"The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war" Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1800-1990), the thought for the month of January on the 2010 Returned Peace Corps International Calendar.
One of the pleasures of the first day of the year is hanging the new calendar;  this one and no other. Because... I have had so much fun with my friends putting it together, a trip around the planet whenever I want to...a lot of color when it's so gray , and a living proof of the marvelous projects around the world that can be done even with such a bunch of diverse people working together.
Pretty inspiring...a great way to start the year!

Sometimes looking back is a good way to move forward, realizing how much distance we have traveled, and the good and not so great things that we learned along the way...more paths to travel.

October had Open Art Studios with lots of friends,

rembering to breathe...enjoying the fall colors, and the enchanted forest in the Arboretum

Even the zombies got the urge to go out and enjoy the last visits to Hanna at the Farmers Market.

November in NY with family...Evan and the sheep, his birthday and a visit to his class...

Walking Manhattan...people, museums, architecture

December...a big number birthday. Magic Alan with a wonderful surprise party that included flying my sister Susana from Argentina.

A new art buddy

Alan, with a lot of love for Van Gogh and with absolutely no previous experience, started exploring fiber arts...blows me away!

Clay

A year of many test tiles...many clay bodies...still challenging and with still a lot of the 400 lbs of red clay.

Lots of SO FUN! with Meredith...

and after so many failed terra sig tests...went back to the person that introduced me to terra sig at Penland, the one and only Jenny Mendes. She patiently answered my long, long list of technical questions.  

What a great way to start the new year! Let's see what happens....

 

It's been a busy summer. Let's see...

Rest of June:

A gorgeous and cool women's weekend in Washington Island.

We took some red clay for a spin...and back.

Lots of relaxing and inspiring time in the woods, the beauty of wilderness in Rock Island

Visited Meredith's pieces at the

Red Cup Coffee House a fun place to go on the island and yes...great coffee.

Still no takers on our beautiful 400 pounds of clay...most of it will be ageing for a while at Meredith & Joe's garage for years to come?

Joe rolled a few bags down the hill to the studio. I took a couple home. We sliced, soaked, reclaimed and recycled until the clay rebirthed into a beautiful and workable consistency sans cracks.

Tap, tap, tap...started red triptych

We dreamt some plans:

a few batches of terra sig,

pit fire in the garden,

more collaboration projects,

more SOFA

and more of our own SO FUN weekends.

Meredith's birthday in the studio...candles and all. I'm forbidden to post memories.

White earthenware people that also come in threes...

Many planes and trains through Europe in July:         The  wedding of my nephew Nicolas, took Alan and me to Geneva where a big chunk of my family lives. A worldwind of hugs and kisses, my sisters, nieces, nephews and great nephews: Lalo who is now 3 and meeting Fausto for the first time who was 10 months by then. My sister's friends...It was like back in Argentina, back to my life in castellano but in a different corner of the world.
For the bride's family perhaps it was too like back in Ghana...or not. Four full days of fun, many travelers, many languages spoken, different universes...
All the bride's family and friends spoke english, Alan was absolutely delighted and relieved.

Paris...
and
good quality time with my niece
Malena . She had found a friend's atelier for us in Menilmontant

an ethnic neighborhood home of artists and intellectuals ...tres cool! It was the anniversary of the Eiffel tower and the city was full of celebration .

 Little jewels like the many little unexpected green places used by parisians till the square inch.

A little shop in the Marais that reminded me of Chagall

 and yes

 the corner spot of Amelie Poulain's market,

a glimpse of the Tour Eiffel through Jean Nouvel amazing Musee du Quai Branly and the Patrick Blanc's luscious vertical garden and so much more.

Then...Spain: Salamanca. Plasencia, Madrid, Toledo and (sniff) back to Madison.

August:  finishing up work, party to celebrate hard working friends

September: how much fun can we have?

"Watchful" made it in time to Faces in the Wild

weekend in Chicago,

Hustling with Meredith to finish pieces for the Open Art Studios Show at the Overture Center

some didn't make it...

but others did!

another women's weekend in Florence (Wisconsin this time) but missed the RPCV calendar packing party

a wow Handmade Tile Conference in Edina, bought some tiles at the Tile Festival...and came back with my own Majolica Tile to fire at home

The last weekend of the month ended with a beautiful hike around Richland Center and candied apples for dessert. yum!