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JBR

@jbred56.bsky.social
233 followers 119 following 1.5K posts

Retired federal employee (DHHS/NIH/NCI). I document daily walks with our border collie and travel. It is about being: in the moment, capturing images, thoughts and minute scraps of information. I also make things w/glass.

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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 2h
Test pieces after fire using all four sizes of frit and four techniques. Final 8” square using three sizes of frit (powder, fine and medium) with sifting and displacement techniques pre fire.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Storm is acoming tomorrow early morning. Sky was red too. Got a glass class this AM, Painting with frit and powder, Day II. We made test pieces last week and fired them. Have an idea of how to pull all four techniques of painting with frit together. Have seen beautiful art made this way in Ireland.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Saw one of these gold colored Tesla Cyber cabs (Robotaxi) on my walk with Sóla at noon today and did not know what I was looking at. Honestly thought it was a gold-colored cyber truck with the bed chopped off. Just stared at it as it drove past. Absolutely hideous design, IMO.
Gold-colored car with weird wheels. Robot taxi by Tesla. Stock image.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Been listening to Alaniss Morissette, unplugged, a lot, and singing out loud like no one is listening. Sóla is deaf and does not mind. Made a nice roasted cauliflower soup yesterday. M loved it. Been busy with glass projects. Hope to have at least one finished during Sunday’s last class.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Today is brought to you by the color red and by Fibonacci’s sequence. A little bit of fog, in the air this morning. Side effects from the Covid 2026 vax yesterday has made this morning’s walk difficult. Normal for me to have fatigue from a vax. Will be fully recovered tomorrow. Will solder today.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Not sure about the cowboy skeleton riding a flamingo. Is it a unit or what. Another neighborhood house is going under the chop. Two pictures of the same thing taken at the same time: one with artificial light, the other without to show how dark it is at the start of our walk- we use a headlamp.
Skeleton cowboy riding an inflatable flamingo.Tree has been felled in the front yard of a split level house slated for demolition.Man with a dog standing on a hill with the sun barely peeking over the horizon.Same picture of the man with a dog on a hill but it is too dark to see them.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Read a WAPO article this AM about wind-testing mobile homes in FL. Reminded me of our trip in 2014 to Tory Island, Ireland, Co Donegal, in the N. Atlantic, a place subjected to sustained gales where we saw mobile homes reinforced with cinder block walls. Don’t think you could do that in the US.
Photo courtesy of T. Michael Redmond, two mobile homes with cinder block reinforced walls.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Got a lot done yesterday with the extreme glass project. Soldered five pieces. Work today: Foil two additional pieces. One is a clock and the other is a continuation of the same theme. We walk in the dark now and it is chilly. Sóla loves the cooler temperatures and is full of the joys of life.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We tried a new gin, Lundey, when we were in Myvatn, Iceland. When tonic water is added to the blue gin, the pH is changed and the color turns from blue to pink. A bartender in Porto, Portugal showed us this trick using Sharish Blue Magic gin. We like Sharish but overtime, the color fades. 1/2
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Some mornings are like this. We were walking along in the dark with moon overhead when Sóla began to growl and pull. Out on the dark field, reflected in my headlamp, two little green eyes glowed. It was a fox and she was pretty close by but not for long. She ran off pretty quick. Quiet walk today.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
New glass class this PM, Strip Cutting. Discussions today: The Ondt and the Gracehoper; the sky is falling, chicken little; taking the high road; RUS; the new resident; Sóla met her pal Rod, our neighbor, beside the field. She did a collie belly crawl, she was so happy to see him. Drizzle felt good.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The four test pieces made in Fusing with Frits and Powders glass class are going into the kiln tonight. Techniques: mix of medium and fine frit; cold comb using medium frit w/Glytac gel; displacement; powder. Selected colors: Tomato Red, Black, Orange, Yellow, Spring green and French vanilla.
Powder and scrafitti technique with hairspray. Colors: black; tomato red; yellow; spring green and French vanilla.Cold comb technique using medium course frit. Colors: black, tomato red, orange, yellow, spring green. Glytac gel mixed with course frit. Mix of medium and fine frit used to create a landscape, Icelandic theme. Colors: black; tomato red; orange; yellow; spring green and French vanilla. Glytac liquid dropped on top to hold frit in place.Displacement technique using clear course frit and fine colored frit. Colors: clear; blue black; black; orange; yellow; spring green and tomato red.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Today’s glass class- Fusing with frit and powder. I’m calling it “fusing with grits and black powder”. Actually using black glass has been disappointing for me because it the color absorbs too much heat & has taken over the composition. Worked on the projects yesterday until 1800. Trying to finish.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Worked hours yesterday on design a stained glass clock. Loads to do today, with 3 additional pieces to build. Must have everything ready for soldering on Sunday. Not sure where these individual pieces will end up- mobile maybe?
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Heading into the vortex this morning. Nice ride parked at the curb. From a distance, it looked like a paper wasp.
Man and dog walk towards a hinged wooden box with VORTEX printed in it. Heavy fog in the playing field.Brightly painted motorcycle in yellow and red. Victoria make.Different angle of the same motorcycle.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Collecting ideas for the project. Do not want to waste time and materials throwing something together just for the class. Been playing with scrap glass, shards and rings. If I would not like it in my own home, I don’t want to make it. This is a class about glass sculpture, the way I see it, 3-D art.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This morning’s walk with Sóla. Rained overnight so there was a lot of water on the plants and ground. Found one sleeping bee, in the goldenrod. Cooler temps now, better for walking. Thought so much about the glass project yesterday, it made my head hurt. Keep an open mind. Don’t think, just do it.
Red rose with droplets of water. Leaves have been eaten by an insect. Red rose with water droplets. Green partially eaten leaves.Yellow flowers, goldenrod, with black bee sleeping amongst the blossoms.Man with a dog on a hill and the dog is looking at the photographer. Let’s go! Red brick building in the background. Green playing field below. Gray clouds in the sky.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The worst part of working in glass happens at the start of a new project. I call this “the I don’t know what I’m going to effing do” stage. Extreme Stained Glass, a class where you mix media, begins this AM. Our assignment: bring all the stuff you have been collecting and an open mind.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Sunset over Baltimore last night as we were landing, in the “Fish Express,” Icelandair flight from Reykjavik. This morning’s read with a cup of coffee. Sóla was overjoyed to see her parents return home. She checked on us, touched paws to us, all through the night. She was well-looked after.
Photo taken from the air of the sunset over Baltimore last night.Cover of a book, Salmon Flies, Flies of Icelandic rivers. Photography, Lárus Karl Ingason, authored by Bjarni Róbert Jónsson - Valgarður Ragnarsson.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Dinner at Sumac. Recommended by M’s Bsky friend @Samer.is, we visited a Lebanese restaurant on Laugavegur last night. It is Michelin “adjacent” and it is pretty good. We got a chef’s tasting menu and it did not disappoint. I could barely eat all of it as it was so filling.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Books bought in Reykjavik, plus a new mystery, “Reykjavik,” by Ragnar Jónasson, co authored by the Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir. Aldo bought, “The Little Book of Icelandic People.” We stayed with family who live here and they told us interesting stories about customs and such.
Hiking Among the Natural Wonders of Iceland. This so I can read about the difficulty of the hikes before M takes me on them. Discover Icelandic Architecture, book by Birgit Abrecht. Already started reading this one and it is very good.Freya, book by Margrét Ann Thors
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Reykjavik 101
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Good things come to ye who wait - a cat waits for a handout at the staff entrance to a fish and chip restaurant in Reykjavik.
Fish and chips and a cat.The cat waits.Staff entrance to the fish restaurant.A dog walks into the picture and the cat is not pleased.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Favorite houses in Reykjavik
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Swans and other avian life a swimming on the pond in Reykjavik
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Cat eating grass.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Tell me where you are without telling me where you are.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Stained glass, stenciled graffiti, cats and dogs.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Walked to bookstore to find an updated map of NE Iceland and there are no updates. Saw some nice residential architecture on the way.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
My friend made this for me.
Magazine cover with two people standing in front of two lakes in Askja, a caldera in NE Iceland.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Glaciers and glacial stream with harlequin ducks.
Bridge over the glacial river.Glacier tongue.Harlequin ducks on the bank of the river.Glacier with stream.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Bulldozing the stream getting ready for winter.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Geothermal area in the Highlands of Iceland.
Hot pot with yellow, white rings.Steamy walk through the hot area.Green algae in the thermal spring.Man walking on a boardwalk into the steam.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hveravellir, a place with geothermal hot springs we visited once before. Here for lunch. Next o/n stop is Reykjavik. Hoping the strike will break before Friday.
Sign for Hveravellir with atmospheric clouds.Sign with dark clouds.Geothermal springs for soaking and bathing.Looking down at the reservoir.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We left Vopna and are heading back towards Reykjavik. Got lunch in Akureyri at the restaurant in the botanical gardens then drove through Dalvik and Sóla’s valley. Icelandair mechanics are threatening to strike so we may get stuck here or not. Nothing we can do about it. Just keep calm and carry on.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Sóla’s valley,” where we met the first Sóla,10 years ago, in Iceland. A farmer was carrying a young black and white border collie. We asked him the name of the dog and he said Sóla. We said if we ever got a dog, it would be a border collie and we would name it Sóla. A year later, we did.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Last day in Vopna, scenes from yesterday.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Sandvik beach with people and a dog
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Golden retriever found herself something smelly on Sandvik, near Vop, Iceland.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
On the way back to the farm where we are staying, we drove the old Route 1 road, a gravel road with grades of 12% in places. Speed limit of 80 km with gravel twisty roads. Did not drive that fast.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Patchwork barn with sheep(s), as they say in Iceland. Some Icelandic hotdogs at last. Bacterial biofilm in a stream of many colors.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Canyon known as Stuðlagil - we have visited here before but never in the fall. Nice colors!
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
River crossing, one of many, in the Disco on the way to and from Askja. We were told we could maybe try to drive ourselves there in the rented Rav 4 but I said no way. I’m so glad I didn’t go there driving the RAV4.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The dragon’s canyon of Askja is just behind the ranger station, the police house (when they visit) and the buildings of the hostel.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The trip to Askja and back. We left at 0810 and returned at 1810. It was a long and tiring day and I’m so grateful we found a guide to take us there and to bring us back safely.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
To see Askja by private tour, you need a big vehicle like a Disco and a guide like Oðinn!
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Victoria shot this video of us crossing the lava covered in fall colors. The third rider is the German equestrian who competes in dressage and show jumping with her own horse at home in Frankfurt but she always rides in Iceland. She is a pro and came dressed accordingly. Her form is A+.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
These fumaroles also make a nice sound, located at the hot spot near Myvatn.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Bubbling mud pot, just like the sound.
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JBR @jbred56.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Lava horses, video taken by Victoria, our riding guide this trip and on our previous trip three years ago.
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