Museum of Glass

 When the walkway to get to a museum entrance is a tourist attraction, in and of itself, you know you are in for a "feast for the eyes"!!  This photo shows the two blue sculpture towers  that help define the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, the 500 foot long structure that enables visitors to safely cross above the busy streets and railroad tracks below, to get to the 1801 Dock Street address of Tacoma's Museum of Glass ( www.museumofglass.org )

 The installation in the lower right is called "Water Forest" and defines the space that leads up the grand staircase, which winds around the 90-foot-high cone, that defines the Museum of Glass structure.  The cone is covered in diamond-shaped stainless steel tiles, that has an ever-changing appearance, depending upon the sky it is reflecting. 

 There is a 210-foot-long reflecting pool on the main plaza of the Museum of Glass entrance that is the location of an installation called "Fluent Steps".  It consists of 754 individually hand-sculpted pieces of glass, forming several islands of clear-glass sculpture along the length of the reflecting pool.  I photographed these clear sculptures  at night, as well as daytime, and they look completely different, so the sculpture's appearance is ever-changing, depending on time of day, and environmental conditions.  The diagonal lines in the background are from the cable-stay automobile  bridge that spans the Thea Foss Waterway. 

 Once inside, a visitor has the option of entering the Jane Russell Hot Shop, shown on the left, or simply getting enveloped by the spacious 6,900 square foot Grand Hall.  The Grand Hall can be rented for receptions, meetings, banquets, and trade shows.

 If you choose to go into the cone, you will be entering a working "hot shop", that has been carefully designed to allow adequate ventilation for the extreme heat such an operation generates, as well as consideration for spectators who want to see how the magnificent glass objects are crafted.  Besides the guys/gals actually doing the work, there is an announcer, with a microphone, that explains the various processes going on.  In addition, the announcer was happy to take questions from the audience.  Also, I noticed that the primary artist in charge of the work for that day, came over to the gallery, and spoke individually with some of the spectators.  This gallery will be packed on Sunday, September 23, when famous glass sculptor Dale Chihuly will be working there in person.  Although, all of the timed entries into the Hot Shop gallery are sold out for his "performance" there, you can go to the museum's website to find a link to a live simulcast that is available for those who would like to see Dale Chihuly in action.

 Seeing the glass blower take the molten glass out of the blazing hot oven, then carefully work with it, to create a meaningful object, is fascinating! The first time I ever observed a "live" glass blower was on a trip to Venice, Italy, when I was a teenager.  I purchased the small, clear, pastel-colored deer figurine that I saw him make, and even was able to get it back to the states with me, without breaking it!  I still have that little figurine, and I will treasure it even more, now that I learned how much the iconic glass artist Dale Chihuly, was influenced by the glass artists of Venice, Italy!

 I waited until most of the spectator's gallery had cleared out, so that I could photograph it from the "catwalk" bridge that is above the hot shop.  I have been to several other glass-blowing shops, and none of them have been designed in such a way that makes it so comfortable for the spectators.   Very few of them have had seats, not to mention, a well-planned gallery for spectators.

 One of the first glass sculptures that caught my eye as I exited the Hot Shop, was this "blazing", red hot "guitar" sculpture.  I tried to imagine what melody such an extraordinary instrument would play for us, if indeed, it was in the hands of a capable guitarist.

 Adjacent to the Hot Shop, is the Studio, that is set up for creative projects for children, or adults, if they so desire.

 The day I was there, the project was to make artistic pinwheels.  The instructions were carefully spelled out on a large easel board, plus all the supplies were readily available, to let your "inner child" make one of these fun toys, that some of us can remember from the "good ole days" of our youth.

 This sculpture captured my attention, because the crystal ball on the figure's forehead, was reflecting an upside-down image of Union Station, that was across the street.

 Likewise, since I had recently participated in a formal "Mother's Day Tea", where the hostess showed off her collection of unusual teapots, I was completely intrigued by this sculpture (which was for sale) that had octopus legs for an "under the sea" theme, and had a pun in its name, which was "Under the Tea". 

 One section of the interior of the Art Museum, gives you a view of the entire length of the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, that connects the Museum of Glass, to the Washington State History Museum and Union Station.  There is no fee to cross the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, and it is open 24/7.

 The exhibits in the museum's gallery had glass creations like nothing I had ever seen before.  The graceful, colored glass sculptures suspended by wire from the ceiling, took my mind back to days spent on the water, with sea gulls flying overhead. 

 I recognized these works of Dale Chihuly from similar pieces I had observed when I attended "Chihuly in the Garden" at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis.

 However, I had not seen any of Chihuly's early works, and I was thankful that the museum included extensive displays of the Tacoma native's history in the glass artistry field.  Dale Chihuly has provided SO MANY installations in the Tacoma area, that there is a free, cell-phone, self-guided walking tour that anyone can listen to, at any time, from any location (1-888-411-4220) to hear his recorded voice tell about what the viewer is seeing.   The program is called "Ear for Art", and gives interesting insight to the stories behind the installations around Tacoma that Chihuly is responsible for. 

 Not surprisingly, there is a SPLENDID gift shop adjacent to the Museum's Grand Hall, where the shopper can purchase stunning works of art to take home with them, as a reminder of their "visual feast" in Tacoma.

 Once you have seen how long it takes a glass artist to make even a simple cylinder, just imagine the time it took to create a cylinder with the amount of detail, color, and unusual shape as this one.

 Likewise, for the creation of these glass shields.  The detail on them was incredible!

 As soon as I saw this sculpture "within a sculpture", I thought of the Bible verse from Psalm 139:13-14 that says "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."  If that were me who had been blowing this gigantic glass bubble, to create this wonderfully-crafted work, you can be sure I would be plenty fearful, as well!  Hopefully, seeing everything that the Museum of Glass offers visitors, you will want to start your pilgrimage to this mecca of glass artists!  If so, log on to www.traveltacoma.com to start planning your visit.  There is SO MUCH to see, you will want to spend the night, and I can heartily recommend Tacoma's Downtown Courtyard Marriott Hotel  ( www.courtyardtacoma.com ) that is in the heart of the Museum District, and adjacent to the FREE light rail system Tacoma offers, called The Link.  Visiting Tacoma, Washington, was MY link to Miles of Smiles!  Tricia

Destiny Harbor Tours - Tacoma

When I am learning about a city, one of my favorite ways to tour it is by boat.  This is especially true of the city of Tacoma, Washington, since its location along the Commencement Bay area of Puget Sound plays a pivotal role in its history and development.  My water tour was made possible by Destiny Harbor Tours ( www.destinyharbortours.com or www.destinymarine.com  ) which can be boarded just outside the entrance to the Tacoma Glass Museum (silver cone shown in photo is the "landmark" for the Glass Museum, with more information available about it at www.museumofglass.org ).   

 Captain Tom (shown in photo with uplifted arm) gathered his passengers around the entry to the secured loading gate to give us an overview of what the tour would include: city views, bridges, Old Town, Brown's Point, ships, tugs; wildlife, history, & ecology of the Thea Foss Waterway; and, an overview of the working Port of Tacoma located on world-famous Puget Sound in Washington State.  He "delivered as promised", since we saw all those things and more on the glorious day in September that I took the tour. 

 After proceeding down the walkway, we boarded his boat, one at a time, stepping onto a portable step and into the sparkling clean boat.  As you can see in the photo, life jackets are easily reached underneath every seat.  Guests are welcome to wear them throughout the trip, if they so desire, but they are not required to do so. 

 Captain Tom is a great example of an American entrepreneur.  He is shown taking up the boarding passes and coupons supplied by the guests who purchased them in advance.  Destiny Harbor Tours can be found on Facebook, and checking their page on social media will keep you abreast of special tours and discount coupons that are available.

 One of the other passengers on the boat had a magnificent camera around her neck, with a gigantic lens for capturing distant scenes, so I knew she would have no problem snapping this photo of me, using my much more compact camera! Some passengers also brought their binoculars, so they could study wildlife "eye to eye" as we cruised!

 Captain Tom promised we'd see bridges, and the first of these is the cable-stay bridge adjacent to the loading area.  It is a landmark, along with the silver structure behind it, known as the Tacoma Dome. 

 With the boat gliding underneath the bridge, I was able to get a photograph of the diagonal cables that give it its striking silhouette against the sky.

 The boarding area for the Destiny Harbor Tour is adjacent to the Tacoma Yacht Club, shown in this photo, with the skyline of the Tacoma downtown business district in the background.

 Another landmark on the Tacoma skyline is the clock tower, which is the Old City Hall.  The "teapot-looking" roof adjacent to it, used to be the home of the Northern Pacific Railroad headquarters.  In fact, Tacoma's nickname as "City of Destiny" relates to its location as the western terminus of the railroad.

 This structure's architecture and bluff-top location above the water reminded me of the famous Chateau Frontenac Hotel in Quebec, also built above a river.  Although the structure in this photo was originally going to be such a hotel, fires and financial setbacks resulted in the hotel idea being abandoned, and instead the building was turned into a Tacoma public school, known as "Stadium High".  The neighborhood around it is called "The Stadium District".
 

 This Chinese Pagoda was a gift from the country of China, and relates to the history of the thousands of Chinese immigrants, who were instrumental in the building of western railroads in the nineteenth century.

 All the passengers in the boat were able to easily hear Captain Tom as he pointed out these historic landmarks, thanks to a most excellent microphone and  sound amplification system he used on board. 

 Captain Tom spoke some on the ecology of Commencement Bay, pointing out how the placement of massive logs along the shoreline is a signature of Pacific Northwest beaches, and helps reduce erosion.  He said the bluff shown in this photograph, is somewhat unique to the waterway, because of the way it displays the various layers of sediment that were compressed to form the land mass.  His nickname for this part of our tour was the "riviera", because this area was usually a few degrees warmer than other shorelines, because of it receiving the western sun exposure.

 The monstrous gray hull ship shown in this photo is the "Cape Island", and is docked along the waterway to be ready to respond to provide assistance in national emergencies such as earthquakes or tsunamis.  The kayakers shown in the photograph illustrate the fact that paddlers can launch their own canoes/kayaks onto the Thea Foss Waterway, or they can rent boats from various outfitters along the marina. 

 As promised, we were able to see abundant wildlife along our tour route.  The brown seal pictured here seemed quite content sunning himself on the comfy log that was being used as a breakwater near the shore.  We also came across active seals who were diving for fish in the bay.  The captain pointed out that the clue for seeing the diving seals, is a circle of seagulls floating on top of the water, patiently waiting to scoop up any remains of fish that the seals would leave behind.

 Also as promised, we were able to see examples of Tacoma's working waterfront.  The Captain showed us this container ship that was being loaded with soybeans, from the cylindrical grain storage  silos that were on land adjacent to the waterway.

 This is a working paper mill, as evidenced by the mounds of wood chips in front of the factory.  Stringent environmental controls to limit air pollution have the added benefit that there were no unpleasant odors being emitted from the paper-making processes going on.

 Another example of this being a working port was evidenced by getting to photograph the workers, safely harnessed to their work sites, high above the water.  They are part of a ambitious, multi-million dollar project to update the elevator bridge that is partially shown in the photograph. 

 We also took a swing by Brown's Point.  The Brown's Point lighthouse has this non-traditional architecture, because it was purposely built to represent the Art Deco style of architecture, popular in the early part of the twentieth century. 

 When I looked in my concordance for Bible verses that had the word "destiny" in it, I found the passage from Ecclesiastes 7:2 that says "death is the destiny of every man." Thus, it is fitting to add that Captain Tom's business is licensed for at-sea memorials, where families can spread the ashes of their cremated loved ones, in a respectful and reverent ceremony.  But since none of us know exactly "when our ship will sail" to our final destiny, I would recommend planning a visit to Tacoma, as soon as possible, to see all this wonderful area has to offer to visitors.  You can visit www.traveltacoma.com to learn more.  I can also heartily recommend the Courtyard Marriott Hotel ( www.courtyardtacoma.com ) for convenient lodging across the street from the boarding area of Destiny Harbor Tour dock.  Destiny Harbor Tours uses a pun for its motto that says "Go to See!", which I guarantee, will give you miles of smiles!  Tricia

A "Wooly" Expedition!

In my travels, I sometimes have visited fiber crafts shops, and noticed what seemed to be incredibly high prices for the woolen items they were selling, that were made in the "old fashioned" way, rather than at a big manufacturing plant.  Well, after touring the Zeilinger Wool Company ( www.zwool.com ) in Frankenmuth, Michigan, I am surprised that such items don't cost even more!  I had no idea all the labor intense procedures that these handcrafted items required.   I took this photograph of a poster hanging on the wall at the Zeilinger Wool Company, that illustrates where the process starts---with the shearing of the sheep.  In addition, Zeilingers will process goat hair (mohair), rabbit hair (angora), llama, alpaca, dog hair, and other exotic animal fibers.  Although I do not know what the "politics" of the 4 generations of the Abraham/Zeilinger families are, that have operated the mill since 1910, I think it would be cool if they processed some wool from an animal known for its highly-prized "long wooled" fleece---the Romney ram.  Then they could make it into "Mittens" to give to U.S. Presidential Candidate, "Mitt" Romney!

 

My earliest experiences with caring for 100% wool clothing items was seeing them shrink to half their size when I unknowingly put them in the regular washer/dryer, with the rest of the laundry I was washing.  Our guide pointed out that this machine is a steamer, where they can put the newly woven yarn, and "preshrink" it BEFORE it is made into a garment.  This reduces the amount of shrinkage the finished garment is subject to.

The Zeilinger Wool Company is set up to give tours of their mill operations to both individuals and motorcoach groups.    The trailer outside with their name on it is a reminder to mention that they also travel to various craft fairs/fiber fairs around the area to showcase their products and services.  For example, there is mention on their website of the upcoming North Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival, in West Branch, Michigan,  on September 29th and 30th, 2012. 

Each of these giant bags of wool has a customer's name on it, and their brochure promises that the customer WILL receive their own wool back.  They also note that the quality of the order will improve if the customer removes as much chaff, burrs, and vegetable matter as possible, before sending it to Zeilingers.  Another reason for removing such debris is shipping costs.  Sending a 100 pound bag of wool to Zeilingers can cost from $100 - $400 in shipping costs alone!  And that is just to GET it to the processor!  Then you have to figure $7.90 per pound for medium/coarse fibers to $8.85 per pound for raw mohair, alpaca, llama, dog hair, or other exotic fibers. 

Once the wool is cleaned, it is put onto machines that process it into roving and yarn.  Rovings are a form of wool that can be put on a spinning wheel, to make yarn for knitting or weaving.

This customer wanted their wool made into socks.

And here is the machine that makes those wool socks!

Considering all these fibers have been through (and the many hours of labor involved!) to make it to this point of being a pair of socks for sale in a shop in Michigan, $15.00 seems like a bargain!

Zeilingers also lets guests tour the large room where their quilting is done.  They can custom make large mattress pads, comforters, pillows, and other bedding accessories in this room, each filled with wool batting processed on site.

Zeilingers also has a service that will renew, recard, or renovate your USED woolen comforter or mattress pad. 

This machine illustrates a yarn-making process that is more advanced than a single spinning wheel, but yet not of the scale of today's large, industrialized woolen mills.

Although this old-fashioned spinning wheel was only for display purposes, it is a reminder of how far we have come in the manufacturing of textiles from the time the first settlers came to the United States.  It is also a reminder to me of the passage in Matthew 6:28 that says "And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or SPIN.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"  Based on all the fashion magazines and television advertisements, however, it appears that people will continue to be mindful of what they are wearing.  One thing is for certain---from now on, when I am wearing a garment made of wool, I am going to have a MUCH greater appreciation of what it took to manufacture this all-natural textile, and I will be giving thanks to the animals God created to provide the raw materials to make it possible!  If you would like to find out more about the Zeilinger Wool Company tours, and many other attractions in the Frankenmuth area, just log on to www.visitgreatlakesbay.org   .  Miles of smiles!  Tricia