Yes folks, i’ve been dragged over to the dark side, i’m in love with PJ’s Barracuda torch and i’ve been making big marbles.
For those of you not in the glass world, with a little torch like mine I can’t really play with boro (pyrex) glass, you need a much hotter and bigger torch to generate enough heat to melt it.
PJ has several large torches (including a Kobuki ) and he’s let me use his barracuda while i’m here (this man knows how to get to a girls heart i tell ya!)
So, BAM (big arse marbles)
Yeah i know, i’m getting a lot of mileage out of the “in Seattle” thing, its a sickness.
Yesterday PJ took me fly fishing, i’ve never been fly fishing, done lots of fishing but mostly saltwater.
We went to a beautiful little lake just out of Seattle, its part of a resort and PJ and his fishing buddies have a deal where they stock it every year and fish it in the off season, its not off season now but there was not a soul there.
We took two small inflatable boats, mine was the normal kind so i didnt have to get wet feet, PJ’s had no bottom and he paddles it with big flippers and has to wear waders (thank goodness, cos I’m thinking i would have had trouble getting into the waders!)
PJ ties his own flys, and they are teeny tiny works of art, check how small this is!
He ties all different kinds, depending on what he’s fishing for and where.
So i’m set up with all my gear, he slaps a life jacket on me (i’m thinking its overkill, basically we’re in a big pond but safety first), rod, net, oars…takeoff!
This place is just stinkin pretty! He told me there are two bald eagles here and they should turn up sooner or later.
We fish by rowing slowly up and down the lake, apparently its not the right time for dry flys, these flys are designed to sink just below the surface, it must work cos I caught two!
The eagles turned up about midday, wow! On the wing they are pretty impressive. The male sat in a tall tree and watched us for ages, hoping I guess that we would chuck him a fish, I would have if I’d caught something small.
All of these artists will be featured over the next few weeks or months so I wont detail them all now.
Today I made sure (with their permission) that I photographed every single artist at the Bead Bazaar, here is a small beautiful sample.
How many of you can guess the artist?
Those of you on LE will remember this duo, those of you not on LE will just wonder what kind of weirdness we get up to.
Full credit to the wonderful artist Judy Carlson
Better known as that iconic producer of rosey cheeks, Vegemite!
Australians just love Vegemite…yanks? maybe not so much
I’m here, dammit I could have rowed myself here faster!
Seattle is a beautiful city, all fir trees and lush green, it must be beautiful in Autumn
I’m staying with PJ, he kindly invited me to stay with him in his beautiful home tucked away in the trees…squirrels!!
…..
Sorry? Where was I?
Those squirrels are such CUTE little suckers and I’m easily entertained
Ok, so it’s not a great shot, but they scamper away so fast if I try and get closer.
PJ took me to Harbour Freight…the Aussies will understand why this was such a thrill, TOOLS!, really really cheap tools, like a 10th of what we pay.
We visited a hot glass shop in Seattle, (I must admit I’ve forgotten the name but I’ll ask him tomorrow and update) I watched a girl make a beautiful double walled bowl and then spent some time drooling over beautiful pieces, most of which I recognised the artist.
Then lunch, today we went to Zoopa, beautiful fresh salads, pasta and soup, all you can eat for about $10…yum
PJ thinks its funny that I keep taking photos of food, but it’s a constant curiosity with me how the food is different here…and don’t get me started on the coffee
So, today was the open torch day…more on that in tomorrows update
My first day in the US, i’m in LA with Shelby who’s kindly offered to show me around and make sure I don’t get mugged – you know me, I’d wander off to somewhere I’m not meant to be and end up as an episode of CSI.
We’re at Venice Beach…see now you might be thinking, she’s an Aussie, why on earth would she go to a beach somewhere else”….well guys, Venice beach is like nowhere I’ve EVER been.
Lots of beads to swap at the gathering, mostly kitties but some other stuff as well
Well here I am writing a blog post when I’m supposed to be packing, I leave in less than 24 hours for the US (yay!)
This is a good place to start this blog because after three years of lampworking and making beads i’m off to the US for the annual gathering – for the uninitiated it’s a four day event of classes, lectures and fun organised by the ISGB.
I decided to get to the gathering this year even if i had to rob a bank and its come close to that, I really couldn’t afford to go if not for the generosity of my long suffering husband and my friends in the US that are going to host me. It astonishes me really that people who i’ve never met in person are welcoming me into their homes, in particular PJ who’s putting me up for the majority of the time I’ll be in Seattle (check the list, really good Hunter Valley red for PJ).
So here I come Seattle
I’ll be regularly posting from the Gathering and taking lots of photos for all the poor sods I’m leaving behind here in Oz (yeah, sucks to be you guys), stay posted.
