Chico-licious! (or Chico & the Man)

From Alameda we went to Chico where Liss had a retrospective at 1078 Gallery.  (Here's an article written about her for the show.) This is what I have to say about Chico - it was great.  Really.  The people at the gallery were great, (Carla Resnick, holder of 4 positions at the gallery, and I bonded over beer and compost - check out her blog at www.permacal.blogspot.com), we were invited to brunch by members of the local lesbian community, and it's the home of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.  Do I sound like I'm easy to please?  It just sounds that way - don't be fooled.
   Before her screening, Liss and I had time to kill, and we sat in the park where Liss asked me whether I could rock a small town.  This is one of the tensions I often go back to - the proverbial city mouse/country mouse thing.  As someone who has moved a lot, I like to think I could find my way in almost any locale, and I often fantasize about living in the country.  However, there are often things outside one's control - oh, like homophobia.  Nevertheless, some thought I wouldn't be happy outside of New York (okay, I was one of those people), but I'm finding my place in Hamilton.  I'm not saying I want to move to Chico, but there are some things that appeal to me in a smaller locale (we'll get more on this in my post about Trinidad, California).
    The other thing that became apparent in Chico is my inability or reluctance to speak about my own work.  I functioned more as Liss' partner (or arm candy, as I like to imagine) than as a writer and artist in my own right.  This is partly my fault because if you don't ask me, I won't tell you.  I need to work on this.
   We only have one photo from our trip, and it's from the 24-hour restaurant next to our hotel in Oroville (no room in Chico because the Wildflower Ride was that weekend).  This sign is awesome.  It was totally hand-done.  You just don't see that kind of work anymore.  Check out the juicy drumstick!

   Liss and I are going to put in a proposal (as Shake-n-Make) for 1078 Gallery.  Hopefully that'll mean we'll be back in Chico sometime in the near future.

Bay Area Visit

Coming to see Ian in the Bay Area was the primary reason for this road trip. Everything up to now has been a bonus of travel.

The last couple of days have been really nice.  I can lounge around our friends' house in my pajamas until we embark on our plans for the day, and the plans may not be that elaborate.  On our first day, we tooled around Alameda, where we're staying.  Being on the water and near Oakland, a major shipping port, you get to experience the beauty of industry.

We went to the decommissioned naval base that now houses a couple of wineries, a vodka distillery, movie studios, and so forth.  For me, the base really resonates because although my father was in the Army, there's an immediate sense of familiarity and even "home" in these spaces.  I didn't take a lot of photos of the buildings (I loved the ghost town feel of it) but did manage to snap this one.

One of the reasons we went is because Don, one of our hosts, wanted to check out some wood flooring at the woodworking collective also housed on the base.  As you'll see, one of the things I'm also responding to is old signs as well as text.  Like this return to Kalamazoo (one of the woodworking machines) -

In this one, I like not only the obvious vintage aspect of it, but the fact that they use an adverb correctly.  Go grammar!

Yesterday we spent the day with Ian.  You know how when you visit family, there's often that sense of "Okay, what are we going to do today?," which some might translate to "Do we actually have to interact?"? (Note: while I think the punctuation in the previous sentence is correct, it looks a little weird.)  Well, we like just hanging out with the boy, and I decided one of the best things I could do as a mom was to make sure he had the food that reminds him of us.  So we actually just hung out at Ian's place, made meals to freeze (lasagne, tuna noodle casserole (Liss' speciality), and vegan chili (to include Ian's roommate), and played video games.  Yes, sometimes we like to chill out like we're 23.

   Shopping for groceries at the Berkeley Bowl threw me into a desperate fit of jealousy.  Look at these vegetables!

I mean, c'mon - this is standard fare for California.  Even looking at this photo I'm getting jealous.

Ian lives in Oakland and not too far from his apartment I found these great signs.

Quite honestly, I'd be happy to retire right now.  Why not hang out with the people you love and enjoy each day on its own merits?