Shazaam! Another year is almost behind us. We hope that this missive finds you and yours safe and content.

What a year of changes! While we were not planning on adding to our little family, the universe had other plans. In February, Anna’s mom sent us an ad for a brindle puppy that resembled our Tucker so much that we had to go meet him. We are not making this up when we tell you that we ended up meeting a druggie in a parking lot at night – the pup was skin and bones and smelled of pot. The story on his history changed several times during the exchange and in the end, we knew that we had to get him out of that situation. An AmStaff/Cane Corso mix, Sully quickly gained weight and worked his way into our hearts. He and Anna took an obedience course in the late spring (they both passed, in case you are wondering).

Brodie, our resident little brown dog, is now 10 and is showing his age. He still plays with the young ones but is less tolerant and naps a little more than he used to.

Speaking of the young ones… this fall we adopted a white Doberman pup that Anna’s Mom rescued. It was pretty much love at first sight for Anna and Ghost, and after sorting out the logistics, he came to live with us. This loveable goofball is 9 months old and is already at full size.

NCECA, one of the largest conferences for ceramic arts came to Richmond, VA in March and with it being so close to home, Anna couldn’t pass up the opportunity. During her time there, she attended several seminars, got to meet hundreds of other potters, chat up vendors and manufacturers, and managed to score a sweet deal on a brand new kiln for the studio. 

In June, Anna traveled to Richmond again, but this time it was for a robotic radical hysterectomy. While they found stage 1 uterine cancer, the surgeon gave us a good prognosis with clear margins. Six month check ups for the next five years are on the calendar.

Over the summer we traded in our travel trailer, the Black Pearl, for a 2024 Alliance Delta (that’s travel trailer #4, for those of you following along at home). While the new trailer is basically the same size as the Pearl, the layout makes for a lot more room and we certainly appreciate the updated interior and amenities. It even has solar panels, to help us keep the battery charged.

Perhaps one of the biggest changes this year was the end of the partnership between Prancing Pony Pottery and Tessem Stoneware. We won’t go into details here, but luckily another potter reached out and offered a new opportunity. She and Anna had a good rest-of-the-season at MDRF and are trying to get approval to continue their joint effort in the future.

With our MDRF season being a bit topsy turvy, we took off for the last two weeks of the show to stay at a campground close to the faire. We enjoyed getting together with many friends, discovered Korean BBQ and baked goods, and finally got to give the new travel trailer a work out. 

One thing that didn’t change, much to Anna’s dismay, is our feathered flock of Possum and Duncan (Greg is a big old meanie man, and says we have no more room at the inn). Seeing Greg interact with our quirky little Conure is all the proof needed to know that Greg needed a parrot to play with. Possum, also a quirky little sweetheart, is a bit of a momma’s bird, which is just fine with Anna.

Greg is still working from home with just a few trips to Maryland for meetings during the year. Flex time allows him to become the Pottery Roadie[tm] during both the Virginia Renaissance Faire (VARF) and Maryland Renaissance Festival (MDRF), and wrangle the potter when she’s trying to get one (or three) kiln firings in before the start (or end) of a show. His big adventure this year, beyond potter wrangling, was getting his first two tattoos at our favorite tattoo studio in Remington, VA. Yes, he’s hooked, and yes he needs more ink.

Speaking of tattoos, Anna has added several pieces to her art collection, including one done at a tattoo convention (our first time attending one). Best of all, she got to be the Cool Aunt and took our niece, Ella for her first tattoo!

We hope that you enjoy the holiday season, no matter which holidays you are celebrating!

Anna Marie, Gregory, Brodie, Sully, Ghost, Possum, & Duncan

⇓ Keep scrolling to see our year in pictures & past holiday letters ⇓