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A Little Clay, a Lot of Garlic, and a Beer

We stopped at Pizza Bruno (www.pizzabrunofl.com) for lunch on our way to today’s adventure.  Eli was our waiter, and he gave us a quick tour of the menu which had way too many tasty options.  We ordered the Roni Pizza, which had double garlic.  Bob and I both adore garlic so we thought we were good to go.  Just so you know, they are serious about their garlic.  Ho boy, it was garlic to the extreme of its core.  My iced Arnold Palmer beverage couldn’t even touch the barrage of garlic aftertaste.

As we were about to leave, we overheard a woman from a nearby table exclaim, “Holy Crap” very loudly (that’s not exactly what she said but this a family-friendly blog).  Nosy as usual, we looked over.  This woman had ordered dessert, a lovely tiramisu which Eli had just set down in front of her.  No kidding, it was the size of a brick, hence her outburst.  We were so full, we declined dessert.

We were early for our pottery lesson, so we stopped in for a coffee at a cute little shop across the street at Mecatos Bakery & Café (https://mecatoscafe.com/) for a cup of good ole Colombian coffee.  It was something I hadn’t realized I needed, so it hit the spot after our early start that morning.  It also took some of the edge of all of the garlic.

Feeling renewed from the coffee, it was time to head on over to Super Awesome Cool Pottery (https://www.superawesomecool.com/), our ultimate destination.  We were excited.  And garlicky.  We were happily greeted as we entered the pottery place, and our first task was to select four colors each for our finished bowls.  I’ll be honest, when I learned we were throwing pottery, I had envisioned a great big bowl that I could use as a centerpiece for flowers, dried fruit and pinecones.  Maybe some candles.  I was ready.  Reality set in when we were seated at the pottery wheel with only a small lump of clay.  My vision of a grandiose bowl slowly faded away.

Something else that surprised me was the amount of hand strength needed.  They make it look so easy on TV and in the movies, but it’s really not.  I needed both hands to form my little lump of clay into a bowl the size of a tuna fish can.

We had another couple in our pottery class, and the gentleman was amazing with the clay.  His girlfriend, not so much.  Turns out he had made pottery in high school, and retained that talent until this very day.  The girlfriend was pretty much hopeless, as her bowl turned into a flat plate with all of the water she kept adding to the clay.  Our instructor helped her fashion her plate back into a bowl, and they were happy.

After Bob and I each made our two bowls, it was time to paint our creations with the colors we selected upon our arrival.  All in all, we had a great time.  It takes an additional four weeks for our bowls to be glazed and finished, so we’ll have to stop back in a few weeks to pick up our creations.  I’m already planning where to put my completed bowls in the house, and I’m on the lookout for some small pinecones for it.  I will not be thwarted in my artistic endeavors.

Being artistic and creative takes thirsty energy, and it was time to visit a local watering hole.  Go just three miles to Rockpit Brewery.  I enjoyed a SODO Blonde Ale and Bob savored the Yankee Savage IPA, and we were both happy with our selections.  Rockpit Brewery plays host to some die-hard college football fans on Saturdays, and one such fan loudly insisted on watching the Tennessee game on one of the brewery’s TVs.  By weird coincidence , Tennessee was playing Furman.  I turned to the loud woman and mentioned “Firman” is my maiden name.  She harrumphed and said with an attitude, “Well, I won’t be cheering for them.”  So much for jovial bar banter.  That being said, it was a good time overall.  By the way, the final score for the game was 56 – 9, with Tennessee walking away with the win.  Furman was no threat, after all.

Adventure rating:  10

Crowd level:  Quiet

Worth the drive:  Yes

Hidden Gem Score:  7

Family-Friendly:  Not for very young children

Time needed:  2 hours

Tips before you go:  Contact Super Cool Awesome Pottery and make advanced reservations.  Spots are limited.  Also, wear old clothes.  Clay will find every part of you while you’re using the wheel.