Thursday, April 9, 2015

Emily's first time to shoot senior pictures!

 Before Emily's trip, she spent an afternoon shooting her cousin, Hadassah, for her senior pictures.  Out of hundreds, I quickly chose and uploaded this sampling.  Emily did a great job and had a beautiful subject to work with!



A fascinating homeschool field trip in March

 We had such a privilege to go to Ambrosia Glass Art in Longmont for our March field trip.  Rowen and Beth took off work to go with us, because it was such an interesting opportunity to learn about glass blowing and watch an artist in action.  The picture above is of just a few of the beautiful pieces of art that Angelo Ambrosia has for sale in his shop.
 This is Angelo blowing into the molten glass on his rod at the start of his project.
 He was getting more molten glass on the rod from this very hot (2000*) furnace. Every time he got more glass on the rod, he used this furnace.  When he was working the project, keeping it the right temperature, he used the furnace in the 2nd picture above.  It was not quite as hot, if I recall correctly.
 In this picture, he was adding in the color chips which are different minerals and metals, including gold!
 At all times, the rod had to be rotating to keep the glass from getting out of round.  He had supports to rest the rod in as he turned.  It always had to be kept the right temperature too, so it was constantly in and out of the furnace to heat it back up as it cooled.
 He is turning the glass in a wet wooden ladle to shape it.
 He used a torch part of the time to heat specific parts of the glass that he was shaping.
He is shaping with a wet "potholder" type of thing while he is blowing through the tube in his mouth.  The tube is how he does the blowing when the object is bigger.
 Angelo had made a base for the project that he is sticking onto the bottom of the ball.    Then he got some more molten glass on another rod to "glue" to the base, and then he broke the other rod off the ball so he could work on the other end which would be opened up.
 This is after he had opened up the top of the object.  He was getting it exactly the right temperature before the final shaping.  We have a video of that but it is too big to be uploaded.  Angelo twirled the object around and around hanging down, then lifted it up and it opened up and spread out so amazingly.  He and his assistant quickly broke off the rod and put it in a kiln to slowly cool over the next 24 hours.
 In this picture the flat-ish bowls on the left are similar to the shape that the project became.
 I wish there was a way to put the video on, because I know all our readers would be fascinated to see how Angelo finished up the project.

Emily's 17th birthday

 Emily's sister-in-law Joy made this pink cake for her.  She opened presents at Randy and Joy's house.  She got nice things from friends and family.
 Micah and Quil were happy to give her flower seeds and bulbs, so "when they are pretty, Emily can take more flower pictures."
 The gift we got her, a new backpack, was especially useful when she left the day after her birthday on a trip to Phoenix, Arizona on the airplane, and then on to a Youth Camp in Palmdale, California, traveling with a group.  Her favorite friends at camp were Emma and Ellen Bishop.
Sister Debbie "found" her at the airport and she was a favorite too.
 The part of California where the camp was was kind of rocky and desert-y,
but was still beautiful.
 Emily enjoyed Rev. Duane Elmore's messages, which compared learning to drive safely with our Christian walk.
 Rev. David Spivey was one of the leaders of the camp and he was the one who got Emily interested in going to the camp when we met him last summer at Kansas State Holiness Association Camp.
 David Spivey and the other leaders of the camp.  The one in the middle was the leader of Emily's Blue Team.
 On Monday, after the camp was over on Sunday, a large group of adults and teens went to Santa Monica Beach for a couple of hours.  Seeing the ocean was on Emily's bucket list, so she was thrilled to get to go!
 Two days after Emily got home, she got her braces off!  Now her smile is beautiful!
Her birthday month was quite memorable!  We are proud and thankful for the young lady she has become--one who loves Jesus and strives to be a blessing to others.

Some pictures with/of the Denver grandchildren

 This is a funny picture of Jonathan, Jewelyn, and Micah--just for giggles.  I think they got the funny glasses and the Kanga and Roo at a town event they went to.
 Once when they came up to see us, the boys all wore hand-me-down overalls from when Randy, Tim, and Jeffrey were young!
 One of Jewelyn's new tricks: pulling up to everything and walking around things.  She also has been caught standing alone!  She will be one year old on April 26!
 Sometimes Grandma gives little boys haircuts to be a blessing to their busy mama.
 Emily and Jonathan almost matching for church one Sunday.
 Aunt Emily and her nephews on a Sunday.
 Aunt Beth, Grandma, and Jewelyn kind of matching on a Sunday.  Jewelyn likes to feel of her teeth with her tongue.
Aunts Emily and Joanna with little Jewelyn.