Lori and I had the pleasure of visiting Corning Museum of Glass‘s New Glass Now exhibit, an extraordinary display of contemporary work from artists all over the world. We were highly impressed by the skill and creativity showcased in this spectacular collection beautifully displayed by the Museum.  See it if you’re anywhere in the vicinity!

Kiln-formed plate glass, mirrored; Lori reflected in mirror fragments.

Slumped glass.

Flameworked borosilicate glass, steel.

Neon, circuit-bent toys, custom circuitry

Glass, engraved, adhered, painted, cold-worked.

Sculpted glass, neon.

Lori examines a piece in the background.

Collage and acrylic on glass

Lori pauses along the Cascadilla Gorge Trail.

Lori at the 1200-pound ironwork gate, designed and fabricated by Durand Van Doren, at the lower end of the Cascadilla Gorge Trail.

Small cascades on Cascadilla Creek intersperse with waterfalls ranging in height from 8 to 80 feet in Cascadilla Gorge.

Lori, a patriotic American, was born on the 4th of July but we choose to celebrate not just her birthday but her birthmonth. A joint birthday celebration dinner with our friends Bill (birthday on July 3) and Anne and their daughter Sydney is now a traditional kickoff for the month’s observances.

A hike, preferably in insufferably hot humid weather, is another kickoff event for the month.  This year we cut things a bit short and enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the Cascadilla Gorge Trail after enjoying breakfast and coffee at Collegetown Bagels.

Next up, we’ll have a nice dinner at Gola Osteria, joined by Mike and Kali. Eventually we’ll get back to a proper heat-prostration-inducing hike designed to delight Lori as she marvels at Paul’s inability to cope with miserably oppressive tropical heat and humidity.  Yes, just non-stop fun for all of July.  Happy birthmonth Lori!

Twelve years ago Lori acquired a new Toyota Prius and put 137,000 miles on it over years of mostly trouble-free use.  She has traded it in for a new Audi A3.  It’s bolder, sportier, and much more fun (much like Lori). Of course Lori does bold and sporty in a careful and responsible manner so this is not an outlandish impulsive leap. You can bet she’s factored in speeding-ticket fines in the total cost of ownership.

Congratulations to Lori on her wonderful new (belated) retirement present to herself.

It was a frosty 5° F this morning but the sun made it bearable.