How many of you have ever fired a kiln?
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you're just getting snarky now. 
And I need to write this down, anyway. Upon coming back upstairs from checking on laundry, there was a little owl on the railing. I don't know if that's its full size or if it was a juvenile, but it was rather cool. I was within about eight feet from it, and it didn't fly off. Only when I moved closer than six feet did it leave, and blend right into the shadows. I never saw where it went, other than under the trees out here.
I'm glad to see them around. Maybe they'll get the mice before they get into the apartments
but I never got to load or fire the kilns. The only thing close to that was when the dean demonstrated the raku technique, and they just stacked a bunch of firebricks with a large gas torch in one side. Then the heated pots went into a garbage can filled with dead leaves.
Raku is such a nice effect
We built a 70 cu ft downdraft back in the 70s from scratch, fired to cone 10. The door rolled away and swiveled against a wall. You stood inside to load the back half. Great memories. Done lots of raku firing too, plus primitive methods. A fun science to learn.
Love working with glaze formulas too.
I remember the cones, but don't remember what the numbers meant. I only had the one class, and pottery was just a small part of it anyway. I think I enjoyed working with the soapstone carving the most, though I could get back into pottery if I wanted to give a go again. I'd love to learn the wheel
That's a big kiln! Have you ever seen video or film of the industrial ones used to make large-scale optics?
(it may have been Nova) where they were featuring Japanese pottery methods. I remembered their kiln was long and built back into a hillside. Little did I realize, but that's the original anagama-type of kiln
Had a wheel too. Worked with low-fire clays.
Many moons ago! 
I knew one excellent potter who would sell at Renaissance Festivals. She made a good living just from that, but also from building a client base. She had a studio at her home, just by taking over her garage.
With Etsy and all the other outlets, maybe it's time to get back into it 
is what got me out of it. No one was into low-fire ceramics, so it slipped away.
However, there are other things I did get into (paint, photograph, draw, etc...) to make up for it.
If I do ever jump back in. I'd like to try more raku firing.
and such variety in the effects on the glaze. I hope you're able to get into it as you intend!
I'm all about painting these days...
you know how creativity is. LOL.
I love to write, but the stuff I could get paid for isn't 'calling' to me at the moment. So, it sits, waiting, collecting electronic dust bunnies..........
I so miss creating with others but I keep looking for others who feel the same - hopefully I'll find a group.
I rarely buy lottery tickets but if I ever won one I'd buy a building for studios, galleries and housing for artists.
I had a long career as an art teacher. I loved teaching ceramics. My last district was too damn cheap to buy our department a kiln though.
