Pigeon River Pottery in the Smokies

When I downsized into my tiny house and began adopting the tiny house movement's philosophy of consuming less, producing more and supporting others in this endeavor, I gave away most of my kitchen supplies and kept the bare minimum.  Since then, I've been replacing my bare minimum with quality craftsmanship usable art, which, my friend, is expensive.

Each time I visit the Smokies, I swing by The Old Mill Pigeon River Pottery and pick up a piece or two.  Potter Tommy Bullen has made a lot of what I've adopted and a young guy on the scene, Leiva, has made the more recent pieces.  Pigeon River Pottery is made on site with materials from the region.  It is lead free and safe for the microwave, conventional oven, freezer and dishwasher.

On this past trip, I got to see Leiva in action.  So I purchased his casserole dish to commemorate.  Most of the pottery I've purchased is from the Hazel Creek and Blue Smoke lines.

The green and gold blend of Hazel Creek is reminiscent of the hazel tree with its brown hard-shelled nuts and leafy green vegetation....

Hazel Creek is also a tributary of Fontana Lake in the GSMNP and part of the great TVA water development.  I enjoy many rivers and dams in the TVA as I travel as has my brother with his love of fly-fishing.

The Blue Smoke reminds me of the Smokies.  It was designed to remind us of "a mountain lake on an early morning, the day's first sun piercing through rolling banks of fog and casting the scene in an incandescent glow."  I captured that in the picture below early one morning at the Mountain Harbor Inn on Douglas Lake, a 30 minute drive from Pigeon River Pottery.

Been there.  Done that.  Will enjoy that site many more times in the future, too!  If you visit the Smoky Mountain area with children, spend a night at the Wilderness Indoor Water Park Resort.