Holiday Road

Until I searched on iTunes, I had no clue Lindsay Buckingham wrote this song.

We're just about done with our holiday road trip. I can't believe how fun it was. The whole trip will be a little over 2400 miles when it's all said and done. Austin to Orlando and back! I had looked at flights home for the rest of the family thinking it was going to be a disaster but our kids were fantastic. They even pushed us to go all the way to Orlando from Houston on day 2 of the trip...16 hours! We had planned a stop in either Pensacola or Tallahassee but they weren't having any of that...no stopping until Orlando!

Details of the trip to follow....hopefully. I also have a year end blog post in my head...I hope it makes it to the interwebs soon...it will probably have to turn into a beginning of the year blog post since I'm getting ready to prep our seafood feast for tonight.

We're driving the final leg of the trip tomorrow. It's been a great trip but it will be good to be home.

Javi's Day Off

It was parent teacher conference day on Monday so Javi had the day off. It was a boys' day and we started on South Congress for lunch. Javi took this first photo. I have to create a folder of all the pictures the kids take. They get some good ones and thank god for digital cameras...because they take some terrible ones as well. Sort of like me photographing my pots.

Javi with the some of the more recognizable South Congress stores in the background.
Then it was off to HomeSlice Pizza. It's very, very good....and I'm a pizza snob raised on Sal's Pizza. The little ones in our family don't get soda very often so this root beer was thoroughly enjoyed.
Hmm....which piece?
That one!
Then it was off to the studio to try his hand at the wheel. He's popped his head in the studio before and I've always handed him some clay, a few tools, a paddle but this was his first time on the wheel. I may have helped him center and raise the walls a bit.
But he wasn't interested in my help. It was sort of like the time my father-in-law thought he knew how to make pots.
He wanted to make a mug for our babysitter so I helped him out a bit.
Here are his 4 pots of the day. See if you can pick out the one he did by himself.

Remember the Alamo

We took a much needed one-day vacation to San Antonio over the weekend. My mother-in-law picked up our youngest on Thursday and shuttled her off to Houston. This allowed us to take the older (and more agreeable) children for some fun times. We started at the Alamo, which they loved. They each got a couple of pennies stretched and stamped....all for only 51 cents!

They got to look at all of the old guns and knives, and since he's 6 1/2, it's kind of all he talks about right now....granted....he's a Texan now.
Look out!!!
After a very touristy and enjoyable time in downtown San Antonio we headed out about 15 minutes and stayed at a great hotel for the night. They had a man-made tubing river around the property. The water was a little chillier than I had planned on but once the kids went in there was no choice but to join them.
Evangelina has learned how to vacation as a parent in style. Tubing with a child and a margarita....I guess it helps warm up with the cold water.

A single night in a hotel and a full day in the pool and riding bikes was such a cool treat.

Oysters Again

Bruce stopped by this evening with a cooler full of oysters that he harvested the other day.  Luckily...we still had some horseradish and mignonette so it was another good combo.

In true "Mad Men" fashion I felt it was unacceptable to have oysters without a cocktail.  I grabbed this tumbler which I've always loved.  During my many trips to Dan Anderson's "Mounds" kiln I would always hope that Caroline would have some tumblers stowed away in the gallery somewhere.  One of the trips the planets were aligned and I brought 3 of them back with me.  This one is the largest...which obviously makes the it the best for an Old Fashioned.

Here's the cooler full of oysters waiting to be shucked.

I did alright shucking the other night but a lesson from the master...the very tall master...never hurts.  The dry clay on your arms and shirt are not necessary.

Finally...I guess this tray from one of my first soda-firings here at Kreeger Pottery has now officially become the "Oyster Tray".