SmallTown-GoodTime

Went "home" for a couple of days this weekend and decided on the way, I'd take some pictures to share with you.

These are just pictures taken on the drive over, out the window of the truck, so some of them are a little blurry.
This first picture was taken just going up Smithville Hill.

Calhoun County line.

First cut of hay, a very busy time for local farmers.

Going past the old home place.  Sadly, going into disrepair...

A close knit community...my Uncle's home.

My best friends house.  She has lived here all of her life!

Going down Big Springs Hill.

This is known as Jackson Curve just before going up the hill to the Nobe and Lovada turn offs.  This has been a very dangerous curve and there have been lots of accidents here over the years.

Spring and Summer means road work...

Just a few miles down the road, more road work...

Looking back...

More road work, the hill side has slipped again.

Big slip in the road!

Grantsville, West Virginia, my home town!  Don't blink!

Town Square covered with the carnival rides, food and fun.

My table is set up right behind the popcorn booth...good stuff!

The white building is the county's funeral home.  The yellow brick building is now the realty office, it was a bank at one time...long ago.

This is the second day, I wanted to get a picture going down Jackson Hill into Jackson Curve...

Hang on!

Through the curve, on the way to Harrisville.

Thanks for taking this little trip with me, I've enjoyed showing you around my little corner of the world.

Old Friends

Found out a few hours ago that a childhood friend has passed away.  We were more than friends, actually third cousins as well.  I feel as if the wind has been knocked out of me.  We had lots of ups and downs as children and young adults, but ended up forgiving each other years ago and am I ever so glad for that!  Hadn't seen each other in many years and just a little while back connected on Facebook.  I enjoyed catching up with her...now she is gone and I am so sorry about that.  Rest in Peace Martha Ann, you deserve it and I pray to see you again someday and to hope to spend eternity with you.  You were much loved and will be sorely missed by many...myself included.

new opportunity

I have a new opportunity for making some buttons for our Juniors at the Nationals!  I have sent buttons before, but never been asked to do the Junior "show" buttons.  Exciting and scary all at the same time.  Exciting for obvious reasons and scary for obvious reasons as well!  I know I am not an artist...not at all like I would like to be, so...here goes anyway, I'm going to give it my best shot and hopefully they will be good enough.  I will blog my process as I go.
First things first, must work up the clay and get it ready after I do a few chores around the house today and I must go to the PO after lunch.
.......

An Incomprehensible Tragedy

An earthquake and tsunami caused mind blowing chaos and tragedy in Japan today.  Totally incomprehensible...Lord have mercy!

New Glazes

There are some new glazes (to me) on some of these beads and others were re-fired because they did not quite get to temperature last time.
The top picture is speckled clay with Turquoise glaze.  These were re-fired because they did not quite reach temperature last time and the same with the TuTu Pink pendant set.
The blue moon is Turquoise over Oil Spot and the last picture is Oil Spot glaze.

New Etsy Listings

I added a few new things on Etsy today.  Wondering how some pieces come out so nice and others have to be fired again from the same load...I just don't understand it!

I really love this piece, I just held the glaze above the piece and let the glaze drip where it wanted to.  Let me know what you think.

Still Experimenting

I am so new to clay I still feel everything I do is an experiment.  I would like to think I know what things are going to look like when they come out, but many times I am disappointed.  Sometimes I am happy with what was done.  And thank goodness, I've learned to take notes, so maybe I can do what I like again.
I am a collector by nature, very sentimental and I have a house full of stuff that appeals to me.  One of those things is an old salt shaker in a beautiful blue glass that I think is Victorian, but I'm not sure, all I know for sure is that I like it.  I used that salt shaker to make a mold for some pendants and here is how it turned out:

 

Maybe not too bad for a beginner.

I used Celedon for the top one and a Hot Orchid in the center with Lavender Lupine around the edges of the second set.  They are glazed over the sides but not on the back.  I usually initial and date the back.  These were laid flat in the kiln and I'm happy with the way these turned out.