A very weekend-like weekend

Yesterday, we had quite a full day of non-school and non-work activities. Yay!

We got up early enough to feel like we had time for a real breakfast. I made crepes – yum!!! The basic crepe recipe in Joy of Cooking is as simple, if not more so, than regular pancakes and they are so delicious in flavor and texture. Then I just throw a bag of frozen mixed berries in a saucepan for awhile to make a fruit sauce, and with whipped cream or even just yogurt, it beats a restaurant breakfast all hollow. (Except you have to clean up the mess. That’s the main reason I like eating out nowadays – my cooking is good, but I hate to clean.)

Next we headed off to the Craft Center to glaze our most recent ceramics pieces before the term’s last kiln firing early next week. I had a flower pot, 2 bowls, and a mug to work on, and I managed to get them all done while we were there. Glazing is such an involved process. First you have to sponge down the piece and dip the bottom in wax to leave a spot unglazed (which keeps the piece from fusing to the shelf inside the kiln.) You can paint on details using oxides, which react differently under or over the various glazes. Then you want to dip your piece, either completely or partially, in 2 to 5 coats of 1 or more glazes – the Craft Center stocks about a dozen or so. All of which turn out differently depending on how you layer and overlap them. I tried a drip-on effect with some of my items, using an eyedropper. And, between coats, you’re supposed to let the piece dry pretty thoroughly. So it’s good to plan at least 3 hours to glaze a batch of pots.

I survived the marathon glazing session by snacking on some nuts and dried fruit I had brought from home, but I’m a pretty cranky camper until I’ve had some lunch. We headed over to the Glenwood for a home-style burger. Whew, now I feel better.

It was another beautiful afternoon. I knitted outside on a bench while BN finished up some more glaze, and then we sat in a coffee shop (I knitted, B journaled) and people-watched the flip-flop clad folks strolling in the sun outside.

Back at home we ate Mac n Cheese and played Settlers of Catan. It’s really better for more than 2 players, but we’ve adapted some rules and it usually turns out to be a good game. BN won by a narrow margin – this time!

We stayed up way past our bedtime to go see a movie – a video recording of a U2 concert, 1987 in Los Angeles. It was a professional recording, not some bootleg … Rock ON!!! They played all our favorites. You may not know this about me but I actually love rock concerts. I can’t resist rockstars when they’re up there in their element. The long hair, the enthusiastic stage stunts. Takes me back to 1987… just kidding, I was 10. Actually, it takes me back to 1997, when I was actually somewhat in on the “scene.” I knew some guys in local bands and my cousin was Woody, (“the Woody?!”) guitarist for 2-Car. Those were the days, in the late 90’s when ska was the thing and going to a show meant a full cardiovascular workout, dancing and jumping around. Fun, fun, fun. I’m a fairly new U2 fan but they rock so hard. Bono – yeah, he’s the best ever. Gotta love that voice, which sounded great even (especially?) in the live recording.

So, yeah – it was nice to have such a stress-free weekend to kick off Spring Break. BN’s giving his trig class their final on Tuesday, and then we’re off to SJ for a 10-day visit with family and friends.