What difference does clay make anyway?

We started NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) annual conference, last week in Philadelphia in miserable weather, over half of the planes were delayed. A lot of students were driving through blizzards from the north. However, it didn't stop over 5,000 clay/ fire maniacs gather to share.
Wednesday turned to be a perfect day for continuous shuttle loops tour. I did the Museum and Center City route, 10 stops and visited over twenty galleries and exhibitions. Every time I would like to think I've seen just about everything you can do with clay, I got surprised again. I guess that's part of the clay magic.
Shared room with the Hasegawa family in the conference hotel. All the lectures, panel discussions, movies, demos, conference shows were just downstairs. We also fully utilized China Town across the street for breakfast, lunch and dinner. After a day and a half of indoor activities, we ventured out to the Old City route by subway to see the rest of the exhibitions. Feeling very lucky that I didn't miss the Clay Studio, The Works and Snyderman Gallery.
Normally the conference ended with refreshing presentation by a number of emerging artists and closing lecture by a veteran on Saturday morning. John Oles is my favorite young artists this year and Malcolm Davis's lecture just topped everything I've heard. He started clay late in his life after twenty years of being a social activist, struggle for social justice. At age 72, He still tries to answer the haunting question - "What difference does clay make anyway?" Since, it is one of the BIG question in the back of my mind, I feel totally related to every sentence. Also knowing no one can answer one's personal struggle, seeing his journey of transformation through clay gave me enough inspiration and courage to face the question again.
We wandered out to find Rodin Garden along Benjamin Franklin Pky under clear blue sky but end up with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It turns out to be the biggest treasure in town. After 3 hrs of totally immerse in thousands of year of human cultures from the east and west, I stepped out the west exit and ready to get on bus 38. I looked down and saw Fairmount Park along Schuylkill river, thinking what a way to end the trip. Not until Sunday morning while waiting for the shuttle to the airport, I noticed the peak of cherry blossom right in front of the hotel main entrance, which I only used once during the miserable rain the first day, and missed them all. More photos of the trip click here.

Secret Gardens

Spent sunday on a local secret gardens tour. My ideal one would be a smaller one, with hidden dark corners, unplanned overgrowth, forgotten broken sculpture laying on it's side, wild animals roaming ....... and a gate so secret, that you don't even know it's a gate.

茶杯裡的山雲雨霧

Mountain Cloud Rain Mist in a Tea Cup.

Compensation

I got 2 hours of sleep after the firing night shift, before headed out to the Red Cross Ocean to Lake ride on Sunday morning. It was not the longest, but surely is the toughest ride. Gusty head wind no matter what direction I was headed. Then in the middle of the ride, in the middle of no where, came two dogs want to eat me, chase me, or just play with me, I don't really know. But I felt like if I don't pedal with all my mighty power, they would let me know. It might be only 15 secs, but it felt like 5 mins of Alpine down hill. I remember started thinking ... only if I can out run my predators, and not crash into a tree, or fall into a ditch, or get run over by a car (since I'm on the wrong side of the road now), I will ... HOLD ON, am I dreaming here?? ... now ... this seems too ridiculous. Here comes the yellow one again ... .... ......... ............

OK, I survived that and a few more unreal scenery, like crossing under I-95, and US-1 6 lanes traffic all alone. I decided to take a short cut back home, went to bed, slept the rest of the day and night, had loads of weird dreams.

Firing nights Act 2

Remember back in Dec., the first time we participated in the Anagama Firing? Apparently, we were bit by the wood fire bug, so here we go again. Same night shifts with Karen.
Justin showed us how to stoke with ease.
The dragon right after being fed.
Of course, we feed ourselves too, with marshmallow.

Windsurfing will never die

After a few days watching hundred of wind-surfers riding the smooth north wind up and down the Banana River, I begin to believe, or at least stop to worry about the survival of windsurfing as a competitive sport in the states. However, US Sailing does have some catch up work to do. In the Techno 293 North American Championships, also the Youth Olympic Game Qualification event, our boys were not able to qualify the nation for the first Youth Olympic in Singapore this summer.

A crisp day on the beach

On the way up to Calema Windsurfing's Midwinters, Merritt Island, we stopped by Sebastain Inlet to do an odd job - fixing a beach web cam. The county pay for the camera, so the community can see online how is the weather/ wind/ beach look like, before they pack their fishing gears or surf boards.

Be

It took a while to customize my new trike "Be". Schwalbe - Kojak "20" front, and 26" rear.

Why they call pedals with clip - clipless? It's my first clipless - Shiman0 PD -M540. I also try them on my up right. It's not as scary as some people want to believe. As long as you're aware that you are committed.
Re-do all the electric tape which was not BLACK.
See the full suspension behind the seat. It's fun to adjust by trial and error.
Of course, got to have cleat shoes - Shimano SH-WM40. They run a bit smaller than normal sizing. I luck out to get the right size online after reading dozens of comments.

So Many Empty Bowls are gone

Finally, it's over, at least for this year. 400 bowls and 15 gals of soup were gone before noon. Doubled last year's income. It's very hard for me to see all the slow works by so many kind hearts and soft hands, flew out the door in one morning. I couldn't even bear to see how they were picked and handled by so many different hands ... ... I had to turn around from the crowd and just help wrapping. Lucky we got a wonderful photographer friend, Tom. He caught some nice moments of the events. Here's his blog. Our Empty Bowls Project also has a blog, in case I have not advertised in here yet. I hope the efforts can help some empty bowls out there.

First Trike Outing

After months of extensive research and test rides on different trikes. I finally settled on this one. Not the best handling, not the lightest, not a well known brand, not even new. I found it on Craigslist just 30 mins south. While I was heading down for the test ride, here's what caught my ear from the radio : " Do your research, but don't over search, otherwise, you could miss out opportunity and the time with it." I guess, it doesn't matter they are talking about investment, love or a pair of shoes.

The background music is "Now" by the Carpenter in 40/40 (just released last Oct.), which I first heard on NPR -Fresh Air after today's ride . It is their very last recording before Karen's sudden death, so it's not on any of their previous records. The lyric seems to match today's mood.

Orange Bowl

3rd year back to Miami between Christmas and New Year for the Orange Bowl Youth Regatta. This time, we have over 700 kids from over 20 countries, which made it the largest youth regatta in the states. We brought the bikes along, and rode along Biscayne Bay before the long day start. As the regatta grows, the competition level rises, and the protest sophisticates.

Here is one of the Judge's comment : It was firmly impressed on me that those who think the Orange Bowl Regatta is a fun regatta for kids, need to be involved with the protest committee the last day of the regatta. This is looked upon by kids, parents and coaches as a big league regatta, and is as cut-throat as they come. Blood and tears were all around the protest table, and high blood pressure and spirits ran high as the day wore on!

It wouldn't be surprising if you get to know how much time, money and effort those parents has put into their children's sail training. Hoping they will grow up an independent and competitive person.

Sailing is a self policing sport. When boats meet, they're supposed to follow the rules to give way. If someone broke a rule, he is supposed to do penalty without others telling him. When there's disagreement, they can protest, and being heard by the Jury. However, when kids act like bad lawyer around protest table, knowingly lying, coaching their witness down to the exact wording, using everything to their own advantage, my heart sink. What have we done to our kids?
As the start of the new year, I wish you all can slow down and have some simple fun.

Opening and Why?

Got home after a day of unloading, cleaning up, catching up with old friends who came for the opening and sale. Unwrapped the pots, fondling and looking at them for another long time. Knowing I haven't stop smiling since the first pot came out of the kiln, all of a sudden feeling deflated because I realize I can not do this alone. They're not really my own works no matter how much I want to claim. A big part of them is team work. 55 hrs of non-stop stoking, not speaking of the effort of mindful loading (what shape/size/glaze/clay go up/down/back/front/which side face forward at what angle) while having a picture of how hot ash fly in mind, and months of wood gathering and preparation. Plus don't forget hundreds of hours to make the works. No, it doesn't make any economic sense. No, it doesn't look bright, smooth or shiny (PERFECT? like most commercial pots). No, it's not for someone who's in a hurry.

So why? have you ever question why Mom want to make you old fire soup? Why some people want to ride their bike slowly anyway/ everywhere? Why home schooling? Why gardening?

Firing night 2

12:00 am : 33 hrs into firing. Stoking almost every 10 minutes.

3:00 am : 36 hrs. Crews playing with iPhone Apps in between stoking in the rain.
4:00 am : One day, there will be iPhone Apps replacing the pyrometer, plus plotting graph in real time, telling you exactly when to stoke with alarm. If there's no response, it will proceed to call the other crew to tell him you fell asleep on your shift. Crews dream talk in 37 hrs.

5000 mile monkey prize

I think it is a great accomplishment to ride 5000 miles in around a year. So, congratulate and keep it up. BTW, the prize including this monkey draw and 4 boxes of Klondike Ice cream. Probably enough calories for another 5000 miles.

Firing night

4:00 am : 13 hrs into firing. This pyrometer is showing the temperatures inside the kiln. Top number for the front and bottom one for the back.

5:00 am : 14 hrs. Our sleepy stoking companion.
6:00 am : 15 hrs. Dreamy scene of fire and snow. Snow of ash.
7:00 am : 16 hrs. Karen has been up whole night.
8:00 am : 17 hrs. What? Which stick you want?