Down on Chicago’s Navy Pier, there are these beautiful remembrance medallion markers embedded in the concrete at the far end of the Pier. A symbolic row of flags, a large maritime anchor and a majestic view of Lake Michigan. A fitting tribute to branches of the US Military. And a fitting ‘Thank You’ for those who have served.

Kinda like going to the eye doctor… which one is clearer?… A?.. or B?… A?… or B?…

Early morning red skies… changing into another beautiful sunrise…

The morning started out with some wispy clouds blowing through.
As the sun continued to rise, the clouds started to layer up.
Filling the sky with layers of vibrant colors.

One of my students has been “bitten” by the holiday ornament bug. Throwing them off the hump & adding a handbuilt top the same way I do. I love when students follow along and try the class demo, embrace it and begin to make it their own. And here she is now making her own batch of beautiful, wheelthrown ornaments. Well done Marni!

Cutting some vases in half… and “hiding” the stamped textures & patterns inside!

Loading another bisque kiln… rushing to get everything done in time for my soda kiln. So much so that some of the pieces going in are still a bit damp. Not bone dry as they’re “supposed” to be. Fingers crossed…

Layer #1 – LOTS of mugs… filled with LOTS of ornaments!!!

Layer #2 – More mugs, ovals, and spoons.

Layer #3 – My new wall medallions… and some new wall blocks.

Layer #4 – More of my spoons resting inside a large box by one of my studio neighbors!

Layer #5 – Two bowls and a LOT of new wall blocks… a little wetter than I would like.

Trying on the edges… but still a little wetter than they “should” be. Oh well…
I’m pretty confident that they’ll survive the firing. They’re well made, hollow and as dry as they can be… so here we go!!!

While enjoying the Fall foliage, I also ran across a group of trees that had these wonderful pink flowers… with little red berried emerging from inside. It’s funny to see trees “blooming” this time of year?! I have no idea what kind of tree they are, but they kind of remind me of a bittesweet flower?! Anyone out there know what this is???

Clear & cold. The sky was clear of clouds, just crisp & orange.

The ground was cold, and the first real frost we’ve had by the Lake. The frost covered leaves are always beautiful to see… but I’m not quite ready to give in to the cold.

Just finishing up another batch of ornaments for my next bisque kiln. They’re stamped, detailed, and accented with colored slips… dried and ready to go!

What’s not to love about running through the City with thousands of other runners… with marshmallows, candy, M&M’s and more along the way? And then to end with hot chocolate & hot fudge fondue at the finish line? Another “sweet” run today… The 15K Hot Chocolate Run.