After months of an isolating shutdown brought on by a worldwide pandemic, I was thrilled to hit the road on a gorgeous morning in early September with my daughter Rebecca, both of us finally willing to cautiously venture out into the wider world.

Our destination on that late summer day was Jugtown, the area around Seagrove, NC that claims the largest number of working potters in the United States. Rebecca and I took a scenic route to Jugtown down backcountry roads, a little taken aback by the number of Trump/Pence signs we saw along the way, but enjoying the natural beauty all the same.

Once in Seagrove, we ate a picnic lunch, purchased pottery (of course!) and visited the North Carolina Pottery Center, a celebration of area potters which had just reopened after many months of closure. On the grounds of the center, we were thrilled to come across a mosaic sculpture created by the children of Moore, Chatham, and Randolph counties. The schoolchildren’s uplifting messages were a welcome sight for us and, we hoped, a sign of better times ahead.

September 5, 2020, County #43 – Randolph