Stoked

This last firing was pushing the envelope. Normally I would stack one day and fire the next, but this time the schedule is too tight. I had to glaze, stack and fire in one day! Otherwise I wouldn't be able to meet the deadline. I finished stacking at 5:00pm, then fired straight through the night. Alone with the kiln, the sound of the crackling wood and roaring flames punctuated by the call of frogs and night birds. Occassionally odd sounds would come from the kiln, like something moving inside.

I finished firing at 6:30am. The rising sun saw the seger cones go down.

I guess thats what they mean by a firing squad at dawn.