Family Reunion, Part 3

This post is pretty photo-heavy, and I didn't even include everything that I might have done. It's just the only possible way to write this post!

So.      Day 2.

So, Todd and I had to check out of this day's activities. We got up early and were on the road by 6:00 am to drive back to Portland, where we attended a dealer meeting for our major hearth supplier. It was great to see the new products, and listen in on the questions and commentary from other dealers. And, oh my -- I could listen to the factory guy with the Scottish brogue talk all day long. 

Oh, wait.   -------- we did!

I was rather disappointed to not get to participate with the other girls and kids on this one, but that's just the way it worked out this time.

So I handed off my camera to Cameron, and he took photos for me.

Day 2's family activity was....

GLASS BLOWING.

How cool is THAT?

(Well, it's pretty hot, actually!)

Lincoln City is home to quite a few glass artists, and Kerry set us up to go do the hands-on glass blowing at the studio. The glassware they sell is gorgeous, and at the glass studio, you can do a make-your-own project: glass floats (regular or large), round or heart-shaped paperweights, and glass bowls.

Long pants & close-toed shoes required. I think they provided the eyewear and gloves.

(Emma looks pretty excited for this!)

Emma and Darcie were both doing theirs at about the same time, so Cameron's photos jumped back and forth between them. Both of them made paperweights -- Emma's was a heart, and Darcie's was round.

They got to choose the colors they'd use in their projects. With hot molten glass on the rod, they pressed the glass into piles of colored glass bits.

There's a bit of heating, cooling and spinning of the rods during the whole process.

That's Darcie, clamped onto the glass and pulling out while the rod is turned, creating a twisted color pattern.

Emma's twist is then re-shaped into a spiral. The photos here don't show it, but after this, they used tools to make the heart shape -- pulling out the point at the bottom, and indenting the curves at the top.

Darcie's was gathered up and re-shaped into a solid sphere.

(There's probably a few steps here that I'm missing, but remember -- I wasn't there.)

At some point, they start pinching to narrow the connection between the rod and the glass.

You can't really tell the finished colors when the glass is hot.

Well, maybe you can tell if you're experienced with this!

Gas-fired forges are used to heat the glass back up before each shaping step.

When it's ready, the rod is detached from the art piece. The glass has to be cool enough to break, otherwise it would just stretch and pull again. That's Emma with the wooden bat -- knocking it apart.

Then they re-heat the piece to stamp it.

Each piece has a round seal stamped into it with raised letters. It says, "Oregon Coast 2015 Taft", and there is a number to one side, which indicates which in your group it belongs to. "Taft" is the district in Lincoln City -- so it's identifying where it was made.

Although my girls both did paperweights, the older family members did blown-glass pieces. Grandma made a glass float -- this is her blowing the float to enlarge it.

Kerry also made a float, and Carolyn made a bowl. (Bowls are made by blowing the glass until it breaks a hole in the end.) I can't remember what everyone else made.

All the glass pieces stayed at the studio overnight to cool, and they were STILL warm the next day when they picked them up.

Todd and I bought some glass souvenirs to bring home (whoops -- sorry, no photos!) ....

including a glass float, a starfish, glass pens, and a beautiful conch shell.

But I would sure love to go back and make something myself!!

That afternoon, while we were still in Portland, the kids ran down to play at the beach:

(Emma got knocked down by a wave, and had to be "rescued.")

The rocks there have some great tide pools -- but the tide had been out for a while when the kids were there.

(Is she the ostrich that buries its head in the sand??)

Todd and I made it back after dinner that evening, in time for another sunset ....

And while the rest of us played games again, 

the guys were plotting and planning for the next day's fun.... something that is a little more up THEIR alley.  

I know Darcie and Emma will always remember this trip to the coast because of the glass blowing, in particular. I thought Cameron would make something too, but he ended up deciding not to do one.

And the plus-side to making paperweights, is they should last a really long time -- much less likely to break than a blown-glass float!

What great memories!!

See more of our Family Reunion Week in these posts:

Part 1, the beginning

Part 2, Day 1

Part 4, Day 3

Part 5, Days 4 & 5

Wrap-Up and Family Photos