prickly pear

I decided to stay. a few factors weighed in- not so much formal obligations but more like self-perceived nebulous ones. basically, I can't stand to be quite that irresponsible. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder and so is whether or not I am irresponsible, but since it's my life and my perception, I'll just blame my lutheran roots and carry on working...
really, no-one would have missed me at the special exhibit of woodfire work that brought together all the local characters with some international flavor, but it was great to see people that I love and like to fire with... it's an excellent community I've fallen into here- it's great to be home. that's what it comes down to- it's great to be home- I actually would much rather be here now, learning how to fire my kiln, this summer, than anywhere else in the world. grease fire in portland beats out flame trees in Fiji. my heart is here. ...not to mention that pop wouldn't have been captaining her- I'll gamble for the day that I can make such a remarkable passage with him.

And SO! I have been insulating the kiln. have I mentioned that I am in love with my kiln? god, I hope i did a good job designing it and that I don't gett shut down via some mishap with a neighbor. I'm famous for mishaps, so I'm nervous. but as much as i can comply with city code, I am, so there's little to complain about. other than the plumes of smoke that smell like fish and chips, perhaps. my landlady is amazing. and so is stephen mickey for giving me all those awesome bricks.

more free materials came my way in the form of many random scraps of insulation- so random and so valuable. I used to do thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles when I was a kid, so this was nothing. just itchy like fingers on a chalkboard. it all worked out to a solid four inches on the dome roof:

and a layer around the walls, backed by about two inches of mineral board ripped into lenghts on a slight bevel so they'd make a relatively seamless curve. chicken wire to hold it all in place:

Lady Linda has most graciously agreed to let me borrow her burners while i wait for mine, so I am in bizness!!! I am aiming for a firing in two weeks time. but there is much to do including final inspections by the city. (chief dude knows me- he saw the kiln walls but no roof)

I like Jack's comment: looks like an engineer did the front and a boy scout did the back.

much love from the great northwest-
C