![\"Robert](\"http:\/\/www.ancientrails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Robert-Briscoe.jpg\")
<\/a>all of fall is ahead.” \u00a0Yeah. \u00a0I like it in the rain and mist we had today, an atmosphere that makes me think of falls gone by, the ones I thought of as normal.<\/p>\n(Briscoe’s showroom is the building at the rear.)<\/p>\n
We drove up to Stark, Minnesota today to Robert Briscoe<\/a>‘s home and studio. \u00a0He has a fall sale, a 24 year tradition. \u00a0It includes other potters. \u00a0This year Jo Severson,\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Jason Trebs\u00a0and\u00a0Matthew Krousey. \u00a0His home and studio sit on a high point surrounded by a maple, beech and birch forest.<\/p>\n Long, maybe 20 feet long sawn boards, 2x2x18, placed on metal sawhorses held the pottery. \u00a0Some it was under a white tent, but most of it sat out in the rain. \u00a0We bought a large vase and I poured two inches of rain water on the ground.<\/p>\n Briscoe is a big bluff former Kansan. \u00a0We talked about tornadoes. \u00a0He said his dad would gather the kids on the front porch and point out the funnel clouds as they descended from the sky.<\/p>\n All four potters make pottery meant for home use. \u00a0We bought bowls and plates, the vase, a small bowl with a top and two cups. \u00a0Having handmade items, varied in design and color, makes each meal special. \u00a0Too, we get to know the people who made them so the pieces are personal, not anonymous. \u00a0Both things appeal to me. \u00a0A lot.<\/p>\n After leaving Stark, we headed back down Highway 65 to Anoka County 18. \u00a018 runs through the largest nature reserve in the metro area, Carlos Avery<\/a>, and on the grounds of Carlos Avery is the Wildlife Science Center<\/a>. \u00a0Today was an event there called the Harvest Howl and sounded very interesting. \u00a0Local vendors. \u00a0See wolves and other wild animals. Support good work.<\/p>\n The center is just beyond two stone and cement pillars topped with an old worked iron arch that says Carlos Avery Game Farm. \u00a0It was better in my head than on the ground. \u00a0It was wet, for one thing, which lifted the urine and feces scent from the ground and distributed it. \u00a0For another, the center focuses on real science. \u00a0That is, they train DNR, Animal Control personnel on how to handle bears, wolves and other critters. \u00a0They also train scientists in how to tranquilize and examine various species. \u00a0What I’m trying to say is the area is not spiffed up for an afternoon’s stroll on a wet day.<\/p>\n It looks clunky, down at the heels. \u00a0It’s a shoe-string operation and it shows.<\/p>\n Worth going to once. \u00a0Probably not for a return visit. \u00a0Except maybe in dry weather.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fall \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 New (Samhain) Moon Kate said she likes this time, when the gold colors have just begun to appear, because “it seems … Continue reading Ceramics and Wolves<\/span>