Before June’s workshops, this was sitting on his workbench in the process of major repair…
I casually mentioned to my cousin and her husband, during our 3x a week FaceTime calls (upon them asking what I was doing on one of those said calls) that I was looking for a large used kiln on Craig’s List.
Well, my cousin’s husband informs me the next day that he bought this old kiln up in New Hampshire. I won’t even say the price because it was ridiculous. Less than a very good pair of shoes.
But it needed all new electrical work. Fast forward 18 months (delayed due to Covid) when they drive down here this past April to deliver it AND celebrate Eric’s Birthday, which was so much fun…
We decided to kick off the celebration by spending a few days in Chattanooga. Here we are on that huge steep tram…
(Notice that Kerryn and I are rocking fashionable masks… the boys behind us… so lame. Eric forgot the one I bought him but we had plenty of back up medical ones in the truck.)
Before the Tram ride, we went antiquing. What’s great about Chattanooga is dogs are welcome in all the shops. Here’s me and Izzy at one of our favorite stores, “Dirty Jane’s”…
After that we headed over to ROCK CITY. Now we know what all those billboards are about! If you make it down here, we definitely recommend visiting Rock City (Only took us 7 years to visit it!).
After a long day, we left our airbnb and walked to dinner. It was going to be chilly that night and I discovered I forgot my cute little faux fur pink coat that was so warm and toasty. So Eric ran back, against my cousin’s husband Paul saying that “that coat should be burned—We’re not waiting!”
But Eric ran back into the house. And in solidarity, and in support of me (Thanks Eric!), he came out wearing my coat! We were all laughing. And I have to say, he was totally rocking it!!!
Anyways, back to the point of this post: Eric and Paul rewired the kiln and installed it in our small garage/shed out back which we will be turning into my my new “pottery shed” over the fall. The kiln may look a little beat up but it works perfectly. I’ve already tested it and created “bisque” pieces from it…
Eric lined the walls where it sits with corrugated steel, there’s ventilation and I really like the electrical shut off valve “thingy” – not sure what you call it…
So to start working on transforming this shed into my pottery space, I purchased some shelving to move my supplies from my cramped office to the shed. After it arrives and I put it together outside and tell Eric he can carry it over to the shed.
A couple hours later Eric comes in my office and says, “Lynne, come here!”
This is an ongoing thing these days with us. Our door sensor is no longer working. Well, it probably still works but both of us are too lazy to change the batteries! And when he sneaks up like this, it scares the living daylight out of me! I’ll scream. And then say “What!!!! Don’t scare me like that!”
On this particular day, he said “Come out here right now. I need to show you something.”
I was scared! I said is one of our pets dead?
He said No!
I said what did I do? Did I leave the water hose on all night again?
No!
Did the cat catch another bird?
“No! Just come outside.”
And I walk out to this…
He made a display with all his most recent baskets on the new shelf I put together. Including the spicy corn relish he just got from our hair stylist (you gotta love the South!)
I’m thinking my life is getting bombarded with all these baskets!!!!!! They’re taking over!
But after taking the pics he wanted me to take, it dawned on me that over the last couple years, despite everything going on, he hasn’t stopped and kept working and creating. Back in March of 2020 I could barely get out of bed I was so scared of Covid and everything going on in the world, but not Eric.
He just kept on going. Taking advantage of the situation. Renovating his workshop. Catching up on backorders. And creating new baskets. Even Minnie Kitty was getting in on the action…
In closing, I want to give a shoutout to one of Eric’s students, “K” who told him that she so respected him in how he kept working during all this Covid shutdown stuff. That he kept creating and working, and figuring out a way to keep teaching. To still be safe, but to keep his livelihood ALIVE!! That meant so much to him. And again, thank you to everyone who has come here to support my husband, and not only the craft he is so passionate about, but the craft his students love so much as well, and to keep it going. You’re all warriors!!
