Bremerton High School Homecoming

Ian and Samantha (Sammie) have been friends since they took dance lessons together at Academy of Dance in 2005. After we left the school, she has been the only one who has remained in touch with all our kids. They have been very good friends.

This year Sammie was going to quit dancing altogether, but her ballet teacher sat down and had a long talk with her and convinced her not to quit. Part of that was discussion was about learning to do new things and that formed into partner work. Sammie called Ian and asked if he'd want to take private lessons with her in ballet to work on partner work, her grandmother, (my friend Maxine), would pay for it.

They have been taking private lessons now for almost a month.

Then he got a message from her asking if he'd like to go to the Bremerton High School Homecoming, as friends. Both are very grounded kids. Maxine assured me on several occasions that this was absolutely only as friends. Sammie's parents initially told her no when she asked to go to homecoming. But, when she told them she was asking Ian to go with her, they were happy to let her go.

I was only able to take three shots before they left. They all look the same, so no need to post more than one here. Sammie looked stunning in her dress. Her heels brought her up to my height! She looks so tall and elegant here. Ian took along his iPod to take some other photos this evening. Not sure how many he'll get or if he'll get any. If he does, we will post them tomorrow.

I am so glad they have remained such good friends.

Maxine said they were going to stop by Sammie's dad's store (game card shop) in Bremerton before heading to the school tonight.

World Heritage Merit Badge

Amber has been working on her American Heritage Girl World Heritage Merit Badge. She had to select three countries to learn about and chose Italy, Belgium, and France. One of the requirements was to make a meal. She chose to make Italy her lunch menu, dinner her French menu, and breakfast the following morning as her Belgian meal.

Making pesto from scratch.

Amber is mixing the pesto in with the fucilli. It was a very tasty meal ... but MY was it garlicky!

It was a nice idea to have toasted chibata bread with our noon meal. It helped to take the edge off the garlic. She melted some cheese on top. It was crunchy and yummy.

Lunch

Dinner was from France and these beans were amazing! They weren't fresh from our garden, but they were fresh from the store. Nothing frozen in this meal. All fresh ingredients. Roasted slivered almonds topped the beans. YUM!

Potatoes au gratin were a fantastic side. I had forgotten how much I really enjoy them, too. I remember Mom making them when we were kids. Brought back delicious memories.

The main part of the evening's French menu was pear pork. It was very tender and very tasty.

Dinner

Bananas flambe was dessert. Best left to Dad because of the fire. It didn't taste as amazing as it had in the past. But, maybe that was just me. However, it could have been the banana liquor, too.

Flambe!

A little glow.

Breakfast the next morning was Belgian Waffles with a fruit compote topped with homemade whipped cream. Yummy :)

Pottery Wheel and Painting

We showed up at Claywerks and she showed the kids their pinch pots, completed after their final firing. Then she said they needed to paint their coil pots. Kids and I were not happy. We had planned to do all the painting/glazing at the end, paying for one full day in the studio where they could finish it all. She appeared to be cutting corners as if she didn't want to get the clay out. Two still needed to do figurines and all of them still needed to throw pots on the wheel. I told the kids they needed to paint their coil pots as quickly as possible. THEN she brought out their slab pots, which still had not been fired. They were still green ware. She told them they could paint those using a different glaze. Ethan was too nervous to paint his, as his was pretty precarious as it was and she had already repaired it between our visits, as it had fallen apart already, but would be more stable after firing.

This is Ethan's coil pot. A dragon ... of course.

Evyn's slab pot, which he's being very gentle with as it's green ware, will be a pencil box when completed.
Ian's slab pot was a mouse and cheese figurine and container.
Amber is working on her slab pot, which was a butter dish.
Their completed coil pots.
Amber finally got a turn at the wheel. She seemed to be a bit of a natural at it. I don't know how much the teacher actually spent with her and the completed pot.
Done!
Ethan was on his second time trying to produce something, and Ian was just beginning.
Evyn was working on his figurine. He was making a solid item, and the teacher didn't want him to do that. She wanted it hollow on the inside. Of course, she didn't tell him that.
Ethan's second bowl.
Done (some help from the teacher!).
Ian was doing a great job. I thought it was going to be a cup, but he ended up with a very nice bowl.
Evyn making final touches on his figurine.

Evyn's Herbst is Installed

After the technician removed the spacers, prepping his teeth to receive the caps for his Herbst, the initial fitting revealed his loose tooth was going to have to be removed. It has been loose, made even more so by the spacers. She said she'd have Dr. Yorek removed it for him so they could proceed. Evyn sat up, reached in, and yanked it out! No thought, just did it! I was shocked! So, here it is, in the baggy, to come home to for his tooth fairy, Max. The wad of white in his mouth is to stunt the little bit of bleeding.
The caps are on his top teeth, which you can almost see in the back of his mouth. The wire that was in the brackets was removed so they could do the work, and because he will receive a thicker wire on this visit.
A peek into Evyn's mouth reveals the piston attached to the top left bracket. This device is similar to the one Ian had, but it is now more compact and easier on the wearer in that it stays in place and there is less opportunity for wires to pop out during the changing process in the mouth. Evyn's device resembles a spy scope or pirates telescopic telescope. (Gee, wonder if that makes sense? I know what I mean, but describing it is difficult!)
Here the technician engages the piston to the lower bracket with a little screw driver.

Nine months to a year before they are removed. Right now he has an angry look about him, as his teeth match edge to edge. They over correct, and then bring the teeth back in the final phase.

Claywerks - Day 3 - Slab Pots and Glazing

The kids were all set to do their slab pots and figurines, but their instructor wanted them to get their first project, the pinch pot, glazed for its second firing in the kiln.
Amber used three or four colors for her pinch pot basket. Here she is cleaning off her tile.
Evyn made geometric shapes on his soup bowl mug. Notice the dip in the lip? Its a place to put his spoon! Very inventive.
Ian's bowl had a frog climbing out of it. He painted as a red-eyed tree frog. Dumpy is coming to life!
Ethan's bowl mug is in the forefront. Deep red interior. All four are now ready for firing.
Evyn is working on his slab pot/box here. He cut out a shape from a sturdy material an, after rolling out his clay, placed the shape on the clay to cut out around it. His plan is to make a pencil container for the classroom table.
Ethan combined the slab pot project with the figurine project. This is the globe portion, figurine, which will be stuffed with newspaper for drying purposes.
Amber decided to do her slab pot as a butter dish. The instructor gave her a couple molds to use. She rolled out her clay and draped it over the molds. The top was refined later in the lesson and also included a very cute idea for lifting the lid!
Ian designed his box a bit small. He's creating his figurine to go with this project. Next week we should see if his design worked. He was going to make holes in his box, but decided the design elements would be done with glaze instead.
This is Ethan's completed project. His slab pot is the triangular portion on the bottom. It supports his figurine, which is an orb or globe. The top was cut out and will be able to hold things inside. The instructor was impressed with the complexity of the design.
A little peak at Amber's butter dish lid. She is gathering up all the leftover clay to put back in the bag to be kept moist.
A little peek into Ian's creation. Can you figure out what he's making?
Evyn's box. He considered putting it on balls for feet, but decided against it. He also considered putting the balls together to be a snowman. He went with a more simplistic approach to his construction and will do the design details in the glazing.

Coil Pots and the Wheel at Claywerks

Last week the kids were given homework to look at different types of coil pots. They were to notice how the pot could be made with coils, but how at the end it didn't have to LOOK like it was made with coils. However, all the kids' designs retained their coil look. Ian decided to make a coiled cobra multi-purpose vessel. Here he is working on his cobra head.

Of course, Ethan went with a dragon. He had a little help from the Claywerks owner who is teaching their classes.

Evyn is designing a salsa bowl with a snake head on top. Ian helped him form the head of the snake, but he did all the fine-tuning.

Every time I tried to get a photo of Amber working on her pot, the lady was doing the work on it, so I never got one of Amber. This is Amber's coil cup, complete with handle and twisted-braid top. In case you can't tell, this cup is meant for milk.

Now a quick lesson on the wheel. The morning started with the instructor saying they were going to do figurines, but the kids had been told to do the coil pot research, so after she did her talk on figurines and announced they would get turns on the wheel with one-on-one instruction, she changed tracks and put them to work on the coil pots. It was a bit confusing in the beginning. At any rate, they finally got their chance to learn about the wheel. She did a demonstration, showing them how to throw the clay, how to center, and then how to make the hole in the middle and draw up the pot. Unfortunately, I didn't realize they were all getting a chance at the wheel until after three of them were finished and Ian was sitting down.

Ian did fairly well. He had an uncentered piece of clay thanks to his siblings, but was making it work.

Looks professional, huh?

Still lots of work to do. They still have a slab pot and figurines to do, as well as glazing and painting of their works of art. We may have to go back for that part, but not sure. Two classes left to do it all, and possibly more wheel work.