Turning Up the Heat: A former firefighter's passion for glass blowing blossoms in the Hill Country

When Paul Simonette retired in 2015, he had already spent 37 years fighting fires for the U.S. Forest Service and Department of Defense. One would think he'd enough heat and fire to last a lifetime. Then his wife, Holly (herself an accomplished fiber artist), gave him a gift certificate for glassblowing lessons.

"There's something primal about fire and melting glass," Paul said. It's like the feeling you get staring at a campfire.... it's beautiful and mesmerizing."