2 more "touristy" pots, and me a tourist

I started on a mini-retreat last Fri...driving across the western North Carolina area, from home to Franklin, then driving on a lovely gorge highway to Highlands. I think it's Calusaja Gorge, but don't hold me to spelling.

And I played tourist a few times, like this "side-of-the-road" falls, which actually you can drive under, the way it's paved. It falls into that little green pit, which drains under the highway into the Calusaja River.

Here's another view I couldn't resist, as well as the swimmers who would climb up the rock face with a rope to the right, then probably ride the falls down again.

This is the same stop, looking downstream.

Then I got to Highlands, and sat down on main street (in the shade, in my folding chair) and proceded to sketch a pen & ink of The Old Inn. This is a second sketch, because the first one I sold right on the spot to a couple who were staying in the inn. That was great...I hadn't planned to sell it, and that paid my gas for the weekend!

Here's another lovely old building that I had planned to sketch, but after 40 min, I was tired and ready to go to my retreat!

THE MOUNTAIN, the UU retreat in Highlands, is on Mount Stuby, at 4200 feet. This porch looks out on National Forest, the Blue Valley. The porch is right outside the Lodge, where I stayed. There are many little cabins, which most of the folks stayed in this weekend. We were there the week before the summer camp started...so only families with little kids were there. Next week it's going to be full of school age kids.

Julia was one of the staff who hostessed the community social time every afternoon before dinner. I teased her that she was the wine hostess. I had fun mixing up my ine spritzers for different tastes.

The upper level of the lodge, my room is the one closest to me. Windows were open most of the time because it's not air conditioned. We got creative with leaving various doors open to get cross ventilation. There were certainly lots of gusts of wind, and very few bugs. We didn't have any rain until Sun. morning. (Lucky, I guess)

The view out my window was of the bluffs (?) on Chinckapin. Some of the people hiked over there and back on Sat. I instead went to Glenn Falls...and sketched a picture there.

As you go into the dining hall, there are these lovely lamps in the ceiling.

All over the top of Mt. Stumpy there are ancient knarled oaks, which Julia said are from 400-600 years old. Very short, covered with scaley bark, lovely.

The view from the porch at the lodge as sun sets on the opposite side of the valley, I enjoyed watching the shadows creap across these hills/mountains.

After dinner I met a little friend, who looked at me, settled on her haunches as I talked with her and took a series of photos of her.

OK, finally, here are the pots. I stopped by before leaving Black Mountain on Friday.

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts had their annual Art in Bloom fund raiser last weekend, and there was a first time ever pottery sale, with a good percentage going to the studio. I hope it went well!~

One of my pots sold before I got there to take pictures, so it is a little orphan, out there in the universe without any record kept of it. Probably for the best.

This glaze is a mix of amber and MB Green, with painted glazed scene.

This little guy is done in amber glaze, with details painted on carved scene. Kind of touristy of mountains, woods...but I liked it.

And I enjoyed getting to look at different mountains and woods over in Highlands. But it was also good to get home. I was so glad Bill came in to feed the cat. I didn't worry about her at all while I was gone.

Now I've cleaned out the fish tank a bit, put out new bird seed, cleaned and refilled the hummingbird feeder, watered the plants with the fish water, and am finally ready to get creative myself! Glad to have Mon. off after a weekend away. It sure felt nice to not have any chores to do for 2-1/2 days. Many thanks are sent to the staff of The Mountain for making my stay so restful and enjoyable!