At home behind the wheel
Lezlie Finet always attracts a crowd of curious onlookers when she sets up a potter’s wheel at her campsite.
“There isn’t much privacy in a campground,” said Lezlie, “and people are fascinated watching me shape pots.”
Lezlie and her husband, Brian Nelson, of Veradale, “have been RVers forever.” In fact, Brian owned Milestone RV Center in the Valley for ten years before retiring in 2003.
Now they spend a lot of their free time RVing the Pacific Northwest in search of great fly-fishing spots.
Wherever they go they always take along their four dogs—three white longhair Chihuahuas and a poodle mix. “They love to travel and they love to camp,” said Lezlie. “Every time that RV door opens they jump in and think we’re going camping.”
Each winter Brian and Lezlie spend several months traveling through the Southwest in their 1998 38-foot Newmar Dutch Star class A motor home.
A potter for more than 15 years, Lezlie found that leaving her clay work behind for up to three months was becoming more and more difficult.
“As our southern sojourns began to lengthen,” she said, “my clay-withdrawal symptoms grew stronger and stronger. So, I decided to take my show on the road.”
Now Lezlie never leaves home without her potter’s wheel and raku kiln, both stored snuggly in the Dutch Star’s basement compartment.
“When we are in a park for long enough, I set up and spin pots in the great, sunny outdoors, or in some cases under the awning in the rain,” she said. “I’m not used to performing for an audience, but it attracts quite a bit of attention at times.”
This winter when the couple takes off for the Sunbelt, Lezlie will be loading a couple boxes of finished pots into the storage bay. “People were always asking if I had any for sale.”
In addition, Lezlie will be sharing a booth at a pottery fair next February in a quaint, little fishing village on the Texas Gulf Coast.
“Last year we found this town that we just love,” said Lezlie. “It’s only 30-minutes north of Corpus Christi and has an active arts community. I probably shouldn’t tell you its name because everyone is going to want to go there — but it’s Rockport.”
So, if you find yourself driving along the Texas Gulf Coast next Valentine’s Day, stop by Lezlie’s booth at the Bountiful Bowl Pottery Fair on the grounds of the Rockport-Fulton High School Commons.
For more information
“ If you don’t think you’ll make it to the Gulf Coast next February, you can see Lezlie’s raku pottery in the William Grant Gallery, 820 W. Francis Ave. Lezlie is part of a group show that is having an opening reception today between noon and 4 p.m. The free show remains up through Sept. 11.
“ Leslie and Brian can be reached at LaFrog99@yahoo.com.
“ For information on the quiet seaside community of Rockport, Tex., contact www.rockport-texas.com; or write to the Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce, 404 Broadway, Rockport, TX 78382 or call toll free (800) 242-0071 or visit www.rockport-fulton.org.
“ To get a look at the Rockport Center for the Arts go to www.rockportartcenter.org or write to 902 Navigation Circle, Rockport, TX 78382, or call (361) 729-5519.
“ For a closer look at the Newmar Dutch Star motor home go to www.newmarcorp.com or call (574) 773-7791.
Wheel question
If you’ve parked overnight at a casino, please get in touch and tell me which casino and what kind of services were available. Also if you plan to migrate south this winter, let me know what you like about your chosen “snow bird” destination.