One of my pottery students has been traveling in Moscow!!!
Katie was excited to see an old kickwheel there… and even more excited to see that they love OREO’s in Russia too!!! Unfortunately, they have the same flavors we have. I was hoping they might have some crazy Rooskey flavors that she could have smuggled back for us!!!

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One of the many restroom houses along the bike trail…
but this one is definitely the most colorful!!!

So our bike ride along the Lakefront was a LOT less flooded. Blue skies, a bit of wind and a LOT of sweat!!! Great fun pedaling with Chris… and admiring some art & sculptures along the way! This beauty is just a block or so north of the South Shore Country Club.

It never really crossed my mind… even after last night’s crazy storms.
When my we scheduled a bike ride this morning along the Chicago River North Branch up to the Botanical Gardens… we never even thought about FLOODING!!! Chris and I parked, got our bikes out, geared up, ready to ride. Only to find out that the bike trail is underwater!!!

And no, this is NOT a lake!!!… there is green grass under there somewhere!

We even tried two different entry approaches… BOTH FLOODED!!!

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I always tell my class that I love trimming… but this takes it to a new level. Here’s some pretty smooth faceting after a well-trimmed foot. I love this shaving “trick” and how smooth the porcelain looks… clean lines, neat edges, great facets. Nicely done.

Click here to see the video – courtesy of Pottery Making Illustrated.

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Finishing up some long ovals destined to be olive trays if all goes well.
Although I think I may have made them a smidge too large…
hungry & dreaming of blue cheese stuffed green olives. Yum!!!!

Yesterday was the last day of my Wheelthrowing Summer Camp.
They had a LOT of work to finish up. Glazing their freshly bisqued stoneware pots… as well as trimming & painting their terra cotta pieces with glaze!!! We finished just in the nick of time… with about 10 minutes for lunch!!!

Fun night of musical theater last night with my friend Pam…
followed by even more fun at Andy’s Frozen Custard in Evanston!!!

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Quite hot & humid even in the early hours this morning. You know that feeling you have when your feet get all “pruney” after a long day of biking in rain soaked bike shoes? How you feel a wet squishy “bubble” every time you press the pedal down? Well I had that this morning… and it was all SWEAT!!! Gross… but a beautiful ride!!!

The clouds… the view… the silhouettes…

And the HUGE sun as it slowly emerged over the horizon…

And then all too soon, the orange sunrise was replaced with a vibrant golden shimmer.

So while there’s some wacky convention going on this week, I think it’s only fitting to share this little video nugget with quite possibly the best First Lady ever!!! And trust me, that’s about as political as I’ll EVER get!!!

Click here to see First Lady Michelle Obama and her Carpool Karaoke.