new directions, new places, learning more of glass and my passions, I find myself a man that has staggered into incredible fortune, I have met and fallen in Love with a wonderful woman, and her wonderful son! I have recently realized that I struggled a bit with letting go and living in the moment. this holliday season has been difficult to say the least for the brown family, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and has undergone surgury, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, as Christmas approached, we recieved the greatest news in the world, there is no evidence of cancer in her limphatic tissue! and through all of this difficulty and more dissasters I could ever describe in a single blog entry, Candice and Brian have been right by my side and I realize that as this day unfolds, that I am happy and content as a family man with family to love!

I have done a lot of things and been to a fair number of places in my days, but never in all my time and adventures, have I ever met a woman I connect with so deeply and so completely, as this holliday season progresses, I realize that I am complete and happier than I have ever really been, but it has come at a cost, I have poured myself completely into this new relationship and family, and as we become a family unit for and to each other, my time for blogging and making youtube videos is becoming scarce. I have also retired from film work and photography and am focusing all my time and life energy into my glass work and being a better man for my girl and our boy as well as trying to be a good man and father for my daughter. I continue to strive for perfection and battle with my manic problems. I am learning daily about personal streangth and perservierence being with Candice.

Candice, Brian and I have moved to the middle of nowhere, we live litterally off the grid with battery storage, inverters, and generator, propane water heater and stove and propane fridge, we are looking to move closer to town and trying to find ways to better ourselves. My holliday season has also included one of the best memories and sharing moments of my life. I have always been a very pasafistic person except for a period in my life when I was obsessed with martial arts. when I was a young child I was out shooting pellet riffles with a good friend, Jason Peterson, Jayson was trying to shoot birds and kept missing, I finally took aim at a robin on a fencepost and took the shot, the bird fell dead, and I dropped my pellet rifle and ran inside crying knowing that I had taken life. but this year I learned that hunting can be an incredible bonding moment for a father and son, and I see how impactfull the experience can be, I jokingly had stated that we should grap the 22LR rifle and go rabbit hunting as a family activity. Brian thought this was the best idea of all time, so I loaded a magazine, as Brian convinced Candice to get out her compound bow, and Brian donned the hand made belt knife I gave hime for his birthday and as a family we went out and began to search the property for a jack rabbit, time passed, and eventually Candice found herself sitting on the front porch as Brian and I walked, talked, and looked hap hazardly for a rabbit, the universe found favor with us and as I came around a Juniper tree I noticed movement and a large rabbit hopped out into the clear, I took aim as Brian noticed the rabbit, and fired a round, the rabbit did one front flip and came to rest, brian and I approached and brian removed his belt knife, I found myself calling out “rabbit dinner” to let candice know that we had been successful, Candice came to see as Brian and I were kneeling over the rabbit, I made sure the animal was dead and cut open an artery to drain it, over the next hour I found myself teaching myself to field dress a rabbit based only on reading a survival book years ago durring a dungeons and dragons game to stave off boredom, while skinning the rabbit and cleaning it, I managed to spray blood all over my own face making Candice declare that I indeed looked like a serial axe murdurer, the image of Candice, Brian and Myself standing around a rabbit strung up from a juniper tree in our driveway, looking like nutcase hillbilies cleaning a rabbit will forvever serve me as a blessed and precious moment, we carved the rabbit and tried it fried and discovered that rabbit stew is the SHIT! and I learned that spending time with my new son is the coolest thing and gift I could have ever recieved in my life!

So as time passes I will try to return to my roots of blogging and slef expression, but I will be balanced from now on, for I know that my family and time with them is more important than making videos. I Love you Candice and Brian!

Happy holidays to all!

Johns Hookah, originally uploaded by acroduster.

This is my first Glass Hookah, it was one of the largest glass pieces I have made to date. I am actually pretty pleased with how it turned out. now I cannot wait to get it to the person it was made for and have him give it a test run. I am thinking that it will be a great smoking Hookah.

well, lately I have  been having problems with the larger and more complex assemblies I have been working on, I think that I am learning and hope that I can overcome these problems, truth is that I have to teach myself a lot of the time, since I don’t know of any flameworkers close to where I live. and since I am making products that are new to me and trying hard to push my limits I seem to have worked myself into a corner as it were. I am hoping that the responses of others can help me in my endeavors. so watch the video and if you have any recommendations feel free to jump in and post a comment either here on this blog or on my youtube channel.

I appologize to my readers for my infrequent posts, I plan on getting back into a routine of Blogging and Vlogging right along trying to turn Coastalfireglassworks.com into something I can be proud of.

and Finally thank you to the readers that keep coming back for more.

the alchemists set, originally uploaded by acroduster.

High in misty coastal mountains, a skilled tradesman works to produce labors of his passion. he meticulously works to craft jars, bottles and tubes to please even the most discerning of alchemists. some are clear for observing reactions or reagents, others are heavily silver fumed to protect photo sensitive materials. others still are worked with intricate color work to bring a stylistic art to the alchemists lab.

so on the serious side, I have been enjoying bottles jars and other hollow forms in a simple exploration of some basic form. its been fun and I think I may continue on this path for a short while, and see where it takes me. I find that this type of work and craft is really one of the most rewarding in glass for me, my other focus seems to be pointing toward goblets and fine vessels.

small gold and silver vase, originally uploaded by acroduster.

finally a post about glass, yes, I spent a few hours in my studio today, and boy did it feel good, I also managed to get a photo of a small vase (seen above) that I am particularly proud of.

I think I want to try to make glass flowers that look like these flowers I found on a photo hike. not sure what type of flower they are, but they are beautiful, and elegant

a pendant I made recently, not that I have had half as much time behind the torch as I wish I had had, but at least its something. for those dedicated patient readers I am forever thankful that you understand how fast paced my life is, and since glass is actually only a part of my life, it occasionally gets put on the back burner.