food banks. I found kindred spirit again in the spectacular scraffito octopus platter on silent auction. I bid it up 3 times, but I didn't win.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEzhop3NckYBAO3fZKN5TowdT_qOldeQ3nmxxkaYffaBAGZkAed191cQUGIYon2WyzM24EP6mI3CCyyE-iytu02WbS_pwyH4Rr1zcX3MghGknPntkq3O6ODZ5Hz5fGC3MJiWZJn8bfo3K/s1600/CIMG0718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEzhop3NckYBAO3fZKN5TowdT_qOldeQ3nmxxkaYffaBAGZkAed191cQUGIYon2WyzM24EP6mI3CCyyE-iytu02WbS_pwyH4Rr1zcX3MghGknPntkq3O6ODZ5Hz5fGC3MJiWZJn8bfo3K/s320/CIMG0718.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Octo Platter on Silent Auction at Empty Bowls<br />
by Bob Hoenig in Maui</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: start;">There's another Empty Bowls event taking place in Hawaii April 26. Lots more around the world..Check out the calendar & website here: </span><a href="http://www.emptybowls.net/">http://www.emptybowls.net/</a>. Now back to the mud....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015375893186988685.post-65108380205649284912013-04-04T09:25:00.000-07:002013-04-18T12:29:45.253-07:00Mata Ortiz Pottery Class<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJoFUXghwSmNBbORCrNFqbR8Oq-46xz40u2iTBxBjImH5dwThIPp4Sr620AEiY-8SvCQ5dKL86u7J_gdhTgljsXo56J1Fthb-k6WjTm4HEGTQGJyD5AH30d2X6PlJF94DB4kHTsdTeNAd/s1600/MenJerardo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJoFUXghwSmNBbORCrNFqbR8Oq-46xz40u2iTBxBjImH5dwThIPp4Sr620AEiY-8SvCQ5dKL86u7J_gdhTgljsXo56J1Fthb-k6WjTm4HEGTQGJyD5AH30d2X6PlJF94DB4kHTsdTeNAd/s320/MenJerardo.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerardo & Me with my fired pot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> I
spent this last week in a class with Mata Ortiz master potter, Jerardo Tena
Sandoval. The tarry lump of black clay I
received, directly from the Mata Ortiz hills, was fundamentally different from
the product I pull from bags at home. It was sticky and thick with a stubborn
tenacity that enables it to be formed into incredibly thin walls in any
direction. The available clays there range
in colors from blue to yellow, white, red and beige, most of which fire to a
brown color in oxidation but all can be turned black in reduction. One of my favorite effects from Mata Ortiz is
their black on black, especially those with the metallic mirror quality. Apparently, however, that effect requires a
lot of powdered graphite combined with diesel fuel, so we did not experiment
with it in Healdsburg. We did have some
dark blue-black clay whose blueness only ghostly remained in the reduction firing.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8FiEkdUh-qm82yqb3mPtDxLGk0pcl03dyDWWGCKBTkPN8ShPzm5x-4yfiQgiyfAuokywxSjTrNFGUdow0t2iBxI0v2XCOF-_CjNHQ5qhI9eNXYM82YYyqH2n0dLg0ssUvmF-5AjXCaef/s1600/jerardpainting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8FiEkdUh-qm82yqb3mPtDxLGk0pcl03dyDWWGCKBTkPN8ShPzm5x-4yfiQgiyfAuokywxSjTrNFGUdow0t2iBxI0v2XCOF-_CjNHQ5qhI9eNXYM82YYyqH2n0dLg0ssUvmF-5AjXCaef/s320/jerardpainting.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">Jerardo Tena Sandoval</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> We began
by flattening the ball into a tortilla and pressing it into the curved plaster
form for the bottom. Using a rib made
from credit cards cut into circles, or Jerardo’s favorite tool, a plastic toy
tea saucer, we pressed the clay into the base and began pinching up the sides. We added a “chorizo” of clay to the lip to
make it taller, continuing to pinch and push.
The most effective tool for me was the hacksaw blade that we used
tooth-side first to unify the wall by pulling clay into depressions and
eliminating high points. Unlike normal
throwing techniques of plenty of water, we had to keep our hands clean and dry
to prevent marring the surface with dried clay. Then, lightly dampened, we ran
the back/smooth side of the blade across the surface to further smooth it. This clay, while strong enough to reach
maturity in a brief but hot 30-minute firing, is extremely sensitive to
moisture. It dries slowly and is quick
to crack if the moisture is uneven.
Sadly Jerardo recalled how, after three months of painting, a humid wind
caused a crack in the wall of a large pot with jaguars on the lip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvmohP8boyz-WrUe756A6md1htsIT8K8c3XlQCxFhC6y8KKi-zMJ9ztqmL6qLeKSaJKJscvF9V-Vk-8Hn0IvH9bD7hjsMyxiar4-YWrR1Zi7Tz_tJidT3wLUuQlyZv8kGgdlmAmCJFsfL/s1600/me+painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvmohP8boyz-WrUe756A6md1htsIT8K8c3XlQCxFhC6y8KKi-zMJ9ztqmL6qLeKSaJKJscvF9V-Vk-8Hn0IvH9bD7hjsMyxiar4-YWrR1Zi7Tz_tJidT3wLUuQlyZv8kGgdlmAmCJFsfL/s320/me+painting.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting in Joann's studio. Hating it ans<br />
convincing myself to stay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> For two
days, we left the pots to dry then returned to sand them. “This is what it sounds like in the village,”
Joann commented as we all settled in with our 100-grit paper. Dried, the clay is like cement, requiring vigorous,
lengthy, arm-straining work to smooth the surface. The more you sand, the more you can see the
tiny divots as they filled with contrasting clay dust and demanded more
sanding. Once finished with that, you
move on to 200-grit paper and finally, 300-grit, until you have “baby-butt”
smooth pots. Being of an impatient
nature, I quickly tired of this and again increased my respect for the perfect surfaces
of the Mata Ortiz pots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> To
burnish, we rubbed baby oil all over the pot and waited for it to dry. Then we rubbed a small section with a damp
cloth and rubbed it with a tumbled stone.
This turned the surface bright and reflective. Finally we were ready for the decorative step
and made paintbrushes from Jerardo’s daughter’s hair. The paintbrush for the fine line work
consists of only 8 hairs and is almost 2 inches from the tip of the brush to
the tip of the wood. Jerardo loads the
brush with paint, lays it on the surface of the pot and slowly drags it. In demonstration, he painted a grid where the
gaps between the lines were only the thickness of the paintbrush. It made me cross-eyed just watching him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I
attempted painting in the Mata Ortiz style, naturally choosing to depict an
octopus as goes my fixation.
Unfortunately, the precision paintbrushes are more inclined toward
straight lines than curly ones. “What do
you do if you mess up?” asked one of my fellow students. “Change the design!” smirked Jerardo. I
became so frustrated I had to talk myself out of leaving. I made a mess of my pot. Finally I asked Joann if she had a needle
tool so I could revert to my accustomed technique. She handed me an inscriber, designed for
etching into metal, and I was in heaven.
I was able to make curved lines, correct the edges of my paint job and,
feeling joyous once again, dared to erase my stilted lines with the dampened
rag and re-burnish. My pot was cracked
already anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09izu_1WTfDUZ5ZBLvpEMhUxC39_YB0YCfPpJ0xM69yiZP0uMoDOK9_g4OslwBCHQ48lzy4Mew1WVVvpDaKcUg8o4pzjfXeDzLoWRtMZ9nbYj81BRlm7s_910RDctKINdhpYVsY7hYEqw/s1600/oxidatation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09izu_1WTfDUZ5ZBLvpEMhUxC39_YB0YCfPpJ0xM69yiZP0uMoDOK9_g4OslwBCHQ48lzy4Mew1WVVvpDaKcUg8o4pzjfXeDzLoWRtMZ9nbYj81BRlm7s_910RDctKINdhpYVsY7hYEqw/s320/oxidatation.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oxidation firing completed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNwUrGgxbsx6iIzW_GFKbecynbJJQqIAQzqjCS1QxRl1qoB9StSrXJaCOA9511kdlVXCzmjjTDkR_HmkC8aJGzPhnnAG4xnplMwDOoQJqSDat3SB3OoDgobgZ0E42GDUY_FQND5KWKRGD/s1600/Blackpots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNwUrGgxbsx6iIzW_GFKbecynbJJQqIAQzqjCS1QxRl1qoB9StSrXJaCOA9511kdlVXCzmjjTDkR_HmkC8aJGzPhnnAG4xnplMwDOoQJqSDat3SB3OoDgobgZ0E42GDUY_FQND5KWKRGD/s320/Blackpots.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reduction Firing completed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The next
day we brought our pots to be fired to another potter’s home in
Forestville. Since it had rained, we had
to construct an additional fire to dry the area and heat the ground. Meanwhile we preheated the pots in the
oven. Apparently this is done in Mata
Ortiz by holding the pots over a fire, but since we had an oven, we used it,
bringing the pots slowly up to 450 degrees.
When the first fire died down, we pulled the coals away and placed three
bricks under a metal drum cut to 1/3 height.
Inside the drum, a BBQ grill, held from the bottom with a few kiln bricks,
supported the heated pots retrieved from the oven wrapped in towels and quickly
transferred. A loose metal lid kept
oxygen flowing through the drum but prevented the smoke from turning the pots
black (oxidation firing). We piled
kindling around the drum and on top, doused it with lighter fluid and let it
burn for ½ hour. For the subsequent
reduction firing, the drum was inverted and sealed over the pots and a bed of
sawdust both to burn out the oxygen and provide more smoke. In this firing, the painted areas, originally
white for greatest contrast, turned matt black and the unpainted, burnished
areas turned a deep glossy black.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I was
honored when Jerardo, the master potter, complimented my pot, and I was proud
to be in the company of fellow artisans.
In Mata Ortiz, a town made famous by the revival of ancient pottery
techniques using the most locally available resources, a potter is only granted
the name of “Master” if he or she can perform every step of the process from
harvesting the clay and paint ingredients from the surrounding hills,
processing them, forming pots, making paintbrushes, burnishing, painting, and
firing them. In Peace Corps, I had
notions of creating such an industry in my own site where clay was plentiful. In
studying Mata Ortiz and the years of experimentation it has taken them to
arrive where they are today, I realize finally that it was not my lack of
ambition that prevented it from occurring, but a sense of scale. It took Juan Quezada and fellow potters
around 20 years to develop what they are still perfecting today. They just celebrated the 50 year anniversary
of the first perfectly fired pot of this revival movement. I have found my respectful place in this
historical context. I can stand proud
next to this master potter, as a skilled potter myself, and part of a global community
of mud-slingers. After all, this incredible art form that has developed
simultaneously in most parts of the world in limitless variability is evidence
of human ingenuity and our innate drive toward creativity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTsMxo7RR5Ooj8NOFzGAHL_rkZuM55NghqLeAhII06eH0GPkoPpkv4mMAnt_3DjzeuQGS0GmEpZFo3qrjlpHZzc3_LRaOB8cl9vMdgkkXaePS-2lHK-v6Km_Whyphenhyphenob3PgrFU79UvrIEfET/s1600/JerardoPantherPot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTsMxo7RR5Ooj8NOFzGAHL_rkZuM55NghqLeAhII06eH0GPkoPpkv4mMAnt_3DjzeuQGS0GmEpZFo3qrjlpHZzc3_LRaOB8cl9vMdgkkXaePS-2lHK-v6Km_Whyphenhyphenob3PgrFU79UvrIEfET/s320/JerardoPantherPot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panther-lipped pot Jerardo worked on in class</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEL9rOCTZ7BYdq_tm5DG1bOmD90MLBE7WOPOYONGQ7hB4A8LTiwvGe_awAf33kZjaKLVMDjNG1oa2BiYhartwbY0WhhnEJkpnsGzCW_i5hwzpDmIt5HJGCxcyjQ8pcPOGdXF8GDorZdMjr/s1600/JerardoPantherattacl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEL9rOCTZ7BYdq_tm5DG1bOmD90MLBE7WOPOYONGQ7hB4A8LTiwvGe_awAf33kZjaKLVMDjNG1oa2BiYhartwbY0WhhnEJkpnsGzCW_i5hwzpDmIt5HJGCxcyjQ8pcPOGdXF8GDorZdMjr/s320/JerardoPantherattacl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerardo's effigy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXPxkbV7nl_PqpTvTWrgbDIUJHiD5bmUR3jME1WnwzJHcStGja6Z6JQxiSWrA-w5FxmMDmQDul71zH-7tTAuZA3Yv0jST3XwxbCRDPcqJi-8iuSUc2Bf0ndqeA3bN1ihuQ1kaD0cD-wEb/s1600/jerardoRam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXPxkbV7nl_PqpTvTWrgbDIUJHiD5bmUR3jME1WnwzJHcStGja6Z6JQxiSWrA-w5FxmMDmQDul71zH-7tTAuZA3Yv0jST3XwxbCRDPcqJi-8iuSUc2Bf0ndqeA3bN1ihuQ1kaD0cD-wEb/s320/jerardoRam.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerardo's ram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mata
Ortiz Contact info: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> MataOrtizCalendar.com or Mata Ortiz
Calendar on FB.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> If you’re interested in buying any of
Jerardo’s pottery you can contact him at Jerardo Tena Sandoval via FB.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> If you are interested in having classes
with Jerardo in the Bay Area, call Joann Cassady at 707 431-8319, email:
joann@imakepots.com or Joann Cassady via FB.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03994399206551134882noreply@blogger.com1