8. departure

Up early again as my plane was scheduled to take off at 12:30 PM. After my last morning with Denise and Catharine, Natali arrived and we all loaded up in her car to take me to the airport but first we had one stop to make. Anna who owns Passion For Glass Gallery and Art Studio wanted to meet us before we left. Well, she wanted to meet Catharine who she idolizes and she was just beside herself that Catharine was there in her studio!

Catharine was, Anna said, the reason she opened her studio. She had attended a talk Catharine gave and was inspired to take the chance. I understand her adoration of Catharine. I was drawn to her myself the first time I met her at the Bullseye Resource Center for an opening of one of the small shows in which we had a piece. I managed to command about 5 minutes of her attention before she was called away by the crowd that was attending. Our paths crossed several more times, always at large glass art related functions and 5 minutes was ever all the time I managed to have with her until winter of 2013 when she was in Houston teaching a workshop. I barged in and hung out and chatted with her in between her attention to her students.

Catharine is an amazing artist and I've written about her work here. She also knows just about every glass artist in the world as she travels all over to teach when she is not working in her studio. In my post I described her as serene and I think that still fits. She is so calm and loving, gently pointing out the obvious to me about certain things, and so encouraging. It still amazes me that she is as interested in my friendship as I am in hers since I'm like her total opposite.

So you might remember that I bought a white lacy blouse last spring that is so opposite what I normally wear and I'm still getting comfortable in it. Well, Catharine encouraged me to wear it on the plane home instead of the t-shirt I had planned on wearing and so I did. I was in the last boarding group, as usual, and when I finally stepped into the plane and started down the aisle, a woman in the first row of first class spoke to me as I passed about how much she liked my blouse.

Anyway, off to the airport and and saying our goodbyes and til next times and through customs (I gave Natali the bottle of mead I had bought) and security and standing in line at a food vendor and the two men in front of me at the Jimmy John's also getting something to eat who were obviously airline crew turned out to be the crew on my flight. I struck up a small conversation with them when we were in line because they ordered the chicken salad on croissant. I figured maybe they knew something so I asked them if it was good. They didn't know, had never had it before as it turned out. They were from out of Denver and their schedule varied. I ordered something different and it was OK as airport food goes. When I boarded the plane I asked them how was the chicken salad. He had only sampled it but it was good he said so there you go if you find yourself in the Calgary airport and want something to eat.

My plane got in about 6 PM and I was home. We didn't make any firm decisions about next year but a couple of ideas were floated...Australia if Leigh wants to host us or perhaps a week on a Mexican beach or my place in Texas but I told them we would have to do it as soon in June as Natali could get free or else they would melt in the heat and humidity. So we shall see what comes up for next year.