This is not a political blog, and unless a candidate wants to ban shino glazes or raku firings, I don't plan on making it one. But I think voting is less about politics and more about making decisions that are right for you and your family. So, to all the US readers out there, be sure to vote today if you haven't already. Then pat yourself on the back and stop at Starbucks for a free cup of coffee:

Holy moly has it been 2 months already??!!?? Things have been busy, busy around here and not much has happened on the pottery front, but as the garden withers away and summer activities become distant memories, I'm finally squeezing time back in the studio as much as I can. So what have I been up to?

Well, as the economy withers (much like those summer memories) clients are realizing how really cost-effective internet marketing is. Stepping up their online brand presence, creating new ways for them to maintain that presence, and developing web based solutions for their internal processes keeps me very busy.

Then, there was the garden. Our first strong effort at one at least. We built a couple of raised beds last spring and I was determined to keep everything organic. That meant shooting aphids off the tomato plants with a water bottle and nursing my 1,293 (slight exaggeration) potted deck plants through periods of drought. I googled, and tested, and had success and failures. I learned a lot and hopefully next year things will be a bit easier next year. Maybe I'll add more garden stuff here at that time, so you can benefit from all those mosquito bites I get during the process. They have to be good for something.

The nice thing about organic gardening is that you get little reminders of why you are doing it:


In late September, we made a trip to the lovely Navarre Beach, FL for a week long celebration of the marriage of our friends, Phil and Monique. Navarre is still rebounding from from past hurricanes, but the fact that there is a scattering of beach houses, a few condo buildings, one gas station, and only 2 restaurants, means that it is also a quiet, relaxing place to get away from it all. And really, if you're surrounded by good friends, perfect weather, and the ocean in all her beauty, you don't really need much else. If you're into weddings, you can watch P&M get hitched here. Warning: you'll need a hanky. Luckily they haven't posted the reception video on Youtube. I'm pretty sure a number of people have paid good money to suppress it. I would like to thank those people, whoever they are

This is what I woke up to each morning. Sometimes it really pays off to be an early riser:


When we returned from Navarre, all of my prayers had been answered and Fall had begun to creep into Atlanta. I was much relieved, since the heat of summer is one of my least favorite things about living here.

We also celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary last month! 9 years already! Time really does fly! We marked the occasion by buying a new stove and refrigerator. How's that for an "old married couple"?!

And that brings us to today. It's cold, and I'm throwing on some layers and heading to the studio. I have many pots in my head and things to glaze and throw, and kiln shelves to wash. Pretty soon I'll be posting new pots and things will be all nice and cozy and full of clay here through the winter. I'm really looking forward to it.

I woke up at a ridiculously early hour, so I decided to take the opportunity to update the gallery. I've added many new pieces and optimized it a bit so it is faster to view. Go check it out.

Instead of selling mugs that look handmade but come from a factory in China, how about supporting the actual potters that live and work near your fine establishments. There are lots of them out there, and they have fabulous mugs.