It's been a bit since my last entry. That's because my husband and I have been on a little working vacation. We just got back from trip to visit the oldest of our kids and her family in Virginia. While we were there, we spent a bunch of time in the wonderful, artistic community of Floyd, Virgina which is just a few miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway. One of the most striking things about Floyd is how integrated arts and music are in their everyday activities.We stayed at the Hotel Floyd which has 14 rooms, furnished with locally made furniture and art (right down to the tiles in the bathroom). Additionally, Hotel Floyd was constructed utilizing many "green" construction materials, technologies and methods. Each room is gorgeous and carries the theme of a particular favorite Floyd attraction.
On Friday night the Floyd Country Store holds a Friday Night Jamboree featuring local Bluegrass groups on their stage and on the street outside. During our visit to the Jamboree, there was one group on stage and four other groups playing on the street.
And just in case all that Floyd had to offer wasn't enough, Kevin and I attended classes at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts. Kevin took a blacksmithing class and I attended a class presented by the very talented Sarah McCarthy. It was a three day session in Texturing Wheel Thrown Pottery which I found very eye opening. I do some texturing of my pottery, but Sarah taught techniques and methods I'd never considered and really enjoyed. I can hardly wait for to see the bisqued pieces I'm having shipped home and to start using some of the things I've learned on my pottery. We had a great time in Floyd and can't wait to get back again.
