Where we are now….
It has certainly been a minute ….. or 10!
But we are still here, still making, still navigating, and overall doing well. I hope this post finds YOU doing well. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time.
When we closed the Studio in March 2020, we went into “cocoon mode” just like the rest of the world. I was so thankful that my immediate family stayed healthy, but I did lose family members during Covid as so many of us did. It was a scary time and I truly hope that we have left those particularly dark days behind us.
I decided it would be best for me personally to not reopen the Studio. In December 2019, I had had major spinal surgery to stabilize my neck and lower back to stave off paralysis! I was incredibly lucky to have been treated by Dr. Christopher Good with the Virginia Spine Institute. He literally got me up and moving, and with a few hiccups along the way my spine is STABLE and I am mostly back to doing what I love to do - making pottery and glass. I am incredibly thankful to Dr. Good and all the doctors, physical therapists, and staff at Virginia Spine Institute for being patient and so wonderfully supportive.
On March 11, 2020, I was released for my first 1 hour (supervised visit) back to the Studio. It was a bittersweet reunion with staff and customers. We were all so happy to see one another again, but I quickly realized that keeping the Studio open was not in anyone’s best interests. So, with a heavy heart on March 12, 2020, I closed the Studio to the public.
Over the past four (4) years, it has been fascinating to meet SO many customers who still thought I was open! It really warms my heart each time someone says “oh, yeah, Big Dog Pots, I was going to call and….”
We miss SO many things about the Studio, but mostly we miss YOU!
Fast forward to today!
I am still able to make pottery both hand-building and on the wheel, and Hugh and I are still making fused and stained glass. I still create in the same Studio space, but we are closed to the public. A few years back, I decided to “rejoin society” and I ventured into the wonderful community that is Archwood Green Barns Farmer’s Market in The Plains, Virginia. I am now a “permanent” vendor and have a FUN horse stall INSIDE the Barn. Each week I unload my kiln and bring all sorts of wonderful, new, HOT (literally) pottery pieces with me to greet the steady flow of customers. It has been such a lovely way to reconnect with the community, with friends, with customers, and to meet a whole new group of families, pets, other vendors, and of course new customers.
I am here every Sunday, beginning April 7, 2024, from 10-2pm. Local customers follow along on either Facebook or Instagram each week, and then stop in on Sundays to see what comes out of the kiln.
I have LOTS of plans for this new website, and new blog. Thanks for following along, and if you are in town, stop by at the Barn and say hello! I will be so happy to see YOU!
