Retrieving Pottery Equipment
A few shrimpy gals and I circumnavigated the Olympic Peninsula and in our first few days of the trip, we stayed in Joyce at the lovely Camp Epona. On that trip, we were sheltering in the barn because it had started to rain after dinner. While I was unpacking my bike in the barn, I noticed that there was a small pottery kiln in one of the barn stalls. I have been a ceramic sculptor and potter since I was in high school and it’s something that I miss a whole lot.
The next morning before we rode out, I asked the property owner about the kiln and if she had much use for it anymore. For context, I had met her before and she had been pretty open about the fact that she had made plans for the property to be turned into a publicly accessible land trust after her passing, and she already had a conservator. She told me that if I wanted the kiln I could have it for cost, and there was also a pottery wheel buried somewhere in the barn I could have, too. I felt like my heart was going to explode. I told her that I was really serious and I would come back in a few weeks to pick it up.
I had reserved a campsite at Sol Duc Campground for the end of August. It was originally meant to be a bike trip — biking from Seattle or Port Angeles to camp at the hot springs, and making our way back on Sunday. Since we had so recently done a big bike trip, we elected to combine the camping reservation with the retrieval of the pottery equipment.
We left on Friday afternoon, and set up camp on Friday night in the dark. In the morning the property owner came to greet us with her adorable little tricycle and codependent dog. I told her that I knew where the kiln was but I couldn’t find the pottery wheel. She pointed to a pile of junk in a corner of the barn and said it was at the bottom of the pile.
The pottery wheel is at the very back there, behind a greasy, sharp grill, next to a composting toilet, and under a blackberry bramble and coil of barbed wire.
I spent half an hour rearranging and digging through this pile of tetanus-ridden junk, and finally discovered the pottery wheel. It was covered with a thick film of rat shit. I was really nervous I would get bubonic plague or some other kind of respiratory disease, but I am happy to report that I am still healthy! We dragged the pottery wheel and kiln to electrical outlets to test them. The wheel’s motor was working, but could not make the table spin (easy enough to figure out), and the kiln was functional! I was so relieved. We would need to do a lot of restoration work to make the equipment functional for use, but for $180 for the whole setup, I think we can afford it.
We hosed down the pottery wheel so that Dumpling didn’t have a bunch of rat shit all over her car, and we headed down to the Log Cabin Resort to spend the day by the lake. Despite the loud families and several groups of people without masks, it was a gorgeous day and the lake was the perfect temperature. I did a lot of reading, ate our shared stockpile of snacks, and felt more relaxed than I had in a long time.
That night we hung out by the campfire, talked about our insecurities in work and relationships. I vented about some issues I was having in a friendship and got some really amazing feedback and advice. I had not had a day so full of love and connection with people and nature in so long. With the exception of the cuts I sustained from rust metal in the barn, it was one of the most beautiful days of my life. We ended the night with a gorgeous meal of buttery grits, greens, and sausage followed by s’mores by a roaring campfire.
I’ve learned so much about my friends and myself around a campfire. Campfire chats are always so nourishing. There is a comfort and quasi-anonymity about being surrounded by darkness and warmed from a fire your friends made together. It feels easy to talk about the more trying and vulnerable parts of life with the fire to draw focus. There have been a lot of moments on my bike trips where I feel I have drawn closer to my beautiful community, but I can definitely say that they are usually concentrated around the fire.
The next day Dumpling made us the most insane breakfast. She made some kind of tomato-y, spicy, eggy, shakshuka-like stew, a goat cheese caprese salad, and perfectly-toasted artisan bread. It was the most delicious food I’ve had camping, and certainly one of the tastier things I’ve had for breakfast. But then again, Dumpling always delivers!
We took our time getting home, taking time to visit Salt Creek Recreation Area and it’s gorgeous coastline and forest. The campgrounds were huge, and most overlook the Salish Sea between Washington and Vancouver Island. We could see the mountainous outline of the Canadian wilderness in the backdrop. The tide was very high when we visited, and I would love to go back and explore the abundant tidepools.
