The Chihuly Museum

A couple of weeks ago, our Uncle asked if some of us kids

would be so kind as to join him for the day at the Chihuly Museum, in St.Pete:)

Our Group, happily smiling:) (Really?)

We were disappointed to find that we couldn't take any pictures inside the museum:(

So we had to try to get all that we could of the "two" Glass sculptures, outside:)

Tom and May's having a ravished time! ;)

This a the view from the back of a REALLY neat display inside.

It has the sun shining through this end, which makes for a very unique look on the inside.

(Very creative)

This piece came from Jerusalem.

But when it was there, it looked allot different than this.

They said, whenever they move any of the sculptures, there's no particular way it goes

back together and it ends up being different every time:)

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The Hot House

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After the museum, we went a few blocks down the road to the "Hot House".
There, they made and demonstrated how to make the blown glass sculptures.
It was really interesting, and Hot! But allot of fun:)

A mixture of powdered limestone, sand and ash is shoveled into a hot, 2,300 degree furnace
and allowed to cook overnight. This is added a bit at a time in order to allow each ingredient to melt together and form liquid glass:) Hot hot!!

Next, they took a tool, referred to as a blowpipe, and slowly turn it to gather the molten glass around the end of the tube.

The man demonstrating,

drew an idea of what the finished product would look like on the floor:)
At this point, they roll the glass around in crushed up colored glass. This is what will give the piece color. The number of times the piece is rolled in the "frit" will vary depending upon the blower.

Tom pointing to the table of colored glass pieces :)

Adding the bottom holder thing:/

They flung the piece around, giving it an interesting shape:)

And the end Product:)

Ta da!!!!!

Then they made a fish:)

There was another furnace they used to re-heat the glass, so they could continue shaping it:)

Every time they opened any of the furnaces, there was like a rush of heat! So imagine if you were the ones standing right at the furnace.....Oh my!! Serious heat wave there....

End product again~:)

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The Pier

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After leaving the hot house, Uncle Tommy asked if we would like to walk to the pier before we head home, So............

On the roof of the pyramid building.

Awesome view!!

Mary's just not sure about this statue :O

After walking several miles, Uncle Tommy asked us if we'd like

to stop somewhere and pick up a sandwich and water.... And seeing as all of our throats were dirt dry, we all said "sure". So we got on the elevator to go down, and he took us to the fourth floor:o And when the doors opened.....It was this Extremely Huge Fancy restaurant!! It was the "Colombian Spanish Family Restaurant" We were all shocked!!!

But it was a great end to a perfect day:)

Out the window we watched a sale boat show out in the ocean. Which was very neat.

Thank You so much Uncle Tommy for taking us!! It was all Wonderful!!

Quote of the day:

Remember the sun is always shining somewhere!

Posted by: Christiana

- Virginia -

We thought momma would like a trip

for her birthday,

and it just so happened that one of our precious

friends mentioned a property that he owned

right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

He thought we would enjoy visiting and invited us to go enjoy it.

So we took his suggestion, loaded up and headed out.

(Isn't it amazing how the Lord works things like this out?)

On the road again.....

"I'll stay awake and tell you everything you missed while you were sleeping, big brother."

"I'm slowly losing consciencenous!"

Happy Travelers

(Rested and Ready)

Hot Air Balloons

The drive to our final destination.

The next day

(After the first round of chopping and mowing.)

(The grass was about 5 ft. when we arrived and one of the neighbors stopped by

and brought us a lawnmower.)

Doing things the old fashioned way,

except we never did get any water.

(But another neighbor about 1/4 mile down the road offered for us to get drinking water from his pump.)

Our view from the front porch.

You never know what might float down the river!!

Time for a li'l cleaning.

This river (Actually it's a huge creek) was so refreshing.

A spa made by God, the best kind :)

Enjoyment

This was our whirlpool.

(If you let the water pull you into this, it would pull you under,

through a "rock funnel" and throw you out into a deep pool on the other side.)

Gabriel's about to be sucked into the "Pin ball machine".

(The reason we call it that, is that when you're going through the rocks,

it knocks you back and forth between the rocks. Sounds fun, Huh?)

You only get "small" bruises and knots :)

Oh, Yeah!!

Our Dam

Time to do laundry,

while it's still on our body.

Some of us needed some freshening up,

for the sake of all of us.

:)

Majestic

This is a wonderful life in a wonderful place.

After washing clothes in a bucket at the river.

(It sure makes you appreciate the comforts of life, like a washing machine,

running water, electricity, etc., but on the other hand, it sure is nice to

get away from all the things we don't need!!)

Simpicity is a wonderful thing.

I know this is a shock to some,

but we did actually bring our shoes.

:)

Ready for sleeping with clean sheets and covers.

(The beds are the old spring ones, that are soooo comfy.)

Resting from work and playing some games.

"Straight Up" and narrow to the third bedroom.

The Hotline ;)

Mary and her friendly butterfly.

Weeding to plant flowers.

(We weren't able to get flowers this trip.

It's just not that easy to go to town in a 30 ft. RV on back roads

that go straight down and turn sharper than the RV can fit,

plus the store is quite a distance, so with all that said, we'll

bring the flowers on our next trip.)

Chopping and burning.

(Earlier in the day, you

wouldn't have been able to see Liv.)

Mowing the "steep" front yard.

(We're used to level ground.)

Tom gets his turn.

Gabriel going to fetch water from the river.

(It drops off on the other side of the road, so carrying water is not an easy task.)

Java Momma somehow brews her coffee,

even without the luxuries of electricity and water.

(How does she do it? When you're desperate, you can do anything :))

Gabriel hanging laundry.

(Somebody frame this!!)

Ariana must be in the river with her camera!!!

(Thankfully, it survived, whew.)

Sadness

(Time to leave the "Long Ago"

and return to the "Here and Now".)

But before we go, we have one more adventure.

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The Waterfall and Tunnel

We have to cross the river to get to the tunnel.

The neighbor picked us up and took us to his property, to show us the tunnel,

which was chiseled by hand back in the 1800's. Three men were paid $200 to dig through this mountain, which is solid rock, so they could build a waterwheel for the gristmill.

They excepted the offer. It took them 2 years to finish.

Unfortunately, the waterwheel was never built for reasons unknown.

Our goal is to climb to the top of the waterfall,

which was very steep and slippery,

to get to the tunnel.Not for those who are scared of heights (or danger).

As you can see, momma is not here!!We have conquered!

Pondering....

What goes up, must come down.

Our new property.

(We wish!)

Goodbye Virginia.......