Picture Time

Today is Friday--but not just any Friday. It's the Friday before Memorial Day, which means summer is just around the corner. After a long, cold winter, I think we're all happy about that.

As promised, I've posted a few pictures from my Chicago trip a couple of weeks ago. The big, shiny, silver ball picture is the Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium Park. It's been nicknamed "the Bean," but from what I hear some Chicago residents really don't like this very much. As you may know, Chicago-based MTH Industries did the metal installation.

The image next to the Bean, I mean Cloud Gate, is a shot of a downtown high-rise condo project going up. This was fun for me to see considering an article I wrote for USGlass a couple of months ago about some of the common condo concerns for contract glaziers.

And below that is another project going up in downtown Chicago featuring unitized curtainwall. I actually heard a presentation last week about unitized systems given by Henry Taylor with Kawneer. It was during GANA's Contract Glazing Educational Conference in Atlanta. In the July USGlass you'll be able to read more about the conference, as well.

I have to admit, I do like to take pictures of interesting glass projects that catch my eye--and I know I'm not the only one out there who does this. If you've got some glass shots you've taken during your travels email them to me. I would love to see them.

Enjoy your weekend and the holiday!

You know you're REALLY in the glass industry when ...

It's inevitable. After a certain number of years in this industry there's a lot of little things we all end up doing: you look to see whose glass is in your hotel windows, check out the new storefront/entrance installation at the new mall, point out the IG failure of a restaurant window to a friend who has no idea of which you speak. Everywhere you go roll wave distortion just jumps right out you. One thing in particular I like to point out is the acoustical qualities of laminated glass. When people say "Oh, there's no way glass can block sound," I respond, "Really? When you're in the airport, how often can you hear the jets starting up outside?" After that they usually give in.

Now that summer is almost upon us, many are starting to think of vacations. Where will you go and what will you do? Whenever I go someplace I am always looking at the glass & metal architecture and structures, ans when I have my camera you can bet I'm snapping some pictures. This weekend, in fact, I'm heading to Chicago for the weekend, and I've got some time scheduled in to head over to Millennium Park to check out the Cloud Gate sculpture (featured in the most recent Architects' Guide to Glass. It's a cool structure; I will take pictures and post the here next week.

Speaking of pictures, I've posted here one of my favorites. It's from the Butterfly Exhibit at the Bellagio in Las Vegas a couple years ago.

Enjoy the weekend and some great weather.