<b>I always say that I give a</b> <b>little bit of my DNA with each</b> <b>piece.</b> <b>Because I don't know</b> <b>that I have actually finished a </b> <b>piece without nicking a little bit,</b> <b>I keep the liquid</b> <b>Band-Aids and Band-Aids in my </b> <b>studio but a lot of times</b> <b>I'll be so engrossed that I just</b> <b>I don't want to stop to take care</b> <b>of it.</b> <b>So I'm like wiping the blood off</b> <b>and then working on</b> <b>glass, wiping the blood, working</b> <b>on glass.</b> <b>But I do give away a little bit</b> <b>of myself </b> <b>and maybe not just DNA,</b> <b>but just a little bit of me.</b> <b>Everyone,</b> <b>when you retire, everyone says you have to have</b> <b>a plan.</b> <b>I did not have a plan.</b> <b>I did not plan to do stained</b> <b>glass.</b> <b>But once I got into it,</b> <b>I find it really difficult</b> <b>to pull myself out of my studio</b> <b>during the day and do something else.

</b> <b>My father did stained glass.</b> <b>Several of my nephews have done </b> <b>stained glass.</b> <b>My son has picked it up.</b> <b>Also, that's my middle so</b> <b>My older son worked with my dad</b> <b>a little bit.</b> <b>Anyone who visited my dad</b> <b>as far as grandkids,</b> <b>were invited out</b> <b>to work in the garage with him.</b> <b>And he would give them a simple </b> <b>and let them make something and,</b> <b>direct them on how to do it.</b> <b>So he really,</b> <b>I feel, wanted to pass this on.</b> <b>I'm the only one who does it</b> <b>I guess full time.</b> <b>But I'm retired now so I can do </b> <b>anything I want full time.</b> <b>My husband and I are both big</b> <b>cyclists.</b> <b>I feel like Alaska is an awesome place to be</b> <b>a cyclist.</b> <b>Not only can you do it</b> <b>year-round</b> <b>but so many people use the trails</b> <b>here and we have great trails.</b> <b>(Oh!

Yeah.

)</b> <b>And so I really like using that,</b> <b>you know, as my palate rather than just making</b> <b>a straight piece.</b> <b>And I'm not seeing anyone else</b> <b>do it</b> <b>like what I do.</b> <b>I love finding something that's</b> <b>out there </b> <b>that's Alaskan</b> <b>that I can put on my wheels.</b> <b>You know, I'll go on Facebook</b> <b> and I do find them in the woods</b> <b>sometimes and drag them home.</b> <b>If we get</b> <b>a bike, which we get fairly ofte</b> <b>I'll get my-</b> <b>My neighbor last year gave me her kids'</b> <b>two old bikes, and they were perfect.</b> <b>You know, so we take them apart and</b> <b>then we recycle everything that we can.</b> <b>If there's aluminum, it goes in one pile.

</b> <b>It's metal, it goes in another pile.</b> <b>So, yeah, we do a lot of recycling.</b> <b>When I decide to make something</b> <b>the first thing I have to do</b> <b>is clean the wheel.</b> <b>Which, thankfully, my husband</b> <b>doesn't care</b> <b>if I use the kitchen sink because</b> <b>that's the only sink that I have.</b> <b>And I have special sponges</b> <b>and toothbrushes</b> <b>that are kinda off to the side</b> <b>that he knows.</b> <b>don't use those for anything</b> <b>because they've been used on bike rims.</b> <b>And then once I get it clean,</b> <b>I will take a piece of cardboard</b> <b>like this old poster board</b> <b>and draw out the outside rim</b> <b>so that I know exactly how much </b> <b>space I have.</b> <b>A lot of times</b> <b>that then becomes the pattern.</b> <b>So this one I'm doing</b> <b>is going to be a little bit</b> <b>different in that</b> <b>the only pattern that I really </b> <b>have is for the swans.</b> <b>And then I just get to pick out the glass</b> <b>and that's when I really have fun.</b> <b>And then I just trace it on the </b> <b>glass</b> <b>and start cutting and sanding.</b> <b>I use an old cork, a wine cork</b> <b>to press the edges down</b> <b>and on the sides and on the back side.</b> <b>Then I solder it.</b> <b>If you look at my socks,</b> <b>I have multiple pairs of socks</b> <b>that have little dots of solder on the top</b> <b>because I wear socks and sandals</b> <b>in my studio and then I patina them.</b> <b>Depending on the piece.</b> <b>I may go back over it with car</b> <b>wax, then glue it onto the wheel.</b> <b>I 100% enjoy what I'm doing.</b> <b>I love what I'm doing.</b> <b>It's the first job I've had</b> <b>that's not really a job.</b> <b>And when someone buys a piece</b> <b>and they are excited, as excited</b> <b>as I was when I made it,</b> <b>that makes me feel really good because</b> <b>it's really hard to give away</b> <b>something you've made.</b> <b>But that makes me feel good knowing</b> <b>that someone else is going to enjoy it</b> <b>as much as I enjoyed making it.</b>