I unloaded the kiln yesterday and as always felt about as alive as I imagine a rock climber ascending Monkey Face at Smith Rock does - terrified, exhilarated, on the edge - but fully, totally, absolutely ALIVE! It's not that I might slip and fall to my death. It's the thought that the previous month's labor and love may have been tossed over the cliff to the jagged rocks below by a mischievous kiln god.
I don't fully exhale until the last mug is out of the kiln, and I have had no major disasters.
Today is Sunday and I'm looking forward to a full day of packing up mugs that will make their way across Canada and the USA (and one to France) to their new homes.
Shown in the photo are two prize mugs for next month's Capitol Peak ultra marathon races in Olympia, Washington.