Tuesday. Sunny and a thought cool.
Breakfast was cottage cheese, cherries, and “marathon bread,” toasted, because — Wegmans — finishing my first cup of tea, and will be brewing another, RSN. Lunch is on the knees of the gods.
Note: the hotel does offer a complimentary breakfast, but, honestly? I’m kinda tired of buffet breakfasts, and it was nice to stay in and chat with the plushies. I fear that Dread Captain Ducky may need to get his beak washed out with soap, but, my goodness! What shines that lad did get up to!
If you believe him, of course.
After breakfast, I took a stroll through the central courtyard and around the hotel, enjoying the air, and the sunshine.
I had originally planned to go zooming all over wine country today, but yanno? I spent all day yesterday in a car, and I’m not inclined to do it again today. Wine country will be there, and also the lakes and the waterfalls; the problem with Central and Upstate New York having always been that there’s Just Too Much To Do.
So, today will be freeform, and may even include a nap. I have a couple of emails to answer, and then I’ll go down to the Gaffer District and stroll about, have lunch — there! a solution! — and just enjoy some downtime.
In case I didn’t say, I had a good time at BaltiCon; my fellow GOHs were lovely people; Tom Schaad was extremely patient, and such a great interviewer; Debi Chowdhury did the best job of herding cats that I’ve been privileged to observe in a number of years; the Heinlein members were perfectly lovely, as was every one of the convention staff I dealt with, and the tech crew were angels.
I’m told that I’ll be able to see the events that were recorded, including my own, by using the for-me-only link in the email I got from the con when I registered, but since I was never really registered, I don’t have that link. Something to deal with when I get home I guess…
So! What’s everybody doing today?
What went before ONE: I mentioned yesterday that I got the newest dragon horn jewelry. Here it is being modeled.
For names, I’m thinking we’re going to be mundane. I already have three stuffy dragons at home: a blue with silver scales puppet named Silver; a gold dragon named Ramoth; a child dragon named Saffire. The two new dragons are therefore Ruby and Amethyst.
Out the door in a few to hit the museum for a couple hours before I need to go over to the working studios for my class.
Here’s Amethyst with his horn jewelry:
What went before TWO: So, I’ll be moving in to the Corning Museum of Glass. As long as I can keep the cats out of the gift shops and the live demos, they should be good.
My brain is already full, so I’m taking a breather before class. Also, I fearI’m going to have to get my stick out of the car, sigh.
How’s everybody doing?
What went before THREE: I made glass! Chris was wonderful, and I didn’t breathe the wrong way! I can pick this beauty up tomorrow afternoon.
— at The Studio of The Corning Glass Museum.
#
So, that was a full day — and I’m not done touring the museum yet.
The plan for tomorrow morning is to go to Hands On Glass Studio, there to make a paperweight (today’s project is an ornament/suncatcher).
After that, I will return to the museum to finish touring the 35 Centuries of Glass Exhibit, and probably watch some more demos in the hot shop, because I apparently have not yet hit my limit for watching people play with molten glass (there are other demos, including a glass breaking demo (which was FAScinating), and a flamework demo (which was also very cool, and relatable, since I have myself done some (very minor) flamework.
After I’m done amusing myself at the museum, I’ll come back to the hotel and get packed up for a Friday departure.
Looking forward to Friday, I’ll pick my paperweight up at noon and hit the trail to Rutland.
Returning to today’s adventures, I played a couple rounds of the mousetrap/marble race, and won three glass marbles — one red, one white, and one blue, by chance — and I bought a tiny fused glass plate, which is intended for the tea tray at home, where its mission will be to accept used tea bags — yes, a humble job, but so necessary. You could, literally, spend a fortune in the gift shops, so it’s a good thing I have no fortune to spend.
Looking forward to arriving home: I see a visit to — somewhere — so that my knee can be Viewed by a Medical professional, and also getting my ears checked, because my hearing is MUCH worse than it seems at home where all I do is listen to the radio at a Volume That Seems Good to Me, and chat with the cats.
Flipping back to this morning — are we all seasick yet? — I should mention that the buffet breakfast at this hotel is no more varied than the buffet at the hotel in Baltimore, but (1) the dried scrambled eggs have cheese and spices in them, which makes a HUGE difference and (2) the whole thing is presented . . . how do I want to put this? Cheerfully. The buffet at Balticon having been notable for its surliness.
I do believe I’m through flipping back and forth in time now.
Thank you for your patience.
Thursday. Rainy and cool.
I had breakfast with the rest of the passengers and will be hanging about the room, doing Things until it’s time to go across town to my next appointment with hot glass.
I…am tired, which I’m taking to mean that it’s getting on for time to head home. I also haven’t written a word since getting on the road, sometime ten years ago, and that feels…strange.
I’ll be staying close to home, once I get there, the exception being a date with family in about two weeks, I think, to make glass in Belfast, Maine.
Y’all are fully informed in re my plans, so — backatcha!
What are your plans as we glide in to the weekend?
There had been a call for a picture of Ruby. Below, the Traveling Company of Plushies, from Eldest to youngest, and also the booty taken along the way, because when one of the team is a not-exactly-retired pirate…
So! Jingles, Ruby, Dread Pirate Ducky, Amethyst, and the booty:
What went before: This has been a very generous time away; I’m coming home with more pens than I left with — and not because I bought (or appropriated) any. They just sort of … aggregated.
I’m starting to make piles and put things into bags, so I may also report that I have a lot more bags coming home than I started with. I take full responsibility.
Of course, just as I started to figure out Corning and was able to reliably go back to places I’d already been, it’s time to leave. Sort of like writing a book.
One of the things I forgot to mention about this morning’s adventure in glass is that Hands On Glass has a on-site supervisor — a very tall cat, of whom I caught two quick glimpses — enough to be able to reliably report: “short hair,” and “dark.” Clearly, she knows enough to stay out of the furnace and away from the tools.
I’m really interested to see how my paperweight looks tomorrow. The colors I had chosen were rose, violet, and snow, but as you can see from the picture I posted earlier, the glass looked orange when it was ready for annealing. Possibly it was Just That Hot. I note that the ball I made yesterday was always and only blue, once it had been dipped into the glass chips, though the light and dark blues did melt together. However, that was a different process. Anyway — curious to see what I have tomorrow.
I checked the maps to see if I could just make one long drive tomorrow, but it’s far enough to be concerning, so! Rutland is tomorrow’s target.
Time to go get something to eat, and a glass of wine.
Everybody stay safe; I’ll check back in tomorrow.
#
We’ve had a report from one of the guests at my table during the FOL breakfast that she has just tested positive for COVID. I am not up on incubation rates, but — be aware.
#
Friday. Sunny and already warm.
I’m working on my first cup of tea; breakfast up soon — cottage cheese, toast, cherries. I’ll be packing a sandwich for the road, and hitting the 99 — or getting something premade out of the Hannaford, depending on my state of mind when I land in Rutland — for dinner.
I see in today’s newspaper from home that the law firm which handles the renewals of the trademark for the Liaden Universe(R) is closing all of its offices. Have written to them for More Information.
Those wondering after my route — that would be 86 to 88, eastward, ho.
I still have a little bit of packing up to do, and then of course getting everything to the car, but first? Breakfast!
Photos: Blue ornament, and “the gaffer at work” (taken by the ACTUAL gaffer)
What went before ONE: Friday. Sunny and already warm.
I’m working on my first cup of tea; breakfast up soon — cottage cheese, toast, cherries. I’ll be packing a sandwich for the road, and hitting the 99 — or getting something premade out of the Hannaford, depending on my state of mind when I land in Rutland — for dinner.
I see in today’s newspaper from home that the law firm which handles the renewals of the trademark for the Liaden Universe(R) is closing all of its offices. Have written to them for More Information.
Those wondering after my route — that would be 86 to 88, eastward, ho.
I still have a little bit of packing up to do, and then of course getting everything to the car, but first? Breakfast!
What went before TWO: Picked up my paperweight:
#
Aand Rutland.
This may have been an error. We have used this motel as a waypoint many times, which is why I chose it — and maybe why I should have looked for another answer. OTOH, I’m not sure I could’ve made it to Killington this evening. On the gripping hand, they STILL haven’t fixed their cardiac arrest elevator. It’s nice when history is preserved.
Either way, here I am and that was somehow a MUCH longer drive than I had anticipated. Glad I decided to err on the side of caution and not sprint for Maine.
I opted for dinner out of the Hannaford, after which I’m going to have to work with the maps/internet for a bit. LOTS of motorcycles on the road — going south, thank ghu. I guess it’s a rally weekend.
What’s everybody been doing today?
#
Well.
Rain tomorrow all along the route, which will be the Southeastern variety, rather than the preferred route over Killington and north on 4, he construction at Quechee (slated to consume three Seasons) being a hassle I don’t need. I’m not very familiar with the south-to-east route, and I guess I’ll be traveling with motorcycles for a while, but that seems the cleanest and quickest way home, and I would very much like to go home now, please.
I have not tested positive for COVID, so that’s good.
Also, I hear from Mine Hostess that she doesn’t know where the motorcycles are going, but she does know where the pod that has come to rest at this hotel came from, and that would be Utah. Which makes me wonder if they aren’t chasing the Traveling Wall of Heroes from Vietnam, which in turn makes me wonder if my fellow guests aren’t the … Rogues? that’s wrong. The Rogue Souls, maybe. They were in OOB the summer the wall spent some time in the park there, which by chance coincided with the week Steve and I were spending at the ocean….
Anyhoots!
The Plan, insofar as there is a Plan, is to collapse as soon as I send this dispatch to the internets, and sleep until I wake up — which isn’t as adventurous as it sounds, given I’ve taken to waking up at 6 am. Breakfast — another buffet! — starts at 6:30, and I really should eat something before I get on the road.
My next message will in all probability be posted from Maine, so no worries if you don’t hear from me first off tomorrow, right?
#
And! JR at Blasters and Blades just let me know that chat we had earlier in the month is now up for you to view. Link