Happy Fourth of July!

I made my first stoneware flag years ago when our son Mark
was at the Coast Guard Academy. The child who wanted no structure goes to a military academy? It wasn’t just boats
and water, he explained, but the outcome of having a philosophically anti-military
mother and a colonel father. (We do have amazing discussions in our family.) I made
a flag for son Greg when he became an Eagle Scout and one for a military
neighbor who got promoted. Living only a few hours outside Washington, DC, the
flags are always popular. A friend came home from a tour of the White House
with a photo of one of my flags on a desk there. I liked that---even if I
grumped all the way through that administration.
Mark retired from the Coast Guard this year and I still make
flags twice a year. There are never a lot of them around but if I am into
measuring, I’m making multiples so I do six at a time. The stars are the best
part. They are the final phase and I stick them on with drippy glaze that attaches
them securely during the firing. I am careful to get the stripes right and I
don’t mess with our colors, but I lay wet glazy stars on until it looks like
there are enough and trust my numerical independence is
covered by the First Amendment. Have a great Fourth and a safe one!
No comments:
Post a Comment