Quick Firing Update!

I just wanted to pop a quick update here to announce my innaugural bisque firing is complete!  The kiln cooled down pretty nicely yesterday afternoon and so I was able to get to loading up the kiln around 4:30PM. 

Krystal thought she should snap another picture of me and my kiln.

Here's the bottom level - not quite done loading it up!

Turned the kiln on before we headed out for a date night (dinner+"True Grit").  Speaking of, I have been quite impressed by Jeff Bridges lately.  He was phenomenal in "Crazy Heart" (just a well done movie, with country music I could get behind) and did a great job in "Grit."  "Tron" - not so much, but whatever.  And, really, he was very impressive in "Iron Man."  I mean, really, that should have been the Oscar right there.  I guess maybe I was thrown off his trail cause I never understood what was so great about "The Big Lebowski" (besides, of course, "The Dude abides), but I've really enjoyed where he's been at the last couple years.  So, well done.

So I fired up the kiln around 6, set on slow fire mode just to make sure I baked out any last bits of moisture hiding in those vases before the the temps really cranked.  Woke up this morning around 5 (painfully) and we were at about 1850 degrees, climbing toward 1950ish.  Took care of my morning routines and came back with the camera shortly after 7 for the completed firing. 

12h32 minutes to fire to ^04.  Cooling to 1735 at 7:30 am.

It's just about cool enough to unload, so we'll have pictures of fresh pink bisqued pots (tomorrow?).  Not nearly as exciting as opening a fresh glaze kiln, but you take what you can get.  Krystal's out of town for the next couple of days so I have free range to spend as much time potting as I like.  Which means I'll probably put in a couple hours tonight, read for a little bit, throw/trim a couple more pots and head to bed by 10.  Apparently I'm like all boring and adult, but that's the way it is.  Besides, bad things happen when I'm in the studio past my bedtime.

One last parting thought from one living up towards the topperly portions of the northern hemisphere: I got off work at 5PM tonight and went outside to find the sun shining.  Can you believe it?  The sun!  At 5PM!  Shining!  Spring is on the way, folks, spring is clearly on the way.  Nevermind that it was only 3 degrees out (Fahrenheit).

Have a great night, er'body!