Corning, NY-Corning Museum of Glass, Sun., Sept. 26, 2010

After the wineries, we had a tough act to follow. Bill scoured the brochures and maps and found The Corning Museum of Glass. We had nothing else to do so we decided to go for it. The drive over was worth the trip. The soy bean fields were brilliant yellow with a back drop of trees that were every color imaginable. From Ash trees with their subtle color variance to bright red sumac and oak. The maple trees had red tipped green leaves.

We pulled up to a very small triangular shaped building with a huge parking lot. My thoughts were---we'll be back at the RV in plenty of time for Bill to watch the 2nd race in the NASCAR Chase. The young many pointed us in the direction of a shuttle bus that took us around the corner! Were we wrong!!! It was a HUGE museum with any and everything to do with glass. From kitchen items (Corning Ware and glasses) to art glass to antique glass (Tiffany and Frank Loyd Wright). It was the perfect place for Bill and me. He enjoyed the technical part of it and I enjoyed the artistic. We both enjoyed the beauty. We saw a demonstration on glass blowing.

We saw a demonstration on the way different forms of glass break and why. We saw an artist making glass items using a torch. He made a dog while we watched. One section was all about vessels and they had displayed Corning Ware casseroles as a piece of art! Each of the areas was lined with interactive spots where you could find out more about that area. There were educational videos in each area too.

Then Bill watched a demo on fiber optics and I browsed the gift shop, if you can call it a gift shop. It was the size of a small department store. We picked up some wine glasses and Christmas gifts and went from there to see the immense collection of art glass. It was amazing. The alligator head was so whimsical. It was hollow on the inside like it could be used as a vase or umbrella stand.

The glass dress is life-sized. The fruit is so colorful. The largest piece is about the size of a beach ball.

One of the other pieces of art we enjoyed were bowls fused with colored fibers. They were beautiful.

The place was amazing. This country of ours is full of surprises. Something for everyone. But no less enjoyable was our campfire and glass of wine back at the RV after NASCAR, of course.