cup of memories
I have this thing for mugs. My husband thinks I have a problem and repeatedly tells me not to buy any more coffee cups. But he doesn’t really understand that every one of this mismatched collection resting comfortably in our kitchen cabinet has a story and I choose one each morning based on my mood and the memory I want to embrace. Sometimes I pick one for color - I have several in calming blues and greens that help start the day. Sometimes I want to remember my grandmother, my Baba, and so I choose one that was hers. Sometimes I just want a really big mug of caffeine and so I choose something suitable for the kick. And sometimes I want to feel the warmth of the coffee seeping into my hands through something crafted by an artist, made from clay and unique as nothing mass produced can be. But regardless of what I choose or why, I know the tale that can be told as the steam rises and the scent of coffee fills my world.
And so on this journey I bought another mug.
The opportunity came about by chance. I was photographing shortly after sunrise at Bass Lake in Blowing Rock, NC (a charming and beautiful town nestled in the mountains) and I noticed an imposing white house high on the hill above me, prestigiously gazing out over the serenity of the morning. A helpful park ranger told me that this house was Cone Manor, housing the Parkway Crafts Center where every item for sale is made by local Southern Appalachian artisans. As part of the Moses Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and only a short drive from the lake, the decision to pack up my gear and head up that way was easy as visions of pottery danced in my head.
Half an hour later I left with a lovely turquoise mug created by Hank Goodman of Arden, NC. This one fit perfectly between my palms and had called rather loudly to me from the moment I walked in. It cost more than I normally would spend on kitchenware, but I paid for the moment. Now I have another piece to add to my shelf of memories. And every time I need to recall the cool, sweet smell of the mountains and the wind in my hair as I cruise the Blue Ridge parkway, I know just which mug I’ll choose.
Read more about the manor and craft center in this article from the Mountain Times http://www.mountaintimes.com/summer/mosescone.php3
Pictures of and from Cone Manor that morning
And so on this journey I bought another mug.
The opportunity came about by chance. I was photographing shortly after sunrise at Bass Lake in Blowing Rock, NC (a charming and beautiful town nestled in the mountains) and I noticed an imposing white house high on the hill above me, prestigiously gazing out over the serenity of the morning. A helpful park ranger told me that this house was Cone Manor, housing the Parkway Crafts Center where every item for sale is made by local Southern Appalachian artisans. As part of the Moses Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and only a short drive from the lake, the decision to pack up my gear and head up that way was easy as visions of pottery danced in my head.
Half an hour later I left with a lovely turquoise mug created by Hank Goodman of Arden, NC. This one fit perfectly between my palms and had called rather loudly to me from the moment I walked in. It cost more than I normally would spend on kitchenware, but I paid for the moment. Now I have another piece to add to my shelf of memories. And every time I need to recall the cool, sweet smell of the mountains and the wind in my hair as I cruise the Blue Ridge parkway, I know just which mug I’ll choose.
Read more about the manor and craft center in this article from the Mountain Times http://www.mountaintimes.com/summer/mosescone.php3
Pictures of and from Cone Manor that morning
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