clayspace co-op in asheville, nc

When my mom came to visit me in Brevard we went to Asheville for a day, and while the city has a lot to offer (amazing restaurants!), I've heard about it largely in the context of being a hotbed for ceramics. So I dragged my mom into every ceramic studio we passed (Eventually it was, "Uh, Maureen, do you think we could look at something else now?"), and my favorite studio was the Clayspace Co-op. We walked in and chatted with one of the resident artists who came out from throwing in the back and was very friendly. They've set up their studio to be this great combination of a comfortably lived-in workspace + beautifully clean gallery, and I saw all my my favorite pieces of the day there. If you head to the River Arts District you have to stop in! Bonus: it's in the Wedge building, which houses a bunch of other studios and a brewery.

driving on the blue ridge parkway

Here are some photos that I took while Will and I drove up to stay in Virginia for a few days after Brevard, via the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's so beautiful! It took twice as long than if we had traveled by interstate, but it was well worth it. Or at least, I felt that way during the first four hours :) Back home in Kentucky now.

Brevard, North Carolina

 Haven't written anything in awhile here...a quick catch-up is that in the past month or so, I officially finished all my Master's degree requirements, had a couple weeks for a break, then prepped my apartment to be empty for most of the summer, and drove off to stay in Brevard, North Carolina for two months for a music festival. It's really beautiful here! BMC's campus is right on the edge of the Pisgah National Forest, (Think forested scenes from The Hunger Games; parts of it were filmed in the area.) so there is great hiking and loads of waterfalls to see in the area. We live in cabins, and the campus isn't huge, but big enough to accommodate about 400 students, plus faculty and workers. The food is decent, music good, and people friendly. I haven't taken many photos yet, but here are few from the dusky hour of the day. Hope you're all well and stay tuned for more tales to come :)

~xomo