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Our Quest for Blue Bottles: Intimate Behind the Scenes Accounts by a Living Artist…

September 20, 2011 by anado 5 Comments

…today we journeyed in our Ford Explorer to Corrolejo to the Tequila Distillery in search of blue bottles to add to the adornment at the Chapel of Jimmy Ray.  It is only 1.5 hours from here…an easy drive.  We pulled up to the Front Gate of the Distillery which is housed in a former hacienda built during the Modernist Period…it is quite spectacular and reminded us of Barcelona.  We were greeted by the General manager and I introduced myself as an artist from San Miguel.  He was quite generous and we were given a private tour of the facility by a young man and woman.  Later the General Manager…Don Leonardo took us in his Mercedes to the Bottle Factory and he showed us the whole production.  We were very impressed and grateful for his generosity…we purchased a huge amount of blue bottles…..the first of many trips….I promise…I felt like I was in some wonderful magic time bubble and the atmosphere was dripping with ideas that I gathered and brought back with me for the continued adornment of our world here at Casa de Las Ranas…Viva Mexico!

Richard Today

Richard at Corralejo Distillary

Window closeup
Window treatment at Corralejo

River of Tequila
Below this grating which you walk on is newly distilled Tequila yet to be aged in large casks….it is literally a river of Tequila…..

Window 1
Bottle Window in the darkness of the large room where the Tequila ages….

Window 2
Close up of Window….

So divine
So Divine!

Distillary
The Distillery…check out the architecture…..the windows too!

Barrels
Amongst the Casks!

Mosaic Boveda
A mosaic dome…..incrusted with bottle glass….stay tuned……those who have been to our house have seen our domed bedroom…..next?

Patron
Don Leanardo…the Big Squeeze of the Whole Operation….

Pile
One of many piles of broken blue bottles……

Bottle machine
The Bottle Machine…

Molten
Molten glass exudes from the top of the machine….

Red hot bottles
Red hot bottles!

Buying
Workers packing our bottles…..

Bottles in car
We drove home with 260 Blue Bottles…….we will be back….I am in heaven!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. hil says

    September 20, 2011 at 5:15 pm

    WOWEEEEE!!!!!
    absolutely fabulous!!!!

    Reply
  2. Lonnie Hanzon says

    September 20, 2011 at 5:25 pm

    What a wonderful adventure and such a fabulous shade of glass!

    Reply
  3. carol says

    September 29, 2011 at 9:12 am

    Absolutely fabulous place!
    Want to vist!

    Reply
  4. Caroline and Ray Benkendortf says

    December 5, 2011 at 11:51 am

    Ray and I loved seeing your fantastic place and work and getting to know you and Richard. I love the necklace and will think of you when I wear it.
    San Diego is very dull compared to San Miguel.
    Caroline

    Reply
  5. Maria Wegner says

    April 19, 2012 at 12:22 pm

    Viva! Looks like the back of your Ford is packed with those bottles? There are no problems with the trip, right? Man, that does look like a fun time. At first, it sounds mundane, but when you do a road trip and achieve a haul like that it feels very satisfying and motivating.

    Reply

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