Pottery 101

"There's no retirement for an artist, it's your way of living so there's no end to it."
::: Henry Moore :::


So I am finally going to show my pottery. Here are 3 of my pieces. The first is my first project that was a hand molded object. Mine kept losing shape and I finally thought it looked a little like an old ballet slipper so that is what it became. It is good for holding miscellaneous stuff. There were a couple of projects in between the ballet slipper and my bowl but they didn't photograph well so I have not included them in my pictures. My bowl turned out quite well but the glazing is a bit uneven. All 10 students were trying to glaze all of their projects from the six week class at the same time and it made for a rather chaotic process.The last picture is an extruded piece which can be used as a funky vase or perhaps a pencil holder. I know that will be a very popular Christmas present this year. I am anxious to get back to the classroom and try my hand at some more projects but I just haven't found the time yet.I suspect that I will be spending much more time there this winter.






Just got a call from Jessica about the LA quake today. She said it was pretty impressive. There appeared to be no problems at the Fox Studio but she is anxious to get to her apartment and see if anything is damaged. Definitely the largest quake since she has been in LA.

Ups and downs

"Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell."
Edna St Vincent Millay

Thoughts of John have been close to the surface this week for no apparent reason. Some good and some still painful. I know life is going on at a pace we can't control but sometimes I find myself still wishing I could have just a little more time with him. He was such a great son and I was so proud of him. I just wish I had known that our time together would be so short.

I am looking forward to Jessica's visit next week and my time with her will be precious because of the lessons learned. You cannot go back in time. Spent it wisely.

After 3 consecutive days of golfing I guess cleaning the house is a nice change of activity. Friday I played at Fostoria Country Club in a Toledo District event, Saturday was the Belmont Founders Day event and Sunday was a friendly game with neighbors. Fortunately the weather has been delightful and the scores OK. I truly cannot believe that August begins this week. The summer is passing much too quickly.

I am sure the level of activity has helped to keep my mind occupied and out of the hole Edna Millay speaks of.

Ahh...summertime

"A life without love is like a year without summer." ~Swedish Proverb

As much as I love the seasonal weather of the Midwest I wonder if it is because of the wintertime that makes the summer so wonderful. Would sitting on the deck in the evening be quite as wonderful if it could be done all year long? Would we really want to play golf every week all year long? Would going to the swimming pool be quite as much fun if we did it everyday? Somehow I just don't think so. And as much as I am enamored with summertime right now, I know when the cool evenings come around and we get the jeans and sweaters out for football season, I will think perhaps fall is my favorite season. But for now I am surely enjoying my summertime.

Just one more...OK 2 or 3

I can't resist sharing my pictures of AJ. It just makes me smile to see him having so much fun.





One more thing I want to share is that my nephew Tim Bosserman (who caddied for Steve at the Jamie Farr) is on a mission trip with his church group to Gabon, Africa. He has arrived and will be there for about 2 weeks. They have set up a blog at http://theimageingabon.blogspot.com/. These are exceptional young people and I think many of my blog readers would enjoy reading about their mission in Gabon, as well as seeing pictures of Gabon. I know I am.

Another AJ day at the pool

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world."
Ada Louise Huxtable

This quote is so true. Today was an exceptional day at the pool with AJ and Mike. We had so much fun. AJ loves being with the other kids at the pool. It brought back so many memories of my times at the pool in the summer. Just fun days.Take time, no MAKE TIME, to spend at the pool with your kids.

Guess what I did yesterday

Monday morning slow down

"Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow."
Doug Firebaugh

Finally I think a quiet week is in store. I want to enjoy a little summer. Play a little tennis, hit a few golf balls and relax.

We had a busy weekend as Steve turned 59 years old on Saturday. We had the traditional lobster dinner on the deck on Saturday night and although we have given up on the lobster races everyone enjoyed eating the delicacy. If only we could get some good sweet corn to go with them. The big hit this year was the musical cards. And Steve got a new set of binoculars (from Bass Pro) so look out on the golf course as we will be spying on you when you are playing numbers 9, 17 and 18.

Counting down the days now until Jessica comes home for vacation. That will be a busy week!

Steve in the Celebrity Pro Am Tournament

"I know I am getting better at golf because I am hitting fewer spectators."
Gerald R. Ford


Yesterday, Wednesday July 9, Steve was the guest of a friend/client playing in the celebrity Pro Am Tournament at the LPGA Jamie Farr Classic. The pro for his team was Meg Mallon and the celebrity was Chuck Ealey. Many of you Toledo natives may remember Ealey who led the Toledo Rockets to three straight Top 20 finishes and three straight Tangerine Bowl victories from 1969-1971, winning the MVP award after all three games.He also won the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player award. Ealey's jersey is one of only four retired jerseys in the history of Toledo football, and was elected to the MAC Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1988. He led the team to 35 consecutive wins during this time, a record that still stands.

Meg Mallon is a former champion at the Jamie Farr Classic and has played well here often. She attended The Ohio State University, where
she earned All-Conference honors from 1984-85 and was the runner-up at the 1985 Big Ten Championship. Perhaps there was a little talk of Ohio State between she and Steve as they played.

Fortunately they had a great time as their score of -8 was middle of the pack. Steve was able to get our nephew Tim Bosserman, to caddy for him so that added to the pleasures of the day. It was a ton of fun to walk the course with them and cheer them on. So at the end of the day as this has been my celebrity week I had Steve snap a shot of Meg and I. Now I have pictures of myself and 2 LPGA pros. If I keep these pictures under my pillow maybe I will pick up some of their skills through osmosis or at least dream of playing so well.


____________________Steve and Meg_____________________



____The Team ...Denny Johnson, Steve, Meg, Steve Guillard, Chuck Ealey




________________Tim Bosserman, Meg, Steve_________________



_________________Steve, Chuck, Tim_______________



_________________Meg and Linda____________

LPGA in Town for Jamie Farr Classic

Golf quotes this week.

"If it goes right, it's a slice.
If it goes left, it's a hook.
If it goes straight, it's a miracle!"

Yesterday Hall of Fame golfer, Nancy Lopez, was playing our golf course. As she was coming up the 18th hole which we live on I got my camera out. Her shot to the green was practically in our backyard. I took her picture and she invited me to have one taken with her. It topped a great golf day as I had shot my record low nine holes earlier in the day which even when added to my front nine placed me in second for the Belmont flag tournament.

Happy Fourth of July

“Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”

Abraham Lincoln

A couple more shots from yesterday morning. We did have a great fireworks display last night and for a change the wind was not blowing all of the debris into our yard this year.


A morning person in the making



Please, please can we go outside and play




OK I'll work with grandpa

Almost like Old Times

I woke up this morning to a familiar sight after the Belmont fireworks party. A room full of John's friends sleeping in the family room. Marty, Annal, and Jesi with AJ were soundly sleeping as I quietly walked around the kitchen getting Mike ready for work. Our Belmont fireworks got rained out Wednesday night but we had friends and family over this year for a pre fireworks picnic. The kid's friends have always been invited to this event and we decided this year would be no different. When we went to bed they were still going strong. Amanda was here too although she opted to drink less and drive home. It was a feel good memory for me although of course it made me miss John and Jessica too.

Jesi is waking up every few hours to check AJ's sugar levels because they are still tweeking the amount of insulin he gets. He has got his cheeks back though and was a joy to have here as well. Here are some of the pictures from last night.

Patriotic Quotes This Week

"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.
- Adlai Stevenson