Pumpkins

Today we went to Cooperstown. Every year they have a giant pumpkins weigh-off. The winning pumpkin was over a thousand pounds. The picture is the regatta, where they hollow out big pumpkins and people row them in a race. I am not making any of this up.

We first heard of this in a PBS special "Lords of the Gourd." As you can see in the background the leaves were approaching peak fall color. It was a beautiful drive except for the house we drove by with a sign "Jesus or hell- you choose." I hope the house next door to them goes up for sale so I can move in.

Fall inspirations

The leaves are starting to turn, so it's time to focus on indoor projects and put the gardens to bed. I'll be designing a series of quilted Christmas presents and learning new hand building techniques while improving my throwing skills.
The pots above were fired in the Labor Day wood kiln firing. They are wheel thrown, altered and hand carved. The variations in color and patina depended on where they were in the kiln, which held hundreds of pots and was fired over two and a half days. Check out the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVVupIeOr2Q