Glass Talk and River Trails Church

I've done zero stained glass work this winter and I'm a little disappointed in myself for not making time for it. It's not something I want to force to happen so I'm content to know the craft is waiting for me when I'm ready to dive back in again. I seem to have so many other things that vie for my attention—bikes and walking, mostly. Too often I find there's not enough hours in a day for me but that's a good problem to have in retirement I figure.

We were at Grace Lutheran Church in St Paul last Saturday and I absolutely fell in love with their faceted stained glass windows that were assembled in the early '60s. Of all of the stained glass styles I like, faceted is the one that does the most for me with its bold, abstract renderings. I've never tried my hand at the style but I'd like to someday.

Here's a series of videos about faceted stained glass construction if you're interested. (I have autoplay enabled so one video plays right after the other for me; it's possible your settings aren't the same.)

This winter seems about done even though we're only in the first days of March. The long-range forecast is for daytime temps mostly well above freezing. I've been fat-biking for 5 years and this is the worst of all of those years as far as snow-covered trails are concerned—lots of ice but very little snow cover. I took to the trails along the Minnesota River bottoms last Sunday morning for a very enjoyable experience on mostly dried out trails. I skipped church and spent some time talking with God out among his creation. That works just as well for me. Video below.

For my fellow Zwifting friends, in case you hadn't noticed, there's a new volcano route on the Watopia course for your enjoyment and pain. I stumbled onto it this morning. It's a nice addition. Zwiftblog talks about it and gives instructions for how best to find it here.

Time to go make a dent in a growler of coconut stout that my lovely stepdaughter acquired for me today! Have a nice weekend.

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