May 24, 2013
“Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit.” ~ Frank Borman
My travelogue of Newport, Rhode Island continues today. I had the opportunity to tour the Marble House, one of the mansions. High up on the Cliff Walk, overlooking Rhode Island sound and the Atlantic Ocean, it was home to the Vanderbilts who made their fortune as venture capitalists in the NY Central Railroad and steamships. Their investments and other wealthy families foresight in our country’s future, brought more prosperity through expanding commerce.
The opulent stone palace, now a National Historic Landmark, was designed by Richard Morris Hunt and was constructed during the years 1888-1892. Once complete, it was a 39th birthday present to William K Vanderbilt’s wife, Alva. How do you wrap a present like that? In gold, of course, inside, rather than out. She loved to entertain and saw the Marble House as “her temple to the Arts in America.”
Husband and wife, had separate private reading rooms filled with books, on opposite sides of the mid-level landing of the enormous, two story marble stair case. It is where they went to get away, relax from all their social entertaining. They also built a Chinese teahouse on the property with a magnificent view where guests could go for peace and solitude away from the hustle and bustle of the Marble House activities.
Alva and William K Vanderbilt had three children. Their son, William K, Jr. was a pioneer in auto racing. Their son, Harold pursued his passion of yachting and sailed in the America’s Cup three times. Their daughter Consuelo became the 9th Duchess of Marlborough.
Photos are not allowed to be taken inside the mansion. To read more about the Marble House and to see a photo of the gold room in the Marble House, please visit this link. http://www.newportmansions.org/explore/marble-house.
It was a fulfilling weekend in New England, exploring art, history and architecture.
Return on Monday to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
Another “summer cottage” along Belleview Road
Above: Marble House, the Vanderbilt’s Summer Cottage by the Sea.
Chinese Teahouse on the property of Marble House
The Backside of Marble House – facing the sea
Above: Me with the Babcocks, my niece Kara & Her husband Joe – two architects!
Above: Gates of Salve Regina Univ in Newport, RI – it was graduation day!
Above & Below Images: Stopped by the International Tennis Hall of Fame – it was neat!
Newport Harbor
Goodbye, Newport! Can’t believe we saw all these sites in Newport in one day. Well worth the stop!
Signed, Grateful, that I returned to this area once again. Loved every minute!
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
May 22, 2013
All that I know of tomorrow is that Providence will rise before the sun ~ Jean Baptiste Lacordaire
It’s a city rising, moved by philanthropists, architects, artists, bankers, shopkeepers and others who have engaged in The Providence Portrait Project http://providenceportraitproject.com/ to revitalize Providence, R.I. a city full of history, art, architecture. I enjoyed a day in this city last week when I went to visit my niece who is an architect at Union Studio Architects, and is currently involved in the design of a new library in Tiverton, Rhode Island. http://www.unionstudioarch.com/ .
I encountered so many wonderful sites in Providence that had to do with architecture, history, libraries, books, art, design and education that I will share what I saw through images, rather than words. Enjoy the pictures!
My next stop will be in a city of mansions where wealthy bankers, investors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs lived in the early days of our country. Many of them invested in the railroad which allowed for westward expansion of commerce and thus, more prosperity for citizens of our country. Many of the castle-like mansions have become museums, open to the public for touring.
Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow.
Above two images – my niece Kara explaining about the Providence Portrait Project http://bit.ly/14tLl1w.
The roof top garden above Union Studio Architects
Image above: Symposium Books, Providence, RI www.symposiumbooks.com
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
Image above & below: Athenaeum Library http://www.providenceathenaeum.org/
Twin Sisters (yeah, I know, it’s hard to believe) together at the List Art Center
Walter Feldman Book Arts Studio http://brown.edu/academics/visual-art/facilities
At the Gates of Brown University, Providence, RI http://www.brown.edu/
Image above: John Hay Library http://library.brown.edu/about/hay/
Three Images Below: Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
http://bit.ly/YXjcPb
Above: Catherine Bryan Dill Center for the Performing Arts http://bit.ly/16MpQN5
Above Image: The Edna Lawrence Nature Lab in Providence, RI http://naturelab.risd.edu/
Photo above & below: Strolling the streets of Providence looking at church architecture and steeples.
A beauty, isn’t it?
Image below: Grace Episcopal Church, Providence, RI
I found providence, grace and many more fulfilling things in Rhode Island! Thank you Kara, for being a tour guide and showing the sites.
Please return to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com tomorrow.
This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com, a company specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers.
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
May 2, 2013
Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it. ~ Unknown
As a representative of We Write Steamboat and a volunteer for World Book Night, I stopped by the Colorado State University Extension of Routt County http://bit.ly/16qQLxr to give out The Language of Flowers to volunteers in the agriculture department.
I took time to explain to the recipients that the mission of the World Book Night is to spread a love of literacy and I also gave them a brief history of the organization.
We purposely waited until May Day to give out a portion of the books from World Book Night to this group because a gathering of CSU Extension volunteers had just completed their Master Gardeners program, and were holding a breakfast burrito fundraiser.
When given the book, gratefulness was the overriding sentiment for a publication that so well-suited the volunteers interests. A few people I gave books to worked in another part of the office building, but were there to support the fundraiser and get breakfast. One person walked out with me as I left, and said “I have to get back to work, but I can’t wait to peak between the covers!” I had explained to her that there was a glossary at the back of the book that lists flowers and the emotions that are associated with each. During the Victorian period, giving flowers communicated feelings in relationships, the art of choosing an “appropriate flower” was very important.
My hope, as a World Book Volunteer, is that The Language of Flowers will help the volunteers of CSU Agriculture Department learn a fascinating new aspect about plants they had known little about before.
Happy Reading CSU Volunteers! I hope the snow we received on May Day disappears quickly so you can get out in the gardens and enjoy planting your passion!
Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
April 4, 2013
“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
~ Dr. Seuss Oh the Places You’’ll Go
This week I’ve hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s a place I never thought I’d visit. I hiked it with author Cheryl Strayed and saw bears, rattlesnakes, a Texas longhorn bull and more. At times throughout the journey I felt desperation set in, unimaginable fright, gratitude, inspiration, relief and grief. Strayed’s thoughts of accomplishing what she set out to do, were familiar.
No, Strayed was not alone in her story, good authors always find the company of readers who appreciate what their characters have gone through and can often relate. I decided to travel along with Strayed by reading her book, so that when she shows up in Steamboat, at the Bud Werner Memorial Library http://bit.ly/16nUuYj on April 11th, I’ll able to envision exactly what the Pacific Crest Trail looked like.
Wild is exactly the kind of book that reminds us why even when things are scary and uncertain, it is best to push through it, and accomplish the goal. Then we can look back and find the lessons within, and how challenges help us to rebuild our life.
Seuss’ words of advice are well-meaning. We need to do better job of teaching children there are so many fulfilling places to see and things to do in this world, and not to let obstacles stop them. Books teach children and adults that we never travel alone, there’s always a path thats been traveled and beaten before us.
“And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
You’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.”
~ Dr. Seuss Oh the Places You’ll Go
Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
March 29, 2013
Easter tells us that life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of things, but in terms of ideals.~ Charles M Crowe
It’s Friday, the beginning of Easter weekend. Today on All Things Fulfilling rather than communicate through text, I have posted a visual extravaganza of all things Easter, as seen through the eyes of a child. I have tried to capture images of my favorite things that represent the coming of spring, and my childhood memories. Dressing in our Easter finest, and going to church, was part of what made the day so special. Sadly, for many families this is a tradition that has gone by the wayside. http://bit.ly/YHBXpF.
Have a wonderful weekend, and return on Monday to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com .
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
March 27, 2013
Weave in faith and God will find the thread. ~Author Unknown
I was without my computer for awhile yesterday; it was in the “shop.” I took advantage of the freedom away from digital technology. Since so much of what I do is on-line based, a close relationship with all things paper has nearly been trashed. I often read the news and magazines, and sometimes books, via the computer these days, subscribing to fewer print publications.
Yesterday, for a few blissful hours, I sat in the Bud Memorial Library and read the April 2013 edition of Southwest Magazine from cover to cover. How I enjoyed myself!
The first great article I encountered was about artist Michelle Dunaway. It was superbly written by Gussie Fauntleroy. Dunaway, an artist who lives and studied at the MastersAcademy in Albuquerque, NM mentioned the importance of finding the joy in unexpected things by getting off the beaten path. She told of her childhood hikes with her father, and whenever there was a choice to make about what direction to travel, he taught her to take the path least followed which, more times than not, led to discovering things she didn’t anticipate.
As a painter, each time Dunaway faces a blank canvas it presents her with opportunities to make choices of color, lines, shape and other design elements that make a good painting. She has been taught to make right choices in art through workshops with the most influential and impressive painters of our time, such as Richard Schmid http://www.richardschmid.com and Jeremy Lipking http://www.lipking.com. And by studying the book Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting.
Dunaway says she “has always had an interest in capturing human expressions in paintings.” Her image “Faithfulness,” shown in the 2013 issue of Southwest Art, is an exquisite example of her portrait painting talents. It can also been seen on Dunaway’s website. http://www.dunawayfineart.com.
Next time I am in Santa Fe, NM, I look forward to visiting Sage Creek Gallery where Dunaway’s work is represented. Legacy Gallery, M Gallery of Fine Art and Insight Gallery also exhibits and sells her work.
Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
March 25, 2013
“In life’s winter, find your invincible summer.” ~ Unknown
I awoke to the cacophony of birdsong this morning, heard it through the open window. One deep inhalation of the chilly air brought scents of freshly mown grass mixed with the crisp, clean fragrance of blooming lavender wafting up my nostrils. As I lay there, trying to become alert after a long, restorative sleep I heard the thwack…thwack of the tennis ball landing on the hard courts across the street, and the players called out “Love Thirty.” “Thank goodness summer has finally arrived.” I thought.
I turned over, slowly opening my eyes to a bright reflection streaming in the window and saw my husband standing by the bed. “Did you hear me?” He asked.
“What?”
“You’ve gotta love it,” he said smiling. “Its warm, thirty this morning. I am headed out, for another day of skiing on the mountain in Steamboat, Colorado.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “It’s summer. A minute ago I heard the “thwack” of the tennis balls on the court across the way.”
“Nice try. Go back to sleep, silly. That was the guys up on the roof chopping and clearing away the ice jams.” My husband replied, looking amused.
“What about the green grass and lavender I smell in the air this morning?” I asked, inhaling deeply again.
“You were just dreaming. Thats the lingering scent of the new bubble bath you used last night before bedtime.”
I jumped up and looked out the window, confused. It was unlike my husband to rise before me in the morning. The snow was softly falling, inch by inch, just like the other 321 inches that came before it this winter.
“Its got to end sometime.” I said, referring to the heaped up snowpiles. “Easter is only a week away. I’m going back to the place in my dreams where I know I can find fulfilling scenes of summer.” I hopped back in bed and pulled the covers over my head.
“Sweet dreams! Shall I put the fan on incase you need it?”
Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
March 18, 2013
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ~ Marcel Proust
Friday’s blog on All Things Fulfilling was a tribute to friendship and the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
I’ve had have further thoughts about the value of friends since that blog writing. Coming together in friendship is the result of finding community with like-minded people – individuals who have joint interests, passions and beliefs in life. In recent years I’ve made friends in service, through Kiwanis, and by volunteering once a week at an interfaith, community-run thrift store called “Lift-Up.” Being involved with arts organizations such as We Write Steamboat(a meet-up group for independent publishers), the Steamboat Writers Group , the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and Strings Music Festival has brought me pleasure. Community involvement, with the Yampa Valley University Women has also been part of my life here in Routt County, Colorado.
It’s interesting, in a time when the news is reporting church membership is declining, there seems to be very active participation in churches, in this town. Perhaps the remote location and natural beauty of the region make spiritual exploration important to folks. Yesterday, Reverend Tim at the UnitedMethodistChurch in Steamboat, elevated our spirits through his lenten season storytelling. Our new Director of Youth Ministry and independent musician, Taylor Anderson charmed us with his musical skills playing the modern remix of ”Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on his ukulele. Very uplifting for a day of Irish celebration. A song appropriate for so many who are grateful they can be here to retire, run location-neutral businesses or for recreational reasons.
After the service, our appetites were fulfilled with tasty goodies baked by women with whom I volunteer at the thrift store donation center. Thank you, Jeanette, Shirley and Louise and to all the other generous people who bring in provisions for fellowship moments after the service each week. The special St. Patty’s Day confections were decorated artistically. The women poured heart and soul into their efforts, it was evident. It is a pleasure to volunteer with these women at the donation center for the thrift store.
Jeanette, Louise, Shirley and Sue (top image). We are only a few the 100+ volunteers that make Lift-Up so successful in this community.
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
March 6, 2013
“Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.” – Victor Hugo
My reserves of inspiration are nearly empty. It happens this time of year. By March, I feel completely hemmed in and surrounded by white. The paper, The Steamboat Pilot, states “we have received over 272 inches of snow this season.” Winter is not over yet, the vernal equinox hasn’t even arrived. All I have to do is look out the window and see the snow banks. There they are, piled high, shouting out “we promise, we are doing all we can to delete your memories of a world with color.”
To add insult to injury, my mother e-mailed me this morning to say that she and my sister are going to the Philadelphia Flower Show on Thursday. “Great,” I think. “Wish I could join you, every color in the spectrum will be represented. Perhaps, next year?” But, here I sit, trying to fill in this blank paper with color. The field of ideas is looking as vacant as the landscape.
I can’t fight Mother Nature. She will go about her way, with her independent spirit and bring us spring whenever she feels good and ready. So, rather than stay stuck on this blog writing that is shallow in creativity, as soon as the thermometer rises above 10 degrees, I’m going for my daily walk. I’ll enjoy the sapphire blue sky that has brought exquisite color to these mountainous, barren lands that are devoid of the sight of morning glories, the scent of the New Dawn roses and birdsong heralding in warmer weather.
I’ll walk and remember the tastes of tender, garden-fresh asparagus, fiddle head ferns. I’ll chant “the days are getting longer and the sun is getting stronger” and stay focused on knowing “that God always fulfills his promise; spring never fails us.”
Today as I amble, I’ll check to see if spring is around the corner. I’m hopeful it’s hiding under a stone by the YampaRiver, just waiting to surprise me.
Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
February 14, 2013
“Music is what feelings sound like.” ~ Bo Bennett
I have found a new independent recording artist that I love. He has just released his first “ep” (extended play CD), Big Medicine. His voice and his lyrics are beautifully matched.
A little about the artist. Taylor Batton is a self-taught musician who writes his own tunes, plays the guitar and harmonica. He is a senior at MaineMaritimeAcademy in Castine, Maine. http://www.mainemaritime.edu/ Because he is a sailor, one might think he belts out rollicking seafaring tunes (perhaps with salty language) – far from it. His music is tender; musical narratives that seem to come from a deep spot in his soul. The timbre of his voice makes for easy listening. You’ll see what I mean when you hear my personal favorite songs on Taylor’s Big Medicine EP -The King and Queen,and Lies and Darkness, songs two and three. http://bit.ly/Uj5wx5.
Taylor has traveled many nautical miles over his short lifetime on wide open seas, experiencing the worst weather conditions imaginable as well as glorious days of ocean travel. The art of steering tugboats and other vessels, laden with heavy loads, safely to shore he has learned as a maritime student. He also understands how to crew on a team, all working together, to bring success.
When asked what sailing does for his songwriting, this is what Taylor had to say “You get a really strong sense of loneliness. At the same time, you feel a really strong and strange power. All of that kind of ties into how I go about writing the music. I just try and capture that feeling. ” 
I look forward to hearing more independently produced music from this artist. Taylor Batton, may you always weather the storms of life through your ability to communicate with music. Keep on riding the high and low tides with your face directed to the light. Happy Valentines Day.
Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
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Posted by sueleonardCFS
