Anna Brown Pottery

A few years ago, when we were still quite new to Morgantown, we spent our anniversary milling around town, going to places we'd never seen, places that were supposed to be tourist-y spots. The winery was terrible. They claimed they offered picnics. When we showed up and wanted to go on a winery picnic, they offered us a wooden board and recommended we buy some salami and cheese from their gift shop cooler. The 'tasting' was more of a 'you pick a random name off our list and I'll let you try it' - like going to the ice cream counter to try-before-you-buy. It was such a disappointment but on the way out the door, we stopped at the brochure rack and found a flyer advertising Anna Brown. Both having an affinity for nice pottery and fearing the day couldn't get more disappointing, we ventured off to parts unknown.

Down a one-and-a-half-maybe lane dirt road on the other side of town, we found Anna Brown at her home, in her garden, working on clay. We were the only visitors and she talked to us until our arms were limp and faces pale. She showed us how she makes each piece, from the slab roller to pressing the herbs, rubbing the pigments in and putting on the glaze. We wandered in her garden for a bit, seeing each of the plants an appreciating their textures anew. The visit transformed our day. 

We have visited her once or twice since then. She never remembers who we are so we get the whole song and dance all over again and that suits me just fine. I have been thinking it was about time to acquire a new piece or two but I decided that today was the day when I saw a fellow blogger's nature study on the Queen Anne's Lace. The pieces are expensive for "dishes" but cheap for "art" and a steal for "heirlooms." Its nice to have something special from this season of our lives.