My parents came for a brief visit two weeks ago and we spent some time showing them around Ballard, Bellevue, Snoquamie Falls and downtown Seattle. But I think the highlight of the trip was our drive out to Tacoma to see the Museum of Glass and Dale Chihuly's glass bridge. Inside that large cone is the Museum's Hot Shop where guest artists pull glass sculptures every day and do demos and educational talks for the public.



It's said that even Dale Chihuly is known to stop by and make some work. But we didn't see him on this visit. No photos allowed inside the general museum, but an excellent solo show currently of Native American glass artist Preston Singletary's work; and new acquisitions at the Glass Museum. After visitors see the galleries, they head upstairs to view the Bridge of Glass. It's not a glass bridge in the sense, like at the Grand Canyon, where you look down from where you are standing into the gorge. No, this is quite different.



The first part of the bridge is a wall of small to mid-size Chihuly sculptures encased in glass and displayed as in a gallery.



As you continue down the walkway, you enter another structure which also displays the artist's work, but this time you look up.



I was very lucky to have this time with my parents, to have the opportunity to make new memories together. Hopefully, they'll come to Texas for a long visit, and perhaps later, to stay.