Monday, March 16

We spoke early this morning with our realtor about the counter-offer. Unusually, the other broker said they were firm on the offer and had no interest in negotiating further. He suggested another approach to us, and we told him to go ahead and try it. We'll see. It's really important to us to sell the house, in order to be free to do the next move, whatever that is.

One thought I had for Aída is making jewelry with broken china and materials like wood that don't have to be fired. So we spent some time this morning after breakfast looking at jewelry on the web. Then she showed Vincent and me the process she goes through to make the fused glass jewelry. That was awesome. We didn't know that there is a right side and a wrong side to a sheet of glass. You discover it by dripping water on both sides. The side where it runs down smooth and without ripples is the right side.

Then she takes a glass cutter and a ruler and cuts a large sheet into tiny 1/2-inch triangles, washes them in detergent and dries them in a towel. There can't be any water spots on the glass or the fusion doesn't work right, or the glass doesn't look shiny. She paints a design on one triangle, waits for the color to dry before she paints another color. After all the paint is dry, she takes a dab of super-glue and glues a clear triangle of glass on top to give the fused piece depth and sparkle. She has to be careful not to get fingerprints on the glass, because the oil from the skin is detrimental to the appearance of the fired piece. She has a very large kiln which is heated with natural gas. She does not know what she is going to do when the government raises the price of a canister of gas from $2 to $25--all the artisans who use gas are worried about this.

After the glass is fused, which takes about three days in the kiln, she has to sort the pieces so the earrings will match, sand any sharp edges which remain and attach the posts or hooks with super-glue, put them on cards and pack them for shipment so that they don't get broken. We were amazed at how much work is involved for one pair of earrings. Aída says that glass is a specialized craft. Not every customer has a love for glass--she is looking for the ones that do. She loves her work, loves to see people wearing it. Her designs are distinctive--she knows when she has made a piece, and she loves to see people adorn themselves with her work. It shows an appreciation that she treasures.

Tonight she had her friend Gustavo bring us up to the monument (the angel Gabriel in giant posture) overlooking the city to see the lights and the lake below. It was a balmy tropical evening, very clear, with just a bit of fog lifting from the lake through the valley. A fine way to close a good day.

At the end of the night, we were still working on the report, having thought of more things we should add. Maybe it will go tomorrow.