August 13-24, 2020 Fort Collins, Colorado

 In the high 90's this week. 

I went to Denver today to shop at the glass wholesale store and visit with friends. The wild fires have turned the sky orange. On my drive back the sun was an opaque red orange. Of course my camera could not capture it. I took this photo blindly pointing the camera as I was driving and watching the road. It was beautiful my whole drive. Today the smoke cloud over Fort Collins. It was like sunset all day, the light is orange.

And the sun is red through the smoke. I finished this bear. The mold said to draw around the base of the mold for the shape of the glass. The last two I drew around the hole in the center of the mold. I think I like this one better. It has been fired 4 times. After the first firing there was a huge bubble. So I broke the bubble and refired. Then I had to cover up the debris left from the bubble, it was scummy, so I had to change the design and add the green and blue around the heart line on the bear and the border around the edge. It came out very nice. It is 7 x 10 inches and an inch deep. 

Finally two tomatoes from our plants. This particular plant has about 10 ripening tomatoes and not much else, for some reason the plant has stopped growing. It is very smoky today from the forest fires in the mountains to the west. Friday I had 3 vaccinations, Tetanus/diphtheria, shingles and pneumovax. I was sicker than a dog ,from reactions to the shots, for the weekend. Mostly severe muscle aches, so I stayed home in bed. Won't try to exercise outdoors till the smoke clears. but by Monday I am recovered. 

Sunset the other night. We met with John's friend Val, from when he lived in Eagle 28 years ago. Her son Gunner is going to college in Fort Collins so they met us for dinner. Andrew also joined us. He is a friend from way back. They invited him and we knew him. Andrew, Shay, John, Me, Val and Gunner. It was fun to met them and dinner was lovely.

Sunset from dinner. Who could not buy this-Bliss 20 plant based pills for happiness?

Pendants I made this week. Trying to fill in the jewelry that I ran out over the winter. I made 7 of these beveled and polished jewels today.  I like the organic shapes better than trying to make  a perfect shape to fit in a setting. . Much easier. I moved my flat lap grinder to where the old kiln was that I sold and have a lot more room now. 

The Three Bears.  Experimenting with the bear mold. We have been having high temperatures. They are saying the temps are in the high 90's but in gets pretty hot in our backyard. The smoke is very bad. I can not tell the difference from clouds and the smoke. It is either dreary gray and hazy or the light is orange and hazy. 

 Here is the latest mask I made-currency. Way before sunset we get colors. I am not sure if it the clouds or smoke. 

The sun dropped below either clouds or thicker smoke into orange smoke. We get sunset colors much of the day. This is actual sunset over McMurray pond. I can't decide which is worse. Staying inside and being fat and depressed or going outside and exercising in the bad quality air. The eastern front range of the Rockies is kind of on a wind shadow from the mountains. The winds blow over the mountains and don't come down till farther east, so everything in the air just stays here .The ozone and particulates have been in the unhealthy for sensitive individual and almost in to the unhealthy for everyone. 

A buck seen on my bike ride.