Of pottery and the Gebauers.

TR Pottery. I would never have  known of its existence. Or the people that run it. Tony and Renee Gebauer. If not for my trip to Italy. I met the Gebauers on my flight. The first leg. From Minneapolis to Philadelphia. They sat next to me. We chatted. Tony was crocheting. A colorful quilt. Seemed an  unusual pastime. For a man. So I inquired. What are you up to? Turns out that the Gebauers are potters. They handcraft their own pots.   In beautiful Door County. On a peninsula. In northeast Wisconsin. They are located in a small town. Called Fish Creek. Maybe I was there many years ago. I’ll go back. Some day. Because I’m curious about the Gebauers. And I like them. Based on first impressions. They’re a nice couple. And I’ll buy some pots.  Anyway, Door County is a nice place. They have a cherry festival  every year. And I buy ‘Door County’ cherry cobbler at my grocery store in Minnesota.  Very tasty. Especially when heated in my oven. On a cold winter night.  Gebauer is a German name. Lots of descendants of Germans in Wisconsin. But Renee is of Italian heritage. Her mother’s maiden name was Foli. My Italian true love tells me that’s a common name in the Puglia region. I’m always looking for Italian connections.  Because I’m starting to feel more and more Italian. Despite my German roots. But then, I like to connect with people. With strangers.  Of virtually any kind. That’s my modus operendi .  The world has become my fascinating domain. –Jim Broede