Creativity Support

Each February, a group of ceramics students from my school travels north to the artist's community at Peter's Valley. Here they spend the weekend learning to use all sorts of kilns to fire the pots and other projects they have made in ceramics class at school. And now it must be admitted that my knowledge about all of this is exceedingly limited...and I've pretty much told you everything that I knew about making pottery.

So I was happy to wrangle an invitation to go along on the ceramics trip this past weekend. I went to help chaperone the kids and to learn some more about the making of ceramics and also to see this fabulous place in New Jersey.
Among other things, going on the trip gave me the opportunity to cook and feed just over 20 hungry teenagers. There is nothing I find more satisfying than feeding a hungry crowd and that's what I did this past weekend.

For their part, the students kindly included my boy in their fun; demonstrated their talents in pottery-production, ping pong, and Guitar Hero; and then ate heartily of all the things I set on the table for them. I now know with certainty that when called upon, 22 teenagers can easily consume 100 pancakes, 2 dozen scrambled eggs and 3 pounds of bacon in a little less than an hour.
Peter's Valley was utterly beautiful in the snow and with walks in the snowy woods, watching the ceramics projects come out of the kilns, and the pleasure I get cooking for a crowd, it was a most lovely way to spend the weekend.