The summer is not my favorite time to be a glassblower. The winter......ah, yes. But, the summer, not so much.
We can't air condition most of the studio.......it's inefficient due to the space (big old mill building), and the fact that glass can't cool too quickly (and blasting cold air in there would cool it too quickly).
For those of you that have spent this summer in New England, you know that we have barely had a summer.......until now. All of a sudden, it's extremely humid and temps are averaging around 88 degrees.
So what does that mean for the studio? 100+ degrees. And remember, the furnace and reheating chamber are working at 2100 degrees, and the ovens we use are at 900.
It's hot. So hot.
And it kicked my butt.
My diagnosis was heat exhaustion (thank you, WebMD). After 2 days of working in those conditions, my body just said "no more, please", and shut down. Normally, by August I have acclimated to these conditions, and 2-3 days of working in the "oppressive" weather is manageable (barely, but it is). But not this year.
A day later, I feel better, and was back to glassblowing......but only a half day for me today.
(and lots of time in my air conditioned office).
Stay cool.
