I finally took a risk and did a raku firing this past week...why was it risky? Well "up valley" in the Redding area they broke heat records and here?...a mere 93 or so. Not "too hot" to do raku (I'm a big boy and can handle it...sort of) but it's so dry, the pine needles crackle as you walk around the property. When ever it get that hot and that dry I try to avoid the open flames of raku. I should mention that I've never had a problem...but then maybe that's because I take these precautions.

But I really was up against the wall on this one. I had passed on raku the week before because I "thought" it was hot and dry...and then came this week and "hot and dry" took on a whole new meaning. Should have fired last week. 20/20 vision sucks.

I was up against it because I had student pots from a couple of workshops ready to be fired. I really needed to get the pots back to the students...so out came the hoses and I opened up the spigot and made the ground nice and moist. Luckily there was no wind...I would have not fired if there was a the slightest of wind...like yesterday. Wind and dry and hot is a recipe for something nasty here in the hills.

New workshop opportunities have been posted on the website. We have limited the number of seats in a class based on the results of the recent classes. Seems when we get 5-6 people the pots are "better"...folks get more attention and then so do the pots...it shows. You can see some recent student work in a gallery.

Note the new "Kids Edition" which takes the opportunity for a parent to work with a child in a support role while we focus on the young student...includes some extra clay for the parent to play along and keep out of trouble while the student works on their art.

We're really excited about new technology  and equipment we're bringing into our studio. It's all about video and live broadcast. With some degree of luck we'll have the basics up and running towards the beginning of next week. More on the technology next week...hopefully.

This past week was a busy one...the rig needed to have it's battery jumped (COVID attacked my rig because of my lack of driving), fixed a major plumbing leak in our irrigation and fire suppression line, dried and fired student pots and then retrieve all of the materials from storage for a planned trip to Montana and to see Brenda's Dad in Twin Falls.

...well MT didn't happen for me. I was planning on publishing this week from the cabin in the middle of the forest. We live in a forest, but the cabin forest is different...and I should have been looking at the lake all day rather than clay.

But the COVID news is not favorable to my travel plans. I feel pretty confident when dealing with situations I can control and if everyone along the way was playing by the same rules, I'd stand a chance...but between our place and Montana ...masks?. ..hahaha...purely optional...wearing them? No. I just can't take the chance in areas where folks don't even try physical distancing or masks...and of course who wants to monitor their hand washing (pretty sure I don't want to know). So for now...MT will have to wait.

Then on Friday we got a call nobody wants to get...Brenda's Dad was admitted into the hospital at 2 AM Friday for the third time during the week and taken off medications about 5 PM later that day. We knew the next call would be  THE call. The Doctor didn't think there was time to get to Twin from here. He was correct and Brenda's Dad passed away a little after 8 PM with his Pastor, Rev. Phil Price, by his side. Rev. Phil call us with the news shortly after.

So...it was a messed up week. We're thankful that COVID was not involved with Dad's condition and we're appreciative of the ICU staffs willingness to accommodate our visit if we could have made it.

We are extremely thankful for Rev. Phil being with Dad in his final moment, reading scripture to Dad as he has done so many times. They had a great relationship. Phil said Dad opened one eye when he started to read. He knew Phil was with him. I'm sure Phil was a great comfort to Dad.

Brenda and I are so lucky to have had two sets of parents who were so good to us and for us. I miss them all...hers and mine because as we got to know each other, each of us became blessed with four parents rather than just two. Pretty special people.

We celebrated the memories of our two Dad's on Sunday.

Highlight of the week? I'm pretty sure the 98 minute on hold time with our friends at Costco ranked up there..."tongue in cheek"...and if my tongue was in my cheek any further I'd be poking a hole through the cheek. Their phone jingle is 20 seconds long...listening to the same 20 second bit 294 times has to be a "highlight" right?!

But seriously the highlight had to have been being back in the exploratory mode in the studio. I'm working through a pretty significant new art bit...and if it works like I am envisioning it, the bit will become a series. So far, each of the new aspects of the piece has been worked through and each hurdle cleared beautifully (with some rethinking and reworking). But, because it is multi-media in the very truest sense of the phrase, there is a lot of new techniques and processes I need to learn and work on...and yes...more tools. Yea for me.

The bear was back...harvested berries from the "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" bush outside our front door. He/She damaged the bush but it can recover...but man does that animal stink...of course after the bear left a skunk walked through the yard and reminded us of what stink really means. Ah...the life living in the mountains.

We thought we were ending the week with the Virtu-Wool Fiber Festival...but the excitement of forest life brought us a new challenge.

Our magnetized shawl buttons/brooches got some love this week...pictures of them with this post...I really like working with this groups of pieces. When I'm trying new colorways I will frequently use these shapes first or early in the development process.

At dusk...when we're winding down everything and loosing light quickly...the neighbors finally found their indoor cat about 30 feet up one of our oak trees. "Rico" was trying to figure out how to get down but just didn't seem to be able to do that...so, many phone calls later, a tree guy came in and climbed up to get the cat...in the dark.

...oh and the Ford has sat in the driveway for the last month...any idea why it won't start? AAA is the next call.

The last week was started with riots and ended with peaceful demonstrations. I was saddened by the riots. They seemed to be so unnecessary...however...would we be have this type of discussion about changing policing and policing culture if we have only had peaceful demonstrations? I don't know the answer...but the question is interesting to ponder.

COVID needed to be put on a back burner by the media...don't put it on yours...it's still there and you need to be prepared for that "spike" the medical folks have been talking about. Preparedness is a good thing and hopefully being prepared will give us some peace of mind.

Huge week coming up around the studio. We finished last week with another one of our virtual pottery workshops...students in 3 time zones...1/2 had young potters in training with them...it was fun and very different for me. The next workshops are tentatively scheduled for the 17th of July...on my calendar...put it on yours.

Midweek we will have an open video (LIVE on Facebook) beginning at 4 PM Pacific. Unscripted...just a slice of studio pottery life. Ask questions or not. I'll talk or not. The mic will be on until 5(ish)....if my hands are in goop it may run over a tad.

We'll end the week with The Virtu-Wool Fiber Festival on FaceBook...two days of immersion into all things fiber...or is it subversion?. Our program is slotted for HIGH NOON (Eastern)...that's 9 AM Pacific. During the time slot, I'll be doing an obvara firing of a piece that will only be available during Virtu-Wool and limited to just 50 pieces...and availability ends at mid-night. Brenda will be running some specials and showing those during our hour. This should be totally insane...hilarity will ensue.

We're giving away a raku yarn bowl during the festival...the code word? Well you have to be online to hear that word and use the code...but it's a gorgeous bowl...and we'll be giving it away!

But wait...there's more...that piece I'll be firing?...it's new and has a fiber component that is stash friendly...Brenda will demo that too.

Crazy busy week coming and going.

This was a tough bit to write over the past week...it started out with our being consumed by a pandemic and an economy in crisis...and then it went sideways. And again, we're having the conversation "Black Lives Matter." If I had a solution...you know...a concrete, step by step solution I would offer it, but I don't have one.

It's pretty apparent but shouldn't be a surprise, that legislation alone will not solve the problem. Laws and penalties and rules just don't seem to be solving the issues. It's too complex for the government. Ironic, right?

We have a government that willed us to the moon, put a space program together with astronauts flying back and forth until we lost track of who was where. We have private industries that have developed the computer industry to give us smart phones and digital whatnot's to solve just about everything imaginable. We have beaten Small Pox and Polio...measles...

...and yet...we can't apply all the intelligence to solving human issues surrounding functional equality, social justice, and respect...even at the most basic and elemental level. We continue to talk the talk, but the walk...well we stumble around like a primitive attempt to walk.

And while the COVID crisis and the trashed economy are important...so is Black Lives Matter. Let's not take our eyes off the ball...life is a juggling act while running a marathon. Multi-tasking at it's best.