In which we go riding, it doesn't rain, and we see something shiny

Well, the rain slowed down a little bit.... "Good enough!" says me. And off we went.

I haven't been to this trailhead in a couple of years, and Fiddle has never been here.
She likes to explore new trails.


I guess that's a good thing, considering she's supposed to be an endurance horse.

Isn't this just the prettiest place? (Fee says the clover groundcover is tasty, too!)


The trails were muddy, but Fiddle kept her feet just fine. What a good mare!


I did cuss a little at this stretch of trail. It's steep, braided, and horrible--clearly, there were no TrailMasters around when this got punched through! Ah, well. Good practice for Fiddle, I suppose.

And what have we here?

P-I-L-C-H-U-C-K spelled out in blocks of glass.

The sign is there because the stretch of trail we explored today is immediately adjacent to the Pilchuck Glass School.
Dale Chihuly started teaching summer glass workshops in 1971. Chihuly, accompanied by two other teachers and 16 students, built glass furnaces and began blowing glass just sixteen days after arriving at the Hauberg’s tree farm.
The first summer session was a huge success, and the Haubergs agreed to provide the location and financial support for a second summer workshop, and then a third. A few years later, realizing that Pilchuck glass workshops had become a summer mainstay rather than an occasional happening, the Haubergs established the school as a non-profit, solidifying the framework for today’s Pilchuck Glass School.

And hey: if you're interested in seeing the Glass School up close, they have an annual tour event coming up in October. You can tour the grounds, meet the artists, and participate in some "hands-on activities" for the low-low-low price of $1,900 per person.

I checked it three times. That's really the cost. Egad.
Maybe I'll just visit the public Chihuly art installations, instead.

(the window above is on display in Union Station, in Tacoma WA, the chandelier below is in the Tulalip Casino just a few miles from Haiku Farm).

It's pretty stuff. If you come visit us here in the Swamplands, we can go see it together!

Comments

  1. Chihuly glass is stunning! What a neat place to ride to. When I come visit we have to go :)

    Lovely ride. Love Fee's happy ears.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful blown glass....


    Could I convince you, or do you have in archives a post on your saddle, fitting it, how it is holding up, blah blah blah? I'm still crossing my fingers for a Eurolight in 2011. Was again lusting after your's in the nice photo :)

    ~E.G.

    ReplyDelete
  3. EG: There's some info and saddle photos here: http://bit.ly/ceiIIu

    I can certainly do a "saddle-centric" post in the near future.

    Have you ridden in a Specialized? I thought that I wanted a Euro, but I wasn't sure until I rode in several different Specialized models on the same horse on the same day. I had a very clear preference for the Euro, so that's what I ordered.

    More later!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, a total stranger offered to let me put her's on Phebes and ride off with it, which I thought was awesome! Only at an endurance ride would someone let you strap on a $1400 saddle and ride off...

    That saddle was a Euro and it was very balanced. I didn't ride long enough to know if I'd get a rub or whatever (which I occasionally do from the skirt on my Crestridge). I plan to demo one for a week or two and ride some long rides. Hoping for one by my birthday 2011. Do you have a lot of miles on your's? Is everything holding up well structurally?

    ReplyDelete
  5. How beautiful! well, both the trail and the glass. We saw a large number of his pieces when visiting Seattle a few years ago, fell in love with the stuff. Lucky you to be able to see so much of it, and lucky you to ride those lovely trails!

    PS - please send rain :)

    PPS - do any of your friends ride in a Freeform?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I became a fan of Chihuly glass after visiting Atlantis (Bahamas). The hotel has many of his pieces. Cool that you rode by that school.

    ReplyDelete

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