Pot in the Park this Saturday? (GASP!)

Left: Muted Melodies, my entry in this year's Student & Member Show at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. Sagar fired.

Yup. I'll be doing pot-tery at Art-in-the-Park in Oldsmar this Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. No smoking, this time (as in RAKU, people!). Just throwing.

(Pity our daughter-in-law whose mother takes her Wii game when she travels out of town with her family. One friend misheard and thought she was taking weed with her. "Just what I need," our daughter-in-law said, "a mom who takes her weed with her wherever she goes and a father-in-law who's into pot.")

Finished groaning?

R.E. Olds Park, in Oldsmar, is on the water right at the top of Tampa Bay (directions to the park are below). Sounds as though there will be a great line-up of artists, crafters, and entertainers, including Comic Book artist Mark Pennington, a Paper Airplane artist Dean Mackey, dancers, musicians, spoken word performances, and more!

Look for me next to the concessions stand.

And look for the other half of we right next to me! Anne will be reading from her new book, Insiders' Guide® to the Greater Tampa Bay Area.

R.E. Olds Park is located at 107 Shore Drive West. Take SR580 from either Hillsborough or Pinellas County to St. Petersburg Dr. N. (there's a stoplight there). Turn LEFT if you are coming from Hillsborough County. Turn RIGHT if you are coming from Pinellas County. Either way, you are turning onto St. Petersburg Dr. N. toward Jack Willie's Tiki Bar & Grill. Follow St. Petersburg Dr. N. to Bayview Blvd. Turn RIGHT and go to Shore Drive W. Turn RIGHT and you should see the park. Warning: The Google Map marker shows the park southeast of where it really is.

See You This Weekend at the Art Arbor Festival

Look for our booth at St. Petersburg's Boyd Hill Nature Preserve this Saturday and Sunday. We'll be part of the Art Arbor Festival, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the grounds of this 245-acre preserve.

Enjoy live music and other entertainment, take a tram tour of the park, and view the wildlife exhibits -- in between wandering from artist's booth to artist's booth and doing a little holiday shopping, of course.

There are always food vendors at these events, and the park is lovely with lots of trees and thoughtful plantings. Come make a day of it. Two days, if you like! Kids can get their faces painted, play games, or create art of their own to take home.



We'll be near our good friend Pam Beyersdorf, a stained glass artist from Largo. Pam creates one-of-a-kind kaleidoscopes and free-form glass art hangings, boxes, and candle holders.

We'll have works in various stages of completion so you can see how my pottery goes from a lump of clay to one of my Pegasus series pieces. I'll also have some of my naked resist work and some fired with other types of glazes, as well.

Plus, it's for a good cause. The suggested donation of $2 per person goes to the non-profit organization that supports the park. No pets, except service dogs.

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve is located at 1101 Country Club Way S. in St. Petersburg, at the south end of Lake Maggiore. Take I-275 south to 54th Ave. S. (exit 17), go east on 54th Ave. S. to 9th St. S./Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. S., and turn left. Go four blocks to Country Club Way S. and turn left again.

Stop by and say 'hi!'