Onta, Japan potters, etc.

Here are a couple more pictures from Onta, Japan.

Yesterday we changed our plans (does this sound familiar!); and decided to drive up the Blue Ridge to the Orchard at Altapass for lunch and maybe listen to the music and buy some goodies. We didn't stay long - lunch was mediocre and the music wasn't the best and they're no longer carrying the chocolate licorice that we enjoy; but we did get a little piece of home made chocolate fudge for later, and had an ice cream and then took a leisurely drive home.

When I got home I picked what may be the last of the tomatoes. Seems that potato blight has reached us and has hit most of the vines . About about half the tomatoes were rotting on the vine; but I did get one bag full and will probably make another pot of tomato soup with them.

Last night's dinner was upscale grilled cheese on English Muffins, baked with a topping of gruyere cheese, bread crumbs, garlic and basil. Tonight I'm making Italian sausages, a side of pasta with the fresh sauce I made two days ago and a salad. Fortunately we like tomatoes. Even with the blight, we still got plenty from the 28 or so tomato plants I planted this spring.

It rained this morning, so I headed for the studio to check the pots, which were still too wet to trim, so I worked on my photos, and then went out to pick grapes after the rain stopped, only to find that there were no grapes left! The deer and birds had wiped us out, so there won't be any home made grape jam this year.

The rain kept the workers away, so the driveway grading will have to wait till later in the week.