This past weekend I went down to the Peoria area to play with my very first “art fair friends.”
I met Gerry & Rosene several years ago when I did my first art fair… err, craft fair… in
Sandwich, Illinois. That first fair was quite the learning experience for me. I had no idea
what I was doing – and luckily, Gerry & Rosene were right across the aisle ready to help.
And we’ve been friends ever since. Since then, they’ve “retired” from crafting and are now
“full-time” gardeners. With the best front & back yards ever!!!

And a special, handmade totem pole doesn’t take anything away from the plants either!
It’s a stacked totem pole with soda fired flashing & textures that I made a few years back.
As well as a fun “Green Man” smirking back when you walk past the rusted gate!
Look familiar?… well, I made that for them too! Gerry always wanted one!!! Plus a lot
of fun accent pieces scattered about… going natural, weathering, rotting, whatever!

With layers & terraces all over, they’ve staggered their gardens all the way down to the creek.
Gerry & Rosene have taken such care & effort to plant the coolest plants for their colors,
textures & novelty. Which I love. But as you know, it’s been raining since I can remember!
So it was great to see their garden this time after a little sprinkle of rain. I loved how the colors
seemed more vibrant, and the water droplets glistened on the leaves!

And not only do they have great plants… but they also have an addiction to rust!
Maybe that’s why we get along so well? Rusty trinkets, wooden pulleys, bikes, letters
and a whole lot of other fun to be found all over the garden! Or in their guest room…
which had been “prepared” for my arrival!

Over the years, they’ve “propagated” a wonderful little business in their garden!
And every year they divide bunches of their plants to sell off at their annual plant sales.
After the sales, they can’t stand to put the unsold plants back in the ground… and therefore,
I totally “score” and benefit from their generosity! And thanks to my “green-thumbed friends,”
my condo gardens are thriving with some of the coolest plants ever! And now…
I have a car-full to plant if it ever stops raining?!

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!!!

So the weather seemed to take a turn for the better today. A little cold & cloudy
in the morning, but the afternoon became sunny and a tad warmer. So I couldn’t
resist… as I head out for a wonderful afternoon bike ride along the lakefront.

And the forsythia were still in bloom – adding a sparkle of yellow along the way!
I love how the Spring colors change from week to week. Different flowers seem to appear
out of nowhere… making the lakefront a never-ending natural palette.

So it was a beautiful ride… and now I seem to have a little sunburn as a little souvenir.
Err… maybe that’s more windburn than sunburn?!

After weeks of rain & gloom in Chicago, it was wonderful to see the sun today!
And great fun to spend a little time in the back working on the garden
and digging out from the winter… cleaning out debris and revealing new growth.
All around the courtyard, they were little treasures to be found.

It seems as though Spring will never get here.
They’re predicting another week of gloomy, chilly & rainy days here in Chicago!
I’m ready for Spring. I’m ready for Summer. I’m ready for nature’s colors & textures!
So as a quick “remedy” I’ve posted some favorites to brighten your day.

So?… how many can you name? And which one is your favorite?

Well, today was Easter. And a nice day to spend with the family… while my kiln cools.
So I went out to my Aunt’s house in St. Charles, Illinois for the day. Typically, we’re
well into Spring by this time of year… but this year has been so cold & rainy. The closest
we got to a touch of Spring were the flowers in her stunningly beautiful ikebana vase…
courtesy of Fire When Ready Pottery!!!

After dinner, I did get out for a quick bike ride to pedal off today’s extra calories.
Luckily, my six-year old niece Taylor had brought her bike too. And now that she’s
excited to not be riding with training wheels anymore, we were off to the park
and around the neighborhood. For a true beginner, she’s off to a strong start!