Tai Matthew September 4,

Happy birthday son.  I'm so glad you're part of my life.  I wish you many happy returns of this day full of every wish coming true for you.

Early on, Tai started attracting wildlife.  A deer thought he was interesting at twilight.

A really happy kid...

 He's always been athletic...

And had a warm smile for everyone...

There are lots of pictures of this cheerful loving child, but not many of our camper van.  We traveled a lot in it, with comfort for my 3 sons for thousands of miles.  Then I parked it in Gainesville, and Tai eventually was a Baby Gator while I got my BFA in Ceramics.

Who knew that he'd grow up to also fall for the clay bug...first at Eckerd College, in St. Pete FL then off to Penland, NC,and post grad work in Boulder, CO, sometime in there at Flynn Creek Pottery in California with potter Nick Swartz, and residency at the Clay Studio of Missoula, MT and now working for his MFA in ceramics at The University of Indiana,  Bloomington, IN.

After Eckerd College he spent 2 years in the Peace Corps, then maybe 2 or 3 years (my memory is poor) in Americ-Corps.  Then he was a wildland fire fighter for the US Forest Service.

He's got his own website...with just a few of his creations.  http://www.tairogers.com/Home.html

Here Tai is walking away from my first apartment in Black Mountain, to go back west.

Tai has encouraged me to not take "posed smiling at the camera" pictures.  It's very helpful to even fake that you're doing something more natural.