Pistachio pendant

Our last day in Greece, we took a ferry boat from Athens to the island of Aegina.  We had visits with an animal rescue hospital and at a pistachio processing plant.  They grow a lot of pistachios on the island.  It is a lovely place.

It was the only time the students got to get into the sea.  Of course, being someone who buys the highest spf sunscreen available back in Iowa, I wore long sleeves in Greece.  I figured the Mediterranean sun shouldn’t be my first sun of the year!  But bless the students, they had fun, even though they admitted the water wasn’t all that warm….

I didn’t go in the water.  So, my patient husband walked around the port town with me.  We took a horse and carriage ride.  We sat in the cafes drinking wine and playing cards (4 euros per deck!!)–our version of a competetive double solitare game which my husband has only ever won while I was in labor (another story, but I never tell my labor stories.  sorry.).

We ate pistachios.  If you’re into local food, this is as local as it gets!!  They are awesome, with a bit of citrus with the salt.  We bought pistachios to bring home for gifts for those kind friends who looked after our kids, and for us.  (we also brought home some wine and olive oil.)

Yesterday, when my daughter got herself a handful of pistachios and was shelling them and eating them, I confessed to her and my husband what I had done earlier in the day…

I ate some pistachios as a snack, then grabbed the super glue and glued each pair of shells back together after eating the nut…. in order to paint the shell with multiple layers of metal clay slip.

Here’s the result of the experiment….I was going for a pendant, but I think this is actually going to be one earring… anyway, my daughter had input and she approved the result.

My son hadn’t heard my confession, so while they were drying, he was hunting on my workbench for something.  He noticed them and  called out, “Mom, did you really put silver on the pistachio shells?  Isn’t that a bit much?”

Well, dear readers, you tell me.  Have I crossed a line from tourist to crazy artist?

Blessings,

Patti