solar chandelier installed!

Here are some shots of the sculpture. First being installed by Maurice and Jeff Levitch. I'm so glad I didn't have to ascend the ladder. The second shot shows the panel and the last two show the piece hanging...It all went well, a few adjustments were made and I was nervous as it went up, would someone fall? would the panel work? (edit...oops posted in the opposite order of preview for some reason so the first mentioned is the last, but you get the picture...video to follow)

where I've been

I've been away from my blog. yup, between the obsessively following the election, teaching, doing laundry, and working on the biggest ever solar project I've made I got out of the habit of posting but I'm going to start posting again. Above you can see the Solar Chandelier in my studio...still very much work in progress I've spent every recent Friday tying teeny tiny knots in filament to make the stuff hang just so. My panel arrived cracked so now I'm waiting for the replacement to see if the thing will turn or not.....very suspenseful.

solar hot tub

Hurray, our solar water heater is heating up a lot these days and making hot water for the hot tub. The way it works is that there is a panel on the roof and water is pumped up there. When it reaches 104 degrees the water flows into the tub and new water goes up. By late afternoon the water is quite hot and we only have to use the heater for a short time in the evening to heat it more. I love hearing it gurgle through the pipes. This summer I want to make a solar fountain to listen to and look at while in the tub.