Before the feast

Something's burning, on the other side of our apartments, on the other side of US 70 and the other side of I-40.

But I was off to Ohio to visit family, so never found out what the burn was.

 The front yard of my son, Russ' house had about 20 squirrels digging away...while a big wind came through for hours on Wed. the 27th.

Here's another of my grand-dogs...Cody. He's snuggled asleep, and I was glad to sit with him, because he usually is barking. Sleep equals quiet.

So we did lots of indoor things that day...getting ready for making the big feast on Thurs.

And here's the morning of. Some family prep work. I was the recorder. And made the gravy.

Michelle has a pretty dress under her apron.

And Audrey was happy to cut up the potatoes before they were cooked and became, you know!

Caroline is the mistress of the sweet potato casserole.

Russ and Michele have a cheerful time, pretty much all the time.

Granddaughter Kate tried the chocolate chip banana bread that Russ made last night. I tried both of the loaves, one with and one without chocolate chips. Excellent breakfast food.

Below is the making of the 2 kinds of bread (you can see the chocolate chips in the bowl still...but they all ended up in the moist bread!)

 I sent this out as my FB wishes, since I delve into so many ancestry things and probably bore my descendants to tears with them.

On the road again

 Going around Asheville NC on my way to Knoxville, TN. I-40 is pretty well paved and a Friday morning doesn't have major traffic.

 But I know we will be crossing through the Appalachian mountains...so it's a winding drive.

 At some point, where I obviously didn't have the phone ready to take a pic, the Appalachian Trail crossed the highway (under?)

I visited sites in Sevierville and Knoxville, then returned home around 6:30 pm.  I was glad it was summertime and I would have daylight all the way home.  Sometimes those white lines on highways have gotten pretty dim and I like to stay in my own lane.

 The speed limit was usually 55 through the mountains, but most of the traffic went around 65 to 70.  I was amazed, but I guess nobody sets up speed traps there.

Of course there were several curves with 45 mph speed limits, so people did slow down to 55.

 I finally got the phone camera ready to get a photo of the tunnel!

And that's the extent of my interest in taking photos along the road.  Incidentally, traveling has been in my bones so long, I had to do one of those traveling songs to keep alert...but I started at 36 bottles of beer on the wall.  What an inane song.  After I finished it, I said as much...who would put beer bottles on a wall?

Roving Toad Caravan

This slab built clay sculpture (cone 6 brownstone) has burnt umber ink stain and acrylic finish.

  I get such a kick looking at the combination of drawing style, the pen and ink touches in windows and edges of doors, combined with the softly fluid clay shapes of the tires and bumpers.

And that Chevy green and white was the color of my actual Open Road conversion van, which I owned from around 70 or 71 to 82 or 82.  I'm never sure of the dates, and I think it was at least 11 years before I let the engine block freeze in Gainesville.  I hadn't ever put antifreeze in it, since I lived in FL.  But for the Christmas break I didn't drive anywhere and there were a few days below freezing straight through.  So I had to say goodbye to a good old friend.

My sons and I went camping in the Roving Toad one summer, as I quit my job and lived on credit cards for 3 months.  We put 10,000 miles on the vehicle, had to buy new tires, and maybe a few other problems needed attention.  But mainly we enjoyed living outdoors and travelling.

Did I mention, having driven this vehicle for 11-13 years, it wasn't air conditioned?  And I lived in FL the whole time.  Since it had good window screens, it was bearable most nights to sleep in.  On the road it was ok to have windows open as long as you weren't stuck in traffic.  Yes, I did drive it to work as well, for many years in Tampa, then Tallahassee, then eventually it was mainly parked in Gainesville when I returned to college.

OK, that is way too much information, isn't it?  But this little van will never be sold, unlike the original. 

I have oodles of fond memories of my life, my family and my friends in that van!

Who do you make your art for, others or yourself?  This time I made it entirely for myself!