Belated Mom Love

A bit late, but better than never! Happy belated birthday to my Mama, and Happy Mother's Day as well. We had a great time celebrating her bday at a local nursery called Annie's Annuals. It's a literal oasis tucked away in an industrial and somewhat blighted corner of North Richmond. So many lush and unusual plants and flowers, truly a delight for the senses. My mom, who is a master gardener, was in heaven. Roberto and I were very inspired too.

Road Trip to Arizona and Nevada with My Mama

A couple weeks ago my mom and I took a road trip starting in the Bay Area and passing through some of the most beautiful deserts and mountains in the Western US. We needed to clean out a storage unit (of unknown contents) that my grandmother had in Flagstaff, as well as take care of some of her affairs there, so we decided to make an adventure of it and take the scenic route. Here are some highlights:

The Colorado River appears like an oasis along the California-Arizona state line, with the Needles mountains in the background.

My grandmother owned an apartment building in Flagstaff and at some point the property manager commissioned a local artist to paint a mural to ward off vandalization. I love the imagery and colors.

So far the mural strategy has worked, because there is no tagging and people have respected the art.

Here is the storage unit we had to clean out. My mom was hoping it would be empty (fat chance knowing what a packrat my grandmother was!) and I was expecting it to be full...but not exactly *this* full. What a nightmare. Stuff was all jumbled up, in various states of damage (there had been water, bats, and rats in the unit at some point from the looks of things), and most of it wasn't "worth" hanging onto in the first place. Happily we did find a few family treasures, and there were a lot of throwback items to my mom's childhood...but mostly it was books and old clothes and a lot of junk. My mom and I spent a lot of time sorting what to keep, what to donate, and what to throw away. Sadly in the end the charity shop rejected the donation pile so everything we didn't keep went into the landfill. What a lesson...

At least we got in some quality outdoor time while in Flagstaff. There was a walking path right outside our hotel room that crossed through ponderosa pine forests and open meadows full of wildflowers and lava rocks. Beautiful!

There's nothing quite like the clear air of the mountains. Big sky, sunshine, and the afternoon monsoon. Made me miss my homeland of New Mexico (although I'll be there next month for a visit, yay!)

On the way from Flagstaff to Tonopah, Nevada we passed by the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. Really stunning scenery to see that big body of water amid such an arid landscape.

We walked across a highway bridge to get a view of the dam, which was worth it despite the 106 degree weather and strong winds.

A convenience store and rest stop in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. There was a brothel behind this building, by the way. No big deal, business as usual!

In Tonopah we stayed at the (supposedly haunted) Mizpah Hotel. I didn't experience any ghost encounters but the place was definitely like being in a time warp.

I had fun sketching one of the big chandeliers in the lounge while waiting for our dinner.

From Nevada we crossed back into California and drove on some very hilly highways and over some major mountain summits. It was a massively scenic stretch, including Mono Lake (above) and Monitor Pass (below).

It was a long, hot, tiring but fun trip. Definitely the kind that is better with company, and I'm happy to report that my mom is an excellent road trip companion. Maybe we'll do another one next year (although without the storage unit!!).

Studio Incarnations

Over the years there have been many spaces in many different places where I have made my work. Here's a fun flashback, from Maputo to Oakland to Mendocino to Point Richmond.

Video: Interview with Richmond Confidential

This feature on Ali Amaro | Art Jewelry & Objects is part of a series about small businesses in Richmond, California. We had a really fun interview, and I hope you enjoy the result!

Check out the full video and text here: http://richmondconfidential.org/2014/10/13/voice-of-small-business-ali-amaro-art-jewelry-objects/

Muir Woods

My dad came to visit last week, and one of the highlights was a visit to Muir Woods. In the nearly five years we've lived at Casa Cali, I'd not yet visited the giant redwoods. They sure are huge, but what really impressed me is how crowded Muir Woods is. Think hordes and hordes of people. But even so, it manages to be peaceful. I guess ancient trees trump tourists!

10 Things I Love about the Bay Area's Hidden Gem

View of Oakland and Point Richmond taken from a plane window in 2013.

Here's 10 of the many reasons why Point Richmond is the best:

1. Small town feel where neighbors know each other, like each other (for the most part), and look out for each other.

2. Tons of history, from the railway to Ferry Point to the WWII Homefront and Rosie the Riveter.

3. Cute, walkable streets and a downtown full of independent shops and restaurants.

4. Waterfront location with beautiful parks, trails, and beaches.

5. Characters galore. This is not a homogenous or predictable place when it comes to the residents.

6. Calm, serene feel. Almost island-like. And yet you are 10 minutes from BART and 20-30 minutes driving to Oakland and San Francisco.

7. Convenient access to some of Northern California's best nature and sights (Marin, redwoods, Napa, Point Reyes and lots more).

8. A great summer concert series.

9. Arts! There are so many artists here, I feel like every day I meet or hear of someone new. I'm excited to be part of this scene as a maker, gallery owner, collaborator, and organizer. If you are ever in town, come check out the Ali Amaro | Art Jewelry & Objects showroom at 41 Washington Ave., right across from the Hotel Mac.

10. Great weather. Lots more sunshine and not as much fog compared to most other parts of the Bay Area. Plus it's never too cold or too hot.

Africa to the Bay

I have now lived at Casa Cali for as long as I lived in Mozambique. Four-and-a-half years. Combining both places, nearly a decade.

I think about the fact that I moved to Chimoio when I was 23 and it blows my mind. So ambitious and precocious and confident and arrogant. So open to radical change. So unfazed by geography.

Between then and now I got married, created a lucrative freelance career for myself, left said career, became a homeowner, went to art school, became a metalsmith, learned how to parallel park, set up a collaborative studio space, and now - most recently - with lots of help from lots of people, opened the showroom.

I also felt my wanderlust and expat identity transform into something more grounded, content to stay in one place and invest in that life as a solid base from which to explore.

In many ways, the process of making art feels like living abroad. It can be frustrating and lonely and full of fear. It is continually humbling. There are lots of tears. And yet it is also enlightening, inspiring, and an unfailing way to get to know myself better.

These days life is grand and it is also very hard. All of the aspects of being a self-employed artist, an entrepreneur, a collaborator, a mentor, a boss that I knew would be a challenge have been just that. But in a good way. In a growing way. In a way that makes me remember every day that it's the cumulative and sustained efforts that make a difference. That Rome wasn't built in a day. That it's okay for things to be continually in flux.

The reality of my latest leap is still sinking in. I write this from the most calming and beautiful space imaginable, in a community that I am wholly part of. My fledgling business is flourishing. Rico is here helping me close for the day. We will likely go next door to the wine bar and have a glass of something delicious before going home. Then I will cook, we will relax with the cats, and tomorrow I have the chance to do it all again.

Rainy Skies Ahead

My mom always told me these are called mackerel clouds, that when the sky is full of dots and cottony, spotted patterns it means a storm is coming.

These photos are from several months ago, but I am posting them now in hopes that it will rain. Usually our rainy season starts in late October/early November and goes strong through March. Then we have a dry period for the rest of the year. It's no mid-January and we've not yet had any real rain this winter.

That looks like it may change, however, as the forecast is full of wet days starting tomorrow. I really, really hope this happens. For as much as I dislike cold, damp, dreary days it's making me depressed *not* to have them because there is no ignoring the strange changes in climate and what this means for our future.

Casa Cali View, Summer's Day and Winter's Night, 2011

10k

We did it! Our only New Year's resolution* from 2011 can now confidently be ticked off the list. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd be able to run for more than an hour without stopping. Even crazier is that I love doing it.

*I had a second resolution, actually: to paint my nails more often. Doing well on that one, too. :)

Roomba Ran Over a Cat Turd

Yes, sadly, that happened. The how's and why's are still unclear, and honestly I'm fine with that. The fact that we had a rogue cat turd lying around somewhere for the robot vacuum to discover is knowledge enough.

After many Q-tips, half a bottle of Lysol, and enough swearing to make our bad-ass Coast Guard neighbor blush, Roomba is clean again. Rico now has infinite credits in the gross-household-jobs bank.

And we've got our eye on those cats.

A Glimpse of My Week in Mendocino

I learned some basic blacksmithing to make my own chasing tools.

I did many, many hours of repoussé in silver.

I walked around this very charming town and drooled at all the homes and gardens.

I went running in the Mendocino Headlands several times.

Sundial

Early this morning, when the Bay was still dove gray and quiet, the sun rose at precisely the right angle as to brilliantly flash upon the lighthouse across the water in Tiburon. The shine was so intense it reflected a golden dagger of light onto the water, a sharp linear beam that seemed to indicate some divine moment or astronomical alignment. Alas, we are a far cry from the Maya or the early peoples who created Stonehenge. The golden line on the water was simply coincidence, an illuminated treat for those with their eyes open at the right time at the right random location. I took a photo, made some coffee, then went about my day. Still, I can't help but feel I witnessed some special sign.

Rio-Style New Year's at Casa Cali

This year Rico and I decided to combine traditions and do a Rio-influenced Reveillon on the beach here at Casa Cali, joined by my mom and several neighbors. We wore white, or as close to white as possible given the constraints of a winter wardrobe, threw roses and agapanthus lilies into the ocean with shouted wishes for 2011, lit incense, and had a champagne toast at sunset. What a fantastic way to ring in the new year.

My wish? (Well one of them, at least.)

That we've started a tradition.

Happy 2011, everyone. May it be the best year yet.