So the first stop of our North east tour was Corning, New York. What a lovely town! We were there for Glass Fest and began the weekend with the 2300 (degrees) Glass Blowing demos at the Corning Museum of Glass. The gentleman who actually started the glass studio 20 years ago, William Gudenrath, led us on a trip through time, explaining the methods of blowing glass in the Renaissance which still have not been able to be duplicated. He demonstrated some amazing goblets adorned with dragons while another artist created a filigrana “filigree glass made with colored canes” platter. The complexity of this method was mind blowing.

Then we were witness to a “blow off”…about 15 glass artists competing for the best time in blowing a Roman vessel…aesthetics didn’t count! The winning time of 1 minute 37 seconds lacked the artistic quality most would want but that wasn’t the point…

We also took a bike ride, swam a bit in the pool, and participated in a wine/beer crawl throughout downtown Corning. I have come to the conclusion that overall, I do not like “blends” and am not so crazy about Northeast wine. But I will continue to search….

The “funnest” thing we did in Corning was to make a hot glass flower. Suited up in protective gear, we were able to file and roll and pull the hot glass…..very cool. 

A side trip to gorgeous Watkins Glen State Park and Ithaca Beer Company rounded out the weekend.

Happy Memorial Day to All!