Today was a day for learning. I helped Jamie make coils for her project and messed with a few pots trimming but did not make any new pots.
I did learn some new techniques. Steve showed me more about the method of throwing his very large pots. I still don't have the name down of the technique. I think it is overhand method. You start with a severe right angle at the bottom of the pot, line up your lower arm over the axis of the pot and pull up with your inside or left hand doing the pulling with the outside hand being way above the inside hand. 2-3 pulls and you have a really tall pot. That is the industry trick. Tomorrow I will apply that info more. He was helpful and pulled with me so I could feel the pull. I have done that with students but no one has ever done that for me.
Next, I watched him form his pots and rip them apart and reassemble them with other dry pots he soaked in water and then attached them. After knowing him for a bit I was able to see his symbolism in his pots and understand his statements through his work.
I felt a little tired today so after watching I went for an hour and twenty five minute walk to wake up. I came back and trimmed more pots.
The walk was fun. I chose a hilly rural route. The road #8 passes by their house and it is a busy ribbon waving road. Cars bounce all over the road up and down just trying to drive down the road. One car was actually dragging on the road making a scraping sound because it is so ribbon like. So, it is nice to get off road 8 and on to an even smaller road,
The road I walked was one lane, like so many around here, and surrounded with lots of greenery about the color of my ever so famous green crock shoes that Kelly gave me. No snakes, lots of lava and unfinished bushwacked driveways. Not very many homes and more poor people than rich people. Rich rich people and poor poor people. But they all have to drive very slowly on the unpaved roads and everyone waves. A truck with 2-3 pit bulls in the back and a smaller barking dog passed. A comfortable slow moving native family drinking cold yellow beer also passed me. Dogs barked here and there and I walked up and down the roads.
I know it is politics but as I walked the land I just could not understand why the US thought it was ok to claim their land and make it one of our states. This happened so recently. I remember my elementary school project in Indiana and feeling so proud that we "owned" such a beautiful and exotic state. I know-Japan Pearl Harbor military statigy, defense and all that.
It still does not feel right as I walk these island back roads. It feels like the land naturally belongs to the heavy set, dark skinned people who waved to me while passing by. Yes, I saw the beer in that hand that was not on the steering wheel They were not drunk just comfortable in the big white car bouncing along on the dusty road.
Now that I have said how we should not own the land I will say out the other side of my mouth,
I saw a really neat looking fixer upper house without glass in the windows on that very same road. It sat high above the land and needed lots of TLC. I don't know if I could live comfortably in a house like that one. I bet it wobbles in earthquakes. I don't know if I could ever feel like it was my home.
Maybe we all own all the land in the world and we should not draw dotted or bold lines to divide them. Can't everyone just give and take a little in a peaceful way and we could all just live in peace? Aren't there enough avocados for everyone if we share?
By the way, we are forced to eat more avocados now because they are all getting ripe at the same time. What a shame. They taste so fine.
I miss my family and friends. It is so nice to talk to so many of you. I do really like being here and being out the normal routine. Ian is doing well at the shop and I hope he can hang around long enough for me to get resettled and not pick up again on those frantic way-to-long hours at the shop. I love my job but want more balance. Ambition is exhausting when out of control.
More photos tomorrow.
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