Category Archives: living positive lives

Along the Pathway of American History

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“Art is anything people do with distinction.” ~ Louis Dudek  

Today we continue my stroll through Frederick, Maryland. This small city has been a cornerstone along the pathway of American history since it was founded by English and German settlers in 1745. It was home to the State’s first elected Governor and to Francis Scott Key, author of the national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner. Many civil servants and other notables who shaped our country’s beginnings have traveled through and stopped in this town, located on the Mason-Dixon Line. 

As I continued further along the redbrick walkway lining Carroll Creek, I came upon the FauxSchool. http://bit.ly/q3BVUN.  Fulfilling evidence of the teachings of this school of trompe l’oiel painting were present on wall murals located throughout the city  bringing artistry to public places. 

 A short distance from the Faux School I entered the C. Burr Artz Library. http://bit.ly/pbsq6z.  Posters, flyers and literature were displayed pertaining to the One Maryland One Book Author Tour, which was underway. This year’s book for the statewide reading program for Marylanders is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This library is obviously a great resource to the community based on the activity that I saw inside it’s doors. 

I became fully aware of how deeply steeped in American history this town is as I walked by the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. www.civilwarmed.org.  The medical artifacts that pioneered the way for modern medicine are on display. Compassion, courage and devotion of medical personnel during wartimes are honored throughout this museum. It is a tribute to those who heroically cared for and healed soldiers that were at the forefront of the destruction and death of the infamous battles of the Civil War period. 

There is much more to share about this town of Frederick, Maryland. http://bit.ly/DWXsf. It is a destination that encompasses art and culture, history and religion.Frederick has been indentified as one ofAmerica’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations. I can understand why. 

Return next time to All Things Fulfilling, as I share a self-fulfilling attitude that I have noticed in the West, but had absorbed much less of on the East Coast region until I visited Frederick, Maryland.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService,com.

Artfully Restoring America

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“The only thing that can save the world is the reclaiming of the awareness of the world.” ~ Allen Ginsberg

Several days ago, I returned to a town that I had not visited in almost twenty years. I was blown away by the change that has taken place in what used to be a run-down town filled with uncared for historic Federal Style buildings in the heart of the Civil War heritage Area.Frederick, amid the rolling hills and abundant farmland of Frederick County, Maryland has become a charming and vibrant community that has been designated as one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations and as a Preserve America Community http://bit.ly/pwZygfy. It was named a 2010 Top Arts Destinations by American Style Magazine http://bit.ly/aj5eGd in the Small Cities category. 

At the center of it all, are now vibrant shops, charming restaurants, and Federal style buildings that have been salvaged, restored, and renewed. Great testimony for the argument that rather than building new, America should be reclaiming spaces and places to bring life back into existing towns and cities. 

I took a walking tour of the city, strolling along the beautifully restored area of town along side the Carroll Creek, an estuary of the MonocacyRiver. I came across the  Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center www.delaplaine.org and looked in on three exhibits that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

It is fair time in Frederick!  In the upper hall way of the brick cannery building reclaimed as Art Space, was an exhibit of black and white photos that brought back nostalgic memories of State Fairs. A second exhibit, a National Juried Quilt Exhibit was one the best selections of Art Quilts that I have seen. Few quilts were of the ilk that you see on Grandmother’s beds and it was interesting to see how the names of the quilts were carried out in the artistic creation of the quilts. 

The third exhibit – Painting with Thread by Joanne Bast http://bit.ly/qfKBx6  were canvases that had been so densely stitched with thread that they created fiber paintings of iconic Chesapeake Bay scenes, charming homes or gardens, and in street scenes of other places. One of my favorites appeared to be  perhaps a village in Italy. 

The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center was just the start of my afternoon tour of Frederick. Major support for this vibrant, restored Art Space is provided by the Delaplaine Foundation, the Ausherman Family Foundation, www.fredericktourism.org and the Maryland State Arts Council. 

Join me next time for more of my travels through Frederick. In a new millennium, this town is finding success in artistically fulfilling their vision, of a vibrant community through heart and spirit.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Outlook from the Look-Out

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“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ~ Andre Gide

Being an active, productive blogger means always being on the beat. Like any writer, new experiences and change of scenery helps bring new perspective to my work and to my readers. 

Over the next few weeks, I will be meeting many new faces and visiting new places as a way of sharing my universe of independent publishing with others. I consider myself an ambassador for the independent publishing industry and I will continue fulfilling my duties, as such, by spreading the word about this exciting industry in my sojourns. 

My blog postings will be less frequent for a few weeks. I invite our readers to return time and time again to All Things Fulfilling. This site has 700 blog writings in 389 categories. On the far right side of this page, the blog postings are searchable by category. Choose from the drop down menu, and enter my universe of independent thoughts, words and views from Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC.

There is also a new on-line portal into the independent publishing industry, made available by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Enter On The Fast Track: The Independent Publishing Industry, by visiting this link: http://bit.ly/oIkV2g. 

Over the past two years I have shed, for our readers, some valuable light on the dynamic and growing industry of independent publishing which now, represents more than 50% of all publishing revenue. That’s progress, innovation and creativity from many, many individuals hard at work! And it is a beacon of hope for those who have always wanted to tell their story, but felt until now, their voice would never be heard.

That’s the outlook from my universe of www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Artist Preserves Cowboy Film History

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“A maverick hero during the wild west was… tough, independent, fearless. Characters of honor and principle.” ~ Unknown 

In 1980, artist Kerry Powell http://bit.ly/rkDr1X  helped to spearhead efforts to preserve the Western cinematic history of Lone Pine,California by organizing the Lone Pine Film Festival. The Alabama Hills and the Inyo Mountains, located only 170 miles from Hollywood, provided the scenic backdrops to some 400 western movies produced between the years 1920 to the 1970s. Some of the notables were: 

    • The Round Up (1920)
    • Gunga Din (1939)
    • High Sierra (1941)
    • Along the Great Divide (1951)
    • Thunder in the Sun (1959)
    • How the West Was Won (1962)
    • Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) 

    For many, “Westerns” congered up romantic notions of life on the American western front and independent living at its best. Artist Kerry Powell’s painted murals around the town of Lone Pine, California reflect the era of Western filmmaking. Her desire to protect this era in cinematography came from her fulfilling memories of the production crews arriving in town, movie sets being built and of the legendary actors, most of whom are now deceased, who stayed at her family’s motel. Big name Hollywood actors such as Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, Gene Autry, John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Johnny Weismuller were just a few of the actors that frequented this area to produce movies.

Eleven years later, The Lone Pine Film Festival now draws audiences of 5,000 Western film enthusiasts from around the world. It is scheduled for October 7 – 9. For ticket information, please visit http://bit.ly/pK7I9h. 

The period of the cowboys and Indians is seldom captured in movies anymore, and the film production process will never be the same. Modern-day filmmaking has changed all that. So, saddle up and attend this year’s fest! The 100th birthday of Roy Rogers will be celebrated this year. It is guaranteed to be one of the best Western Film fests yet.

Independent thoughts, words and views brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Rising to the Occasion

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“Life is like a book we can either study it or let it gather dust on the shelves of the world.” — Rene Godefroy

On Wednesday, we celebrated the first year anniversary of the meet-up group WIN Steamboat (Women in Networking – Steamboat) with a beautiful palette of food prepared by chef Lulu Martin of Amuse Bouche Private Chef Service. http://bit.ly/qvtK9o.  The luncheon at the Alpine Mountain Ranch Club http://bit.ly/pQEs0v  was served on the patio, alongside the trout pond. As I took in the panorama of beautiful vistas and views, I couldn’t help but reflect on the fulfilling accomplishments of individual women throughout the year. Like the trout that were rising in the pond,  the women in the group are go-getters in their own companies or in their fields of business. The relationships we have built over the course of the year have been beneficial to each of us.

A new dawning came to me as we gathered for our 1st annual celebration. That was the thought of how powerful a motivating force books play in peoples lives (not just mine). They help inspire and keep us on task in our personal, career and spiritual lives. Each woman brought a “slightly used book” that had been helpful to them in finding the will to put one foot in front of the other, each and every day despite setbacks, disappointments and new beginnings. We each came away with a “new” book to help us in our journey through life. 

What book did I bring to swap with another person? An independently published book, of course! The title is “Waiting for Jack” by author Kristen Moeller. http://bit.ly/bUy3pu.  It is a book about “seizing the moment” for success in life. Although, I had mixed emotions about passing it on, it meant that I had made a promise to remember the principles set forth in the book. 

The donator of the book that I received said “she realized that I had been in business for quite sometime, as has she, but she has referred to the book, Secrets of Self Employment: Surviving and Thriving on the Ups and Downs of Being Your Own Boss, time and time again.” It will help me to continue to assess my strengths and weaknesses and it will provide fresh perspectives on taking adversities in stride. 

Each of us has had fulfilling personal and career growth over the past year. The size of the group has grown as well. Never underestimate the importance of networking in the business world. Each person brings to the group individual talents and knowledge that we can share with others. We are all richer in spirit when we pool our strengths.  We owe a big thank you to Kate Z http://www.katezphoto.com for bringing this group together last year.

Another independent word, thought and view from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Fulfill Your Need to Tell Your Story!

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“Knowledge is Power.” ~ Sir Francis Bacon 

Tomorrow, SHe Writes Steamboat will be hosting the Colorado Independent Publishers Association at the Bud Werner Library. www.steamboatlibrary.org.  What an opportunity this will be to find out more about writing your own story. Learn about the educational programs, vendor affiliations and services that are available from CIPA to help you through the process of independently publishing your story. 

We are so rich in individual narratives in this corner of Northwestern Colorado and the Elk River Valley. Retirees, career professionals, and interesting individuals who have unique stories to tell of their lives in other places seek out this part of the country so they can begin a new chapter of their lives – one that includes fulfilling dreams, passions and interests. 

If you have ever had the thought “I could write a book about that!” join us, tomorrow at 9:30 am at the Bud Werner Memorial Library in Library Hall. The morning informational session is free and open to the public. Stay for the afternoon, but do pre-register, please, through this link. (look for the September 9 Steamboat seminars) http://bit.ly/p9GbYG. 

Can’t come, but still interested? There is an 18 minute webinar now available on-line that will give you an overview of the independent publishing industry. It explains how a new generation of book publishing including e-commerce and e- marketing has evolved. The publishing universe in this new century now includes anyone willing to tell their story. That includes you!  http://bit.ly/oIkV2g. 

See you tomorrow at 9:30 am sharp!

Another day of  independent thoughts, words and a views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

Things Worthy of Attention

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“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours.” ~ Swedish Proverb 

The other day, I began to think about the title of this blog site All Things Fulfilling. Depending upon someone’s point of view, values and own personal interpretation of the word “things,” this blog site could be misconstrued. Some may deduce this blog site is about material “things” – stylish clothes, jewelry, fancy cars, “toys” …. you know, those kinds of “things.”  We all own them and place importance on them in varying amounts. 

All things fulfilling is really about other kinds of “gifts” that bring personal satisfaction to our lives – perhaps it is a good book, an inspirational movie, a spiritual thought, word or deed.  Music that uplifts us, charity towards others, and creating joyful, meaningful lives are also subjects that are not foreign to this site. 

Nearly 700 blogs have been written on All Things Fulfilling in slightly more than 2 years. Someone recently asked me – how do you find so much affirmative to write about with all that is going on in this crazy world?  It’s easy! I have plenty of fullness in my life!

  • Absoluteness in my vision for my work
  • Gratefulness for each waking day
  • Oneness with my personal life and my life of work
  • Ordinariness in what it takes to fulfill me (a vanilla ice cream is swell!)
  • Daftness – Why not? Keeps life interesting! 
  • Levelheadedness (so I am told –How can that be? I am daft!)
  • Introspectiveness – enough to dig to find the real treasures in my life
  • Friendliness – great people surround me in this community
  • Endlessness in love I feel from my family 

A Good Life! 

Next time you are feeling down and in the dumps, create your own fullness list! To help you in your quest for discovering the positives in your life, take a trip to this site. http://bit.ly/qtyKJK. Look for the good-ness.” If nothing more, it will keep you busy and keep your mind off your troubles. And for that you can be grateful! How’s that?

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.