Anna's parents came to stay for a few weeks and we enjoyed having them with us! Anna and Sandy were able to do some glassblowing at a local glass studio. They each made a bowl and glass. It was lots of fun! Thanks to Kristine, who bought the groupon for them to enjoy the studio.
First we picked the colors that our pieces would be....
Then the artist got the liquid glass from the kiln that was 2200 degrees.
After we blew through a tube to create a bubble that would pop and form the shape of the glass, the artis smoothed the edges with wet newspaper.
After he removed it from the tool, he set it on a base of molten glass. This is my glass before going into the kiln. Each piece had to be fired, otherwise the glass would be brittle.
This is my finished bowl.
Next, my mom and I worked on redecorating our landing upstairs. I recovered the seat cushions, and my mom made curtains and a pillow. I have one more pillow in the works, but am so pleased with how it turned out. Here are the before and after pictures....
Before.... (boring!)
After....
While my parents were here, our dogs had a good time playing with their dog, Molly. Molly made herself right at home....even using the dog bed a few times!
Next, a childhood friend of mine came to visit. Holly and I have known each other since we were three, but because she lives in Utah and we live here we hadn't seen each other for YEARS. It was a great visit. We took a long day adventure to Friday Harbor to do some whale watching and had an incredible time. We saw a group of 20 orcas swimming and playing together. They jumped and slapped their tails on the water. It was awesome, and the pictures don't do the experience justice, but here are a few good ones anyhow:
Spouting and checking us out....
Some came really close to the boat....
Jumping!!! Check out the one in the back left....
Slapping the tail on the water:
Seven whales in this one:
Whale kisses?
Holly is a giraffe keeper at the zoo she works at, so we went to Woodland Park Zoo to check it out. We did a giraffe feeding, which was up close and personal.
Then we were able to see the giraffe barns. Hal enjoyed seeing how they measures the giraffe heights.
And we enjoyed the rest of the zoo...
We were reminded that the emu is a dangerous bird....
And we saw a sloth bear. I didn't know such a creature existed.
Holly and I....
This post is getting long, so I had better save the rest of our adventures for another post.
