06.09.2025 Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Union Station - Los Angeles

Taking a train across the country was on my husband's bucket list - so that's how we traveled to visit our daughter in California.  It was a fun adventure. I would recommend doing it at least once, especially along the Pacific Coast.

The trip took just over two days - we started in Austin on the Texas Eagle and went to Los Angeles. Union Station in LA is a magnificent building - a mix of Art Deco and Mission Revival - but I don't recommend arriving before dawn (4:30 am) only to hang out until the coffee shops open.  That was the biggest downside, and if we were to do it again, we'd schedule a little differently.

From LA we took the Coast Starlight up through California, which was beautiful - especially as the train ran alongside the historic Pacific Coast Highway. 

In the Dining Car

The "bedroom" in the sleeping car is very small, but the ride was comfortable, and I actually slept quite well. The highlight of the trip - beyond watching the country go by - was definitely the dining car!  When you book a sleeper, meals are included, and they are really good!  Eggs cooked to order for breakfast, burgers and salads for lunch, and wonderful dinners, including a very nice steak!

Our train got in late Monday evening, but we were up early and heading into San Francisco on Tuesday morning. Once we arrived, we more than made up for the two plus days of sitting and eating!

With my daughter and Peggy

We took BART in to UCSF, where our daughter is currently a postdoc.  We met her PI and some lab colleagues before she spent some time working, and we took off to explore Golden Gate Park.  We reconvened and - because my husband wanted to - took a Waymo to the Mission District where we had a delicious Cal-Mex lunch and finally (after years of buying jewelry and getting to know each other online) met my friend Peggy Li!

Meeting people in person just hits different - starting with hugs! We had a great time visiting, talking about making jewelry - I loved hearing about Peggy's experiences creating jewelry for movie and television costumes - and getting to meet her delightful corgi, Huckleberry!

From Peggy's studio we went to Fiat Lux, an incredible San Francisco fine jewelry store. 

The store itself is beautiful, and the selection of pieces - in house, vintage and from other artists - was amazing.  Of course, I bought some things! For myself, a pendant cast from a vintage heart locket, and a fun gold single earring for my daughter.

There is no way to describe everything we did over the course of our week in a blog post, so I'll just share a few of the highlights.

During the week we hit the museums - there are so many of them in San Francisco, we barely scratched the surface. 

Colorful minerals
at Cal Academy of Sciences

We visited the California Academy of Sciences, where we were just in time for the day's penguin feeding, and of course I made my way to the gems and minerals.

At the SFMoMA we saw a fabulous retrospective of Ruth Asawa's life and work, as well as some Alexander Calder sculptures (he's one of my favorites), and at the deYoung we saw a wonderful collection of Paul McCartney's photos from the Beatles first tour in the US, and enjoyed the fabulous views from the top of their tower.

Over the weekend, we saw Lucy Kaplansky at the Freight (formerly Freight & Salvage) and went to the Chase Center to see the Golden State Valkyries play the Minnesota Lynx - the home team didn't win, but we still had a lot of fun.

Sunday, June 1st was our last day - the first day of Pride in San Francisco - and there was no better way to celebrate than by watching roller skating drag queens at the Ferry Landing.  We took the ferry from Oakland, and spent the afternoon at the gorgeous Ferry Building shopping and eating.

Pride at the Ferry Landing

We've made several trips to California in the seven years since our daughter moved there - and at the end of each visit I look forward to going back again.  Not just because I love spending time with her, but there is so much to do and see - and we have been there, the weather is always beautiful (especially compared to the heat and hail in Austin while we were gone).

I also need to give a shout out to my podiatrist.  When we came home from a trip to DC in February, I was in pain...my feet, my legs, my hips all hurt.  I went in to see her in March, and she said my left foot had become completely flat (the long term effects of a car wreck more than 20 years ago) and I needed orthotics. 

My new insoles arrived a few weeks before we left - and they made such a difference.  We walked, and walked, and walked...and while I was tired, nothing hurt...even on the day we went more than 15K steps!

It was just the break we needed before starting what is going to be a very busy summer...which includes enameling class at ACC (yes, there will be a blog post).

You can see a daily photo log of the trip by scrolling back through my Instagram (more than here, but even there it's only a small sample of what I took), and follow along through the summer for enameling.

Until next time.

5.19.2025 I Want to Know, Where Does the Time Go?

Engraving Bench at ACC

I can't believe how quickly the spring semester (or a whole year since our daughter's PhD graduation) flew by. 

I've been taking classes at ACC for 18 months - engraving was my fourth class. I finished last week, and in just a couple more I'll be starting summer school.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating - I have always loved jewelry - and learning about the craft behind it enhances that feeling.

I have very early memories of watching my Mom choose her jewelry when she and my Dad were going out, or in the mornings when she was getting dressed for work.  

I started buying my own (silver, but real jewelry - not cheap, plated stuff) in my early teens with my babysitting money.  I've kept it, too.  My daughter has several of my silver rings, I still have some really old earrings, including silver and turquoise ones from the same shop as the rings, the small gold piercing studs from my first holes fifty years ago, and of course the things that belonged to my Mom*.

Now, about this past semester...I think engraving might be the most challenging class I've taken so far (I said that about stone setting, too) - but this was all new - including the tools.

I'd never held a graver until January of this year, and certainly didn't imagine that I'd be able to create engraved pieces by May...but I did!

Both of these pieces were done with a square graver on titanium, and then heated to create the patina (color).  My plan is to make then into pendants, eventually.

That said, I would never claim to be an engraver. I've taken one class and even becoming proficient takes years...skilled, that takes a lot longer.

In addition to teaching us about the tools - including how to sharpen the gravers - and techniques, our instructor, Chelsee Sandaker, introduced to one or two master engravers every week. It was interesting to me that some engravers are also fabricators (they make jewelry, too), others are not, and people engrave all sorts of things that are not jewelry!

I confess, that not only am I following a whole bunch of new folks, I've added A LOT of engraved jewelry to my wish list!  Like every class I take, engraving has enhanced my appreciation for what it means both to create and own jewelry.

Next month, I'm excited to be learning another new skill and making things in class again. I'll be back at ACC starting the first week of June, taking advanced enameling with my wonderful friend and teacher, De. 

*While looking for something else, I came across this enameled pendant that belonged to my Mom. It was one she wore a lot.  I'm sure she bought it at an art show or on vacation - I don't remember its origin - just that it was a favorite piece.  It has a pair of matching stud earrings, but I'm not a studs person, so I'm thinking about creating my own pair to go with it in class this summer.

Stay tuned for updates. Until next time.

04.21.2025 Rebel, Rebel

Circa 1980 - in Lands' End

I know many members of my community - hardworking, conscientious adults - who had what they would describe as a "misspent youth".  

I am not one of those people.

I was a nerdy, Jewish kid with parents who instilled deep, liberal values in me (and my brother).  I grew up in an upper class suburb of Washington, DC - had friends, and fun - but did well (really well) in school, didn't cut classes, break curfew or drink too much. 

I graduated from an affluent public high school and went to the University of Virginia when The Official Preppy Handbook was on the New York Times bestseller list.

Circa 2024 - in LLBean

I might have looked like a preppy (I'm using the past tense - however - I've worn the same basic wardrobe for 40+ years), but the truth is, I am anything but a WASP with deep roots and old money.

I am the descendant of immigrants - Eastern European Jewish refugees - and because they came to America three generations back, I am now a White Woman with privilege.  If you read my last few posts, you know I am very, very unhappy about the current administration and the ever disintegrating state of our democracy.

But how do I convey that when I'm walking down the street? 

With my conservative clothes, nice bag and jewelry - I look like I might have cast my ballot on the wrong side of history; that bothers me.

I'm never going to have a tattoo - no judgement, just not me - and I'm never going to be "cool" or "edgy"...

Photo credit: Vinylize

Side note: I have a very cool pair of sunglasses from a company called Vinylize - they make their frames out of old LPs - Oprah wears, them, QuestLove wears them, rock and roll musicians have them custom crafted from their own records.  I suggested to my kids that they made me cool, too.  Nope - the glasses are indeed, VERY COOL - but, sadly I am not.

I decided if I can't be cool, maybe I could do something a little out of my comfort zone - and let my jewelry do the talking. I got a second piercing in my ears.  

I wouldn't - or couldn't - have done it without the help of my friends.

When I decided I wanted to make a statement, so to speak, one of my best friends (and Sunday market buddy) said "me too" - and we made a plan to do it together.

Of course, I wanted diamonds - and because I am that problem child - I also wanted white gold (which often has nickel in it, making it less suitable for piercings).

A huge thank you to Zanny and Sirandyn at Eliza Page, who did the research and found the perfect earrings. 

Photo credit: Maria Tash

They sourced these beauties from Maria Tash, specifically because they have no nickel in them...and then Sirandyn did the piercing - painlessly!

To me, as I mark another year past 60, this feels like a not so small act of rebellion.

Maybe no one will notice, maybe they will (honestly, they are really sparkly diamonds, so they're kind of hard to miss). 

Hopefully, people will see an older woman trying to be on the right side of history; someone who is fighting with them, not against them and who believes personal identity and bodily autonomy are fundamental human rights.

Until next time.

03.13.2025 An Open Letter to the Board of Visitors at the University of Virginia

As a first year student at the University of Virginia, you are seated on the Lawn facing the Rotunda, marking your entrance into the community.

I entered the University of Virginia in the fall of 1981,

- only three decades after the beginnings of desegregation in higher education,
- just twenty-six years after Brown v. Board, and
- a mere eleven years after women were granted full admission as undergraduates.

More time has elapsed since my graduation in 1985 than between my matriculation and the end of UVa's status as a "gentleman's university".

Against this backdrop of history, I hope you can understand my dismay and frustration at your recent decision to eliminate the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University.

In the fall of my second year, 1982, I found my calling in education policy and public service in a course on State and Local government.  It was in that class that I began to understand that government in general, and high quality public education in particular, can be a force for good and is an essential building block of a strong, democratic society.

In 1805 Mr. Jefferson wrote to to Littleton Waller Tazewell that he was

"Convinced that the people are the only safe depositories of their own liberty, and that they are not safe unless enlightened to a certain degree, I have looked on our present state of liberty as a short-lived possession unless the mass of the people could be informed to a certain degree."

I completed a Bachelor of Arts in American Government, including a senior thesis on Thurgood Marshall's dissent in the San Antonio v Rodriguez (1973) case.  I then came to Texas, where I earned a Master of Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School at UT Austin. I have spent my entire adult life working on and teaching about the benefits of access to high quality public education for all students. 

It had been quite some time since I had visited UVa, when I returned two years ago and saw the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. I spent an afternoon at the Memorial, reading each of the stones, and appreciating that without those who built the University I would not have had the opportunities I enjoyed while I was a student.  Acknowledging and owning this dark part of UVa's history gives us all an opportunity to learn and grow, and standing at the edge of Grounds, I'm not sure I've ever been more proud of my alma mater (including when we won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship).

The University needs to reflect, celebrate and serve all Virginians. As a community and as a nation, we are better and stronger when we acknowledge our history and use it to inform our progress.  Your decision to eliminate the Office of DEI hurts the University, its faculty, staff, students, and alumni and devalues us all.

In the 40 years since I left Charlottesville, I have been a financial supporter of The University.  I could not have successfully completed my degree without the support of the staff at (then) Alderman Library, and have happily contributed to the Library Fund. I was unaware of the total of my contributions (I simply made them every year) until I learned that my name is on the donor wall at the newly renovated Shannon library.

I love UVa, and have always been a proud supporter.  However, I will be withholding all future donations until the Board of Visitors acknowledges that diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to the mission of the University.

Respectfully,

Debra Haas
CLAS 1985

At graduation, you are seated on the Lawn facing Cabell Hall (away from the Rotunda) marking your departure from the University and your entrance into the larger world. 

02.04.2025 Let Justice Reign

Martin Luther King, Jr. said that America cannot and will not survive...

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Photo credit: Getty Images

Here we are, in February - which is Black History Month - and despite not being a person of color (if you know me, I'm as pale as they come), I believe in celebrating the rich diversity of America, and the myriad of contributions made by Black Americans.  

The celebration was originally established almost 100 years ago as "Negro History Week". Fifty years later, in 1976, President Gerald Ford issued a presidential message establishing February as Black History Month, which has been celebrated by every administration since (until this year, when is being grudgingly acknowledged).

Because this is also ostensibly a jewelry blog - and especially when I started, my goal was to learn and write about the significance of jewelry - this month I want to highlight the amazing cowrie shells worn by Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on January 20th.

Photo credit: Getty Images

My first reaction to the photos of Justice Jackson's collar of shells and matching earrings was that it must be a nod to Justice Ginsburg's dissent collar, which she notably wore on the day after the 2016 election. 

Photo credit: NMAAHC

But I began seeing comments on social media about the meaning of cowrie shells in African and African American history.

According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, cowrie shells were valued as currency and for protection in Africa as early as the 14th century.

Robyn Mowatt, writing for Essence, says:

"The saying goes a picture is worth 1,000 words. To the inaugural festivities of President Donald Trump, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was spotted wearing a striking collar with matching earrings...it alludes to the long-established value of cowrie shells in tandem [as a talisman against enslavement] with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s unique position of power." 

Ms. Mowatt also notes that the Justice is the descendant of slaves.

There are numerous Supreme Court Justices among my heroes - Felix Frankfurter, Louis Brandeis, Thurgood Marshall, RBG - if you've spent any time around me (or were, perhaps one of my graduate students) you have heard me talk about all of them.  I'm adding a new name to my list - for her courage, dignity, and commitment to justice for all - Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Photo credit: Amazon

Additionally, if you've been reading the blog for any length of time, you know I have written about the use of jewelry in sartorial commentary by women in power before, including

Madeline Albright - who wrote an entire books about her pins.   

On the inside flap of the book jacket she writes: 

"Before long and without intending it, I found that jewelry had become part of my personal diplomatic arsenal.  Former President George H.W. Bush had been know for saying 'Read my lips'. I began urging colleagues to 'Read my pins.'"

The Vice President, 
wearing Irene Neuwirth

...and Vice President Kamala Harris (we coulda had her in the White House; it's only been two weeks, think about how much better things would be) - for whom pearls are a statement about being a Black woman, an HBCU graduate, and a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sisterhood.

Since antiquity, jewelry has been created and worn to send a message. 

Especially in these dark and distressing times I understand and appreciate wearing a talisman; I find myself reaching for my pieces of Judaica both to make a statement that I am still here, and for protection against the dangers that come from speaking out.

Until next time.

01.23.2025 Do Not Let them Steal Your Joy

This is precisely the time when artists go to work.
There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear.
We speak, we write, we do language.
That is how civilizations heal.
I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, 
it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence.

-- Toni Morrison

Engraving bench at ACC

Three days into this new, hate filled administration in the White House, I went back to the jewelry department at ACC to start my metal engraving class. I left that first session feeling better than I have in weeks.  No amount of medication can match the surge of serotonin that comes from seeing my people and sitting at the bench.

When I got home, sitting at my kitchen table eating lunch, I remembered Toni Morrison's quote (above) about the importance of art...so I looked it up, again.

Our world is certainly bruised and bleeding. The people at the helm of our federal government are evil and full of darkness; but Ms. Morrison implores us to go to work, to create, to bring joy and light into our lives and into the world.

Being part of a creative community - engaging with fellow metalsmiths - is like plugging into a big battery. The world at large was no better at noon, when I came out of that first class, than it was when I first went in; but I was better. It was in that moment I realized how important it will be for each of us to have the things, even small things, that bring us light and hope as we find our way through what will be a very difficult and troubled time.

These oligarchs, these white men with more money than they can ever hope to spend, who can buy anything have no joy...and they want to steal ours.  

We will not let them.

Photo credit: Viasomatic

Part of the work, to protect and take care of those around us, is to take care of ourselves.  

I certainly don't have answers, but I do have suggestions.

Find a creative outlet - I love my classes, but I know not everyone has the same interests - or resources. Still, you can find something that speaks to you and that provides you with an escape from avalanche of headlines.

Put down the phone. Step away from the computer. Take a walk outside, try a new recipe, get a sketch pad or a coloring book...as long as you are doing it for yourself, and it brings a smile to your face.

My grandmother's engraved signet ring

Engage with your community - I hope you have folks who support and energize you in your local orbit, but not everyone does. As I said in a previous post, I'm not ready to give up on social media because it represents real and meaningful connections to people despite the virtual space. 

Try not become overwhelmed - my grandmother liked to say "no one eats an apple in one bite". Do what you can do, for yourself and for others, and know that it is enough.

The writer and activist, Rebecca Solnit, posted this recently...

You don't need to be the whole wall against fascism yourself;
you can just be a brick and if you can't be a brick,
you can be a dab of mortar
because there are millions of people ready to be bricks if they believe bricks are enough
or mortar if they get that just being mortar holds it all together.

Hold on to your joy, do not let them steal it, and know that we will get through this together.

Until next time.

 

01.20.2025 A Decade in the Making

MLK Jr Memorial - Washington, DC

Happy New Year!   

I had hoped to be out and involved in some kind of service project on this MLK Day, but it's just too cold (yes, I am a total wimp about the cold, but I live in Texas and I didn't sign up for this). I'm not about to turn on the television or look at my phone - so I'm putting up a blog post instead.

In smaller, but notable news...this marks my tenth year as a blogger! When I started this blog in January 2015, I planned to write about jewelry - and I have - but in the years since a lot has happened, and I've written about (and will continue to) other things, too.

Refreshing your memory - in January 2015, 

- Barack Obama was in his second term as President of the United States,
- the price of a dozen eggs was roughly $2.50,
- price of silver was less than $14 per troy ounce, and gold was roughly $1,100 per troy ounce,
- our daughter was a college freshman, my husband and I were in our 50s, I still had a consulting firm,
- Instagram was limited to photos and 15 second videos (there were no stories),
- most of us had never heard of a corona virus or an mRNA vaccine.

Today, things are a little different...

World's Proudest Parents and the Dr.

- a man (whose name I will not use), convicted on 34 felony counts, is returning to the White House.  I think he decided to move things inside NOT because of the cold, but because he was worried about a small crowd. I wish this was all a bad dream, but it is a stark, sad reality - and I am worried about our democracy.
- the price of eggs is almost $6 per dozen,
- the price of silver is almost $32 per troy ounce, gold is over $2,700 per troy ounce (this is why jewelry is so much more expensive),
- our daughter has a PhD in biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, and is a research scientist at UC San Francisco studying viruses.  We are older, Dad is still working, I'm retired,

- Twitter is now X, Facebook and Instagram are both owned by Meta (I've got some things to say about that, scroll down),

- Covid changed all of our lives, and now we're watching and waiting on H5N1 bird flu.

My original MOO card

This is my 257th blog post - that's a lot of words - and I'm continually surprised at how many of you read them.  I will probably keep writing these things, not because I expect them to be read, but because they are a way to exercise, and often, clear my mind.

Much like taking metalsmithing classes to make - and then sell - jewelry, the blog started as a means to an end; to put myself out in the world in a new way.  Then Covid came along and shut that down. 

Post pandemic, jewelry classes and the blog have become ends in themselves.  I'm learning new things, but not making that many new pieces.  I'm thinking, writing and connecting, but in a very different way.

Which brings me to social media which is - legitimately - taking a beating right now.  Social media and the ability to connect online was a godsend during the pandemic.  It was a way to engage with like minded people when in person contact simply wasn't an option. One of the best parts about coming through the other side of that experience has been the opportunity to connect in real life with people I got to know through their presence on Instagram.

Instagram's parent company, Meta, has made some announcements since the election that are indeed, troubling.  But, it's important to remember that Meta (and its predecessor companies) have never been there FOR US - although that's what they want us to believe.  Without users, there is no Metaverse...they are a parasite that cannot live without a host...but the relationship still has some potential benefits to us.

I understand why some people are considering leaving, or at least reducing their use of social media (I left Twitter because it lost all value for me, and I've never had a TikTok account), but do we really want to abandon it altogether?

I saw a post (on social media - I wish I'd saved it so I could give credit) that asked what if the powers behind Facebook and Meta are trying to drive open minded people OFF the platform? What if they are actively trying to destroy the communities we have created because they are afraid of our power.

I put up a series of Instagram stories (you can find them all in my highlights) asking these questions - and a fair number of people responded saying they were thinking the same thing.  

Even before the election, I tried to be thoughtful.  I did my own fact checking (everyone should have Snopes bookmarked).  I blocked suspicious accounts and scrolled past ads without clicking. Post-election I've used the block option even more, and unfollowed people whose values are not in line with my own, even when I had previously enjoyed their content.

As I said in my stories, social media is a tool - and like any tool - can be used for good or for harm.  Our voices matter, our ability to share information and build community matters.  There are other platforms, and I follow content creators in multiple places - but some, like Substack (which has its own problems) aren't always free to access. 

Instagram isn't free - we see ads, the app harvests our information - but it is accessible without a financial commitment that not everyone can afford.  For me, for now, the good - promoting small and women owned businesses, sharing useful (and properly vetted) information as well as discrediting misinformation, and learning from others - makes it worth staying.

Food for thought - and I welcome your response.  Leave a comment here, or on Instagram.

Until next time.