Even now after all these years it is still a bit of a surprise to see what a new firing will bring.  There is always room for something unexpected to happen, a variance of a couple of degrees temperature in either direction can ruin weeks or months of work, where the pot is placed in the kiln can change matte to shiny or the other way, and the subtle difference in the thickness of the glaze can change everything.  There are variables too numerous to mention, so when a kiln fires exactly as I wanted it to it's time for a sigh of relief and a happy dance.  This morning there was dancing. 

Now you can see into my kiln, fresh hot pots.  These pitchers look like they are ready for iced tea, lemonade or sangria.   The spotted cups will be perfect for coffee, the batter bowls for pancakes or eggs; breakfast on a shelf.