August 21-28, 2022 Fort Collins, Colorado

 High of 78, partly cloudy today.

Wild cucumber blooming on the bike path tonight. 

Sunset. One of McMurry ponds on my bike ride.

Beautiful evening light during my bike ride. The CSU trial gardens. 

At the art museum at CS, some nice African pieces including this at least 3 foot in diameter bowl that was the community beer brewing vessel. The last piece is a piece of glass I am working on beading. I ordered some smaller less flashy beads to try. I might like them better. An Andy Warhol Campbells soup can sculpture. It was built by art students at CSU according to Andy's design, then he signed it.  Inside the art museum was this display of Cannibull's soup cans called Pyramid Scheme. On top is Wall Street Gumbo, below is All American Treasury with Pork and Freddy's Mac and Cheese, below that are Executive bonus consume, Stimulus minestrone, Bailout Bisque, Mortgage broker stew. This hibiscus blooms are bigger than my hand in the Trial garden and I have never seen one of these locking skate board racks. 

I am making bead bezels for some of the beveled polished pendants. I could hardly see the beads with my glasses before surgery. I can see the beads and their holes without glasses, but to actually work with them I need reading glasses, good light and a lighted magnifying glass. This one still needs the bottom finished off. 

I spent most of this week working on the stencil for this piece. I am getting ready to sandblast it. Everywhere that is copper colored will be black and everything else will be coppery. I am choosing dichroic glass to put on it and where. Finally this bowl is done I have been working on three of them for weeks. It is 10 x 3inches. Parts of it have fired 5 times. 

This is another of the ones I have been working on for weeks. It is in the kiln now slumping into the same 10 x 3 inches bowl mold. Parts of it have been fired 7 times. 

Parts of this bowl have been fired 7 times, sandblasted twice and the whole pattern bar was cut into zig zags with my wet diamond ring saw and the edges have been worked on my flat lap. There is gold painted around the edges of the different parts. Working on it for weeks. It is 10 x 10 x 1 1/4. I have spent a week working on the stencil for this. I am getting ready to sand blast it. Everywhere coppery will be black. Everywhere any other color will be coppery. I am choosing which dichroic glass to put on it after it is sand blasted. 

I am working on a beaded bezel for this beveled polished pendant. Before surgery I could barely see the tiny beads. After surgery I can see them, and the holes in them. But to actually work with them I need good light, reading glasses and a lighted magnifying glass. It is coming out real pretty. I need to finish off the bottom of it yet. 

Sunset last night.

Sunset last night and the lights have just gone by the bridge from the bike path.

I got this piece sand blasted and some dichroic glass bits on it. It is firing right now. This bowl is fresh from the kiln this morning. It is 10 x 3 inches. Took forever to make.

My pattern bowl collection.  Front and back. Sunset tonight.

August 12-19, 2022 Fort Collins, Colorado

 Been in the high 90's and somewhat humid, with dark clouds in the afternoon, but very little rain.

A couple scenes from our evening stroll around old town. Some break dancing on the stage at the square and children running through the fountain when it was hot. Sunset.

John and Mandy came over for dinner. John served smoked ribs, butternut bisque, and grilled peaches with ice cream for dessert. Mandy brought a yummy salad with tomatoes from their garden. Dinner was wonderful and so was the company. Sunset was brief and not very colorful before the rain chased us inside.

I went down to Denver to the Glass Artist Fellowship meeting. It was fun to see everyone and to tour the new 40W Galleries. Laurie and Deb framed. The galleries are by Casa Bonita. The new management has painted it Pepto-Bismol pink. There is heavy equipment in front, they are doing extensive remodeling. Word has it when they reopen they will even have editable food. The inside is very unique, but the old owners sold the worst food possible. 

This piece is in the kiln ready for firing. It took forever to choose the colors, and then to line up all those little pieces. The second piece is still in progress, but getting close. 

The bike path on my evening ride. The colors are so much brighter  and richer to me since my cataract surgery. I can't stop just looking around in awe. Tues I drove down to Denver again for my check up on my eye surgery. It rained the whole way down. Downtown shrouded in clouds and rain. My eyes are now 20/20 without glasses. It is a miracle. Omni Eye Specialists did the surgery and I highly recommend them. 

Sunset. One of the picturesque alleys in old town Fort Collins. 

A couple of the latest steps in the current masterpieces. All three are each 10 inches across. The top left one, I did not put enough fiber paper in the mold and it is fused to the stainless steel casting ring. It is currently in the kiln again seeing if it will melt out of it, will see when it cools down tonight. 

We went up to Cameron Pass and hiked the Michigan Ditch trail. It runs along a canal that moves water over the divide into the Poudre River drainage. I have not hiked since before I injured my back, so wanted to go on a scenic easy hike. It was lovely. It rained, sun shined, hailed, grappled and thundered. 

Flowers seen today. 

More flowers seen today,

Noku Crags seen from the trail. I was taking this photo of the black cloud and this butterfly flew in front of the camera.. 

Creek draining in. More flowers along the canal.

My tomato plants are now taller than the fence. The cherry tomatoes are starting to turn red now. I only planted these on June 29, they are doing well. I dyed a big box of ponderosa pine needles I had to use this winter in baskets. Shown in the sun and the shade.

I made this 4 sided jewel, but last night made it into an 8 sided one, it is really sparkly as an 8 sided one.