Glassblowing

(Michael) A couple weeks ago we had the chance to use a great present that my parents had given us....last year.  So sometimes we aren't as on top of things as we'd like.

It was a free glassblowing lesson at Stone and Glass in Rancho Bernardo.  Even though the certificate we got said it was for a lesson on how to make a paperweight, they informed us that they didn't do that anymore so we could learn how to make a drinking glass instead (as much as we need paperweights, we thought it was a definite upgrade.)

I was especially excited since my mother had found a glassblowing summer school class I could take while I was in high school many years ago, and it was one of the neatest things I've ever done.  Of course, every time I think about this it reminds me that my sister Elizabeth who majored in art really should have been the one to do that.  Arrrw.

When we got there, we were greeted by the main instructor who spent some time to shake, and then slowly analyse our hands.  He kicked things off by talking about the Old Testament scripture when god blew life into man and explained that we were all on a journey that afternoon and were all going back to our eternal roots in glass.  It was sort of strange, but we were sort of ready for something like that judging by a lot of his abstract art.

We then got right to it.  There was a helper who did a pretty good job of letting us do some of the process without leaving us stranded.  I was glad they had plenty of colors to incorporate into the glass since that was my big regret the last time I had done this.

Amanda was a natural, and was keeping the helper on his toes.

I had forgotten how incredibly hot it gets in front of the ovens.  It really feels like the hairs on your arm are getting singed.  But it was a great time, we both loved it.

And the final product.