Soda ash and snowfall ...

I always love the look of my Shino-glazed pots after they've sat for a few hours and the soda ash has migrated to the surface. They look like just a little bit of snow has fallen on them while they sat in the studio, awaiting the kiln. Coming into the studio in the morning after glazing late into the afternoon is always a bit of a surprise, especially when I'm using a freshly mixed batch of the carbon trap Shino. The pots were a drab tan the evening before and now show that alternately shadowed and white look. There are a lot of those pots in this kiln-load, which as I write has just had its first turn-up and is somewhere in the 1000F range right now. Another turn-up is due in 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, snow began falling this morning as we left the coffee shop and headed home about 8:30. It was light at first, but is coming down more heavily now. Predictions are for anywhere from five to 15 inches today, with northeast winds gusting to 50 mph later in the day. It's what's called a nor'easter around here, the wind coming from the northeast and driving the snow ahead of it. With luck, the firing will be done by the time the winds start to blow.
I'll spend time between turn-ups painting primer on the knots in the upstairs barnboard walls. We're taking the big room above the studio and dividing it into a guest room/work area and a slightly more upscale gallery space than the shed. The hazy plans right now are that I will use the new gallery space for the best work that comes from the kiln. White walls and ceiling, nice north and south light from the windows, taking up the carpet and putting down a linoleum floor to be more friendly to pot-holding pedestals.
Right now, there's a pile of junk in the center of the room while Dee primes the window frames. As it gets more photogenic, I'll post some pictures.
Onward ...