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I'm going to swallow my frustration at losing a lengthy entry and move on. The living room really looks wonderful now that it's painted. It's looked awful for so long, dark and dingy with that glue everywhere, that I wasn't prepared to see it looking like a real room.

It is, however, looking very monochromatic. The walls ended up a much lighter color than I was expecting, almost the same color as the overstuffed couches. The trim is bright white, and the bookshelf is one shade lighter than the walls. The overall effect is one of floating in a sea of ecru. Lisa, Georg and I agreed that more color is needed, post haste. I have this beautiful brown upholstery fabric to make window valences, which will at least add some contrast if not a different color. Lisa suggested red, which suggestion I agree with wholeheartedly. I used to have a red pillow but it turned the back of my shirt red so I got rid of it.

Today Georg and I talked about staying home and finishing up the bookcase, but we decided that we needed to do something fun. At least, I do. I feel like I've done nothing but scrape and spackle and sand and paint for weeks. So we drove out to the Seagrove Pottery Festival. Seagrove is a small town outside Asheboro, about an hour and a half south of here, famous for pottery. The festival featured the traditional potters who've been there forever, notably the Owens family, as well as many others who have moved to Seagrove due to its reputation.

We had a great time walking around the booths looking at the variety of styles. Much of it was a bit, ah, country kitsch for my taste. You know, cookie jars with ducks painted on the side, or those hideous face jugs, that sort of thing. But there were some people doing beautiful, sophisticated work. One thing I'd never seen before was a crystalline glaze which created spectacular patterns, sort of like pressed flowers. There were also a few booths selling raku pottery, which I admire very much.

Another thing Seagrove is known for is bright red pottery. What a coincidence, since we're looking to add some red to our living room. We looked at the famous Owens booths (three generations of the family are working as potters, each with their own business) but ended up buying a pretty red vase from a guy who had run out of business cards, alas, so I don't know who he was. (Judging from his accent, he's pretty clearly not a North Carolina native.) The Owens red pottery was nice and all, but really expensive, and honestly it just didn't ring my bell. Maybe it's the cachet of having that Owens or Jugtown stamp on the bottom. And I guess it will be more valuable in future, being from a famous family and all. But I'd rather have the piece I liked best than spend $50 more to get one with a name attached to it.

After we got home I painted the fireplace and Georg made a wonderful dinner: steaks and white asparagus. Now it's time to watch Space Ghost.