300 Days of Sunshine

To wrap up my first clay experience, my beginning wheelthrowing class was a lot of fun.   I made more pieces than I had expected – a few of them actually gift-worthy – and found several inspiring and beautiful glazes.   I've gotten almost all of my clay pieces back from the kiln.  Some of my pieces turned out better than others, but overall I’m really pleased with the variety. Before:  Two-toned bowl with Oxblood on the inside, Coleman Black outside... And after! This is one of my favorite bowls.  I love the way Oxblood turns out on the inside of the structure.  This was a gift for my brother, a senior at UW Madison (hence the Badger colors...) Before:  Another two-toned bowl with Pale Blue Celadon inside, Blue Green Celadon outside... And after.  This picture doesn't really do this piece justice, but I really liked how it turned out.  This will be a useful salsa bowl or candy dish! Before:  Salsa...

I offered to pick up a weekend shift at work last Sunday in exchange for having a weekday off – and not just any weekday, but the same day that my good friend, Becky, had off.   You may ask, what did we do with our glorious and rare day off?   We hiked, of course! After a pre-dawn drive up to the mountain in my Chevy Silverado, thermoses of hot coffee in hand, we arrived at the ski basin parking lot to begin our Triple Peaks hike.   The morning was chilly (or “brisk” as we would say in the north country) and reminded me of early mornings in northern Minnesota. Kua admires the view as the sun rises over the mountains. The trail begins with some uphill switchbacks toward the Pecos Wilderness boundary then continues uphill along Raven’s Ridge toward the first peak.   There were some breathtaking lookout sites along Raven’s Ridge that offered stunning views of the surrounding mountains.   I have never seen so many shades of green looking across ...

My two most recent hikes were repeats of the first two trails I hiked when I moved to Santa Fe – the Hyde Park Circle Trail and Nambe Lake… Hyde Park Circle Trail I was so amazed at how green everything is right now!   Summer appears to be arriving in full force and the forests are lush and majestic.   The smells are sensational.   (And, as a side note, I’m really working on controlling my breathing more effectively so I can consistently inhale through my nose and experience all the smells the forest has to offer.) The Circle Trail has a few steep uphill sections, but overall is a short and easy hike that offers beautiful views of the Santa Fe Ski Basin to the northeast, the Sandias down south near Albuquerque, and the Jemez mountains to the west.   We did this hike with my friend, Renee, who was visiting from Chicago.   Renee is currently recovering from numerous foot fractures and five orthopedic surgeries after being hit b...