July 19, 2008

Written August 31

Dear Friends and Families,

Good news: it's Saturday. Even better: it rained. Otherwise, we would have had another day of fixing the yard. Now, I really like our back yard but it does drive our weekend plans so, when rain made mowing impossible, we had to ask: What now?

The answer was a pair of local "fests". In the moring, a ceramics market at a nearby palace. In the afternoon, a handcrafts fair at a small museum, also nearby.

Ceramic Show at Weingartsgreuth Palace

Last year, we bought Igor, our garden guard at the Weingartsgreuth ceramic show and were impressed with the quality of all the ceramics so this year we looked forward to another visit. The rain and gray skies dampened attendance, but the quality of the ceramics was still impressive and the setting impressive, as before.

This year we bought only a small coffee jar, but touched everything along the way. There is something about nicely done ceramics that begs a tactile connection. We also chatted a bit with the lady at the gate, who turned out to be paqrt of the organizing team for this show and the one in our own village. She and her husband live at Weingartsgreuth, in the house not the palace, and have taken on the task of bringing good art work to shows in our little valley. We certainly wish them well!

John and Marianne