Overnight, the temperatures dropped and we were faced with an incredibly beautiful day!
So we started the day with a wonderful, early morning hike along the McNaughton Trail.
Wonderful scenery, trees and that memorable Northwoods pine scent… and a beautiful
lakeside boardwalk with wonderful plants growing all around!

When we got back, Amy had some prep work to do for her weekend art fair…
so I head out on my bike for a beautiful ride through the Northwoods.

When I finally got back from my bike ride, Amy was ready for a break so we head off to a local
antique shop that she knew I would love. And she was right. Even as we entered the place.
I knew I was in for a treat… greeted by a mixture of bikes AND rust!!! Two of my favorites!!!

And that was just the entrance gate!!! And when we got inside, it was SPECTACULAR!!!
Whimiscal oddities & rusted antiques all around. I knew that a “few” of them would be
going home with me… and they did. The problem was narrowing it down…

Then we “returned to the scene of the crime” and went back to Amy’s friend Toni’s place
on the lake. Another dip in the lake, a kayak tour around the island… lily pads and all.

As the evening wore on, and we swam around the dock, the sun kept setting on the horizon.
And once again, it was spectacular. Beautiful colors… plus a couple locals playing
on the lake with some barefoot water skiing.

And there it was… the end of another beautiful day in the Northwoods!

It’s been very hot for several days… in the high 90’s-100’s… heat indices even higher…
and my Summer camp schedule changed suddenly giving my a window of opportunity!
So I hopped in my car today and drove up to the Wisconsin Northwoods. I met up with
my friend Amy Higgason who lives in Lake Tomahawk. She had a couple days off
as well… and said we could play if I helped her with her art fair on Saturday!
Of course I said yes.

So once I got there, we had a wonderful sushi dinner, and then when to her friend
Toni’s house for the evening. It was a great chance to take a dip in the lake
and enjoy the beautiful sunset! What a great escape from the heat of Chicago!!!

And a great way to start my weekend escape to the Wisconsin Northwoods!

Don’t you love it when the fortune in your cookie is spot on?!
Especially when it follows a wonderful sushi dinner with a good friend!

Then we

One of the highlights at the Art Detour this Fall… besides the fantastic artwork,
incredible fall colors & friendly artists who toot their own horns…
there will also be the gourmet s’mores!

Yes, it’s true. While we would all like to think that our artwork is enough of a draw
to get people to stop by… it’s never a bad idea to “sweeten” the deal and offer up
some marshmallow gooey-ness on the side! So yes, there will be a campfire going
all weekend and all the supplies you’ll need to make your own gourmet s’mores!

In preparation for Art Detour… I’ve decided to do some “product testing” and some
“quality control” to make sure we have some good marshmallows. I know, it’s a tough
job but someone has to do it. So I found these wonderfully HUGE marshmallows
that have a lot more gooey goodness inside. And I tasted them… one after another… until…

That was the last one.
Maybe I need to find another bag?… and do another taste test?… and toast them first?

So part of the fun of this weekend is seeing a lot of great pots…
or meeting the artists… being inspired by their talent… their attitude… the pots!
But another great part is being able to buy these great pots by these great potters
and adding them to my already overflowing pottery collection. It’s tough to choose
and limit myself while I’m there. It’s so easy to be swept up in the moment. So easy
to pick up every pot and yearn to take them all home. But I resisted that urge… kinda.

Matthew Metz plate… added to my large Matt Metz collection of mugs, jars & tumblers.

Dinner plates by Jo Severson… because food always tastes better off a real ceramic plate!

An adorable oval vase by Suze Lindsay… love the combination of texture, pattern & design.

A wonderful carved bowl by Ellen Shankin… love the color, and how the glaze pools.

Delores Fortuna finally made it into my “mug collection.”

As did my “new favorite” Ryan Greenheck – whose work is sheer perfection.
Not only is his surface decoration & glazing incredible, but his pieces are so well thrown,
trimmed and he’s paid attention to every detail – even the bottoms!

An I was excited to add Ryan Greenheck to the “mug collection” as well.

Plus… we love supporting potters of all levels… so it’s always a pleasure to stop in a shop
with The Rogue Potters who hang their shingle on the roadside hoping to grab a few shoppers
from the “real tour” to share their wares along the way.

So I added a beautiful, wood-fired shallow bowl by Randal Anderson to my collection…

Well, the original plan for today was to get up and go hiking, then drive home.
But the possibility of seeing more pottery and chatting with some of the artists won out.

So we drove back up to our very first stop – Bob Briscoe’s studio. We got out and looked
around… not at all surprised by how few pots were left. It was a much slower morning
so we actually got to talk to some of the artists. Including a very nice discussion with
Bob Briscoe & Suze Lindsay. They make such great pots, and have been successful potters
for a long time, so it was great for Amy & I to spend some “quality time” with them.

We then head off to “squeeze in” a quick hike at the Interstate State Park along the river.
The weather was beautiful and it felt great to play outside for a change! But then, all too soon,
it was time to say goodbye to Amy, hop in our cars and each of us drive back to our respective
homes. Sadly, my drive is a LOT longer than hers. So I just got home a little while ago…
but knew I had to do a quick update.

But like I’ve said already… I HAVE A LOT OF PHOTOS FROM THIS WEEKEND!!!
So I am hoping to dig through them all, do a little editing, and then do some more
in-depth posts that regale our pottery adventures for the whole weekend. Stop back soon…
and relive our entire weekend playing in this weekend’s Pottery Mecca!!!

Another wonderful day in Minnesota. Surrounded by lots of clay. Both raw & fired.
We started our morning with a trip to Continental Clay to buy more clay & supplies.
Saves on shipping, plus they were having a sale on B-Clay… buy four, get one free!

After Continental, we went back to the Pottery Tour to continue with more studios.
We hit the last two we missed on Day One, and then returned to a few on the way back.
We stopped by to chat with Delores some more, and drop off some porcelain we had
picked up for her “worker” Roberta Polfus. We were a full-service tag team this weekend!
Then onto other stops – one of which included a nice discussion with Steven Hill
who I’ve been friends with for a few years. He had some great insights to share…
as well as us gushing about his beautiful pots!!!

Again, I’ve taken far too many photos… which I hope to post by Monday evening.
But until then… today’s final tally was two pieces by Ryan Greenheck…
a new addition to The Tour this year… and a new addition to my list of favorites!!!

I can’t wait… tomorrow is the kick-off of the biggest & best Pottery Tour of the season!!!
The St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour.

Three days of fun with incredible pottery by 46 incredible artists from around the country…
all converging in Minnesota for the weekend. And I’ll be there with my friend Amy to do
a little admiring, socializing, networking & shopping!!! Photos & stories to come…