The Hot Shop Cometh

I sit and sip the ubiquitous Egyptian licorice tea from the Atlanta mug and listen to George Winston's "Walking In the Air" on iTunes. The night has followed the day and the Sprout is newly tucked into my bed listening to the Magic Treehouse audiobook "Monday With a Mad Genius" on her new iPod through my iHome clock/radio/iPod dock. I decompress, having just finished getting the last kiln load in at 9:15 pm. It was a full, rich day--many papers were slain.

The building inspection for the new hot shop in the back of the studio passed this morning with flying colors. The inspector especially liked the use of the sides from the Bullseye crates (also ubiquitous around here after 20+ years of squirreling them away--you can only use so many to hold your sheet glass!) for the gables. The picnic table has been nice to sit at and plan, dream, and scheme, but I fear it must be relegated to back under the water oak tomorrow when we unload the truck full of goodies from New Mexico. By next week when I leave for BECon I expect it all to be rug bug snug in there (or at least sided sufficiently to keep out the water).

I am in raptures over the design of the building itself. I love the proportions and the height of the roofs (wouldn't you expect that plural to be rooves like hooves? But no...). Even though it is basically just a metal-roofed pole barn or carport, it has an open, soaring, rustic woods architectural feel that makes me happy every time I see it. I love the screened openings in the top that will maximize ventilation and the escape of the hot air while minimizing the entry of rain, leaves and debris.

For the sides, we are planning metal along the back and the two short sides off of it, and a half-height wall (again from recycled Bullseye crate material) continuing along the long sides topped off by chain link up to the gables. The side closest to the studio will have a six-foot chain link gate in it to facilitate passage back and forth to the studio. Finally, the front will have some sort of full chain link gates that can be completely opened to double the already spacious 280 sq foot of open-floor work space (the entire footprint is 400 sq ft with the back raised concrete area allocated to the electric glass furnace, the pick-up kiln, the glory hole, the pipe warmer and the two planned annealing kilns). This way, on nice days we can put a bench outside and work there, or have more room for demos and classes.

Now I best hie myself off to bed. Big day tomorrow--not only do we unload the truck of hot glass equipment but I also get a big delivery of glass from Bullseye!