The Studio is Almost Packed!

What a great day! I have been dreading the packing of the cases of sheet glass ever since we decided to move. They are the reason I was in no hurry to put the studio on the market and finish getting everything out to Austin. The sheets of Bullseye aren't scary: They're all the same size--or at least they fit into clearly defined buckets--case, half-case, one foot square. And even the full sheets are only 20 inches X 37 inches and have rolled edges on the sides where you carry them. I would pack and unpack Bullseye glass all day long (and have). By contrast the sheets of architectural clear glass I have (and have had since the early 1990's) are very large, very heavy, very sharp-edged, and sometimes very irregular. Then there's the Fremont, the Desag, the St Gobain, the Fischer, the Oceana, Youghigheny, and Spectrum--all for stained glass work which I haven't done any of since the late '90's.

Every move with the non-Bullseye glass (and this is the sixth since Dave and I have been together) has been a nightmare--one of them I even ended up in the emergency room getting stitches in my leg (or was it my hand?). But today went silky smoothly, and except for two six-foot pieces of white Tekta that we forgot to pack (I needed to cut them first), we're golden!

Yesterday I packed the 10x10 inche sheets, tomorrow we pack the half sheets--Dan the carpenter built me seven or eight half-sheet-size boxes--and then we finish with the odds and ends left in the two sheds, the two hotshops and the studio proper. It sounds like a lot, but it should be very doable for one day. I'm lucky that the studio is selling as-is so I don't have to clean everything out. I can take what I want and leave the rest. Brian is busily packing up his torch set-up in the front room too. Bitter and sweet.

Finishing up tomorrow will allow us to load Wednesday and free me up for a day of socializing (and a pedicure) on Thursday before heading up to Marietta to spend the night with friends there. There are a lot of people I want to see while I'm here, and it's just not going to work out. As usual there are too many cherished friends (a very good problem to have), too little time, and too much work jockeying for my attention. I have been so focused on the events of the day every day that I haven't even figured out the truck unload schedule yet or hired helpers! Breathe.

So dear Atlanta friends, if I don't see you this time, YOU'LL JUST NEED TO COME TO AUSTIN TO VISIT!