Glass and the One That Got Away

Today we ventured down to Tacoma and Mt. Rainier. After viewing the Chihuly glass exhibit at the Botanical Gardens, we decided to visit The Museum of Glass in Tacoma, where Dale Chihuly was born. We found a new favorite at the museum--Lino Tagliapietra. Although he is in his mid-seventies, we watched him teach "young" craftsmen and women his art as well as create unbelievable pieces of glass (see pictures). The "hot shop" runs like a well-oiled machine. There were at least eight people performing various actions that all worked together in harmony to create a beautiful work of art. It was truly inspiring to watch. It also gave Tim and me the itch to take a glass-blowing class. Both of us could have sat for hours watching these unparalleled artists.

But...

We decided to head south to view one of the few things that eluded us last year--Mt Rainier. It was cloudy when he headed toward the mountain, but by the time we got there, lo and behold, the clouds began to clear. As we had neared the top, the peak continued to play peek-a-boo with us. We got some good shots, but the mountain was never completely unobstructed--from what I hear, though, it never is.

Tonight we are resting comfortably at the Marriott in Tacoma. We ate another great seafood meal at Sea Grill in Tacoma--lobster tail, king crab, scallops, shrimp, and king salmon for two. There was also fresh asparagus and mashed potatoes--most excellent. That's all for now.