travel log: tacoma and ashland

It was a long haul from the Redwoods up to Tacoma, WA. We saw some beautiful country though, and everyone did really great in the van all day. We were very excited to pull into the KOA and set up camp- we had a quick dinner and then Jason took the girls to the pool for a quick swim while I cleaned up.



Thursday was a day I was looking forward to very, very much. We went to the Museum of Glass, where we spent most of the day learning about glass in art and seeing how blown glass is created. As our introduction to the museum, we parked and took a train that brought us to the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, which is a pedestrian bridge leading to the museum. Dale Chihuly's work is so unique and wonderful, I have few words. It just has to be seen and experienced. We took the girls to see the exhibition of his work at the Atlanta Botanical Garden back in 2004, so they had some recollection of his work from that. The bridge was a really exciting way to explore it again! The sky was very gray when we arrived, but we were so glad to see it had cleared up by the time we left. Such a big difference in the pictures!



The museum is very unique, in that it houses a full glass studio, called the Hot Shop, where glass artists work every day for visitors to watch. This was really inspiring to see. The connection was really cemented for us when we went into the theater- where we saw footage of work being done in the Hot Shop and then were able to see the actual piece on display in the gallery, after hearing the artist talk about their work. Very, very cool.



There was also an Educational Studio, where they offered hands-on activities for people of all ages. Hazel & Stella chose to do a drawing to submit for a monthly contest in which the winner gets to have their drawing re-created in glass, right there at the Hot Shop. There were examples on display and it seems like a really great program. We'll be sure to announce if one of them wins! Daisy and I did a really neat little project which had nothing much to do with glass, but we enjoyed very much anyway. We made little stamped images using Mastercarve foam, which is similar to doing linoleum carvings/prints. I did those back in Junior High and it was a lot of fun. I think I enjoyed this activity even more than Daisy did, and plan to get some supplies and do some more of this in the future. The time we spent in the Ed Studio was really enjoyable, and I was so glad they had it to offer.



The galleries were amazing. They do not allow photography, so I have nothing to show you from that portion of the day. But everyone was really in awe of the incredibly varied form, shape, and texture that can be created with glass. It is truly a beautiful medium. The girls were complemented on their exemplary behavior in the galleries (whew!) and I think they all saw things they will remember for the rest of their lives. We intend to make art galleries a regular field trip once we get back to living near civilization!



We spent a LOT of time in the gift shop too. There was much to look at and we all wanted to find the perfect souvenir to take home from this special place. Stella and I got t-shirts, Daisy got a glass paperweight shaped like the cone of the Hot Shop, and Hazel chose a blown glass ornament. Jason and I also picked out 2 pieces of art glass, which we will be ever-so-carefully including in our eclectic array of dishes and serving pieces. They were difficult to choose, but we think we found just the right ones for us. I will show them off sometime soon when they are in use. We ended up spending enough in the gift shop to warrant becoming members of the museum, because then we got a discount in the shop and a refund for our admission price. My T-shirt was also free in the deal, which I was going to buy anyway.



We left there feeling tired of body but energized in our hearts and minds- what a wonderful day. I am so glad we took the opportunity to visit this place with our kids, and I really hope we all get the chance to go back one day. I doubt it will be before our membership expires though. ;)
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We packed up and left early again on Friday, and headed for Ashland, OR. We only stayed one night there, but it was a really nice visit with a wonderful online friend. The kids played outside, we ate pizza and drank wine on the grass in the front yard, did laundry, and just had a really lovely time. I took very few pictures though, which I am kicking myself for now. I think we were all so eager to get out of the car for a few hours and just relax, that I plain forgot. That and we really didn't DO anything- just visited. But it was really really nice, and we are so glad we stopped. I really feel that including visits with friends made this trip so much more enjoyable- instead of staying in hotels we slept on people's floors but got the chance to get to know them better and meet new friends as well. It made this trip so much more memorable for all of us.

So, here are the rest of the pictures! And the Tacoma, WA photoset is there as well.