Franklin is starting wake up for the spring with snowbirds and tourists coming back. As a result more people are starting to come by the Christy’s art shop and today got to chat with an older AT thru-hiker. He was…

We made our first outing on the Tuckasegee yesterday after work. I missed more than I caught, which is pretty typical. Christy hooked a nice brown, but it broke her off before we could get it landed. There were several…

Saturday we did another section of the AT: Wayah Bald to Tellico Gap. It was a fairly easy hike and not too long (9.5 mi), but since we haven’t hiked a ton recently I was more than ready for the…

Recently I had a potter’s mark (  aka “chop” ) created by ClayStamps.com. I designed the chop in Photoshop and sent it to be created. It works great. I was worried that the clay would get stuck in it, but…

Some time ago, when I was trying to decide on a type of clay, I bought 50 lbs of brown clay. I have since decided on a buff clay (Ellen Buff clay from Highwater Clays in Asheville, NC).  So…

We mixed up a few batches of glazes this weekend and I just opened the kiln from the firing. Overall I was really happy. There was only one glaze that I didn’t care for much. Also, I adjusted one of the…

I coated the kiln and the shelves with ITC 100-HT. This stuff is really expensive and nobody (except ITC) knows what’s in it. What a deal! Seriously, it protects the kiln furniture from the intense heat and also protects the…

Friday night was the maiden voyage for the new kiln! It is an Olympic 1823whe with the Bartlett electronic controller and an Orton Ventmaster vent.. Christy and I picked it up a week or so ago and Dave from church…