December 31st: Pottery update

 

Wendy and I have been continuing the work on our pottery. It's a very low tech process. First we "Throw the pieces." Then we let them dry over night and return to trim the pieces. Trimming allows you to fix blemishes, adjust the shapes, etc. Then they are ready for firing in the kiln at 2,000 degrees. They don't fire pieces every day and you have to wait if the humidity is too high, plus the holiday, so it was a couple weeks before we could return to glaze our pieces. Then they get fired again. Again, not a fast process.

Wendy is experienced so on our first visit she was moving right along. 

One of Wendy's creations!

Steve's results

My first attempts, I was going to make a couple mugs. Turns out, knowledge and skill are not the same. I knew what I was supposed to do but I was reminded of learning to ride a bike. You can read all the instructions and have a lot of knowledge but when you get on the bike, not so easy. My mugs turned into a little plate and a little cup. 

So then I signed up for the beginning classes again, while Wendy just kept creating. Our first pieces were not yet fired after trimming but that was okay. 

Steve's mugs after trimming and adding handles

I made four mugs during my second run at the Beginners' Wheel class. If you like "Wonky Mugs they turned out great! I came back the next day for the trimming class. Very helpful!. 

While I was making my mugs Wendy made a fun vase and a really cool whatever with a lid. Tough to do!

Next there was a glazing class. Our first pieces were fired so I proceeded to glaze my plate and cup.. I discovered the first step was to sand/smooth any imperfections. Because the pieces have been fired they are very hard. I quickly recognized the value of doing a thorough job during Trimming! As the instructor pointed out, I didn't want sharp edges on the rim of my cup, or little bumps that would show through the glaze, or........ It took a little while but I felt good with my preparation. 

There are endless options of glazes and combinations. Some run, some don't. Some are opaque, some aren't, etc. The instructor and Wendy helped me make some good selections. 

I glazed my two pieces wondering how they would turn out. Because of the Chrsitmas holiday, it was going to be at least a week to find out.

We returned to glaze our latest work and hoped our first pieces would be fired. They were. I was very pleased with the outcome! I'm not sure what to do with the little cup nor the plate but they are fun! The sharpie is for a size perspective. 

The real goal this trip was to glaze our latest pieces which fortunately, were fired. The glaze is in 5 gallon buckets that we needed to thoroughly mix, and then dip the pieces. Carefully, two seconds, no longer and then hold it to prevents drips! 

The glaze is in 5 gallon buckets that we needed to thoroughly mix, and then dip the pieces. 

Or, we could paint the glaze on with a brush. Wendy, being much more accomplished did a variety of things with the glaze. Glazing is an art form in itself.

I used the dip method and the brush method. You might notice the surfaces look pretty rough. That's the way my little cup and plate looked. I was amazed how smooth and shiny they came out. These mugs look rough now but once fired they will look different. I'm anxious to see how they turn out

So now we wait for our pieces to be fired. Happy New Year!

December 22nd: The San Diego Holiday Light Display

 

As promised, here are some pictures from the San Diego Botanic Garden display that Matt, Wendy and I enjoyed. It was quite different then I expected. There was a great deal of black lighting plus unusual light displays. Many reminded me of the 70's. One section even had several large Disco Balls in the trees. It was quite difficult to get some things photographed but here are the best photos.

Matt, Wendy and Steve at San Diego Botanic Garden

Wendy's shoes glowed
in the black light

There were quite a few moving light displays that reflected up into the trees and really all over the place. Here is the best video I could get.

That's the end of the organized parades/festivities. One of our pickleball friends hosted a Christmas party. We all brought an appetizer. I decided to make my corned beef/cream cheese/pickle roll ups. I brought them last year and they were a big hit. Why mess with success? They are a little labor intensive but not really that hard to put together. I recommend it as an appetizer for parties. Also, red and green for Christmas! 

 

Buzz, who was one of the hosts, is a very accomplished amateur photographer. His pictures are truly amazing. He and his wife have visited all the continents. He played a slide show for us that was wonderful. Here is a picture of the large picture hanging in their living room which he took.

I have been enjoying California, especially being close to Matt, Wendy, Rebecca, London and Trevi. I still own Yesterday's Dream for the time being. Mychael, (He's like an adopted grandkid) is living on the boat, taking care of it and paying the expenses. He hopes to have enough money to buy it down the road but I'm fine with this arrangement. It gives me the option to go back and use the boat whenever I might want to.

I am looking forward to the next couple months. I will be bringing in the New Year with the Rahns by spending 3 days at Palm Desert with them. Then I will be going on a Disney Marvel Comics Cruise in January with my great Canadian friends and family, the Petersons. The same people I spent 6 weeks with living and renovating their island buildings this summer in Canada. (Blog covers that)

Cindy, Liam, Randy, Nick, Niki and Mea at Banana Bay 2019

 After the cruise, we'll be taking the grandkids to Disney World for three days. Then Randy Cindy and I will go back to Banana Bay in Marathon and spend 5 days visiting with old friends. And we are all “Old,” but lots of fun. 

Banana Bay - 2018

Then Randy and Cindy will join me in California for the month of February. Beats the winter in Canada, 200 miles north of Toronto!

I plan to finally return to Guppy and cruise the Trent Canal, Georgian Bay and the North Channel this summer. 

Have a great Christmas! I have so many great memories of the times we spent together over many years. Here is a Christmas picture of our family from 2019.  

Christmas at Matt and Wendy's - Encinitas, CA 2019

Many of you will be getting snow, but for me this picture of the Drouhard family farm will suffice! 

Merry Christmas

December 19th: Christmas at the Rahns'

 

Craig, Karen, Fran and I attended a fund raiser at their yacht club. We played Bingo! Except this Bingo had a variety of ways to win. The second game was exciting! I yelled Bingo! Fortunately, Craig looked at my card and said you're missing one of the lines. I was able to state my error very quickly and they moved on. Embarrassing, but it was fun for a moment! Everyone was very forgiving. The people at the yacht club are very nice.

While we were eating dinner, we started talking about all the great Christmas movies. Fran said she had never seen The Christmas Story. We assured her she was mistaken. After talking about the "Leg Lamp", and her having no idea what we were talking about, Karen said we'll have dinner and movie night at our house.

As I knew from past Christmases, the Rahns', well largely Karen with Craig doing a lot of the work, go all out for Christmas. It is definitely a joint effort but I feel certain the volume of decorations is all Karen's idea. When Fran arrived she entered through the front door and remarked how festive the front room looked. I said, "You haven't seen anything yet!" 

We sat in the living room and enjoyed some appetizers, and manhattans. Then we had a tour of the rest of the house, the dining room, the family room, the kitchen, the guest bathroom and the hallways. Here are some pictures to demonstrate why I said , "You haven't seen anything yet."

Tree number one, Nautical theme

Tree number 2, by the fireplace

Tree # 3, Family room

acetmenophin crystals

 

We had a great pork tenderloin dinner accompanied by veggies, rice and my homemade rye bread. I felt quite complimented when Fran asked for my rye bread recipe because she bakes her own bread!  Everything was delicious. I brought my latest version of cheesecake for dessert but we all decided to wait until later. During the movie intermission we had the cheesecake with wild mountain blueberries on top. 

Fran said she enjoyed the movie and definitely had not seen it before. We all remarked about the memories from when the movie was made in Cleveland, Ohio, portraying Christmas in Cleveland, Ohio in the early 1950's. Fran grew up in Syracuse, N.Y. so she could relate to the snowy winter.

Looking forward to the Botanical Gardens Holiday display tomorrow night. Pictures will of course be in the next blog.