Working Glass at the Karg Glass Works, Wichita, Kansas

Last April we traveled to Kansas, and while there our friends Bob and Nancy took us to the Karg Glass Works, near Wichita. There we learned that you could take a class on glass blowing and participate in the process of making a glass ornament and a heart shaped paperweight.

We thought it would be fun to investigate a different art medium and so when we returned this fall, we signed up for the class. Nancy and her cousins husband Mark, (a retired custom jewelry designer), also signed up for the classes, and we met at the glass works.

We were all nervous about working near one-thousand-degree molten glass, but we shouldn’t have as our glass master, NIc Dickin, warned us about the different parts of the foundry and wisely did not trust us near the molten glass blobs, (I was nervous about getting burned). Our participation was to pick the colors, watch the process, and blow through a tube to expand the material while it was being shaped.

We had already picked the colors and Nic showed us the cold glass fragments that would be melted into the molten material. Collecting a blob of molten glass, he spun it into a cylindrical shape before rolling it on a steel table with the glass colors. He then reheated the glass, spun it again and inserted it into a mold which gave the preform glass its ridges.

Next, he had us move to a spot where we would blow into the tube, (blow don’t inhale), as he manipulated it into the desired form, (either a heart or an ornament).

Adding a stem, the final step was to place the work into an annealing oven where it would cool to room temperature, about five days of slowly dropping temperatures. These finished pieces were not like the small works you see made at fairs.

The first series of images were taken while making an ornament and the second series were of making the heart shapes paperweight. This first image is of some of our glass master’s work. His work and others from around the country were for sale in the large gallery. The last two images are of my finished pieces, (we also got a glass disc made from excess glass and of course I had to wire wrap it into a piece of jewelry!

North to Newton Kansas, Easter with Friends

After farewell hugs and a great breakfast, we left Grand Isle and drove to Marshall, Texas. It was a long drive for us, over four hundred miles, but there were storm warnings and we hoped to drive through one of the two fronts. After tornado warnings and heavy, but brief rain we next drove to Perry, Oklahoma. Along the way we passed through another front but thankfully not more storm warnings.

We reached Newton Kansas and arrived at our friend’s house, where we hoped to spend four days before heading for Montana. Its always a great time there as we were greeted with more smiles and hugs at Nancy and Bob’s beautiful house.

They invited us to join them at Nancy’s sister’s house, Patties, for Easter dinner. Nancy also suggested that while there we could visit the Dyck Arboretum and tour the Warkenton Mansion and Museum. She added several day trips, one to the Karg Glass works and The Carriage Factory Art gallery

We had previously visited the Dyck Arboretum but this year we were too early. We met a birder, as we started to stroll around the paths, who saw my Grand Isle Bird Festival tee shirt and told us of the birds he had spotted. It was early, the trees had just started to open their buds, and so we only spotted a few. < >A cardinal greeted us with his song and posed as they often do. Other bird were not so obliging but we did spot several blue jays, one of which got close enough for a fair picture. The flowers were just starting to bloom and were limited to a few daffodils and iris. IT was a nice sunny day, so we had a picnic on one of the patios, where large rocks provided seats and a table.

The next day we headed to the Warkenton Museum, but it was not open. Disappointed Nancy and Bob took us to the Carriage Factory Art Gallery. It features local artists and while the curator said I could take pictures I had to promise to use them just for the blog.

It was an enjoyable place with many artists using mixed mediums. It reminded us of our work as we use stone and wire to make our one-of-a-kind wearable art. Our next stop of the day was at the Karg Glass Works.

It was a Saturday, and the furnaces and cooling ovens were all cold, but the gallery was spectacular’ The glass art works were mixed with a rainbow of colors, a kaleidoscope really, and they did also sell kaleidoscopes.

I bought some of the blue fused glass, which I plan to wrap them in gold and silver. Glass blowing classes are offered there, along with classes that allow you to make your own glass piece. It is definitely a class we plan to take during our next visit!

Easter arrived and we gathered with Nancy and Bob’s family. We were blessed to meet them again, and it was an excellent meal with great conversations on genealogy research, golf, their travels, and retirements benefits! Thanks so much for the wonderful time! Clear skies

Coronodo's Castle, The Sandzen, and Kaufmann Museums, Kansas

 

While visiting Bob and Nancy, besides catching up on all the gossip, we made several short trips. The first was to the City of Lindsborg, Kansas where we visited The Sandzen Museum and Coronado’s Castle. On another day we visited the Kauffman Museum and Mennonite Farm in northern Newton, Kansas.

The Sandzen Museum represented some of the works of Birden Sanzen. He was a prolific painter, printmaker,

and collector of Japanese carvings and bronze statues. It was estimated that in his long lifetime he produced oved three hundred thousand pieces of art.

His paintings were primarily in the impressionist style, his printmaking

often used linoleum carved blocks.

He was a teacher at Bethel College after he had immigrated from eastern Europe. The museum also exhibited many other artists including one of my favorite pieces, a painting of doughnuts,

I am back on my diet). Many of the works used mixed medium to provide unusual textures.

After the Museum we next traveled to Coronado’s Castle. It was rumored that Coronado traveled to the hilltop during his search for El Dorado. In 1936 the WPA, a program of Roosevelts, that constructed public projects across the country, built the castle using rocks quarried from the hilltop.

Here the workers used an outcrop of sandstone filled with hematite to quarry blocks for the construction of the castle the castle can be seen from quite a way away as the hilltop is one of the tallest points in Kansas.

It was simply a high spot, and no one ever lived in it. It is used now as a place for locals to gather and party/whatever.

You can see evidence of trash that had been left but it really was not too bad, compared to what we have see in Texas, for example.

On the final day of our visit Bob took us to the Kauffman Museum and Farm located in north Newton Kansas.

The museum was an eclectic collection of Cheyenne Indian artifacts,

Mennonite items including many dowry chests. Kauffman’s Taxidermy trophies, including and extinct Passenger Pidgeon

and others too numerous to mention.

Outside the Museum is a typical Mennonite House,

Garden and Barn.

We enjoyed the time there at the Kauffman Museum. Definitely a simple life, a plain life that is still lived by many today.

We loved our time with Bob and Nancy. Nancy was a guidance counselor and spent her career in a Junior High School. Her stories convinced me that Junior High educators are a special breed, (something I already knew). Thanks for the wonderful company, stories, and guided tours of your city! Clear skies

From Grand Isle to Iowa to Kansas: Family and Friends

We left Grand Isle inspired by the warblers, many new to us, and drove to Keosauqua. At Keosauqua we visited with Pam and Roy, Renita’s sister, and her husband. They usually winter with us in Texas but Roy has been recovering from his latest illness, and we are pleased to say that he is in good spirits and is improving!

From there we headed west by southwest to Newton, Kansas where we stopped to visit Nancy and Bob. They surprised us with an invitation to attend an outside dress rehearsal of the production of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe. It was simply wonderful to see performing artists and singers in a musical production. It always amazes me to hear great vocalist and a band that played for about two hours straight, (there was no intermission as a way to keep the crowd from mingling due to covid).

It was performed in an outside half bowl and even though it threatened rain, the skies stayed clear! While in Kansas we spent the time visiting several museums, a Kansas Castle, and of course taking pictures of any bird we could find.

Besides the common birds, a robin, house finch

, and house sparrow,

we also got to see two barn swallows fighting during flight.

Perhaps they were simply chasing the same bug, but we were really pleased with the new lens.

A common grackle posed along with an Eastern meadowlark.

Another day we took a walk along the bike path that starts along the golf course and we got a new life bird perhaps, a type of thrush!

We never would have identified the bird without the photo, you can see the bill and color pattern. There were also numerous blue jays in flight

, and a Baltimore Oriole feeding on a treetop.

Another day was spent taking my hearing aids for a cleaning and then two days later returning to find out the right one needed to be sent in, (we have to send it in from our local Costco at Idaho Falls as where it is sent from must be where it is returned after repairs. I am so lost without both hearing aides).

Time to cut this blog off and get dinner. Clear skies