Hodgepodgery

Waiting In Line

2012-01-28T23:12:00.000-06:00

Double Decker Arts Festival (Oxford, MS) ... April, 2011.

The courthouse square is opened to exhibitors for set up at 6:30 AM, but if you want to park and unload anywhere close to your booth, you arrive closer to 5:30 AM. Then, you wait in line.

Lipstick and Dipstick

2012-01-27T23:37:00.000-06:00

I learned a couple of valuable lessons while photographing this bumper sticker:

1. Do not kneel down behind a car without first determining if it is occupied and the driver is preparing to back up.

2. Rule #1 is especially valid if the car is a Toyota Prius.

(Double Decker Arts Festival (Oxford, MS) ... April, 2011.)

Trolley Car

2012-01-16T11:43:00.000-06:00

Little Rock, AR, trolley car across the street from Statehouse Convention Center.

(Road trip to Little Rock, AR, for Arkansas Craft Guild's Christmas Showcase at the Statehouse Convention Center … first weekend in December, 2011.)

Hay Barn

2011-12-14T20:30:00.000-06:00

Our neighbor's hay barn up on the main county road.

Water Tower

2011-11-29T10:52:00.000-06:00

Water tower in Covington, LA.

(Taken while participating in the Three Rivers Art Festival.
November 13, 2011)

Bates Motel

2011-11-09T02:19:00.000-06:00

While in Mississippi for the Double Decker Art Fair in Oxford, we stayed at the Bates' Motel.

Or, maybe, it was the Days Inn in Batesville, Mississippi?

Ice Cream and All That Jazz

2011-09-26T13:46:00.000-05:00

Methinks she's probably enjoying the ice cream more than the jazz.

Tuner's Bar and Grill

2011-09-24T12:07:00.000-05:00

A temptation across the street from our booth at Mosaics Festival of the Arts in St. Charles, MO. A plaque next to the door notes that this building has been a bar continuously since the 1880s, except during Prohibition when the proprietors only sold sodas. (Yeah, right.)

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Life Is A Gamble

2011-06-23T12:02:00.000-05:00

Decisions, decision, decision. Do we continue heading south toward Oxford, MS, and take our chances at the Double Decker Art Fair? Or, do we simply go to Tunica, MS, and gamble at the casinos?

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Leave Tennessee and Lose A Lane

2011-05-17T01:18:00.000-05:00

About to leave Tennessee heading south on Interstate 55 outside of Memphis. Mississippi provides one less traffic lane.

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Oxford (Mississippi) Bound #1

2011-05-05T12:07:00.000-05:00

Bound for the Double Decker Art Fair in Oxford, MS, on Friday, 4/29/11. (Many of the photos were taken through the van's windshield so please pardon the blurry bug splatters.)

Center: The land on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi is low and currently mostly under water . The situation is worse since we were through last week. A section of Interstate 40 was closed yesterday due to rising water covering the roadway.

Clockwise:

1.) Heading east on Interstate 40.

2.) The Arkansas Highway Patrol is on the job. Speeding on the interstates didn't used to be a problem in our old van. It felt as if it were going to start coming apart as one approached the 70 mph speed limit. We have to be more careful not to get a lead foot in our new van.

3.) West Memphis, AR: We don't want to go to either Blytheville or St. Louis. Head to Memphis.

4.) On the bridge over the Mississippi River.

5.) Once across the Mississippi River bridge, you're briefly on a city street and must move to the right to exit onto I-55 heading toward Jackson, MS. Follow that truck. (We missed this exit on one of our early sojourns through Memphis. I thought we'd never find our way back to I-55.)

6.) Jo really ought to start thinking about changing lanes, but I'm not a backseat driver so I'll keep my mouth shut.

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Signs, Signs: Get In

2011-03-30T23:43:00.000-05:00

Considering the condition of the car, the best advice might be: Find a different ride.

Join the fun by posting your favorite signs. Share the link by visiting signs, signs. (Thanks to Lesley of Southern Ontario, discovered for hosting this weekly meme.)

Bridge Over the Buffalo River at Pruitt

2011-03-26T15:21:00.000-05:00

Bridge over the Buffalo National River at the Pruitt Ranger Station (near Jasper, AR, on Hwy 7.) It was getting late on a mid-winter's day when this photo was taken.

To enjoy more bridge photos from around the world, please visit Sunday Bridges.

Signs, Signs: No Skating

2011-03-23T14:56:00.000-05:00

I obeyed the lakeside signs and neither went skating nor tried my hand at ice fishing.

Join the fun by posting your favorite signs. Share the link by visiting signs, signs. (Thanks to Lesley of Southern Ontario, discovered for hosting this weekly meme.)

ABC Wednesday: "J" Is For Juggler

2011-03-22T01:57:00.000-05:00

Harmless T. Jester juggling at the Festival of Arts, Columbia, MO.

Please visit ABC Wednesday to see and share more photos brought to you by the letter "J".

Reflected Trees

2011-03-19T01:58:00.000-05:00

Library Windows

University of Central Arkansas

Conway, AR

Join the fun at Weekend Reflections hosted by James at Newtown Area Photo.

Signs, Signs: No Photo's

2011-03-16T03:22:00.000-05:00

I don't always obey every sign, especially not those that are misspelled.

Join the fun by posting your favorite signs. Share the link by visiting signs, signs. (Thanks to Lesley of Southern Ontario, discovered for hosting this weekly meme.)

SkyWatch Friday: Stephens Lake

2011-03-10T11:57:00.000-06:00

Swimming area on Stephens Lake (Columbia, MO)

From the archives and back to a warmer day last summer. Too bad I couldn't join in the swimming. Instead, Jo and I had a booth set up on the other side of the lake and were participating in Art in the Park sponsored by the Columbia Art League. Still, Stephens Lake Park is a beautiful setting for and art fair.

Join the fun at Skywatch Friday.

Signs, Signs: What's For Lunch?

2011-03-09T02:37:00.001-06:00

Are you hungry yet?

A sampling of the foods on offer at Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina, KS. (June, 2010)

Join the fun by posting your favorite signs. Share the link by visiting signs, signs. (Thanks to Lesley of Southern Ontario, discovered for hosting this weekly meme.)

Signs, Signs: "If You Can Read This..."

2011-03-02T00:56:00.000-06:00

Ozarks Hospitality

Join the fun by posting your favorite signs. Share the link by visiting signs, signs. (Thanks to Lesley of Southern Ontario, discovered for hosting this weekly meme.)

Signs, Signs: No Trash

2011-02-22T22:19:00.000-06:00

Stephens Lake Park (Columbia, MO)

One might wonder about the purpose of a trash receptacle with a sign requesting no trash be deposited. The photo below explains.

On subsequent visits to Stephens Lake Park, the Dog Waste Station was gone. Perhaps the lack of compliance had something to do with its removal.

Join the fun by posting your favorite signs. Share the link by visiting signs, signs. (Thanks to Lesley of Southern Ontario, discovered for hosting this weekly meme.)

Signs, Signs: Daisy Queen

2011-02-16T11:51:00.000-06:00

One of our local fast food emporiums.

And its customer service policy.

After a couple of weeks confined to our homestead by an ice and snow covered road, my wife and I finally made a trip into town on Monday. In addition to several stop for replenishing food and supplies, we celebrated Valentine's Day by enjoying a hot fudge sundae at the Daisy Queen.

Join the fun by posting your favorite signs. Share the link by visiting signs, signs. (Thanks to Lesley of Southern Ontario, discovered for hosting this weekly meme.)

Signs, Signs: Chocolate Lover Parking

2011-02-08T12:07:00.000-06:00

Sign on a fudge vendor's booth at Art in the Park, Columbia, MO.

Join the fun by posting your favorite signs. Share the link by visiting signs, signs. (Thanks to Lesley of Southern Ontario, discovered for hosting this weekly meme.)

Composted Still Life with Ice

2011-02-04T01:11:00.000-06:00

Weaving

2011-01-17T14:11:00.000-06:00

Weaving demonstration.

(Art in the Park, Columbia, MO)

Snow Up To Our Eyeballs

2011-01-11T11:07:00.000-06:00

A mosaic Jo made out of some of her broken tiles.

Broadway Street Bridge Across the Arkansas River

2011-01-10T03:19:00.001-06:00

Broadway Street Bridge across the Arkansas River in Little Rock.

Going Down

2011-01-07T12:04:00.000-06:00

Escalator in the Statehouse Convention Center (Little Rock, AR)

ET On A Bicycle

2011-01-04T11:37:00.000-06:00

Little Rock, AR

Red Sculpture

2011-01-01T13:57:00.000-06:00

Sculpture in Riverfront Park (Little Rock, AR)

(Lift bridge over the Arkansas River in the background.)

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2010-12-31T00:55:00.000-06:00

Pampas Grass

(Playground in Riverfront Park, Little Rock, AR)

Waffles

2010-12-30T01:19:00.000-06:00

Whole wheat waffle batter spooned onto the hot waffle iron.

Why I cook pancakes and waffles for Jo: How family traditions evolve.

Once upon a time back in the Dark Ages, Jo and I awoke at the same time. She (eventually) cooked our breakfast.

Time passed.

Since I seemed to get moving quicker than Jo, I decided I'd start cooking our breakfast instead of sitting around waiting on Jo. Jo did not object to this change of routine. She had no problem with me preparing her breakfast.

Time passed.

Cooked waffle ready for removing from the waffle iron.

I decided mixing up batter and cooking pancakes or waffles every couple of days was a waste of time. Instead, I double/tripled the recipe and kept a stash of pancakes or waffles in the freezer. A little time in the microwave and/or toaster oven makes a frozen waffle/pancake as good as freshly made.

Time passed.

Stack of waffle that will keep Jo happy for several days.

I gave into my inner night owl and began staying up until the wee hours of the morning, and not crawling out of bed until after Jo had be up for several hours. Jo had to start cooking her own breakfast again. However, her breakfast included heating a frozen waffle or pancake, and I'd become the family "expert" on cooking pancakes and waffles. So I still cook large batches of waffles/pancakes which Jo heats for her breakfast. I usually fix myself a yogurt smoothie for breakfast.

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Pottery Hands

2010-12-29T14:04:00.000-06:00

Pottery Hands: Touching clay spinning on a potter's wheel for the first time.

(Art in the Park, Columbia, MO)

Water Fountain

2010-12-29T11:36:00.000-06:00

Fountain in the H. U. Lee International Garden.

(Next to the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, AR)

No Parking

2010-12-28T11:06:00.000-06:00

No Parking, but no one cares.

(In front of the Statehouse Convention Center lobby in Little Rock, AR)

Mill Creek

2010-12-26T23:31:00.000-06:00

Mill Creek.

(Near the Pruitt Ranger Station on the Buffalo National River.)

Christmas Day

2010-12-26T12:26:00.000-06:00

A light dusting of snow on the garden.

Snow flurries Christmas morning, but they didn't end up amounting to much -- just a light dusting of snow.

Jo and I drove over to Yellville, AR, and enjoyed a delicious (and bountiful) Christmas meal with friends.

Joe Doster slicing the ham.

Trolley Car

2010-12-24T01:45:00.000-06:00

Little Rock, AR, trolley car.

Fall Garden 2010: FAIL

2010-12-23T12:29:00.000-06:00


Lettuce (and weeds)

Our fall garden was a big FAIL this year. It was just too hot, dry and buggy during the late summer when the seeds and seedlings went into the garden. Few of them survived, despite several replantings. We did harvest a few turnips. Jo pulled the last of the turnips recently, but they were pithy and not edible.

On Tuesday, Jo pulled the row covers off what should have been our lettuce and spinach beds. A very few small lettuce plants remained in addition to a half dozen or so spinach plants -- plus lots of happily protected weeds. Jo harvested the spinach and stir fried for supper. That was the end of fall garden.

Spinach (and weeds)

Jo Sitting On Her Bucket

2010-12-22T01:20:00.000-06:00

Our unseasonably warm weather on Tuesday (up to 76°F/24°C) convinced Jo to toss out her pre-planned list of chores and work in the garden instead. She's weeding a strawberry bed.

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Moving Jo's Glazes to the Basement

2010-12-20T12:00:00.001-06:00

Moving buckets of glazes from Jo's studio to the basement so they won't freeze during and extended period of below freezing temperatures. After freezing, glazes must be restirred and strained. Preventing them from freezing is a lot less work.

First Fire of the Season

2010-10-29T11:36:00.000-05:00

On Thursday evening the temperature dropped to 66°F/19°C inside the house and was predicted to fall to 29°F/-2°C outdoors overnight. It seem as if our first fire of the season in our wood stove was a good idea. I'd cleaned out the stove pipe about a month ago so we could safely have a fire, but then our temperatures warmed and none was needed. As it turned out, our temperature only fell to 35°F/2°C, but having the warmth of the wood stove was still nice.

I've got the stove doors open just so I could take this photo. Normally, they're closed and wood is loaded from the top, though I do have to open the front doors when starting a new fire.

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Heading North on Hwy 65

2010-10-21T12:15:00.000-05:00

Hwy 65 improves dramatically north of Harrison, AR. This shot was taken north of the border in Missouri.

Harrison, AR

2010-10-15T11:33:00.000-05:00

Mooooving on down the road,

a modern-day cattle drive through Harrison, AR.

Pindall, AR

2010-10-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

One member of the convoy we were following turned in Pindall, AR

We continued following the 18-Wheeler and RV through beautiful downtown Pindall, AR.

Passing Lane Ends

2010-10-14T00:37:00.001-05:00

Why is it that you always seem to run up on a convoy of slower vehicles at the end of a passing lane?

St. Joe, AR

2010-10-12T14:02:00.002-05:00

Following Hwy 65 around the sharp curve in St. Joe, AR. Not everyone does.

Road Work

2010-10-12T01:12:00.000-05:00


Flagger ahead.

Again we've stopped for the lengthy resurfacing project on Hwy 65. Stopping has become a routine feature on our trips north.

Yup, there's the flagger.

Caterpillar (Species Unknown)

2010-08-19T10:57:00.000-05:00

City park playground in Bronson, KS.

The little park was a nice place for Jo and I to eat our lunch while on the way to the Smoky Hills River Festival in Salina, KS.

Ice Cream

2010-08-14T11:30:00.000-05:00

One of the more popular concessions at the Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina, KS. Vanilla was the only flavored offered, but they provided variously flavored syrup toppings.

(I don't know the purpose of the John Deere engine. Perhaps it was once used in venues where no electricity was available.)

Cotton Candy

2010-08-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

Cotton Candy ... Smoky Hill River Festival ... Salina, KS

Balloon Guy

2010-08-03T11:35:00.000-05:00

Balloon Guy at Art in the Park, Columbia, MO.

Water Fountain

2010-08-02T11:51:00.000-05:00

Water fountain at the Smokey Hill River Festival in Salina, KS. We had a little rain on Sunday morning.

Playing Spoons

2010-08-01T02:26:00.000-05:00


Street performer playing spoons.

Paseo Festival of the Arts ... Oklahoma City, OK.

Chocolate Suicide

2010-07-30T11:43:00.000-05:00

On the food court at Paseo Festival of the Arts ... Oklahoma City, OK.

Pizza!!!

2010-07-30T00:56:00.001-05:00

Homemade tomato pizza by Jo.

Enjoyed a delicious homemade, homegrown tomato pizza for supper this evening, and it was cooked outdoors on the gas grill so we didn't have to turn on the oven and heat up the house.

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2010-07-28T02:06:00.000-05:00

Playing Cello For Fun and Profit

Paseo Festival of the Arts ... Oklahoma City, OK

Harp Hands

2010-07-27T02:28:00.000-05:00

Harp Hands

Smoky Hill River Festival ... Salina, KS

Copano Bay Causeway

2010-07-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

Copano Bay Causeway

Heading north on Texas Highway 35 across Copano Bay on our trip back to Arkansas from Aransas Pass. The Copano Bay Causeway is 9,230 feet (2813 meters) long, was completed in 1966 and is official know as the President Lyndon B Johnson Causeway.

To the left in the photo is the old causeway which is now a fishing pier operated by the Aransas County Navigation District. The old causeway was constructed of timbers supporting a concrete slab and is only 20 feet (6 meters) wide. I'm glad the old causeway was replaced two years before I got my first car so I never had the pleasure of driving across that long, narrow span.

The new causeway has a raise section which allows larger boats to enter the northern half of Copano Bay. The old causeway had a draw bridge. The bridge section was removed so it's actually now two different fishing piers with a gap in the middle. The causeway and piers are located just north of the Rockport/Fulton area on the Texas coast.

Rain Moving In

2010-07-09T01:31:00.000-05:00

Rain Moving Inland

Sitting in the van on the point at Conn Brown Harbor in Aransas Pass, TX, watching rain squalls move inland from the bay. The bridge crosses the Intracoastal Canal on Highway 361. The rain squalls were generated by Hurricane Alex which was moving into northern Mexico.

Rain Arrives

Garlic Harvest

2010-07-04T11:58:00.000-05:00

Jo is digging our garlic. As with most things that happen around here, we're getting the garlic out of the ground a little behind schedule. That's really not a problem since our weather has been so dry. Wetter weather would have caused the garlic bulbs to rot. Voles and mice love dining on our potatoes while they are still in the ground, but don't care for garlic.

Rusty and Bucket think they deserve a share of everything harvested in the garden. They are going through the motions of begging for garlic, but didn't really put up too much of a fuss since even Bucket won't munch out on a garlic bulb.

Jo is heading back to the garden cart with another handful of garlic. We grow an older stiffneck (or hardneck) variety. Our original bulbs were a gift from a friend. I'm not certain of the exact variety, though it's probably a Rocambole. As this garlic reaches maturity, it sends up shoots. Tiny garlic bulbs (called scapes) form at the end of the shoots. When the shoots first appear, they are curved into a circle. As the garlic matures, the stems gradually straighten. At full maturity, they are pointing straight up. You are supposed to pinch off the scapes. This secondary means of reproduction doesn't benefit the gardener and is said to rob some of the plants resources that would otherwise go into producing a larger underground bulb. We failed to pinch off all the scapes this year. In our very unscientific experiment, neither Jo nor I could see a difference in bulb size between plants with and without scapes.

A small part of our garlic harvest. The bulbs now need to dry a bit more. Jo will cut off the stems and select some of the cloves for replanting. Here in Arkansas, we plant garlic in the fall. The plants come up and then go dormant over winter. Once spring arrives, the garlic begins growing again and completes its life cycle. We'll use some of the garlic fresh, but most will go into the deep freeze providing us with a year around supply.

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No Camping

2010-07-04T03:32:00.000-05:00

Roberts' Point Park in Port Aransas, TX. (A nice little park, but don't bother bringing your tent.)

Potato Harvest

2010-07-03T11:55:00.000-05:00

New Potatoes

Jo and I dug 67 pounds of potatoes Friday evening. Our harvest would probably have been closer to 80 pounds had the mice/voles not munched out on so many spuds. We were a little late digging our potatoes this year because we were gone or busy getting ready to leave when they should have been dug. Leaving them in the ground longer than necessary no doubt contributed to the lose to the rodents.

Home To Arkansas

2010-07-02T11:29:00.000-05:00

Rain On Highway 35

Jo and I headed home from our visit in Aransas Pass on Wednesday afternoon around four o'clock. Rain squalls from Hurricane Alex were moving inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the time the rain was light to moderate. Sometimes we were between rain showers. The worst section was just north of Rockport heading toward Tivoli on Texas Highway 35. Rain was heavy, wind was gusting and that old highway was holding a lot of rain water. Between the wind and hydroplaning, our van wanted to slip and slide all over the place. Jo's grip on the steering wheel was tight, but she handled the driving well.

At Tivoli we turned north. The rain and wind lessened a little. Jo got us through Houston and drove until around eight o'clock. We bought gas in Cleveland and I took over the driving duties. The rain and wind continued backing off as we drove north and east heading back to Arkansas. By the time we reached Texarkana, we'd left the rain behind. We stopped at the Welcome Center east of Texarkana and again for gasoline in Conway. The temperature was noticeably cooler when we climbed out of the van in Conway, a pleasant welcome back to the Ozarks. We finally arrived home around six o'clock Thursday morning, completing our 14 hour, 750 mile trip.

Road Slide.

2010-06-22T02:38:00.000-05:00

Road Slide

Driving down off our mountain isn't as easy as it used to be. A slide about half way down narrows the highway to one lane. This site has been slipping for quite a while. The guardrail dropped down below the surface of the road a couple of months ago. Our local weekly newspaper quoted an Arkansas Highway Department spokesman as saying he didn't know how they were going to fix the problem since they didn't have a lot of solid ground to work with. I guess they still haven't figured out a solution. The major slide occurred over a month ago. So far, no work has been done.

What's Your Sign #2: Good Advice

2010-05-25T19:02:00.002-05:00

My sentiments exactly.

(On the courthouse square in Tupelo, MS.)

Whatever #10: Red Door

2010-05-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

Red Door

(On the square in Tupelo, MS.)

About As Exciting As ...

2010-05-16T11:37:00.000-05:00

(Photo: Marvin Smith on 5/15/10)

Watching pots dry.

Which is something Jo's pots are not doing very rapidly during our current spell of wet weather. She's building up a backlog of pots waiting to be trimmed and then bisque fired. The frontal boundary sitting on top of us is forecast to finally be pushed along on Monday. Hoping that happens so we can experience some sunshine.

For photos of Jo's finished pottery, please see: Treenware and Pottery.

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Everything Tastes Better On A Stick

2010-05-15T13:37:00.000-05:00

And if you absolutely cannot get the food stuck on a stick, wrap it in a tortilla.
(Gumtree Art Festival, Tupelo, MS)

(Photo: Marvin Smith on 5/9/10)

Whatever #9: Mystery Booth

2010-05-14T11:20:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite certain what went on in the booth next to ours at the Gum Tree Festival in Tupelo, MS.

(Photo: Marvin Smith on 5/9/10)

Whatever #8: Gum Tree Festival, Tupelo, MS

2010-05-13T11:51:00.000-05:00

Children's Area Performance Stage
(Gum Tree Art Festival, Tupelo, MS)

Sunday afternoon after the drizzle stopped and the sky began clearing.

(Photo: Marvin Smith on 5/09/10)

Whatever #7: Main Street, Tupelo, MS

2010-05-12T13:04:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning coming down on Main Street, Tupelo, MS (My apologies to both Johnny and Elvis.)

(Photo: Marvin Smith on 5/9/10)

Whatever #6: Greek Food

2010-05-12T11:09:00.000-05:00

Greek Food on the Lee County Courthouse Square (Gum Tree Art Festival, Tupelo, MS)

(Photo: Marvin Smith on 5/9/10)

Whatever #5: Food on the Lee County Courthouse Square

2010-05-11T11:15:00.000-05:00

Food Court: Gum Tree Festival of the Arts, Tupelo, MS.

(Photo: Marvin Smith on 5/9/10)

How Now, Number 722

2010-01-14T02:26:00.001-06:00

You know I'm getting desperate for something to photograph when I start taking pictures of my neighbor's cows.

Whatever #4: Funky Chicken

2009-12-30T13:32:00.001-06:00

Funky Chicken

(Found hiding behind a log pile at a friend's house.)

High-fructose Corn Syrup Rocks!

2009-12-26T14:30:00.001-06:00

Pecan Pie

by Jo.

Mess cleaned up and dishes washed

by Marvin.

Pecan pies are my most favorite form of high-fructose corn syrup indulgence. Fortunately, Jo has the self-discipline necessary to refrain from baking a pecan pie more than once or twice a year.

Garden 2009: Jo Weeding Our Strawberries

2009-11-19T12:13:00.000-06:00

Jo weeding a strawberry bed.

(Photo: Marvin Smith on 11/7/09)

It may be late fall.
The temperatures are cooler.
The days are shorter.
All the trees' leaves are on the ground.
But the weeds are still growing.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Fall Garden 2009: Broccoli

2009-11-12T02:18:00.001-06:00

Broccoli we're raising and planning to butcher and eat for Thanksgiving dinner.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Garden 2009: First Frost in the Fall Garden

2009-10-18T23:59:00.001-05:00

Fall Garden 2009: Our first frost was this morning (10/18/09) so Jo and I covered the wire hoops over our fall garden bed with plastic. Around mid-day Jo opened up the ends of the tunnel so everything inside wouldn't be cooked by today's full sunshine.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Homemade Pizza

2009-10-16T02:55:00.000-05:00

Homemade pizza for supper. Both pizza and photo by Jo.

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Like many folks in the southern and eastern U. S., we'd really like to see some sunshine. Maybe a little on Saturday and more on Sunday, they say.

Wednesday was overcast and damp with a high temperature in the mid-sixties. We got a very little bit of rain in isolated showers early Thursday morning. After warming some during the early morning hours, the temperature fell slowly all day, bottoming out down around fifty degrees at midnight. Overcast all day. North wind started kicking up some during the evening.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Art in the Park, Springfield, MO

2009-10-14T03:03:00.000-05:00

We set up under gray skies, but the rain had stopped and the ground was firm enough to drive on.

Friday, 10/9/09:

Rain began a little after midnight on Friday. A brief thunderstorm forced me off the computer, but mostly we experienced steady rain through the early morning hours. There was 2.3" inches in the rain gauge by the time we awoke.

The geese didn't object to the wet weather.

As expected, we finished loading the van in the rain, taking about an hour longer than usual. It was nine o'clock by the time the four of us pulled away from the house and headed for Springfield. We made a couple of stops in Marshall and one shopping stop in Harrison (AR), finally made it to the motel in Springfield a little before two o'clock. We drove in rain most of the way. After staying at the motel only long enough to unload our personal items and replenish our coffee supply, we headed out to Sequiota Park to set up.

Galloway Creek flows through Sequiota Park. It's usually dry when we do this show.

We expected the worst at the park -- standing water and/or not being able to drive to our booth to unload -- but were pleasantly surprise that neither of those events occurred. We didn't even need to set up our booth on the ratty old carpet we'd taken just in case. The temp remained chilly and the skies overcast, but no more rain fell during set up. After getting the canopy and fixtures erected and the merchandise unloaded, Jo and I grabbed our "big city shopping list" and patronized a few local retailers.

The playground side of the park was still holding a lot of water when we arrived on Friday. We were afraid the show side might look like this too. Locals said water was standing on part of the show site Thursday evening, but fortunately the tide had gone out by Friday afternoon.

Saturday, 10/10/09:

Saturday dawned clear and cold. There was frost on the van windshield. There was also frost on the canopy, both inside and outside. When the temperature warmed a little, we had rain inside the canopy as the condensate defrosted and dripped. A few clouds moved in mid-morning, but the day remained mostly sunny. Unfortunately, folks didn't turn out in droves to enjoy the sunshine and artwork. This is a small show and the crowd/sales have never been really great, but this year both were a little below average for some reason.

Friday sunset over the Wal-Mart parking lot. The overcast was beginning to break up.

Saturday evening we went over to a friends house along with several other artists and enjoyed some good food and great company.

Saturday blue sky and sunshine. Unfortunately, the crowd of shoppers was a little thin.

Sunday, 10/11/09:

We used up most of our sunshine allotment on Saturday. Sunday was forecast to be partly cloudy, but we saw a lot more clouds than sunshine. Sales were again below par.

The railroad track runs within a few feet of the outside booths. Fortunately, only one train traveled those tracks all weekend. I was told that about all this section of track is used for is supplying one of Springfield's power plants with coal.

Normally, we stay over Sunday night after packing up and head home Monday morning. However, because this show was relatively close to home, we'd decided to drive home Sunday evening. Having all our personal stuff and food cache already in the van really extended packing up. Having two large dog crates didn't help either. Everything had to be pulled out of the van so we could load the canopy, fixtures and merchandise. Once those items were loaded, everything else had to be reloaded. Handling the same items twice certainly slows things down. By the time we got everything loaded, the show organizers were prodding us to hurry so they could lock the park gate behind us and go home.

Jo and I and the dogs arrived home around eleven o'clock Sunday night. We unloaded the bare necessities from the van and went to bed.

Another period of overcast, drizzle, fog and/or rain has descended upon the Ozarks

Monday and Tuesday:

Overcast and drizzle on Monday. We managed to get the van unloaded anyway. Rain on Tuesday. A total of 2.1" the last time we checked the rain gauge. Funky weather is forecast to continue at least through Thursday. Neither Jo nor I has waded out to the garden since returning home. We had our first fire of the season in the wood stove Monday evening.

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Thursday, 10/8/09

2009-10-09T00:30:00.000-05:00

Today's weather certainly wasn't what we expected it to be. We had a 100% chance of rain and thundershowers were supposed to start early this morning, but rain never happened. The morning was overcast, but there was a fair amount of blue sky around this afternoon. The photo above was taken up by the gate on our afternoon walk.

Since we'd already gotten the van mostly loaded in anticipation of the rain, today was pretty much of a piddly sort of day.

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Cutting A Rug

2009-10-08T01:03:00.000-05:00

Jo and I are doing an art fair in Sequiota Park in Springfield, MO, this weekend. Heavy rains are predicted for the area over the next couple of days. Even if we get lucky and the rain stops over the weekend, the show site is likely to be a ~~total quagmire~~ little muddy. Jo came up with the idea of setting our booth up on an old piece of carpet. That should help it from becoming a mud hole. And, we just happened to have an old carpet on hand. All it needed was trimming to size. It would be better if the colors and pattern of the carpet were more subtle, but it should get the job done.

Wednesday, 10/7/09:

A SIGN OF FALL: Jo saw a flock of geese flying over heading south this morning. This is the first southward bound geese we've noticed this fall.

ANOTHER SIGN OF FALL: Jo is working on making a place for all our houseplants inside the house. They don't like being moved inside from the porch. And, we really don't have enough room for all of them. But they couldn't survive the winter outside.

YET ANOTHER SIGN OF FALL: I finally got the stovepipe cleaned out so we can have a fire in the wood stove. There have already been a couple of evenings when it was chilly enough a little fire overnight would have been nice.

VAN UNLOADED/RELOADED: Jo's kiln was cool enough to unload. We pulled the appropriate boxes out of the van so she could pack the pots removed from the kiln. Jo reloaded those boxes back into the van while I finished up cleaning out the stovepipe. We tried to get as much van loading as possible done today since we have a 100% chance of rain on Thursday.

CLOTHES WASHING: Jo used our one day of sunshine to wash and dry a couple of loads of clothes. They were dry on the clothesline by mid-afternoon, though Jo did suffer a clothespin shortage.

WEATHER: High = 76°F/24°C. Low = 46°F/8°C. Clear skies in the morning, but mostly cloudy by sunset. The cool front that came through overnight is returning as a warm front. It's going to collide with another cool front right over our heads and then the whole mess is forecast to stall out for a couple of days until and even stronger cool front pushes its way through.

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Setting Up Jo's Booth In St. Louis

2009-10-07T02:52:00.000-05:00

Jo does an excellent job of setting up her booth -- and with very little supervision. Actually, I helped erect the canopy, unloaded the shelving and will help with other tasks when Jo's finished with the shelving. The shelves will hold her pottery and must be set up and leveled to her satisfaction. It's best if I just stay out of the way and let her get the shelves set up the way she wants them.

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Tuesday, 10/6/09:

Rain off and on all day -- mostly just drizzle and light rain, no downpours or thunderstorms in our area. A total of a little more than a half inch of rain. The rain finally stopped and our skies began clearing during the late evening. Wednesday is forecast to be sunny. However, by Thursday this weak cool front is supposed to turn around and return as a warm front, bringing a couple of days of rain back into our area. Loading on Thursday and leaving on Friday is liable to be messy. High = 68°F/20°C. Low = 55°F/13°C.

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What's Your Sign? --- #1

2009-10-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

No parking sign for monthly street sweeping, I suppose. Taken at the Shaw Art Fair on Flora Place in St. Louis, MO.

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Big Bird

2009-10-02T00:04:00.000-05:00

Big Bird, a turkey track, no doubt.

Thursday, 10/1/09:

An all around funky day: Overcast, strong south wind and misty, but the thunderstorms forecast for afternoon and evening never materialized. New cool front moved through late in the evening and clear the weather for the weekend.

The van is loaded and Jo and I are heading up to St. Louis for an art fair.

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Lawnmower

2009-09-29T04:04:00.000-05:00

Monday, 9/28/09:

I left the mower fully gassed and ready to go while I took my afternoon break, but no one came along to finish the mowing. I had to complete the job myself. The garden area is mowed. The garden takes as long to mow as all the rest of our yard put together. There are so many obstructions to mow around or move -- then, there's the narrow strip between the electric fence and barbed wire fence. Mowing in a confined area in the proximity of barbed wire almost always results in bleeding.

Cooler and dryer today. The temperature only made it up to 80°F/27ºC and the relative humidity hovered around 50%. When the sun started setting, the temperature dropped rapidly and was down to 52°F/11ºC by midnight. Walking over to the studio to start a kiln firing was kind of chilly in my t-shirt and cutoffs.

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Jimson Weed Seedpod

2009-09-28T13:22:00.001-05:00

Jimson Weed seed pod.

From Wikipedia: Datura stramonium, known by the common names jimson weed, angel's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple, tolguacha, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, datura, moonflower, and, in South Africa, malpitte and mad seeds is, along with Datura metel (zombie cucumber), a common weed in the Solanaceae (the nightshade family). It contains tropane alkaloids that are sometimes used as a hallucinogen. The active ingredients are atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine which are classified as deliriants, or anticholinergics. Due to the elevated risk of overdose in uninformed users, many hospitalizations, and some deaths, are reported from recreational use.

Sunday, 9/27/09:

Sunday was another good day for being outside. I mowed again. With any luck, I might be able to finish the garden area tomorrow. Jo finished weeding our fall garden bed.

During the evening, I replaced the washing machine supply hoses. The hose on the hot water side sprang a leak while Jo was washing this morning. (A good reminder that one really should shut off the washing machine water supply valves when leaving on a trip.) I also replace the top thermostat on our hot water heater. Most of the time, it worked fine, but every once in a while the water coming out of our hot water heater was way too hot.

Another cold front is on the way down. It's approach caused a moderately gusty south wind and rapidly rising temperatures today. The temp climbed all the way up to 86°F/30°C and was still 77°F/25°C at midnight. The approaching front is not forecast to be dry.

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A Beautiful Saturday

2009-09-27T05:34:00.000-05:00

We're on a roll: Two beautiful fall days in a row.

Our skies clouded up some during the middle of the afternoon, but cleared again by sunset. Jo did some weeding in our fall garden bed in addition to unloading her kiln, glazing pots and getting the kiln loaded for a glaze firing. I cranked up the lawnmower. Mowing was slow going out in the garden due to the tall grass that was still damp. I had to set my mower up to cut as high as it would cut and make one pass -- then, lower to the normal level and mow again. Having to use that method meant I didn't nearly get finished mowing the garden. I did also mow the clothesline area where the grass was neither as tall nor as damp.

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Zinnia Jungle

2009-09-25T11:43:00.000-05:00

Here at season's end our zinnias are beginning to look a little tired, but are still producing a few new bloom. Every year the zinnias reseed themselves. Of course, they don't always sprout exactly where we want them, but we let as many grow as possible. In the beginning of the season, I try to keep them contained and keep the path between beds open, but by season's end they've multiplied, grown tall, fallen over and have become a zinnia jungle.

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Sheep

2009-09-25T02:18:00.000-05:00

A pair of sheep were in the pen next to the kiln at the Ozark Folk Center when we fired the kiln. (I have no idea what breed they are.) They didn't seem to mind that we kept them up all night, but I doubt they appreciated the numerous jokes made about roast mutton.

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Garden 2009: Fall Garden

2009-09-24T13:53:00.003-05:00

We planted a small fall garden for the first time in several years. It's doing well, but we're getting way behind with routine garden upkeep because our weather has been so wet. There are places where water is still standing out in the garden.

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Groundhog Kiln Firing #5

2009-09-17T11:54:00.001-05:00

John and Jo are preparing to start the warming fires in the three air intake ports at the front of the kiln. John appears momentarily distracted by an interesting newspaper article.

Kai does the honors of lighting the first fire.

Jo takes her turn at fire lighting.

John helps the fire along.

Once the fires in the air intake ports are going, John bricks up the kiln door.

After the fires in the air intake ports have warmed the kiln and built up a few coals, we'll start adding wood to the firebox which is right behind them.

While the cones ultimately determine the progress of the firing, a pyrometer is useful for getting a quick look at what's going on inside the kiln. We had pyrometers taking temperature reading at various locations in the kiln. This is the temperature not long after the fires were started around 11:00 AM on Saturday.

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Groundhog Kiln Firing #4

2009-09-16T03:31:00.000-05:00

Judi Munn inside the kiln adding a few more pots to the kiln load. Judi is actually in the kiln firebox. Below her is a metal grate with a couple of boards laid on top. Marvel, one of the other potters participating in this firing, looks on.

Judi climbing out of the kiln. A BEFORE shot of Judi. See here for a photo of Judi AFTER the firing is completed.

A shot of the kiln showing one of the stoking ports. There is a stoking port above the firebox on both sides of the kiln.

During the firing, stoking alternates from side to side. One stoker adds wood, then when the stoker on the other side hears the opposite stoking door close, he/she opens the door on his/her side and also adds wood. Stoking alternates from side to side for safety. A hefty toss could send (has sent) wood straight through the firebox and out the opposite stoking door if both were open at the same time. Throwing wood at your fellow stoker is frowned upon in polite kiln-firing circles, especially considering that after the firing is going good, the wood will ignite on its way through the kiln.

One of the things that's always amazed me about the construction of all conventional wood and gas fired kilns is that they are made with dry stacked brinks. No mortar could hold up to all the expansion and contraction that occurs. Angle iron at the corners and a system of chain and turnbuckles binds the kiln together. The roof is constructed the same way kiln roofs have been for a few thousand years. It is an arch. During construction bricks are stacked on top of a wooden form. Once the keystones are in place, the form is removed and gravity holds everything together.

A view of the pots inside the kiln taken through one of the stoking ports. During the firing wood momentarily rested on the bricks surrounding the port while getting a better grip for tossing will ignite. The stoker is standing only a couple of feet away from this very hot brick. It's hot work.

The last pot is finally loaded and John is building the bag wall. The bag wall reduces the amount of flame from the firebox that goes straight back onto the pots in front of the kiln.

The completed bag wall. We're finally ready to fire up the kiln.

A larger version of all photos is available by clicking on the photo.

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Carved Razorback Hog

2009-09-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

Low fat, high fiber pork is available at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR.

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Groundhog Kiln Firing #3

2009-09-14T12:21:00.000-05:00

The kiln shed at the Ozark Folk Center State Part in Mountain View, Arkansas. I was thankful the kiln is under a shed as numerous thunderstorms passed over Friday evening while the firing was in progress. Off and on drizzle continued Saturday morning. Of course, the shed also protects the kiln from the elements during the rest of the year when it is not in use.

Judi Munn, John Perry and their son, Kai. Judi and John are the potters at the Ozark Folk Center. Judi is putting the waddings on the bottom of a pot.

A kiln load of glazed pots ready for firing. One of the downsides of such a large kiln is test firings are not possible. The potters work for weeks throwing pots, bisque firing and glazing. If something goes wrong with the firing or if there is something wrong with the clay body or glazes, all that work goes down the tubes at one time. Judi and John lost an entire kiln load of pots during an earlier firing. The clay they used was contaminated causing it to bubble and blister during the firing, a heartbreaking discovery to find when opening the kiln up after a firing.

A close up of some of the pots in this kiln load, including three of Jo's funky bud vases. Jo brought several of her bud vases to the firing because she knew they'd be easy to work into place amongst the rest of the pots. John and Judi had the kiln mostly filled with their work before the other potters arrived. This prevented a last-minute rush and chaos while completing the loading.

Note that most of the pots only have glaze applied to their rims and none are glazed all the way down to the base. The front is the hottest part of the kiln. Were a fully glazed pot fired in this area, most of the glaze would melt and drip off onto the kiln shelf. During the firing, these pots will be glazed with molten wood ash.

The front cone pack. Pyrometric cones are pyrometric devices that are used to gauge heatwork during the firing of ceramic materials. The cones are positioned in a kiln with the wares to be fired and provide a visual indication of when the wares have reached a required state of maturity, a combination of time and temperature. Thus, pyrometric cones give a temperature equivalent, they are not simple temperature-measuring devices.

The pyrometric cone is a pyramid with a triangular base and of a defined shape and size; the "cone" is shaped from a carefully proportioned and uniformly mixed batch of ceramic materials so that when it is heated under stated conditions, it will bend due to softening, the tip of the cone becoming level with the base at a definitive temperature. (Wikipedia)

A cone pack for firing a smaller kiln usually contains three cones: The cone you intend to reach and one step below and above. The temperatures within this large kiln varied (hotter in front, cooler in back), hence more cones in the cone pack. As Jo remembers it, the front of the kiln reached Cone 13 while the back only got up to Cone 8 -- more are less. (Cone temperature conversion chart) Because this front cone pack is in the very hottest part of the kiln, it's useless for judging the maturity of the kiln load. It functions more as an early warning system letting you know when to start paying more attention to the cones place in several locations elsewhere in the kiln.

During the firing, the cone packs are viewed through peepholes (removable bricks). After the firing gets going good, you must view the cones through a welder's-type filter lens. For one thing, everything is glowing white hot and the cones are difficult to see without the lens. More importantly, without the lens eye damage is possible.

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Groundhog Kiln Firing #2

2009-09-12T11:41:00.003-05:00

Jo and I recently participated in firing the Groundhog Kiln over at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, AR. The kiln was built in 2002 and is similar to the kilns used in the South in the 1800s and early 1900s when pottery jugs and crocks were the containers used for storing most liquid items. John Perry and Judi Munn are the potters at the Ozark Folk Center. (Click on photos for larger view.)

White glue is applied to the bottom of the pot. It holds the wadding in place prior to the firing.

Jo presses the wadding into the white glue on the bottom of the pot. Wadding is a porous and pliable clay mixture that forms "feet" for the pots during the firing.

All three wadding "feet" applied to the bottom of the pot. Without the wadding, the wood ash would fuse the pot to the kiln shelf during the firings. Waddings are easily removed after the firing.

Part of the wood used during the firing. It is scrap from the local handle mill. We ended up not having enough wood on hand forcing John to scramble for more wood during the early morning hours. (John and Judi's glazed pots that would not fit into the kiln for this firing are in the background.)

Jo is leveling a bowl after applying its wadding feet.

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Groundhog Kiln Firing #1

2009-09-11T12:15:00.001-05:00

Jo and I recently participated in firing the Groundhog Kiln over at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, AR. The kiln was built in 2002 and is similar to the kilns used in the South in the 1800s and early 1900s when pottery jugs and crocks were the containers used for storing most liquid items. John Perry and Judi Munn are the potters at the Ozark Folk Center. (Click on photos for larger view.)

Sign describing the kiln, its history and the firing process.

Jo brought over a few pots to including in the firing. The first step was getting them glaze. The glaze had been sitting for a while and needed stirred. She's pouring the glaze through a sieve to help break apart the solids that coalesced into globs.

Jo, Burt and Judi glazing having too much fun glazing pots. Judi is "on duty" at the Folk Center and required to wear traditional dress. Burt is another potter participating in this firing.

Jo and Burt are trying a different glaze.

Jo's pots are glazed and ready for the next step.

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Begging For Zucchini

2009-09-07T01:54:00.000-05:00

What happens when you take a short trip and leave the garden unattended for a couple of days? Monster zucchinis try to take over the place. Rusty and Bucket like raw zucchini and know Jo usually gives them a slice of the overgrown squash before tossing the rest in the compost. They are waiting not very patiently for their treat.

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