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.

Monocle Man

Julian and I went to eat last night at our new favorite Mexican place, which we discovered after we kept getting stuck with one particularly unpleasant server at the old favorite Mexican place. We walked in and were seated immediately. We were put in a booth with this guy on the wall, and at the same time we both said, "Oh this is my favorite one!" The server grinned as he walked off to retrieve our chips. How can you not love him? He has a certain je ne sais quoi about him and we have named him 'Monocle Man'.

We talked about how it seems everyone has a food blog/cookbook; how I get my feathers ruffled by people who are self professed excellent bakers; the combination of basil and chocolate; other things.

We had our shopping night and I was on the prowl with ready money but nothing wanted buying, it seemed. I hate it when that happens.

On a better note, Sam's Club has some really good melons right now and thanks to learning how to choose them from the best of the best, it seems it may be possible to win Julian over to muskmelons in the end. Only time will tell...

Cold food, hot house

Its dark, the day is over. It is 84 degrees inside our house and 74 degrees out. Despite our efforts, nine south-facing windows don't help the cause when the air conditioner is busted. The repairman came back today and said it he had suspected a clog in a part (gee, thanks for not mentioning it yesterday) and that he could fix it for another $500 but not til Monday. We figured if the part couldn't be acquired until Monday and we had two more nights of "camping" in the basement, we would at least take the opportunity to get a second opinion. So it's been a no baking, no cooking, no clothes dryer, no hair dryer, no in-and-out-the-doors kind of day. Very relaxing and good for book reading but also quite handy for shortening one's temper.

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Ice Cream Recipe

My standard recipe, to which many additions can be made, is as follows:

2c. 2% milk
2c. heavy whipping cream
1c. granulated sugar
dash salt
2tsp. vanilla extract

Scald milk and dissolve sugar in hot milk. Remove from heat, add cream, salt and vanilla extract. Mix well and chill completely. Freeze according to your freezers instructions, makes 2 qt.

For this batch today, I added:

1/2 lb strawberries, hulled and scalded with milk, then whiz-erated in the blender
2T. lemon jucie