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I have so many memories from my childhood while watching my parent’s run this pottery shop. Because Father’s Day is coming up, I wanted to shed light on some of the attributes I admire about my dad, Dave, who started Mountain Arts Pottery with my mom in 1980. A few of the things I appreciate so much about him is how incredibly inventive, industrious and resourceful he is. It’s so cool to think about how he used to come up with tools and processes to make things work better. Back in the younger years of Mountain Arts Pottery, he made ceramic bells and weaved macramé for the handles, which ended up making the pottery store viable. Our family’s survival was dependent on how fast he could make these bells and fortunately for us, at one point those bells were selling faster than he could make them! After realizing that he’d need to optimize production and speed, he came up with a timer system. He had a timer that was docked right near his arm so that as soon as he was done with one bell (a 15 second limit for each), he’d take the needle he kept in his hand while throwing, sling the bell onto the drying board and double tap the timer to restart. He even came up with a way to clean the glaze off of the bottom of the bells with a spinning bucket full of water. He attached carpet to the inside so that once he glazed the bells, he would place the bottom part on the carpet and it would completely clean off any glaze residue, fast and efficiently. Another impressive invention he came up with (something that we still use to this day that has truly revolutionized our business) is the laser. We use this to ensure consistency in our shapes and sizes for both vertical and horizontal reference points. Years ago when my dad had the idea, lasers were something you could really only find in a place with cutting edge technology and they usually cost a pretty penny. He reached out to my Uncle Doug who lives in Silicon Valley and explained his idea that would take his pottery to the next level. Not too long after, my uncle was at a dinner party and had been explaining this concept to a man who’s wife also threw pottery and the man got so excited about it that he sent my dad a laser in the mail!  (Pictured here: Dave Lockie, Founder & original potter of Mountain Arts, with his son Josh Lockie (the current owner) I relate a lot to my dad in regards to having vision and getting a lot of satisfaction from inventing new and efficient ways of doing things. Both of my parents also had an amazing amount of faith and trust and believed that no matter what, everything would be OK; an attribute that comes less naturally for me but one I admire so much and still am striving to embody more every day.
I am so thankful for my dad’s example and positive influences, especially as Kathy and I continue on this grand adventure as the business owners of Mountain Arts Pottery and The Coffee Pot Bakery and Cafe. Thanks Dad! Josh
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 Buttermilk Biscuits
Makes: 12 large biscuits Preheat oven to 450 degrees 6 ¾ cups all purpose flour 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder 2 tsp salt 2 tsp baking soda 8 oz butter stick cut into small cubes 2 oz lard stick cut into small cubes Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter and lard with the flour mixture into a food processor and process until the butter and lard is the size of peas (you will need to split this into 3rds to accommodate the size of your food processor). Pour the processed mixture into a large mixing bowl. Cut 2 ½ cups of buttermilk into the dry into the dry ingredients. Fold the dough 4 times (layering it). Cut into 12 even square biscuits. Brush with egg- wash. Keep cold until ready to bake. *It is very important not to add extra flour Put into preheated 450 degree oven then turn down to 350 degrees right away for 20-25 minutes. Bake until golden brown and the center is no longer raw.  In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients:
*Toss ingredients together then puree in food processor 1 large can (28 oz can)- Tomatillos & ¼ of the juice (strain off ¾ juice) ¾ cup- onions 2 tbsp- roasted garlic ½ cup- cilantro leaves 1 tsp- key lime juice 2 tbsp- canned jalapeños 1- tbsp salt (salt to taste) ¼ cup- can green chilis with juice Serve with Breakfast Wraps, Enchiladas, Tacos & Chips!  Josh Lockie (current co-owner of The Coffee Pot), with his Mom, Jennie Lockie (Co-Founder of The Coffee Pot) Mother's Day is right around the corner so I thought I'd do a little tribute to Mothers near and far. I'm sure we can all agree that mothers deserve all the gratitude and love we can offer, not just on Mother’s Day but every day!
Mothers are the hardest workers, the best friends and the greatest comfort. Honestly, I could never do justice by trying to describe their worth in words. There are some whose mothers cannot be reached on Mother's Day though, for various reasons, so I decided I’d rather honor Motherhood by relating to the archetype through the patterns I see in nature - Something I feel like we can all relate to on such a special day. Metaphorically (peppered with some literal meaning), a mother is the ground beneath our feet. From her soil we grow roots so that we can develop ourselves into who we were created to be. She teaches us that the seeds we sow will grow and we learn this by her example. Motherhood is about nurturing, birthing and passing on the wisdom of compassion, forgiveness, grace, kindness and love. While the Father watches over us providing structure and safety, eliciting values, teaching us how to make good choices and draw healthy boundaries, the Mother meets us when we are in the depth of our pain and assures us that we are loved, cared for and have everything we need to get where we are trying to go. I heard a pastor say once that he believed God hides Himself behind nature so that we can experience Him in a more personal, tactile way. It always stuck with me. I’ve also heard many potters relate to this by being constantly humbled by the clay they work with; sometimes feeling like it was the clay that was forming them into a better human being. It’s entirely possible that I unnecessarily read metaphors into things, but I like to think that I’m noticing patterns in the way things move and relate to one another. Regardless, I can’t help but be reminded of the essence of a mother when I look out in nature. Whether it’s observing plants popping up in the spring, seeing a fish leaping out of a creek or walking through a garden full of flowers; if I pay close enough attention I can witness motherhood everywhere! So whether you can be with your mother during the holiday coming up or not, I hope you can find the inspiration to stop for a moment and experience, sit with and celebrate the archetype of the mother that is around us every single day. Please leave a comment below to share what motherhood means to you! <3 Kayla Marie Retail Store Manager Mountain Arts Pottery 
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