With some big clouds moving around, there was a nice window of opportunity for a beautiful sunrise this morning.

And a few dandelions here & there glistening with morning dew.

All too soon, that one large cloud moved in… ready to take over the morning sky.

With the sun pretty much obliterated by the large cloud, I was pleased when it broke through just long enough to highlight these spring leaves & flowers.

And just when I thought the sunrise beauty was over…
sun rays came streaming through the clouds. Gorgeous.

Tonight I got home from a wonderful weekend of pottery in Minnesota.
And I went straight to the studio to do some more glazing.

My studio neighbor Karen was loading a kiln of her own work, and had some extra space.
So I volunteered to be the filler. I glazed up a few pieces and loaded the bottom half of the back stack for Karen’s cone 10 reduction kiln.

After a wonderful weekend with friends & pottery in Minnesota, the drive home just got a little sweeter! After a quick stop in Osseo, a small little quiet town with a hidden gem.

I knew it was going to be a long drive home, and I couldn’t make up my mind.
The menu has like six million different kinds of pie…

I kind of panicked… but in a good way. So I got THREE pieces of pie!!!

Cherry.. a traditional, baked fruit pie.

Fresh Strawberry… with a dollop of Cool Whip!!!

And what turned out to be my favorite… Peanut Butter & Jelly.

One of the best parts of going up to Minnesota for the St. Croix Pottery Tour is stopping by Continental Clay to load-up my car. Sure, it doesn’t start & stop quite as quickly any more, but it feels great knowing that I’m loaded down with a LOT of new clay potential!!!

Okay, so I’ve been resisting it for awhile now…
Several people have told me that I really need to get started on Instagram.
I’ve been avoiding it for quite awhile. Not sure  “why” I really need to do it.
I’m already so busy with blogging & Facebook.

But when I got to Minneapolis, and went to dinner with friends… Emily Murphy “spearheaded the campaign” and got me set-up on my iPhone right there at the diner table. For those who remember, she’s ALSO the one who “spearheaded” by blogging adventure too! So now I’m on Instagram?!… and need to start posting some photos!!! Maybe tomorrow…

So when you get a chance, do a quick search for me and/or Fire When Ready Pottery and start following on Instagram too!! I’m not really sure yet what this new adventure will become, but I’m onboard and ready to give it a try!

It was a beautiful drive up north to Minneapolis today. The sky was clear and it was surprisingly warm… nearly 90-degrees?!!! What? It hasn’t been this warm forever!!! As I continued north, the clouds started getting thicker and more dramatic. Beautiful.

I got a text message from Sarah telling me to be careful driving in the thunderstorm. Of course I said “What thunderstorm?” And then about 30 minutes later, and a few miles further north, I found out. As the beautiful cloud cover was replaced by a huge deluge… serious wiperblade action. As much as I wanted to take some pictures, I thought it better to keep my hands safely on the wheel.

When I got to Minneapolis, I found these wonderful seed pods still hanging on last year’s bittersweet in Emily’s backyard.

More stamping & trimming last night. Trying to finish up some of my last pieces before I need to switch to drying, firing, glazing & firing again!

Bowl #1 –

Bowl #2 –

Bowl #3 –

Bowl #4 –

Those who really pay attention to my blog might remember that there were six large bowls in this latest batch. Where are the other two one may ask?! Well… there’s a very god chance they might show up in a video format some time soon. Allegedly…