A walk through Chefchaouen takes you past shopkeeper’s wares, through blue-painted arches, and over uneven cobblestone streets.

Chefchaouen, originally called Chaouen, meaning “peaks,” sits firmly among the peaks of the Rif mountains. In 1975, the town was renamed Chefchaouen (Look at the Peaks).  It’s a colorful white-and-blue montage of buildings that can be seen from a pull-out along the highway. And the doors, windows, flat roofs and scrunched-up living quarters make for a memorable view from the road.

From the highway going in to this city, this is the initial view of the colorful “Blue Pearl” of Morocco.

A little rock hut with a blue door of its own welcomes you along with the flag of Morocco.

An inset blue door surrounded by white welcomes visitors to this town that is now discovered and “on the map,” so to speak.

The town, founded in 1471, began to grow quickly with the arrival of Jewish and Muslim refugees from Granada in 1494 who bought up the smallish tile-roofed abodes that lend a Spanish look to Chefchaouen.

Dry pigment awaits buyers in Chefchouen. When mixed with a bit of water, it defines this little city known for colorful walls and doors.

But it’s the blue you want to see — sort of a watery wash of blue that pervades the town as if residents bought the color in powder form, used a little too much water, and slung the paint willy-nilly all over the walls and steps and doors.

Blue steps lead to a blue door at a residence in Chefchaouen.

No one cares much about detail.  It’s the blend of sea blue, sky blue, marine blue and baby blue with pure white that sets this town apart. And the doors provide details, varying in form and construction and history, making you wonder why did they select that style, who lives behind them, and what their story is.

Doorways invite you to climb the steps and pose for pictures as we did — often!

Perhaps a perfect place to pose for a picture:
under a blue arched doorway in Chefchouen.

But sometimes, we just stood still, watching residents going about their daily chores.

A man in Chefchaouen sweeps off the walkway in front of his door.

Some doors are almost obscured as goods (mostly for tourists to take home) frame the openings, making you wonder what’s inside.  And, as we can attest, if you walk in, you’ll probably walk out with more than you came with!

Leather goods, perhaps made at the tannery in Fez, frame a doorway in Chefchaouen.

Just off the town square, Alcazaba, a fortress built in 1471, offers more glimpses into the architecture of this well-preserved building that’s now houses a museum.

Alcazaba, the kasbah in Chefchaouen, opens off the town square.

Of all the sites we saw in Morocco, the town of Chefchaouen  remains one of the most memorable — from its colorful blue walls, steep steps and simple, yet fairly complex doors.  “The Blue Pearl,” as it’s called in several guidebooks, is one town you don’t want to miss in this country that seems to have it all.

Best thing to do in Chefchaouen? Wander through the blue.

For more information:

We booked our trip to Chefchaouen and other towns in Morocco through Ortelius Travel.  Our agent, Lauren Gunnels, can recommend riads and restaurants — some of which even have blue doors! (We stayed at Lina Riad & Spa and dined at Auberge Dardara Restaurant, at the recommendation of our guide.)

For more Thursday Doors, click here.

For more about Morocco, go to Marvelous Morocco in the bar at the top of this blog.

There’s nothing dark and mysterious in the medina of Marrakech, especially if you’re in the apparel section.  Shoe stalls literally screamed color.

Cramming hand-made leather slippers onto the walls of tiny nooks must take patience and skill, but every shoe stall was packed to overflowing.

All lined up: Yellow shoes in the Marrakech medina

From pom-poms to fancy stitches to pointy toes, the shoes of Marrakech were not to be denied. And yellow ones took center stage in many displays.  My favorite:  the ones made of cut-up rugs, or at least that what they looked like to me!  But all were picture-worthy (if you could get permission to snap away)!

For more on Marvelous Morocco, click here.

Birds-eye view of the Marrakech plaza known as Jemaa el-Fnaa.

If you enjoyed seeing the Marrakech medina — that dizzy meld of colorful goods in tiny shops — then you’ll love passing through the giant plaza to get there.  But caution:  you’ll stop and stare. A lot.

The name, Jemaa el-Fnaa (sometimes spelled Djemma el F’na) means “assembly of the dead,” since it’s been the site of public executions since 1050.  In all the world, Jemaa el-Fnaa could be one of the most memorable public squares you’ll ever see.

A lady applies henna designs to the hands of a customer in a temporary booth on the plaza.

During the day, it’s a market place where hawkers of all things Moroccan set out hand carved camels, rugs, and pottery.

A seller of carved wooden camels waits for buyers in Jemaa el-Fnaa.

Carts filled with produce file past you, making deliveries or selling to customers right on the spot.

But come 5:00 or so in the evening, and Jemaa el-Fnaa starts puts on its party hat.  Vendors open up big green tents showing off rows and rows of colorful fruit and trinkets tourists love.

Stalls open up offering fruit and tourist trinkets on the plaza known as Jemaa el-Fnaa.

Fruit stall No. 18 with tidy rows of bottled water, oranges and other tropical fruits.

Looking like a patchwork quilt, rows of nuts and dates wait for customers.

And sellers of live snails offer you a to-go cup so you can steam ’em at home.

A seller of snails ready to scoop up a ladle full for you.

Need a bigger meal? Men in green tented stalls fire up the grills offering cooked meats with sides of couscous, tagine vegetables, and olives, of course.

You’re not in Kansas anymore: heads and meat ready for purchase in Marrakech!

The real party, though, is center stage where monkey handlers beckon you to come in closer.  Not to worry.  A few dirhams is all it takes for a photo as close – or as far away – as you care to be.

A monkey handler shows off for the camera in Jemaa el-Fnaa.

Snake handlers lay out their best cobras and patterned slitherers sure to elicit an “ooh, ah,” or more likely “I’m not coming any closer” from the crowd.

At dusk, the cobras come out.

“Heads up. Tourists are watching!”

This is as close as I wanted to be.

In the background, the thumping vibe of African drums and metal clappers draws you closer to red robed dancers who invite you (most persuasively) to line up and stomp to the beat.  So we did.  Here’s Chef Joanne Weir who brought our group from Culinary Journey in Morocco 2018 to the plaza.  And then, like the good sport she is,  started movin’ and groovin’ Marrakech style.

If you only get one chance to dance in Jemaa el-Fnaa, take it. Chef Joanne Weir did.

On our second visit to Jemaa el-Fnaa, we found an even better place to see this aggregate of sights and sounds:  up top at a restaurant balcony.  For the price of an orange soda, we nabbed premium seats for the unfettered chaos below.

If you’re squeamish in crowds, sit this one out. Go sip hot tea in a posh, beautifully tiled restaurant.  But if you’re looking for sensory overload from hard-driving music, the whoosh of undirected vehicles, foreign foods in outrageous stalls, and people moving willy nilly in and among and around, you have to take in Jemaa el-Fnaa.  Only in Marrakech.

Moroccan musicians performing at Jemaa el-Fnaa

For more information:

Follow us in Morocco by clicking onto Travel Series: Marvelous Morocco.

And to see pictures, head to our Flickr account, Marrakesh album.

Towels drying on the line: Cinque Terre

to boats lined up and waiting at the base of the famous postcard-pretty hillside where small apartments and houses vie for space on the mountainside.

Boats lined up in Manarola

Half-opened shutters exposed their lines to the morning sun.

Green shutters: Cinque Terre

And wavy lines of umbrellas shaded bathers on a crowded coast

Umbrellas on the beach: Cinque Terre

while two churches stood out among other buildings with their  distinguished lined facades.

A lined facade in Cinque Terre

Distinctive entrance: church in Cinque Terre

Find more lines — straight and curvy —  at Weekly Photo Challenge: Lines.

A stately Colonial almost looks spooky with early morning shadows draped across the facade.

Drive in to the small historic town of Castine on the Penobscot Bay, and you’ll notice that this isn’t the typical Maine small town.  Architecture varies from classic clapboard saltbox to stately homes with mansard roofs.  All understandable, you see, since Castine, a town founded in 1613 by a French trader, served as the capital of Acadia from 1670 to 1674.  We’re talking humble abodes to state offices here.

But the one thing you notice even if you’re not into architectural styles is color:  Castine is filled with white structures.  From homes to churches to store fronts, Castine seems mostly whitewashed.

And it’s this pristine look that captures your attention.  Rarely do you see painted houses, log homes, or even weathered barns.  This is a sit-up-and-take-notice kind of white.  Prissy almost — until you get used to it.  And then you can’t help but fall in love with this tucked-away, off-the-beaten-path Sunday best kind of town in the heart of Down East.

Our month-long visit to Castine included pre-dawn walks to the harbor to watch the sun inch upward from beyond the horizon and into the sky, flooding the town with light.

Autumn leaves form a lacy shadow on a home in Castine.

But it was on the way back to our house that we first noticed how direct sunlight — strong, early morning sunlight — with its long light-filled fingers extended into the town forming crisp first-light shadows on the fronts and sides of those white Castine homes.

Sharp, crisp shadow of a tree branch transforms the side of this home during early morning hours.

With the backdrop of an all-white building, shadows found canvases for the post-dawn show in Castine.  Tree branches danced along the facades in fanciful, lengthy patterns.

It almost looks as if someone drew these fancy branches onto this house facing the waterfront.

And sometimes a bit of leaf color crept into the picture adding a lacy effect.

A bit of fall color forms a contrast with the black and white backdrop.

But we couldn’t watch for long.  Shadowplay in Castine was a short, tentative, early-morning show.

A house on Water Street holds shadows for a while as the sun moves upward and over and then out of sight.

And so we chose to celebrate the ephemeral shadow show for what it was. Short-lived but wonderful.  We consoled ourselves with the thought that there would be a replay the next morning.

But there was just one hitch:  We had to get up early to see the show.

Standing tall and elegant and holding onto its stately full length shadow: Abbott School in Castine, Maine.

For more photos and stories about our trip to Maine, click on Autumn Down East.

Looking into the Great Bath at England’s Roman Baths.

One of the main attractions, if not THE main attraction, in Bath, England is the 2,000-year-old site of the Roman Baths.  It’s here that you can roam ancient ruins, soak up the culture of Aquae Sulis (named for the goddess Sulis) and photograph one of the best preserved sites in England.

The 2,000-year-old Roman Baths, restored and open for touring in Bath, England.

The Roman Baths haven’t always been this accessible.  Falling into ruin after the 5th century, the site was reconstructed in the 1800s by John Wood, the Elder and John Wood, the Younger who also designed The Circus in Bath.  But if you meander along the pathways besides the Great Bath, you could be standing on the very stones where Romans once stood.

View from the Terrace of the Roman Baths

The main attraction, of course, is the water itself — hot, geothermal water that flows over and percolates through limestone aquifers — the same water that enticed Romans to gather and bathe together.  Today, the water is deemed unsafe for public bathing due, in part, to the fact that it flows through lead pipes. But if you long for a safe, lavish spa experience,  Thermae Bath Spa is a nearby alternative.

Tour guide shares information on the water of the Roman Baths

If, however, you’re wishing for the restorative effect of mineral water, you can treat your body to a swig of something safe from an urn in the Grand Pump Room near the entrance. (We were told that some people show up every day for a free drink from the fountain.)

Offering safe drinking water is this decorative urn located in the Grand Pump Room of the Roman Baths.

A walk around the terrace offers views of Bath Abbey and up-close encounters with Roman statues (suitable for today’s selfies, as it were).

Can you get Bath Abbey in the background?

Notably outstanding are curated exhibits you encounter while following the marked paths up and down, over and through the baths — like this one with over 12,000 Roman coins found at the baths (possibly cast into the water by guests) and now mounted for posterity.

Preserved and mounted Roman coins found at Roman Baths

Recreated on one wall of an underground alcove is a triangular section from the Bath Roman Temple. Columns, friezes, and a partial pediment surround the still intact Gorgon’s Head medallion.

Reconstructed pediment with Gorgon’s Head medallion

Be sure to take advantage of the audio tour detailing stops along the way in easy-to-understand detail.  As a pleasant surprise to us, we could choose the channel featuring the impressions (and humor) of  an author we love, Bill Bryson (Notes from a Small Island, Road to Little Dribbling), just by punching in the numbers designated on the signs throughout the exhibits.

Narrative on Hot Spring with optional discourse by Bill Bryson

Also making the Roman Baths come to life are the Romans themselves.  Well, not real Romans, of course.  But those who come to work there, dress in period garb, and demonstrate what Romans did in their spare time while talking, always in character, with tourists like us.

Dressed as a Roman, this lady tells visitors of life at the Roman Baths 2,000 years ago

The Roman Baths offer something for everyone — history buffs, lovers of art and archeology, and photographers.  Even children can have a great time talking with a Roman or reading some of the curse tablets posted on the wall — no doubt lambasting those who had stolen articles of clothing from bathers in the healing waters!  (For more on what to do with little ones in tow, check out “Visiting the Roman Baths with toddlers” from Tin Box Traveller.)

Visitors on the terrace of Roman Baths, Bath, England

And check out the Roman Baths website for how you can hold an event of your own or attend one of theirs right where Romans played 2,000 years ago!

Who knows?  You may be returning often — just to sip that mineral water.

Check out that hairdo on the bust of a Roman woman.

Thanks for traveling England with us — Bert and Rusha Sams

For more information:

The Roman Baths: https://www.romanbaths.co.uk

Twitter: @RomanBathsBath

Facebook: The Roman Baths

A true storybook cottage in The Cotswolds

Not many household adornments ooze more charm than cozy thatched roof cottages, and there’s no better place to find them than in England.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal called them “chocolate box cottages” because a photo of one them would be adorable to adorn a box of chocolates.  Made of straw or reed, thatched roofs are said to provide a cooler summer and warmer winter for residents who can pay up for what is now a luxury topper.  And, according to that same article, thatched roof homes have not only held their value, but risen in price considerably.  But during the Bronze Age when thatched roofs came into their own, thatching was just what you did to use what was on hand.

Neolithic thatched cottages at Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Salisbury, England.

We first encountered thatching at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre where Neolithic cottages stood out back, a working demo, so to speak, that invited onlookers to move in close and take a look.

A couple of thatchers busy at work caught our attention, and we noted that the craft resembled basket weaving (well, sort of) since they seemed to be weaving the reeds under and over a foundation of sticks.

When you get up close, it sort of resembles basket weaving, don’t you think?

When we left Stonehenge headed to the Cotswolds, our driver spotted a roofer in action.  Being the ever-vigilant, ever-attentive driver that he was, he screeched to a stop, and with cameras in hand we filed out of the car to catch a shot of a thatcher on his ladder hard at work.  (Not for the faint of heart, really.) When he saw us watching, he stopped a moment to wave, and then got right back to it.

Just another day of thatching!

One house, out of all the ones we saw, seemed to have it all.  We noted it in passing, and again, our driver took a U-turn so as to park right in front so we could catch this beauty. Not only did the roof with its patterned topper exude charm and mastery of design, the whole yard merited a second or third look. (And the concrete dogs weren’t too shabby, either!)

A storybook cottage with thatched roof in The Cotswolds, England.

So, when in the Cotswolds at least, drive slowly.  You don’t want to miss these “chocolate box cottages.”  They really are as charming as you heard.  If you win the lottery, however, you can do more than just snap pictures as we did.  You’ll be living that storybook dream.

Thanks for touring the English countryside with us!  — Bert and Rusha

For more information:

Bloomfield, Ruth. “An Uptick in Britain’s Cottage Industry.” Wall Street Journal (January 27, 2017).  Retrieved from: http://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/52407-an-uptick-in-britain-s-thatched-roof-cottage-industry

Gray day mystique at Stonehenge

Sometimes gray days just add to the atmosphere.  At least it did the day we left London to see Stonehenge, one of those places we had read about for years but really didn’t know if we’d see in our lifetime.  As you can imagine, we were in awe of this site to see.

Stonehenge, located in Wiltshire, is about two and a half hours from London, giving us time to drive past Eton College and Windsor Castle.  The Visitor Center at Stonehenge, filled with information, artifacts, and visuals, drew us in immediately with a theatre-in-the-round experience showing the stone formations in various seasons. We stood “in the round” facing the ever-changing visuals, feeling as if we were there on snow days, sunny days, and even during summer solstice when the sun appears over the heel stone.

Sun coming through an opening at Stonehenge, from a video at the Visitor Center.

Of course, the mystique draws everyone in.  Theories notwithstanding, Stonehenge can be appreciated for what you see as much as for what it must have meant to the people building it some 5,000 years ago.  Volumes have been written about the purpose of Stonehenge, how the stones were found and moved to the site, and how the formation was constructed.  But even with all the research, mysteries remain.

Video shown at Stonehenge Visitor Center capturing a snowy day

Outside the Visitor Center, an assemblage of Neolithic thatched huts offers a glimpse of the tools and construction you might see during the New Stone Age.

Neolithic huts on display at Stonehenge

And in the attempt to answer the question of how heavy bluestones were transported from the Presili Hills in Wales almost 200 miles away, an exhibit of an oblong boulder perched atop massive timbers provides insight on “how they did it.”

Demonstration of how stones might have been moved to site of Stonehenge

After spending time at the Visitor Center, we were ready for our pilgrmage up the long, winding walkway to what loomed large in the distance:  Stonehenge.  People stopped all along the way to point and take pictures. And we did the same.

The distance from the Visitor Center to the site added to the mystique at Stonehenge

Around 2500 B. C., sarsen stones (the larger ones) and bluestones were brought to the site and arranged in two concentric circles.  A horseshoe formation of five trilitons (two large stones topped by a lintel) stood inside the circle.  Only three are standing today.  Time has taken its toll on the stones and the formations, but the basic structure remains.

Mysterious Stonehenge

People stood near the roped-off site, quietly observing all angles of Stonehenge.  Some hugged their loved ones. Others stood with families and friends.  Some found a quiet spot to stare at the formation alone.

People react differently to Stonehenge.

We stood without talking, taking pictures and pointing at what we saw.  And we moved slowly around the circular path to check out this place we were finally seeing with our own eyes from various perspectives.

A closer look at Stonehenge

With our telephoto, we zoomed in and out, trying to get close-up shots of weathering and nature’s forces on the stones.

A walk around reveals another view of Stonehenge

In fields nearby, sheep grazed while cars and tourists rolled in to the area.

The drive to Stonehenge through rolling countryside

The bottom line is this: Stonehenge deserves to be seen.  There are many circles in the United Kingdom — some used for burial grounds, others for worship.  Some for both.  But if you can only visit one, make it Stonehenge.

Crowds stand in awe around the formation known as Stonehenge.

Whether you’re drawn to construction, artistry, mystery, or religion, you’re sure to find something to admire.  And the visual of this spot, this formation, this moment when you see it . . . will stay with you forever.

Greeting Stonehenge one on one.

The mystery remains.

Stonehenge is an English Heritage site.  For more information, visit their website.

For more posts on our travels in England, click here.

St. Paul’s Cathedral at sundown

Not many people would spend such a short time in London — only a day and a half for us. And most visitors would want to see all the places marked in bold print in their tour guides.  But since we’d checked off the Tower, Buckingham, and Westminster Abbey years ago, we decided just to stroll the streets in our few short hours, picking up city vibes from the sights and sounds in the Mayfair district.  We’d round out the trip with a ride on The Thames down to The Globe to fulfill an English teacher’s dream.

What it all boiled down to for us was a glimpse at the people and places that make Mayfair and Marylebone special.  A few shots from a brief stay in London.

The Bird Man at Marble Arch

Standing in front of Marble Arch.

A quick walk from our hotel, Grosvenor House, landed us squarely in front of Marble Arch. The structure, built in 1825 as a gateway to Buckingham Palace and moved to this location in 1851, faces Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park.  We came to see it and take the obligatory picture in front of it, noting our presence for future slide shows, I suppose.

But what we didn’t expect to see was a man feeding the birds.  So mesmerizing was the experience of watching him patiently throw out crumbs to eager birds that we took more pictures of him than of the arch itself!  Add to that, a closer look at the photos revealed notables in the background:  the back side of Still Water (largest free-standing bronze sculpture in London — it’s a horse head, by the way) and a double decker bus.  Pretty nifty London parting shot!

Feeding the birds at Marble Arch

(By the way, we’ve discovered a fascinating blog detailing walks through London by Stu who dubs himself the London Wlogger.  His walking adventures like “Marble Arch to Mayfair: Streets and Squares” would make great guides to take along the next time you’re in the city.)

Carnaby Street

Call us hippies if you wish, but we really don’t have an identity tied to a particular decade. We do, however, remember the world spotlight focused clearly on The Beatles in the 60s when we were freshmen in college gathered round TVs in college dorm rooms watching the “Ed Sullivan Show.”   And later in the 60s, we were drawn to a skinny but svelte young lady from the UK who took the fashion world by storm: Twiggy.  It was a time when places like Abbey Road and Carnaby Street became household terms even for those of us who had never been to England, let alone walk the famous streets.

Carnaby Street in 2016

But here we were in 2016, and the banners just seemed appropriate.  After all, we like peace, love, and harmony as much now as we did then.  Maybe more.

The Lady in Liberty

We remembered the store called Liberty of London on Regent Street from the time we last visited (oh, gosh, has it been that long?) 42 years ago!  But now, we think it’s just called Liberty or, as the website calls it, Liberty London.  It was a luxury department store known for beautiful scarves — and still is if the goods displayed are any indication.  As a young traveler, I was enamored with fashion, but now I gaze admiringly at architecture —  especially old architecture — and finishes such as the floors, stairwells and rails in Liberty.

But our parting shot has to be this one: a refined, yet quite fashionable sales lady who approached us quietly and demurely just to see if we had any questions or needed her support.  She epitomized salespeople we remembered from the “old days” when department stores, those bastions of customer service and fine goods for “milady,” catered to shoppers and their every need.  Her dress, jewelry, even her personal stature made a statement, and also a memorable shot of the London we had remembered,  still here at Liberty!

Poised and fashionably dressed — the lady at Liberty

With all its vibrancy and history and frenetic big city bustlings, London remains one of our favorite destinations.

We take a breath.  Vow to come back.  And hope it’s not 42 years from now.

Do you have a favorite memory of London? We’d love to hear from you.

And to read more posts on London, click here.

Happy travels — Rusha and Bert

Kicker by Robyn Horn (redwood burl) on display at Penland School of Crafts

Visiting the home and studio of Michael Kline (featured in our previous post “Outstanding in any field: Michael Kline Pottery”) had many side benefits:  pastoral setting, creative pottery, and a tip from his wife, Stacey Lane, about where to go next.  It happened unexpectedly, but when you’re a traveler, you train your ears to pick up tips on what to see and what to do wherever you go.

Fine jewelry designs by Stacey Lane on display at Penland School of Crafts

Stacey mentioned that she was a jewelry designer who had taught at nearby Penland School of Crafts. In fact, she said, I have some jewelry on display right now.  And it’s a short trip from our house.  Just follow the curvy road from Bakersville nearly to Spruce Pine, and you’ll see it.  (How hard could that be, right?) Well, here’s the GPS picture complete with switchbacks, abrupt turns, and that welcome checkered flag!  Here’s good advice on Penland’s website: If you’re unfamiliar with the area, we strongly advise that you arrive before dark; it’s easy to get lost. 

Conley Ridge Road in Western North Carolina — leading us to Spruce Pine!

We’d heard of Penland before — all in glowing terms — so a trip seemed in order. And the scenic drive was tailor-made for a late-summer day.  We passed homes, barns, and tree farms before seeing the residences where more than 1200 students per year live while learning from renowned artists and craftsmen.

Mountains, trees, fields — oh, the beauty of North Carolina in summer.

We stopped at the Visitor Center to learn more:  Penland began with the vision of Lucy Morgan who provided local women looms and lessons for creating beautiful goods.  As an outgrowth of this movement, Penland School of Crafts was established in 1929.

Some people come to Penland as a retreat; others for inspiration and techniques. We were there to admire.  And the artwork and craftsmanship speak for themselves.

Interior shot of Penland School of Crafts gallery

Just a few of our favorite things . . .

Another open space held a featured exhibit:  Wendy Maruyama’s “The wildLIFE Project.”  Larger than life heads of elephants made of maps, cardboard, and twine loomed above us making a statement about endangered species and the need for awareness around the world.

Constructed elephant head by Wendy Manuyama: The wildLIFE Project

But no matter which buildings and rooms you tour, you’ll take away something unique from your experience.  Penland School of Crafts is truly worth the drive!

“Weed Pot” by Matt Repsher (Carved red clay and slip)

For more information:

Penland School of Crafts: http://penland.org

(Be sure to follow directions on the website!)

If you missed any of our posts in and around the NC Apple Festival, here are the links:

Main Street’s the Main Thing: Apple Festival 2016, Hendersonville, NC

Right to the source:  Apple orchards near Hendersonville, NC

Livin’ large in a Tiny House:  Flat Rock, NC

Outstanding in any field: Michael Kline Pottery