Saturday, March 29, 2014

Andrew's First Birthday

A spree before the festivities...
Stocking up on underglaze and clay...
Playing with cars and balloons...
My favorite of Andrew's presents, a bouncing rubber donkey...
Getting ready for his cake...
Erin made him a beautiful first birthday cake...
Watching everyone eat...
Chocolate cake and salted caramel ice cream for the adults...
Saying "goodbye" to my work on the way out...

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Birthday Present Season

A gorgeous, stormy drive from Salinas to Carmel...
An ancient empire appears in Carmel...
Traps near the waterfront...
An early dinner...
The captain has weathered a bit...
Blue skies in the restaurant, after the rain showers...
Soap, candles, and lucky charms...
Birthday presents for Young Andrew...
My mom's birthday presents...

Monday, March 24, 2014

Rest in Peace Maile Tua'one

Sixth Grade Picture Day

I heard the worst news today. Maile was killed in a car accident. Can I just tell you how much she will be missed in this world?  Here goes.

Maile was a student in my first classroom. She was a brilliant person, who made every assignment her own. I still have sample pages of a book that she wrote about Ancient Rome in my teaching portfolio. Maile made all of the facts into short rhyming poems and added creative illustrations to match each subject.  She was very serious about school, and worked earnestly on each and every assignment.

Because I was relatively new to teaching, I made a lot of mistakes. Maile was my bellwether. I could always tell by looking at her, whether or not I was hitting the mark. I knew that her parents probably wanted her to have a more experienced teacher. I was an insecure, rank amateur. And, Maile was a tough critic. She held herself to a high standard, so she had high expectations of those around her. I remember attending her grandfather's funeral one Saturday, because I wanted to show her my support. She looked at me across the church, and held my gaze for the longest time. Listening to the service for her grandfather, made me realize that she came from a singular family.  A family that valued education.  A family that lived like they meant it.

Often, in my class, I talk about being a "Level 6" person. Level 6 behavior means that one "has a strong moral code, and lives by it." Maile, even as an eleven year old, was just such a person. I was always amazed at her self-confidence. My own personal life had been a mess during the previous year, walking away from an abusive boyfriend, had caused me to flounder. I felt hopeless, and ashamed of myself. Watching the students at Stansbury Elementary, endure hardship and persevere, gave me hope that I could do the same. Watching Maile, made me realize that I could pull myself together, and return to my former, valued self. She was the highest example.

From reading the newspaper article, describing Maile's death, it was mentioned that she was killed when a semi-truck hit her, while she and a young man were changing a tire in the emergency lane on the shoulder of the highway. Of course, Maile would be helping to change the tire. That's what I kept thinking, as I read the article. During all of my years as a teacher, I still have a picture of her framed on my desk. She is standing with Jeanmarie and Ryan, and they are all laughing. She had taken the sign for our door which read: "Testing Do Not Disturb", and cut it apart, then added an -ed. Once it read "Disturbed", she had attached it to Ryan's forehead. This picture makes me laugh every time I look at it. Now I will look at it and feel such a loss, not just for me, but for us all.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Back to the Old Drawing Board

New and improved, larger wall piece...

Recent bad luck with a wall piece cracking, caused me to go back and try to build it again. This time, the panel is larger, and slightly less busy. The bracing on the back is more closely spaced. When I fire it, I'm going to place an insulated pad underneath it. While I was at it, I made some blank "canvases" on which to paint.  Hopefully, I can come up with some imagery to place on them, and then paint using underglaze. All in all, it was a pretty productive afternoon. Now, time for a quick catnap.


Blank canvas for underglaze painting...
Larger, square underglaze canvas panel...
The one that got away...




Smithsonian Treasures Wish List

Abraham Lincoln's Hat

We're heading off to Washington D.C. in a few weeks. I decided to make a list of some things that I'm hoping to see on our trip. These treasures are listed in order of my desire to see them. Any and all things Lincoln… Can't wait!


Abraham Lincoln's Pocket Watch
The Spirit of St. Louis
Wright Flyer 1903
The Star Spangled Banner Flag
The Original Cookie Monster
Thomas Jefferson's Desk
Ben Franklin's Suit
Amelia Earhart's Vega
Julia Child's Kitchen
Dizzy Gillespie's Trumpet
Mary Todd Lincoln's Dress
The Ruby Slippers
Jack Dempsey's Boxing Gloves
Political Teapots
Any and All Typewriters

Sunday, March 16, 2014

The Salt Mines

Ready for the last firing...
Studio helper...
Layers of color on plates...
Adding layered polka dots...
Taking a brief tea break...
Sanded and ready for the kiln...
Layers of orange and green...
Taking a break from sanding...
Sanded and ready for the second firing...
Clear glaze for Natalia and William's projects...
Contemplating the glazing of the last kiln filler...