pecan

photograph by rinne allen

from the r.wood vault

rebecca's going through lots of boxes that have been packed up for years, selecting plates for a pottery retrospective she'll be having at the hudgens art center in june. here's a small sampling of plates!

skeleton leaf

photograph by rinne allen

quarry

we have written here before about the different rock quarries we swim in each summer…

the recent warm temperatures have made it a perfect time for swimming, so this past weekend we headed out with some families to swim and camp for the night at one of the quarries nearby. while the children swam & played, i did my usual wander around and looked at all the patterns in the stone and textures. i love the lichens, wildflowers, and craggy plants that grow here. part of this quarry is still mined for stone, while the other part is abandoned and safe for swimming. we look forward to many days of swimming and exploring here this summer!

words & photographs by rinne allen

mountain shadows

photo by kristen bach

Isaqueena Falls

the other day my daughter, a friend and i went hiking in the mountains.  we hopped in our car and drove about an hour and half north east to walhalla, south carolina.  it doesn't take long to leave the city and be submerged in beauty!  this short hike to isaqueena falls was worth the trip!

photos and words by kristen bach

mulberries

photograph by rinne allen

poppies

i still have some flowers left over from our spring beauty day…some of mandy’s beautiful poppies. 

after arranging them in a simple kenzan, i left them in my studio to dry…i love the faded colors and shapes they made!

photographs and words by rinne allen

native azalea

photograph by rinne allen

Jeruselum Rice

there were so many highlights from our beauty day and we have loved sharing our recipes, arrangements, and overall inspiration from the day!

one of my highlights of the day was spending the day in the kitchen, cooking up fresh and beautiful food with a group of talented ladies! i spend a lot of time in the kitchen but not a whole day, it was a big treat for me! 

many of the attendees asked for this rice recipe and i promised to share, it comes from the Jerusalem cookbook by yotam ottolenghi.

here is a link to the original recipe, i of course had to add some of my own touches!
while this recipe is about as perfect as they come, i wanted to add some spring bounty to the mix since we have so many wonderful herbs and vegetables growing right now. 

we added loads of fresh chives, grated carrots, spring onions, and a little bit of cilantro. we topped the beautiful salad with some chive blossoms for presentation.  give it a try and add some locally grown goodness to the mix!  and enjoy!

photos and words by kristen bach

clover

photograph by rinne allen

maria dondero

i love maria's work, and she recently got a new studio, so i went to visit. it is in an old railroad building and she shares it with 3 other potters. it is roomy and bright, after many coats of paint. there is a wood stove for warmth, and lots of plants on the windowsill.

maria has been making pots for a living for 8 years, and even having twins hasn't slowed her down. she sells her wares on her website and has studio sales, as well as other pottery shows. her work is spontaneous, colorful, full of story, and full of life that is constantly changing. her pots are thrown and hand built, large and small, but all with incised drawings inspired by what is all around.

she has an adorable shop adjoining her workspace, with tables and cupboards filled with her work, and the work of her studio mates. very welcoming and wonderful!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

stream

photograph by rinne allen

wood firing

after a few years, i'm doing a wood firing again. the wood kilns are out in the country at geoff picket's. there are two kilns to load, and i helped for two days loading one of them. it holds 100's of pots, so it takes a long time. geoff knows every square inch of the kiln, and always takes great pains to put each person's pot where it will have the best chance of success. 

there are 6-8 potters that all brought pots to fire. it seems like there are so many we will never fit them all in, but they all go in .all the potters will take turns feeding the fire.

we work all day under cover of the kiln shed to protect us from sun and rain. i attach wads on the bottom of each pot to hold it slightly off the kiln shelf. the air smells of honeysuckle and the wind is gently blowing all day. we work at a steady pace.

today i will help put the doors up on the kiln. more on that next week!

photographs and words by rebecca wood

oysters

photo by kristen bach

apalachicola

considering there is a beach as close as 4 hours away, we don't get away nearly enough!  when we do, we love exploring all of the little beach towns all around.  we recently camped in cape san blas and loved exploring the nearby city, apalachicola.  there were mountains and mountains of oyster shells, old boats, fishing nets, and many lovely buildings that were once active to the fishing and oyster industry.

while we were driving around we listened to this gravy episode on the rise and fall of the oyster industry in apalachicola.  it's worth a listen!

photos and words by kristen bach

grasses

photograph by rinne allen

bouquets

photographs by rebecca wood, blooms from 3 porch farm

native azalea

photograph by rinne allen

spring herb shortbread cookies with blooms

i made these simple shortbread cookies for our beauty day that we hosted last weekend.  our entire day was filled with flowers so i thought it would be an appropriate way to wrap up our inspiring day!

so i said these were simple.....i really mean it!  flour, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla, and juice of one lemon.  i also added some lemon thyme to give them some texture and an herbacious flavor.

recipe
1 cup butter, unsalted at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
juice of 1 small lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla
fresh lemon thyme, other herbs like rosemary, sage, or basil will work too
fresh edible flowers like violets or pansies
1 egg white
-mix butter, flour, sugar, lemon, salt, and vanilla together
-add the herbs
-on a floured surface, roll dough out
-using a biscuit cutter, carefully cut a disk
-place disks and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
-bake at 350 degrees for 40 or so minutes, until you begin to see a slight variation in color
-remove from oven and brush with egg white and carefully add the flowers to top
-place in oven for 5 minutes
-remove from oven and enjoy!

photos and words by kristen bach