Belle of the Sunflower Ball

I always am fascinated with themes that people come up with for Etsy Treasuries.  Sunflowers are a hot theme right now, it seems.  This long sunflower platter of mine keeps popping up left and right on treasuries.  It's the belle of the ball right now.

Hit and Miss

I've been trying out new glaze combinations lately.  Sometimes I get a hit and sometimes I get a miss.  This last kiln load, I had both. 

I'm loving the results with the blue and green combo of the pot on the left and not really loving the other green and violet results of the pot on the right.  I'm thinking a thicker outer layer might yield better results.  Looking for a hit.

Clay Totems Poles

I've been teaching a number of kids classes over the last few years. In addition to those classes, I volunteer as an Art Docent at the elementary school my kids attend. The school has a kiln that wasn't being used very much, so a few years back I started teaching other Art Docents how to do clay projects with their classes.

It's been so wonderful to see all the amazing art projects that are coming out of the classrooms these days.  I'm especially happy when I see clay projects since it's what's near and dear to my heart. Tonight the school had their annual "Art Walk" where each class gets an opportunity to display an art project that they created during the school year.
 
My third grader's class has been studying Northwest Coastal Native Americans.  I decided to do a project that related to this. I checked out a number of books from the library to share with the kids.  There were some great images of different animals that were carved into the poles.  We learned about tradition of totem poles and the stories the Native Americans told with them.  Then we had each child create one section out of clay - incorporating the traditional Native American shapes into their pieces.  I displayed them in groups for the Art Walk.  I love how creative the kids were with the animals that they each made.  It was an ambitious project for third graders, so I was really pleased with how well they turned out. 

One interesting thing that we learned was the man who did the carving on the low part of the totem pole (the low man on the totem pole) was usually the most gifted carver in a tribe.  The upper parts of the totem pole were not as easy to see, so they were typically carved by the apprentice and less experienced men. 

It was a little tricky to figure out how to display the final pieces, since they all were individual sections.  I rolled slabs and had the kids use Pringle potato chip cans as a form, so they are hollow.  Each piece is about 10 inches tall and has a hole in the top and the bottom so they could be layered on a wooden dowel (note the dowel at the top of the pole - poking through.).  The challenge was to figure out how to anchor the dowels so they would be secure enough to hold the totems without tipping over.  SISU Bill to the rescue.

He recommended filling buckets with water after I told him that I was considering cement or rocks.  Water is cheaper and much easier to manage, for sure!  He cut up a 1" x 4" into smaller pieces of wood that were the width of the bottom of the bucket.  Then he drilled partway into the wood to seat the dowel. The dowel was attached with a screw.  He drilled holes into the bucket lids and we slid them onto the dowels.  (You can see the pieces in the back of my van before they were assembled.)  Then we attached the lids to the water filled buckets, covered them with plastic table cloths and created the display. 

It was a really fun project to do with the kids - plus I learned a lot about totem pole carving and its history!

If you are interested in doing this project and need more details, please send me a message at mkanz@frontier.com. 

Eat the Frog

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning

and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

 -Mark Twain

I like this quote for all kinds of reasons.  I can put off those things I don't want to do - repeatedly.  If I "eat the frog" first thing - just get it over with - then the rest of anythine else I do all day is easier to do.

Ceramic Frog  -  Too "crunchy" to eat. 

Rudolph - Drive by Shooting Victim

Poor Rudolph.  He's been shot at - twice. 
Do you think the hunter got coal in his stocking?  My kids say, "YES!"

My favorite part of the day

Rainy Day Rearview Mirror
Finding the Rose in the rainy day Thorn on 1/5/12

"Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore,"  exclaims Dorothy as she lands at
the Emerald City Port Entrance.  Follow the torn up brick road (viaduct),
she sings as she wonders about the tower with Mermaids above the clocks. 
Perhaps she's about to try her first double tall skinny with no foam latte.
My FPOD on 1/6/12 - Getting to go into the city for the day - lunch with SISU Bill and flawlessly nagivating my way through the crazy viaduct and tunnel construction zone to Seattle Pottery Supply.

Around the dinner table most nights, one of us calls for our "Favorite Part of the Day" or sometimes it's the "Rose and Thorn".  On long days, I tend to prefer the Favorite Part of the Day as it doesn't end on a downer note that the Thorn sometimes brings.  Usually, I like the Rose and Thorn better as it's truly a better barometer of our days. 


Last night, my oldest son called for the "Favorite Part of the Day" at dinner.   He said his FPOD was the breakfast of Voget's sausage and scrambled eggs that I'd made for him that morning.  My kid's call the sausage "Christmas sausage" as we have a large order of it shipped up from Hubbard, Oregon annually at Christmas.  It's a real treat for them and it evokes so many sense memories of Christmas' gone by for me.  Now that the house has risen from their sleep this morning, we are enjoying the last of the Christmas sausage.  Not to be enjoyed again, until next December. 


I love hearing what those FPOD or RAT moments are for each of the kids and SISU Bill, as it's often a window into their days and their perspective.

Last night I said my FPOD was waking up before everyone and reading a great book in the quiet of the morning with a hot cup of coffee.

I've historically been a night owl.  Ask anyone who's lived with me over the years.  I like to stay up late and sleep in.  I think it's a family trait, as most of my family likes to do the same.  I remember staying up to watch the "Tonight Show" with my dad or siblings in the summer time when I was a kid.

As I get older, I'm discovering that I really do like waking up early so I can enjoy the quiet moments in the morning before everyone gets up. The kids are finally old enough to enjoy sleeping in.  Gone are the 5 am surprise wake ups or the shouts of "it's seven zero zero" crackling through the baby monitors, letting us know that the time limit of having to stay in their cribs had been spotted on the glowing numbers of the digital clock.  I used to relish every extra minute that I could sleep in. 

I guess it's symbolic of some sort of parenting milestone, that I now enjoy waking up before the rest of the house and watching the northwest grey skies turn a lighter shade of grey.

Coming Out of the Weeds

I've been in the weeds for the last couple of weeks with a custom order that was timed tight even under the best circumstances.  I was humbly reminded that there are so many opportunties for things to go wrong with ceramics.  I typically pride myself in avoiding potential problems given the experiences I've had over the last 20 years. 

Sadly, experience didn't serve me well this time around, as I lost over HALF of a 60 piece custom pie plate order with two different disasters.  Frankly, it kind of makes me sick to even quantify it that way. 

I lost a kiln load of plates when they literally exploded into a million little pieces when the pre-heat cycle on my kiln didn't run.  They were scheduled to "pre-heat" at 180* for 12 hours before ramping up to a bisque fire.  The pre-heat removes any extra moisture from they clay and prevents pieces from cracking or even worse, exploding.  Read the "Rose and Thorn" entry for the resulting images from the explosion that happened over Thanksgiving.  I have no desire to re-post that sad image.

After suffering a loss of 20 some plates, I needed to crank it up fast since I was back to the beginning on the order. 

We've had one of the coldest and driest Decembers on record here in the Seattle area, which means low humidity. Normally, dry weather is a cause for celebration around these parts.  Typically, having pots dry too fast is not a problem here, as we are famous for our wet, rainy and humid weather patterns.  It was so dry last week, that I lost 9 plates to cracking while drying.  *sigh*  I had made 5 extra plates just in case I suffered some problems.  Never did I imagine I would lose 9 out of a batch of 26 plates.  In my sleep deprived state, this was my low point!   *sob*

Nine Cracked Pie Plates

Fortunately, I'm coming out of the weeds and the end is in sight.  My family is happy, as they've gone through all their socks and underwear.  Laundry and Christmas - here I come!

Early Morning Potting

I've been burning the candle at both ends too much lately.

 

Things I am currently grateful for:

• heat from the kiln in an otherwise heatless studio
• cordless phone and headsets
• liquid bandages
• good coffee
• audio books
• This American Life Radio Archives
• iPod, laptop and other technology to keep me from getting too lonely
• good friends and family who call to chat while I'm working
• a sister who brings food, help and her support
• a very sweet hubby who is willing to put on his "mom hat" to help with homework, dishes, cooking, etc... 

Pot on!

Happy Accidents and the Accidental Turtlist

I'm a big believer in happy accidents as evidenced by the examples below in my ceramic happy accidents. I'm still trying to find the "happy" in the kiln disaster I suffered over the weekend.  :-(

Twin Frog Pot - This is one of my “happy accidents”.   This pot flew off the wheel while I was trimming it. It severely dented the rim on one side so I dented in the other side of the rim to match it up. Then I added the frogs to the sides and voila – the twin frog pot was born.

Accidental Turtlist - This is another one of my “happy accidents”.   While trimming a large bowl, it flew off the wheel and hit a large metal coat rack. It severely dented the rim on one side so I looked at it and decided it looked like the hole in a turtle shell where the head pops in and out and ta –da – the accidental turtle was born – AKA the Accidental Turtlist. He now lives in my entry way and smiles at me as if to remind me of “happy accidents” that can come my way, if only I chose to look for them.

Rose and Thorn

At dinner most every night, we go around the table and share our "rose and thorn" from the happenings in our day.  This was clearly my thorn.  The picture is worth a thousand words. 

The pre-heat on my kiln failed - so sadly, I lost a batch of pie plates for a custom order with a tight deadline.  *sob*

The Close of Summer

Labor Day weekend represents the "Close of Summer" for most people.  It seems no one told the weather around the Seattle area, though.  We are looking at a forecast of the upper 80's this week - which is warm for this area.  Not that we're complaining!  We had a terrible spring and almost no summer sunshine until August, so this is a welcome thing. 

The kids are back in school and I've been throwing, rolling and carving up a storm in the studio.  I've been working on some new looks over the summer.  It took me a while to straighten out some issues with crazing, pinholes, and other issues with some clear glazes this summer.  Thankfully, I've figured it out and I'm moving ahead with producing the new pieces.  Everything is drying so quickly with this weather, I've got to work quickly.  I'm excited to get the new work photographed and posted on Etsy so I can see what people think of them.

I was reminded that it's the Close of Summer with this fun treasury that some of my tumblers are featured in.  Cheers! 

2nd Grade Inspiration

The Ferocious Lion

I've had a busy season of children's art projects. One of my favorites was a pinch pot animal project I did with a group of second graders. I always love to see how creative the kids get when I give them a general assignment. This lesson was to create an animal using a pinch pot a base. Here are some of my favorites.  I love being inspired by 8 year olds!

Yellow Duck

"Fly catching Frog (the bowl is its tongue)."

"Kitty Love"

Howling Kitty

"Oink!"

Ancestry

In my post surgery down time, I've delved into my family's genealogy.  My niece, Annie, did a bunch of research that I've used to create my family tree.  One of the many amazing things she discovered was that my 11th great grandfather was Francis Eaton.  He came to America on the Mayflower.  He was a carpenter and signed the Mayflower Compact.

Francis Eaton (1596 - 1633)

is my 11th great grandfather

Rachel Eaton (1625 - )
Daughter of Francis

Daniel Ramsden (Ramsdell) (1649 - 1722)
Son of Rachel

Thomas Ramsden (Ramsdell) (1680 - 1727)
Son of Daniel

Gidean Ramsden (Ramsdell)(1712 - 1795)
Son of Thomas

Content Ramsden (Ramsdell) (1741 - )
Daughter of Gidean

Content Hovey (1772 - 1841)
Daughter of Content

Solomon Joy (1799 - 1872)
Son of Content

Eliza Angeline Joy (1833 - 1909)
(Her husband died fighting in the Civil War so she came west on the Oregon Trail as a widow with 4 children and settled in Benton County, OR where she married a man 18 years younger than her!)
Daughter of Solomon

Evannah Eliza Smith (1860 - 1902)
Daughter of Eliza Angeline

Joseph Edwin Tyler (1881 - 1930)
Son of Evannah Eliza

Ray Burt Tyler (1906 - 1991)
Son of Joseph Edwin

Joseph Edward Tyler (1931 - )
Son of Ray Burt

Melanie Susan Tyler
You are the daughter of Joseph Edward
 
 

Pre-kids, Sisu Bill and I took a trip back New England to visit his family in Massachusetts.  He was born in a small town called Fitchburg.  We were able to spend a wonderful week at his family's cottage on Cape Cod.  During that trip we stopped in Plymouth and went to the Plymouth plantation.  I wish I knew then what I know now.  It makes me more excited to take the kids back there for a visit, as there is now a whole new perspective of that place.  This past summer, Cooper and I were really into reading G. Clifton Wisler's historical fiction novels about young boys growing up in the early days of our country.  We read stories about the Revolutionary War, The Civil War, The Underground Railroad and one about a young boy's journey to America on the Mayflower (This New Land).  It was fun to tell Cooper about his relation to Francis Eaton as he really understood what a hardship that journey was after reading the book. 

Visiting Czech cousins in Provodov, CZ

I'm curious about looking into my Czech ancestry as we met relatives from Provodov in the SE part of the Czech Republic called Moravia.  I think there are some strong roots to tile making from that part of the world.  It will be interesting to see what I discover.  Someday, I'd like to travel to Doylestown, Pennsylvania and take a class at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works.  A girl can dream, right? 

The Catholic Church that my great great
grandfather Heriza (Hriza) family attended. 
We had heard stories about the
100 steps that lead up to the church. 
Turns out there weren't quite 100. 

My dad with his cousin Jan and Jan's granddaughter.
They are standing in front of the blacksmith shop
that gg grandfather Heriza (Hriza) worked in at his home. 
Jan's granddaughter did all the interpreting for us.   

Visiting the Heriza house in Provodov, CZ

My great uncle Tom Gregerson (Grandpa Rudolph's brother) was a passionate genealogist.  He did a bunch of research into his family roots back to their days in Norway.  He would be blown away by all the information that is now at our fingertips via the Internet.  How times have changed - but the fundamental curiosity about who we are and where our ancestors came from remains the same. 

Cheers!

I was relieved to hear that the Celtic tumbler order for the wedding on the other side of the U.S. all arrived safely.  The bride and groom were wonderful to work with.  They were so kind to send me a few photographs from their wedding celebration showing the tumblers at their reception.  I love to hear about people enjoying the ceramics that I've made, so it was especially fun to see these pictures from an event as special as a wedding.  They made homemade mead for their reception and wanted something special to serve it in that the guests could take home as a gift as well.  We came up with a color and added a celtic knot to tie it into their theme.  Cheers to Paul and Melissa!

The Things We've Handed Down*

My parents recently gave us my Grandma Gregerson's piano that had been in their house since the 1970's.  My sister, Liz, was so kind to have the piano moved up from Salem to our home.  I did a bit of research into the piano to find out more about it's history.

It's a Steinbach and Dreher upright piano.  Steinbach and Dreher was a small, family owned firm that built pianos in very small numbers. Their factories were in Rockford, IL (Chicago).  The piano was built circa about 1915 and is made of Honduran Mahogany wood.

I love the delicate ornate features on the sides of the piano.

While this is the factual history of the piano, there is much more to it than that.  This piano has a sentimental history. 

My mother was born in 1933.  My grandmother Margaret became ill with some complications from the delivery and had some significant postpartum depression.  She ended up moving to Portland to live with her sister for a year to recover.  My grandfather hired someone to help care for my mother and her older brother during this time.  I can only imagine how stressful a time that must have been for my grandfather.  He had a young son, a newborn, a full time job as a mechanic and the Great Depression had hit.  After Margaret recovered, she returned to Boise.  My grandfather bought her this piano to help raise her spirits.  We speculate that he must have bought it from someone who needed the money as times were hard then.  A purchase like this must have been a big deal for them given the time and circumstances. 

Margaret played the piano beautifully.  She could play by ear as well as read music, which was evident from the large stack of sheet music that arrived with the piano.  Margaret came to live with us after she had a stroke in 1978.  While many of her abilities were affected by the stroke, her ability to play the piano was not.  I got the feeling that the piano still brought her comfort even after all those years. 

Rudolph (Rudd) and Margaret Gregerson
Newlyweds in Yellowstone Park 1925

Rudolph and Margaret Gregerson
Pasadena, CA 1926

I took piano lessons for 11 years and played on this beautiful old piano.  It's been enjoyable to revisit some of those pieces I worked so hard to master as a young person.  I'm amazed at how some of it just comes back more easily if I don't think about it than if I do - in a funny sense memory kind of way.  My daughter seems to have an aptitude for music.  She sits down and figures out tunes that she knows and plunks them out on the piano.  Hopefully we'll soon have her in some lessons so that she can learn more.  I'd like to think that there is a little bit of her great grandmother's gift in her.  "The things we've handed down*" - both literally and figuratively.

My sister, Jean, wrote an interesting story about my grandparents and how they met at Yellowstone Park in the 1920's.  I took the images I used above from her story.   I'm looking forward to taking my kids to Yellowstone Park sometime soon.  I think must be a magical place for our family.

*One of my favorite songs from the soulful Marc Cohn

LYRICS: THE THINGS WE'VE HANDED DOWN

(Marc Cohn)

I don't know much about you
I don't know who you are
We been doing fine without you
But we could only go so far
Don't know why you chose us
Were you watching from above?
Is there someone there that knows us
Said we’d give you all our love
Will you laugh just like your mother
Will you sigh like your old man
Will some things skip a generation?
Like I’ve heard they often can
Are you a poet or a dancer?
A devil or clown
Or a strange new combination
Of the things we've handed down
I wonder who you look like
Will your hair fall down in curls
Will you be mama's boy
Or daddy's little girl
Will you be a sad reminder
Of what's been lost along the way
Maybe you can help me find her
In the things you do and say
And these things we have given you
They are not so easily found
Oh, but you can thank us later
For the things we've handed down
(Things we've handed down)
You may not always be so grateful
For the way that you were made
Maybe some feature of your father's
That you'd gladly sell or trade
And one day you may look at us
And say that you were cursed
But all the time that line has been
Extremely well rehearsed
By our fathers and their fathers
In some old and distant town
From places no one here remembers
Come the things we've handed down
The things we've handed down
The things we’ve handed down

The Breaking Light

Images like this put things in perspective. 

I had surgery over a week ago and it's put me out of pottery commission for a while.  I thought I wouldn't be as sore as I have been.  I'm looking forward to feeling like myself again -soon!  In the meantime, I've been watching entirely too much TV.  The images coming out of Japan are so heartbreaking and unimaginable, I find that I have to stop watching to get a mental break from it.

I love music.  If you find me in my studio, I'm usually listening to an NPR Podcast, music from my iPod,  my favorite radio station (KMTT - The Mountain) - especially their Audio Vault Live in the Music Lounge Sessions or an audiobook (a great way to multi-task).  I enjoy the music of Vienna Teng and have seen her live a few times.  Most recently it was a few years back when she played a show in Seattle with Alex Wong.  They came out with this song to help raise money for Japan.  When I saw them at the Triple Door  (imho- one of the coolest venues in Seattle), I loved how they interacted with the audience and incorporated interesting sounds.  The song they wrote, The Breaking Light, is a beautiful example of those things.  Enjoy and buy the song for a good cause... and be reminded of all the good things in your life.

Blue Moon, You Saw Me Standing Alone

One of my blue mugs is featured in a Blue Moon Treasury.  I saw the theme and immediately started singing "Blue Moon" in my head.  I grew up in the '70s and fell in love with the movie Grease.  I bought the sound track (on vinyl, of course) and played it constantly.  Blue Moon was one of the songs on the soundtrack, so I hear the Sha Na Na version of the song and the mooners when I think of it (this is a Youtube video with dubbed Spanish at the end of it, which was unexpected when I listened to it).  My 12 year old mind back then thought the mooning was hilarious, of course. 

Recently I watched the movie again with my kids.  I was surprised at all the things that must have completely went over my head when I was 12.  I just loved the singing, dancing and visual appeal of it.  I saw the movie about 10 times with my friends in 1978 - pre VCR and DVD days - so you could only see it in a theater.  My kids have no idea of that concept.  They look at me with a confused look when I explain that we had only 5 or 6 TV channels, a black and white TV with no remote control and how we'd look forward to the airings of the Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, The Grinch and the Charlie Brown Specials.  Kids today have so many media choices at their fingertips.  I can't imagine what that would have been like for me when I was a kid.  I think it might have been a little overwhelming.  I remember when we got our color TV and what a big deal that was.  Funny how things change.

Japanese Relief Effort Etsy Treasuries

One of the sake sets for the Japanese Relief Effort has been featured in two treasuries with relief effort themes.
Hope for Japan

Tsunami Relief in Japan

Japanese Relief Effort

I'm donating 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the Sake Sets in my Etsy shop to the Red Cross to help with the relief efforts for Earthquake & Tsunami Victims in Japan.  I'm planning on making up some more sets to add to these soon.

Metallic Black and Brown Set

Green with Rust Rim Set

The Tuesday Night Pottery Club

We go through life and meet so many people over the years.  Some people come and go and others stay with you always because of the impact they have made on your life.  I just got off the phone with my dear friend, former teacher and mentor, Linnell Barnhart.  She just celebrated her 79th birthday in February.  She is such an inspiration to me. 

A sweet little vase made by Linnell

I met Linnell shortly after Bill and I moved to Sacramento in 1998.  I had been taking ceramics classes at a community college in the Seattle area before we moved and was interested in continuing with potting in Sacramento.  I had a hard time finding similar classes and ended up discovering Linnell's studio through a local ceramics supply store in Sacramento.  Over the years I took weekly classes with Linnell and learned so much about throwing pots - and about life.  She is an amazingly patient instructor who really taught me all I know about wheel throwing - among many other life lessons.  I can't thank her enough for everything she's shared with me.  I can still hear her words in my head when I throw ("strengthen your rim", "1 down and 499 to go").  She ended up being like my second mom in many ways - and ironically is only 5 days older than my mom and also has five kids. 

I loved going to Linnell's studio on Tuesday nights.  It was wonderful to get to know other potters who were taking the classes as well.  We shared  the ups and downs of our lives over the spinning of those potters wheels over the years.  When I was pregnant with the twins, I threw as long as I physically could - until my belly was too big to have the leverage I needed to throw.  After the babies were born, I took some time off but returned as soon as I could.  Fortunately, Sisu Bill had a friend come over every Tuesday night to help him with the babies, so I could get a night off and get out of the house.  Linnell's studio really became respite for me during that time.  It was a highlight of my week! 

I was really sad to leave Linnell's studio when we moved back to the Pacific Northwest.  Fortunately I had learned so much that it inspired me to start something of my own here in Woodinville.  It was fun to catch up with Linnell today to tell her all about what I've been up to and hear all her news.  She's always so supportive and positive.  She's a true role model - continuing to teach classes at her studio, teaching ceramics at a local college, taking workshops, working on her website and still having her annual holiday sale.  I only hope I can be as active and inspiring as her when I'm her age.  What a blessing she's been in my life.

Post Nap Results

I am relieved to have this order of tumblers on its way to Alabama for a Celtic themed wedding celebration. And yes, a large nap was taken.

The Napper



Wedding Tumblers waiting for the Napper

I am wrapping up what's amounted to the busiest week of the year, so far, for me.  The kids had a crazy schedule of rehearsals, concerts, activities, appointments and class projects.  I had meetings, doctor's appointments, taught three clay classes, finished up some custom orders and completed a large order for a wedding.  I finally shut down last night (this morning) around 2 am and I'm ready for a big nap today.  Sisu Bill jokes that I sleep when the kiln is firing.  It reminds me of when the kids were all little and I'd nap when they all napped.  There was a time when we had three kids two years old and under - it makes me tired just thinking about it.  Although in this case, the "baby" is doing anything but napping.  While some people name their kilns, I haven't yet.  Perhaps I should call it "the napper".  I kind of like that.  TGIF. 




Memories of Crazy Days - Ages 3, 1, 3

 

Heritage Day Project



Ready for Spring? YES - Definitely!!!

I just returned from a night out in Seattle with Bill to see Amos Lee at the Moore Theater.  Thankfully I brought along my mini umbrella because it rained. I popped it out of my purse and quickly opened it to avoid the dreaded frizzy rain hair I so easily get in this climate.  As I looked around the busy downtown area, I noticed that I was the ONLY umbrella on the block.  Seriously.  Many people had their hoods up and the others just didn't bother.  I found myself feeling a little funny with my little umbrella in the rain.  How crazy is that?!?  I guess it just drizzles here so much that people just stop bothering with umbrellas. 

We lived in Sacramento for nine years and I was surprised by how people there didn't like to go places when it rained.  It seemed like really rainy days in Sacramento were the PNW equivalent of a snow day.  And yes, if they did have to go out in the rain, they definitely used umbrellas. 

Years ago I used to work for a buyer for a couple of retail stores.  I'll never forget meeting a new sales rep for a company that sold raincoats and umbrellas.  She had just moved to the area and said she thought she'd hit the mother load with her new Pacific NW territory.  She was surprised that her numbers weren't what she thought they would be.  I guess it made sense - people think Seattle = rain = lots of umbrellas.  Sadly for that sales rep, it's not really true.  Well, the rain part is, but not the umbrella part of the equation.  I was reminded of that again tonight during my lone umbrella moment.

I came home to discover one of my leaf and berry mugs is in a spring themed Treasury called "Leafy - Ready for Spring?" My answer to that is a definite YES!

Through the generations

My parents passed the love of skiing to me and my siblings. They used to pile us all in our VW Bus and take road trips to the mountain.  I love this picture of me and my brothers and sisters taken in Bend, Oregon in April 1971.  My mom always said it wasn't so hard to have five kids because the older ones helped with the younger kids.  Clearly that is evident in this picture where Liz and James are helping out me and my little brother Andy.  I remember needing help to lace up (yes, lace up) my ski leather boots, having someone help me clamp down my bindings on my wooden skis and attach my safety straps around my ankles. 

This past weekend my mom and brother organized a family ski get together near Bend, Oregon.  The youngest generation of cousins were all there (sans Tyler in Texas).  It was a wonderful deja vu moment for me as I witnessed the older cousins helping all the younger cousins with their skis, boots and gear.  They helped them ride the chairlift, get up from wipeouts in the snow and taught them how to navigate down the mountain.  The equipment has certainly changed, but the element of family love and support remained.  My kids have great memories from this weekend that will live with them and perhaps be passed on to their children someday on future family ski trips.