Rolling on the River

Last weekend Tina and I went to North Carolina for a "meet the fiance's family" camp out and river trip.We drove the motor home through the traffic of the Smokies, past all the Ruby Mines, pancake houses,outlet stores and must see attractions. We finally hooked up with daughter Kate and her fiance Lucas at a campground near the Nantahala Gorge on the south side of Fontana Lake. Lucas' parents, brother, and sister in law were there and our son Ben even made it. Friday evening was great. Kate made Fajitas on the grill, good beer was passed around and we all got to know each other.

Saturday was a little more lively. Kate and Lucas are expert kayakers and thought we would all enjoy a leisurely float down the Nantahala. Ben and Tina had kayaked before so they elected to kayak along with Kate and Lucas. The rest of us rented inflatable solo kayaks (duckies). The rental included wetsuits and they managed to find a super sized one that I could squeeze into. It wasn't pretty and may have been illegal in some states but I wasn't going to freeze in the 50 degree water. We saw the movie grabbed our paddles and got on the bus to go up river. The river looked very low and I wondered if we would have to walk some of it. I need not have worried. About halfway up the mountain a surge of water suddenly made the river a couple of feet deeper and a whole lot faster.Turns out they release water from the dam every morning and leave the taps on all day while people play on the river. Plenty of water. Plenty.

We were all going to stay together. Well 50 yards into the trip is the first big rapid. No warm up, no practice. I made it through but was swept away with the current and caught in fast water for the next couple of miles. After I finally found an eddy to get into I waited for the rest of the group. Waited and waited. About an hour later Kate made it down to me. Kate told me that Tina and Ben had problems early on and had to wet exit from their boats several times. When this happened, the boats went downstream with the rest of the party giving chase and the survivors struggled to get to shore and beat their way downstream to wherever the swift current had taken their boats. Turns out this was no fun for those involved and seeing no sign of improvement, Tina and Ben abandoned and dragged their boats uphill to the highway to catch a ride with a livery bus.

With the rest of us back together, we soon tried to pull over at our designated lunch spot. Too much current and several of us unable to stop. We went a little farther and were finally able to stop for lunch. My lunch had been left in Tina's boat. My future son-in-law had a spare sandwich. Peanut butter ,turkey, and cucumber. Mmmmmmm tasty!

We headed downriver and were able to stay together this time. Rapids, rapids and more rapids. Overall it was like getting flushed down the drain and coming out 8 miles later. I stayed in my boat and made it down to the falls by the livery. I opted to skip going over the falls. I was hurting enough already but happy and glad to be there.

Ben and Tina were in good spirits when we found them and we went on to go out for a nice dinner then back to camp for a campfire and more getting acquainted. Nice folks and a nice weekend.

Sunday we drove home by way of the west side of the Smokies. We drove U.S. 129 "The Dragon's Tail"- 313 turns in 11 miles of mountains with 12% grades. Remember, we were driving a motorhome. Finally it was my turn to be the asshole in the camper backing up traffic. Actually, there was light traffic and it was a very nice drive. It took about the same time as coming down did but it was much more scenic.

A Brighter Day, Well sort of...

Sunday's sale at Waynesville was much better than last month. There were no big crowds but there were more people than last month and I made several nice sales and a few small ones. My pottery friend Karen Herbert and her husband Larry came up from Bethel and set up across from me. It's nice to have a friendly face around.

About 4:00 pm the sky opened up, we got drenched, all the people left and we started packing up. There was water running 3 inches deep in the gutter at the back of the booth but the tent held fast and shed water like a duck.I brought way too much stuff again so I was the last one left when a nice lady from North Dakota showed up wanting to see some pots. Well, they weren't all in the truck yet so I opened a box, showed her 3 pots and sold her one of them for $50.00. Sometimes it pays to pack slowly.

Trying it Again

This Sunday, I will be showing at the Second Sunday Stroll in Waynesville, Ohio. Last month it got off to a very slow start but hope springs eternal. I have improved my signage and sent out a newsletter to my mailing list so maybe a few nice folks will stop by.

In the studio I have fallen prey to my testosterone and been throwing big planters. They are not something you want to haul around to shows but they are fun to make. I'll post some pictures in a few weeks when they are finished.

Planning Time

This post is something that may be exciting to potters but not to more casual readers. A few weeks ago I was given some kiln brick that had been surplus to a concrete making plant ( lime kiln ?) With the help of my brother I collected all that was to be had and hauled them home. Kiln brick are very expensive to buy at retail so this was a huge gift of support to my pottery business. It will allow more convenient firing of my woodfired pots as well as much more control of the process v/s firing in a community kiln. The current question is what sort of kiln to build.

I'm thinking of a small woodfired kiln with provisions for a propane or waste oil burner to help with initial warm up and as a final booster if needed. I know I will have to buy some additional materials but naturally I want to stay as cheap as possible. The tally on the brick is 500 3 inch #2 arch brick and 180 3 inch Key brick. I'm thinking the keys could be laid nose to tail for a floor, half of the arches could be used on their sides to make part of some 9 inch thick sidewalls, and the rest will make a barrel arch with nearly a 2 ft radius. I probably won't be able to start construction til late summer so I have some time to plan things but I would appreciate any input from knowledgeable readers.