Nathan’s Bread Oven

When Halley Potter Taylor, Warden of St. Ann’s Vestry, her husband Nathan and their daughter, Raija, temporarily relocated closer to Halley’s family in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2020, Nathan did not take long to construct his own wood-fired oven. It was a project he had “long admired from a distance but until Covid had never thought would be a way of life.” With the help of Halley and Raija, Nathan constructed an all-purpose oven not unlike those found in ancient Israel — formed of clay bricks, sand and wood. The project was “a way of spending time, a way of building with one’s hands, executing autonomy and engaging with fire.” The results are beautiful. Click on an image for slideshow.