Rebuild Update #2, 10/4/21
I have started throwing for my first kiln load since the wildfire. Last week we hauled off the 1 remaining burned vehicle, and felled the biggest burned up tree on the pad. After tidying up that part of the yard, We removed most of the tools from the pump house, and stored them in a water-tight trailer.
Yesterday I threw a dozen pots for my upcoming first firing. Industrial Minerals Company in Sacramento gave me a 50% discount on my very large order of raw materials. My clay mixer and small 8 cubic foot kiln were next to the pump house, all unharmed by the wildfire. At evacuation I rescued my 2 potter's wheels, my de-airing pugmill, and my clay and glaze recipes. Most of my other tools will need to be replaced, so the first few dozen pieces will be especially "freehand."
My friend Steve coached me on how to fell a tree with a wider trunk diameter (30") than my chainsaw blade length (24"). He had to do the most challenging cuts. There are quite a few more burned up trees, but of a more manageable size.
We have only finished about 25% of the cleanup, but we are starting to research replacing the first workshop with a metal, prefabricated 2 car garage, retrofit as my second pottery studio. My little 100 square foot temporary studio and tiny kiln will allow my to express myself as an artist. I am hoping to resume my full output in 2022, perhaps in the summertime, while I prepare the new workshop for next winter.
