Summer Vacation 2013 - Day 2

Our original plan for the week was a touring day followed by a quiet day.  That plan changed on Day 2 which was to be quiet.  Glen wanted to travel to Corning, New York and visit the Corning Glass Museum.  The grand kids couldn't wait to get wet in the lake.  You should have seen their faces when "glass museum" was mentioned.

 

Needless to say, we traveled solo south along Seneca Lake and then further south to Corning.  It was a very good idea.

 This piece of glass greeted us in the lobby. We had viewed Chiluly glass before.  Isn't it amazing?

We went straight to the Hot Glass presentation.

There was also a location for children to create their own pieces of glassware.  We were not children so missed out.

We first visited the "fine art" glass exhibit rooms.

I especially loved the glass dress.

So ethereal.

Glass geodes.

I found this piece mesmerizing as it depicts the soul leaving the body.

Bright colors.

Neutral glass.

Steuben glass.

There were also many rooms dedicated to the history of glass as well as methods of creating glass.

There was also a study area which included cabinets of different glass collections.

There were displays of glass by famous glass makers.

Stained glass which once graced buildings.

I loved this glass chess set.  One side was Catholic

and the other Jewish.

The second floor had Hot Glass as well as other demonstrations and other hands on exhibits.  Did you know that they used to have to hand blow and form every light bulb.

This truck was at the entrance to the bottom floor combination store, gift shop, and restaurant.

Beautiful glass flowers in the back of the truck.

All of this beautiful glass was for sale and was grouped by artist.  We were there for hours and still didn't see everything.  They are also building an addition.  Definitely worth the trip.

We decided to drive back to Driftwood Inn the long way.  We traveled on the west side of Seneca Lake with a few side trips.  This is a several mile hiking trail starting in Penn Yan (not oriental but short for the Pennsylvania Yankees which first settled here) and ending at Dresden on Seneca Lake.  It is a mostly downhill following a stream with water falls and the remains off a number of old mills.  If we ever make it back to this area, I would love the hike all of it.  We also had ice cream in Dresden which was full of some really old houses.  We followed Seneca Lake north to Geneva, New York and then south again to Ovid.

This is Mennonite country and I made Glen turn around so that I could take this picture.  We also came upon a hay wagon with two horses and no driver.  It raced towards us and then turned into a barnyard.  We hoped there wasn't a Mennonite farmer in a ditch somewhere.  Beautiful drive, probably the best glass museum in the world, and new things to see.  Perfect day!

The grand kids enjoyed a perfect day as well.