Week Four

Hello Everyone,
I'm afraid this email will not be as cheery as the former ones.Phil has been in a serious car accident. My last email mentioned he was going to England for two days. On his way home he was involved in a head-on collision. Phil had to be cut out of his car and airlifted to the hospital. It is going to be a long recovery but as far as we know there is no internal damage. Although they surely saved his life, the airbag fractured some of his ribs and the seatbelt bruised him deeply. He will probably be out of commission for 6-8 weeks. I went to visit him yesterday and he seemed much more like himself. Although he was still in a lot of pain, he was cracking jokes and smiling a lot. He jokingly said, "I think hospitals try to make you look as ridiculous as possible while you're in them so you don't try to escape". He has a good sense of humor. Hopefully he will be coming home on Sunday or Monday. I have been cleaning up the studio, answering phones and taking care of the dogs, doing whatever Lynne and Phil need done. The>hospital is an hour away from their home so Lynne has done a lot of driving. Their daughter, Claire, who lives near London, has been staying with us>since Sunday. She is a very witty and lovely person. I have enjoyed getting to know her. Phil and Lynne really want me to go to the CPA show in Oxford this weekend so I will be going without them. Although they decided not to send his pots along, Phil had a book recently published about his work that I will be selling. Everyone tells me Oxford is a fantastic city. I am looking forward to meeting all kinds of interesting and talented potters. These past few days potters and friends have been calling from all over the world to send their best and wish Phil a speedy recovery. What a supportive community he has! Libby and Tess (the dogs) have been looking a bit dejected as I'm sure they can tell something is not right. The weather here has been gorgeous. I thought when I came here that it would rain everyday. That is certainly not the case as blue skies and green hills greet me outside quite often. Tomorrow I will do some work in the studio as Phil said he wants me to take advantage of it although he's not there. Please keep the Rogers family in your thoughts and your prayers.