Tuesday, October 11, 2011

It's not all travelogue ...





I know, the last post was all about being a tourist and nothing about pots. So in the lead photo today are three soda-glazed teabowls from a firing two weeks ago at the Harvard ceramics facility in Boston. I fired there a few months ago, but didn't get everything into the load. So Crystal Ribich, the woman in charge of the workshop, got the last half-dozen of my pots in this month.
Nice results, I thought. Better than the first firing, which I think (and Crystal thinks) was a bit too tightly packed to let the atmosphere circulate as it should. These bowls showed much more of the effects of soda injection. These pots and a few hundred more will be with me at the Wellfleet OysterFest this weekend. Come to Wellfleet for the last celebration of the season, for good beer and many, many good oysters. It's a great weekend in the little town way down-Cape.
The past few days have been summer redux here, with temperatures in or near the 80s, bright sunshine and little wind. This is the kind of weather we hope for when the tourists have gone home and left the place to us. We got two good days of clamming in last Saturday and Sunday, paddling out to the clam flats each day. Then on Monday, Mike and Tammy called and Dee and joined them in paddling around Tobey Island in Bourne. Brilliant weather, flat seas, clear water in the rocks at the edge of Buzzards Bay. The cormorants were all over the rocks about 100 yards offshore. Potter Mark Heywood of Whynot Pottery will recognize the place where he clammed with us back in September.
And the habanero peppers are still coming in by the half-dozen from the garden. This handful is probably a year's supply of the hot little seedpods.

8 comments:

Michèle Hastings said...

nice teabowls!

Tracey Broome said...

You are truly living a good life up there on the Cape! Wesley got a package today! Blog post to follow. Yummy teabowls, the soda seems to love those forms :)
Say hi to Mike and Tammi for us, we have sure enjoyed their coffee.

cookingwithgas said...

those tea bowls are spot on! Gosh if they were there when I was there one might have made it to NC.
Mr Chris Luther asked me first thing did I bring him a tea bowl from your place.
sadly I will have to come back to get one.
Give our best to the gang and enjoy the days of no crowds.
any bunnies yet?

Dennis Allen said...

Looks like life is good.I really like the faceted teabowl on the left.

ang design said...

awesome looking soda mr!! hope your soda kiln isn't far off :))

Hannah said...

Damn I need to come back again and see another season at your place. Looks wonderful!

Hollis Engley said...

Thanks, all. You're welcome, Tracey. And Meredith, I'd love to trade with Chris some time. I like that one, too. Dennis. And come back any time, Hannah.

Hollis Engley said...

Soda kiln is still in thinking stage, Ang. But it's getting there.