Sharry Miller

Adventure and Midlife Crises

Humans are by nature adventurous. Watch a toddler expand his territory a wobbly step at a time. Watch a teenager test curfew. Watch an eighty-year-old grandmother sign up for an art tour of Russia. The soul thrives on adventure. Deprived of adventure, our optimism fails us. Adventure is a nutrient, not a frivolity. When we ignore our need for adventure, we ignore our very nature. Often we do exactly that, calling it "adulthood" or "discipline."... Read more →

Blueberry Day

Yesterday was a rare fall treat in Valdez: sunny and 65. (Actually, today was the same, but I was at work so it didn't count.) Rowan and I went up to Thompson Pass in the afternoon to raid the blueberry bushes. Not too bad a year for them; we got about half a gallon in two hours. Certainly not enough to warrant using a berry picker, but much better than the past couple of years... Read more →

Fused Glass Coasters

A couple of weeks ago I had a small group arrange a private class to make fused glass coasters. I asked if they had any particular designs in mind and one of them sent me some photos of coasters she had seen on Etsy and liked. It was a perfect opportunity for me to play and make up some sample pieces! I decided to make a set of four coasters that all used the same... Read more →

Valdez Marine Terminal

Normally I try very hard to leave my "Real Job" out of my blog - if I could I'd leave it out of the rest of my life, too! Today, however, I had to help play tour guide for a bunch of out-of-state oil spill response people at the Valdez Marine Terminal, the oil terminal where the Trans-Alaska Pipeline ends and tankers are loaded to haul crude oil to refineries. It occurred to me that... Read more →

I Can Still Sew!

As much as I've loved creating with glass this past year and a bit, I've really missed fiber. Yarn, fleece, roving, fabric.... As creative media, fibers of all sorts are so much more tactile-ly pleasing than glass. My fingers itch to play with it all. Unfortunately, time and ambition have had me focused on glass and the rest have fallen to the wayside. Rowan recently picked out a hat pattern: The Santa Monica cap by... Read more →

First Day of Fifth Grade

Fifth grade already. Now would be the time I'm supposed to say, "Can you believe it?" but I guess I'm just not there. It doesn't seem hard to believe Rowan's in fifth grade; some days it seems she should be at least 16. Other times, however, like when she wanted me to dry her off after her shower last night or when she crawled into bed with me at 10:00, she seems much younger. Anyway,... Read more →

Ride into the Fog

Opening my eyes, I closed them again quickly. I glanced at my clock, amazed that I'd actually slept until 8:00, and then toward my window, squinting at the bright yellow light streaming through. As my eyes grew accustomed, I was able to see blue holes in the clouds. It wasn't raining! My first thought was that I was going for a bike ride. I wandered downstairs, heated up a cup of coffee and gazed out... Read more →

Alone/Lonely

As I waited for my mocha and peach scone at Rogue's Garden this afternoon, I chatted briefly with an acquaintance. "How are you doing with both Thane and Rowan gone?" she asked. "Oh, okay. A little lonely," I replied. "Is that a good thing?' Nonplussed, I shrugged and made a noncommittal sound. Is being lonely ever a good thing? Alone, yes, but lonely? In the early, on-again-off-again years of our relationship, Thane and I spent... Read more →

Doodling in Glass

Here are two more pieces from my glass playing this week. I have no idea what they'll be, if anything; I was just doodling around.... Read more →

Log Cabin Clock

Inspired by a funky log cabin quilt in one of my mom's quilting magazines, I made this fused glass clock face yesterday (it's about 7.5" square). I really need to get a drill bit so I can turn these pieces I keep making into functional clocks! Read more →