I love fall. It’s easily my favorite time of the year. The days get a little cooler, the colors start to shift, and the holidays are just around the corner. There’s always one morning when you know it’s here. The sunlight softens, the air feels lighter, and you can almost smell the season changing. Once a year, every fall without fail, Tanya and I make the short drive to the charming little town of Salado for one of our favorite traditions: breakfast, good coffee, and glass pumpkins.
Our trip typically begins at McCain’s Bakery & Café. It’s not just breakfast; it’s the official start of our glassy day. We grab a table, settle in with their house coffee (which has this subtle hint of maple that feels like autumn in a cup), and catch up before the fun begins.
After breakfast, we make our way to Salado Glassworks, the destination of our annual pilgrimage. The building itself feels alive, the hum of the fans and furnaces, the warmth and beauty that greets you as soon as you walk in, Rex the cat, the faint smell of molten glass and creativity in the air. Every year, Gail Allard and his team of artists host their blown glass pumpkin event, and every year, Tanya and I show up ready to create a new piece for our ever-growing collections.
The fun begins almost immediately after check-in. When it’s my turn to step up and choose colors, that familiar spark of excitement kicks in every time. Amber? Orange? Aqua? Maybe the Fall mix this year, or Artist’s Choice, where the glass artist guiding the process takes the lead. Once the colors are set, we head to the viewing area to wait our turn. Sitting on the bleachers, watching everything unfold, is part of the experience itself. People snapping photos and videos, quiet conversations buzzing with anticipation, you can feel the energy in the room.
Even after all these years (we first came here in 2011, back when the studio was a tiny shop next door), the experience never gets old. There’s something mesmerizing about watching molten glass spin at the end of a pipe, glowing like a miniature sun. The glass artists move with practiced rhythm, turn, blow, shape, reheat, each motion purposeful and graceful.
Making those pumpkins isn’t just about the finished piece, it’s about being part of the process, even for a moment. As glass artists ourselves, we love every chance to touch a different branch of the craft. Blown glass isn’t something we can do in our home studios. Glass blowing takes “Big Fire” as I like to call it and our setups are made for fusing, stained glass, lampworking, and painting, not high-heat furnaces. So, this annual visit feels like a reunion with an old friend, one we admire from afar most of the year.
Once our pumpkins are cooling safely in the annealer, we wander through the gallery. Shelves glimmer with color, bowls that catch the light like captured sunsets, vases that ripple with layers of translucent color, and sculptural pieces that seem to shift as you move past them. It’s nearly impossible to leave empty-handed. We often tell ourselves we’ll “just look,” but somehow, one or two additional treasures always manage to follow us home. The morning always feels slow in the best possible way. We linger and admire the work that fills the space. There’s an easy sense of community at Salado Glassworks, everyone there loves glass, whether they make it, buy it, or simply admire it. It’s one of those rare places where art feels approachable and alive.
With our pumpkin making over, we make one last round through the gallery before heading home. The drive back is full of ideas and plans, new glass treasures safely packed, and my bestie and I finished with our adventure for the day.
What keeps us coming back isn’t just the pumpkins or the artistry. It’s the tradition itself, the way it anchors the season. Life changes constantly, new projects, new ideas, new adventures, but this one ritual remains the same. It reminds us to slow down, to celebrate creativity, and take time to appreciate different types of glass art.
Every fall, when we line up our pumpkins from years past, each one unique, each one marking a moment in time. Our collection is a timeline of our friendship and our journey as artists. Some traditions are worth keeping not because they’re grand or elaborate, but because they’re steady, because they remind us who we are, and what we love.
So, as the leaves begin to turn and the air starts to carry that first hint of autumn, we’re already thinking ahead to Salado. To maple coffee, to molten glass, to laughter and art and friendship. To the joy of creating something beautiful together.
And maybe, just maybe, one or two more pumpkins. 😉
