Spring Sprung (last week) With the FIRST Sunflower of the Season

Blue-bird days last week allowed me to finally weld. I'm needing to work outside until Daddy-O gets our little garage/shop rewired and ready for mama to start art making. I made a large garden sunflower to donate to the annual Passage House luncheon to benefit the Covenant House program. 

No welding today, however...

This is what we woke to this morning... May 4th and SNOW?!  Even my car seems to be mocking Spring!

Want to BID on this Sunflower?? Come to the Passage House Luncheon!

Passage House, which is located in a residential neighborhood on the east side of Anchorage, is Covenant House Alaska’s (CHA) transitional living program for young women who are pregnant or parenting. Our program provides young mothers and their children with a place to live for up to 18 months, while they gain the necessary skills and resources to become productive, successful, independent adults who can care for themselves and their families. Passage House is the only program in the State of Alaska that provides shelter and services for young mothers and their babies.

The luncheon is a garden party theme this year and we are collecting donations for our silent auction. If you would like to make or donate an item, we are accepting garden items, lawn art, handmade crafts or goods. For more information about the event or needs, please contact Sheila Parker at 339-4406 or sparker@covenanthouseak.org

 One last weekend before the big thaw, Will and friends were riding in Turnagain Pass last week. 

It's a beaut isn't it?!

Big Fatty Flakes

This weekend the Mountain was calling! Big, fatty flakes fell all weekend and Mother Nature put on a different show every day. This is the view of Mt. Alyeska from our deck. For some incredible shots of skiing in Turnagain Pass, check out our photographer friend Heather's Blog.

Before celebrating the long weekend skiing, I put together some great wall tiles for Half Moon Creek Gallery in Anchorage. The tiles were slab rolled and made using the seascape molds Bill and I made, Seamist and White Tile clay bisque fired at ^ o4, then fired at ^05 using a variety of beautiful Amaco and Speedball commercial gloss and matt glazes. I plasma cut out some steel crabs, kelp and starfish 

components, finished with a natural rust patina and then wired everything together.  I had collected the driftwood last summer from the beach in Homer. There are at least 4 milk crates filled 

with various driftwood pieces in the shop. Of course these crates look like treasure chests of gold to the dogs! We were sure to gather plenty of extra because Tauzer gets a couple long sticks each week to munch while I work. The Gallery said a few of the SeaWall Tiles had already found new homes for Valentines Day.