Last night I had the pleasure of being invited to the home of one of my former students to play some tunes and sing some songs with him, his wife and their two border collies. John and Holly have a wonderful little shop in Standardsville, Virginia called Noon Whistle Pottery where they offer their own pottery, but also the art of over 100 other artists from around the country including pottery, sculpture, jewelry, glass, woodwork, and paintings. They are a delightful couple and I very much enjoyed their hospitality. I instantly took a liking to John in my class as someone who dabbles in lots of interesting stuff. Be sure to check out the “after hours” section to their website for pictures of the making of his hand crafted guitar, Holly’s beekeeping, and on-going construction on a cottage in Ireland that John and his brother have been working on in recent summers. On the way out the door, John showed me his latest project that was lying in the back of his van – two curved pieces of cherry that will soon become a table. So more to explore with him next time when we discuss sawmills and handmade tables. Hope he makes it over to Ireland this summer as I’d love to see the cottage he’s working on in person!