About a dozen years ago I started dabbling in stained glass to while away the long Minnesota winters.  I have dreams of learning glass blowing or possibly even getting into some neon stuff but they're just day dreams for now.

My time spent working with glass is somehow centering and I like that.  When I'm down in my shop I can get so involved in what I'm doing that other troubles melt away.  I suppose that's why we have hobbies.

I've tried to keep my involvement low key for now as I really don't want a second job and I'm afraid that by taking on commissions my hobby may turn into a bigger drain on my time than I'd like.  In the future I think my wife and I would like to turn it into a small business to keep us busy in our retirement.

I have an uncle in Oklahoma City who has been making violins for over 70 years.  He offered to make one for our daughter and we in turn were able to make a lamp for him.  We drove down to see him a couple weeks ago to deliver the lamp and pick up the violin.  I took photos of the project as we made the lamp and posted them to our site.  If you're interested in seeing a project develop, here's a link... 

http://www.kevinandtammy.net/tulip_production.htm

I've also posted photos of some of the work I/we've done over the years if you're interested.  Just follow the stained glass links.

Kevin g