Ok, I haven’t written for a while, and this isn’t going to be about glass, well, at least not in the beginning.  I said I would write about lots of different things and right now we’re on our first real vacation in a very long time.  Having a great house/pet sitter makes it possible for us to get away, but we haven’t planned this long a trip in quite a while.  The first part of the trip will be spending some time in Upstate New York, an area we haven’t explored in over 20 years.  The plan is to visit some waterfalls and lakes, taste some wine (and maybe even bring some home, if it lasts that long) and find some interesting food - no big chains for us on this trip!  Also, there is a glass festival in Corning this weekend, so I will get around to some glass stuff later.

For the first time together, John and I took the northern route to get to the other side of Lake Michigan.  I was a little concerned about the “BIG” Mackinaw bridge, but it turned out to be nothing to worry about.  Helped that it was a beautiful, clear day with barely a breeze.  On the other side of the bridge in Mackinaw City was a restaurant called Skalawags which was my “destination” for lunch.  Of course we got a late start so instead of lunch it was dinner.  You may or may not know that our favorite place to eat is Skaliwags in Algoma, so when I saw Skalawags it had to go on the to eat at list.  I knew going in it was a fish and chips joint, not fine cuisine, but it was worth the stop.  Some of the freshest whitefish I’ve ever had dipped in a light batter and fried with barely a trace of oil left.  Very tasty tartar sauce, and a good whitefish chowder.  Didn’t get a picture, but if you’re ever in Mackinaw City looking for a tasty treat both of us would recommend Skalawags.  The drive to Saginaw for our overnight stay was long, but we made it before the lounge at the hotel closed - YAY!

The next day, we drove to Buffalo, NY to get in a good position to visit Niagara Falls the next morning.  Our hotel was in downtown Buffalo which has a little bit of everything going on, from very nice to very ragged.  We were going to visit the Anchor Bar for the original Buffalo wing experience, but the concierge at the hotel steered us away with a different recommendation for a good wing experience.  Being fans of The Sopranos, how could we say no to a place called “Bada Bing”??  The hot wings were just as we remembered from our days on Long Island and so much better than any we have had outside of NY.  Some good paninis and beer served by a very personable waitress and we were happy campers!

Now, this is what Buffalo wings should look like!

One happy guy!

This morning we spent a couple of hours being tourists at Niagara Falls.  We both love waterfalls, so this was a fun morning.  I’ll post some pictures later on.  For lunch we found a great Italian restaurant called Como away from the “tourist” area.  I had ravioli - singular and about 4-5” across - with some of the best marinara sauce I’ve had in a long while.  Then we started driving to the Finger Lakes region.  Tomorrow we plan to do some wine tasting.  The area is known for some really good dry rieslings, but there are many more wines to try.  Wish us luck!

So, I said I might write about all kinds of things, and here is something a bit off of the glass theme, although my flowers do tend to inspire me.  These are a few daylilies that were started from seed that we were either given, or that John collected from our plants.  They are all unique and growing beautifully in one of the lily beds.  One of the yellow ones has just a touch of pink on the petal borders, a very nice touch.  Something I just learned about daylilies is that they are edible as well as beautiful!  At the end of the day I have been taking a stroll and picking a few to add to our salads for a touch of color and a slightly sweet, delicate flavor addition.  What fun! 

Spring has finally arrived!  Winter seemed to have quite a grasp on us for way too long, but it is wonderful to see things turning green once again.  The spring flowers seem to have relished the snow and rain and are blooming better than ever before.  I think they were longing for the warmth and sun as much as we were.

While so much was hibernating, a new event was started in the nearby lakeshore town of Algoma.  A few galleries and other locations started opening their doors one evening every month (the second Friday), bringing in some visiting artists, highlighting the art of their resident artists and sometimes providing entertainment and refreshments.  Bren Sibilsky invited me to join her in her studio/gallery (E5977 Fremont Rd., just west of town), and we have been having a wonderful time talking with many visitors.  Some people have known of Bren and her work for a long time, others are just finding out what kind of amazing artists are hidden (in plain sight!) around the area.  Other locations on the ArtWave are Clay on Steele and Steele Street Floral and the Kewaunee Academy of Fine Art (all on Steele St. downtown), SteelHead Saloon and Caffe’ Tlazo on the main drag through town.

This Friday is the second Friday in May, so ArtWave is upon us again!  Bren and I both strive to have new work to show and this month is no different.  So, from 5-8 PM, May 13 come on out to Algoma (at least those of you within driving distance!) stop and see Bren and I, then head on to downtown Algoma to visit the other locations.  Caffe’ Tlazo will have some specials as well as musical entertainment.  With everything coming alive it’s a great drive from anywhere in the area!  Hope to see you.

Studio/gallery of Bren Sibilsky Sculpture

Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away, and then Christmas is just around the corner!  Our warmer than normal weather has made fall seem very long (a really good thing :) ), and it doesn’t seem late enough for the holidays.  I’m sure the temperatures will get back to normal now and the winter so many of us dread will be upon us.  In the meantime, the local Holiday Sales and Shows are gearing up.  I delivered some glass to KeLe Alpacas on Friday for the show starting there on Nov. 20 (runs through Dec. 5).  Today I took some pieces to The ARTgarage for jurying in to their Holiday Sale event which begins Nov. 18 and runs through Christmas.  The little dichroic candleholder above will be for sale at The ARTgarage and I hope it goes to a good new home.

Algoma has started a monthly event called the Algoma Art Wave.  The second Friday of the month galleries, studios and related businesses will stay open a little later and have some special things going on.  Last night (Nov. 12) was the inaugural evening and it seemed very well attended.  Bren Sibilsky invited me to exhibit some of my work at her studio along with Molly Johnson with some of her paintings.  I felt honored to be in such talented company!  We were all happy with the turn-out and enjoyed having the crew from the Kewaunee Academy of Fine Art show up at the end of the evening.  Check out the website and, if you live close enough, mark your calendars for the upcoming “Waves”.

The calendar says it’s fall, and the trees are changing, but I’m not ready to believe that summer is over and winter is on it’s way.  I’m also finding it hard to believe that the Art Studio Tour is less than 2 weeks away!  The studio itself could be ready for visitors within a couple of days, but I don’t have all of the work I had hoped ready yet.  It will be a few busy days before I can say “enough”!  The lead up is always nerve wracking, wondering what I have forgotten during the planning, and what the weekend will bring.  Let’s just hope for the “right” weather - not too cold, not too warm, no rain - and no big spikes in gas prices.

Here are a couple of new recycled bottle necklaces.  Lots more jewelry in the works, as well as new glass paintings, vases and candleholders.