Fulfilling Memories and Dreams

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Posted on May 29, 2013

“We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they are called memories. Some take us forward, they are called dreams.” ~ Jeremy Irons

I loved living in the suburbs of Baltimore as a child and teen growing up. On rainy weekends, my twin sister and I often took the bus from the suburbs into the city to take in art and culture. Come along as I continue to revisit some more familiar places throughout the city.

A familiar site of my Baltimore-rooted memories. The “RCA Victor” Dog “Nipper” atop the Heritage Museum

Maryland Humanities Council brings fulfilling words to the streets through windows display

Image below: Sculpture in Mt. Vernon Square – just up the street from the Walters Art Museum

Below: Peabody Institute – “first major intellectual and arts center in an American city.”

http://bit.ly/19gY0b9

Radio Broadcasting – WBAL is still in existence. I still remember some of the radio personalities from back in the 1950’s and 1960s.

Images above & below: Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church faces Peabody Institute. As a teen I used to go to the Baltimore Flower

show in Mt. Vernon Square. The one day of the year my mom would let us skip school. We’d ride the bus from the suburbs.

Return on Wednesday to all things fulfilling. A press release about independent publishing, authors and book awards will be posted.. Join us to learn about some inspiring independent publishers.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com, where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.

Fulfilling Tour of Newport, RI

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Posted on 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!

Paving the Way for Commerce Westward

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Posted on May 23, 2013

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” ~Warren Buffett

A stroll along The Cliff Walk and Bellevue Avenue was a beautiful place to be last Saturday. Sunny skies and flowering trees added to the charm of Newport, RI, a city filled with mansions from The Guilded Age.

Many of the homes were built with embellishments found in European castles and cathedrals. The structures, fit for kings and royalty, are now museums because they are so expensive to maintain, and they are open to the public for touring. The mansions were once “seaside cottages” for wealthy families who came to Newport, RI, their summer playground. Life by the sea for the Vanderbilt’s, Astor’s, Webb’s and Dupont’s was more glitzy than it is today for most ocean resort dwellers. The families came with a full staff of servants, and house help who helped orchestrate the entertainment of other notables of great wealth and social standing. These prominent society people can be thanked for paving the way for prosperity in the United States. Through their investment in the railroads and steamships, commerce spread westward across America. They were the same individuals who were great patrons of the arts, and invested in magnificent paintings and other art installations, such as sculpture, in their mansions.

Enjoy your tour of Newport, through my photos:

Photo above & below: At the start of Cliff Walk in Newport, RI

with my twin sister

The Breakers, Newport, RI

Another summer cottage by the sea on Cliff Walk

Graduation Day at Salve Regina University, Newport, RI http://www.salve.edu/

Tree on Campus of Salve Regina University – Rooted in two different places!

Another of the Mansions along Cliff Walk

Dogwoods, Azaleas, and other flowering trees were in bloom

Sue, Jan and my niece, Kara in the middle

Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. I will show you a few more of the sites in Newport, RI from my travels. My trip to Rhode Island was not my first, but I found plenty of fulfilling things I had never seen before. Come back to see the mansion we toured.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. A Company Specializing in e-Commerce and e-Marketing for Independent Publishers.

Providential Visit

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Posted on 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.

Family, Faith and Travel

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Posted on May 20, 2013

“Each day I am thankful for; nights turned into morning, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love.” ~ Ritu Ghatourey

I’ve been swept up in a whirlwind of fulfilling things since arriving on the East Coast. It all began with attending a social event of a book club group with women who reside in and around the historic area surrounding TaylorsIsland in Dorchester County, Maryland. The Grace Foundation is restoring churches and doing work on the island to preserve the history of the churches and schoolhouses. http://bit.ly/16Ezcex.

“The Postmistress” by Sarah Blake, a book I recently read and adored, is on the reading booklist for the book club for this coming summer. Based on a small town sea-side community during World War 2, the post office was a hub of activity, and the spinster postmistress knows secrets which if told, will change the lives of some of the residents. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it.

Then I traveled to the Boston area to attend the beautiful wedding of our niece on my husband’s side of the family. It was so wonderful to see the bride and her sister (our second Leonard niece), who are now both married adults.

We also spent a lovely evening in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and had dinner at Loretta’s. The harbor area in Newburyport has changed greatly since last time I visited many years ago. Full of wonderful restaurants with varied cuisine, we also went art gallery hopping. As a Mother’s Day present, my husband bought me a New England artisan-crafted necklace from Annie’s of Newburyport. Then we finished the evening with dessert at a fantastic coffee shop complete with musical entertainment featuring a sole independent musician playing the guitar.

Join me tomorrow on my journey back to Vermont, my state of residence for more than thirty years. I was greeted by “Miss America” of the independent publishing industry! She’s quite a package! Well-built, for future developments.

Here are just a few pictures from my fulfilling travels:

My favorite home away from home, my favorite writing place in the lighthouse

Hope for a bountiful catch

Rode my bike to the vineyards on the Island

too early in the season for fruit on the vine

John the Baptist Church, Peabody, MA for niece’s wedding

Beautiful bride (above)

and her maid of honor – her sister

Stained Glass Window

Dinner in Newburyport, MA at Loretta

Couldn’t resist this photo http://www.imarc.net/ for our son, Marc R Leonard.

He seems to be showing up everywhere!

My Mother’s Day Present – New England Artisan Crafted

Left my heart in Taylor’s Island, Maryland

will be back to get it before my trip to the East Coast is over!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business!

Celebrating A Blogging Life

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Posted on May 14, 2013

Whew – Yesterday’s blog was kind of wild and crazy, today will be more of a quiet, subdued celebration!

When I began this blog All Things Fulfilling three years ago, I thought, “I’ll just float a few of my independent thoughts, words and views over the internet from the Boat. You never know what will become of it. I’ll give it a shot.”

Today I celebrate a blogging landmark of 1,111 blogs written. It occurs to me that I have penned as many pages as some of the most well-known classic novels. Like Gone With the Wind click for info & ordering, Atlas Shrugged Click for info & ordering, War and Peace Click for info & ordering, just to name a few, they all have more than 1,000 pages in them. And as I look at the significance of the number 1,111, it has relevance in many ways to what I write about. http://bit.ly/13Mhip5.

In each post, I’ve tried to provide our readers with something of value about independent publishing and other fulfilling viewpoints. In my book, Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, there is insightful information about why each of my life experiences are so appreciated.Click here for info & ordering.

Let’s be realistic. There are blogs out there with larger audiences. But, the purpose of All Things Fulfilling is to inspire our readers to explore and discover all kinds of things that are satisfying in life. Today, I thank each of our readers who have ever stopped by this website. You are the motivating force that encourages me to keep on communicating.

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.

All Things Fulfilling News

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Posted on May 13, 2013

I hope you will return on Tuesday. It will be celebration worth writing about. Readers, I hope you will help me spread the word, through social media about tomorrow’s monumental day.

Some people say they don’t have time to fool with social media and “all that nonsense.” But, someone once said ” everyone has same number of days that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, etc…” And look what they made of their days – a name for themselves!

You, readers, have found the time to visit All Things Fulfilling for your own reasons. Whatever has struck your fancy, whether it is information on the independent publishing industry or the other subjects we regularly blog about, it is has kept you coming back. I greatly appreciate that. You have given me incentive to keep on writing. “A true artist is not someone who is inspired, but someone who inspires others.”

Click on the link below and join me at the space below for a little pre-celebration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN2_ydMMeG8

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, the space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Stepping into New Territory

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Posted on May 6, 2013

Over the next few weeks, I will be taking a business trip, going to new places and visiting old haunts, too. Ultimately, in my travels, my goal will be to find fulfilling things in my journeys. They may be unexpected, and I’ll share the content digitally. Perhaps it will mean more photos than writing. We will see what develops!

Whenever you frequent this blog space, I encourage you to stay and explore all the other 1,100+ blog postings on All Things Fulfilling. There’s a lot of information about independent films, music and books as well as educational information about the independent publishing process. Other subjects such as writings on the arts, career motivation, self-improvement, relationships and business, and they can be looked up by category, on the right hand side of the page.

I’m not exactly where I am going to find myself in my business travels. Whatever I encounter, I’ll assimilate the experience, enjoy it and share it like an open book.

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.

Youth Learns about Publishing

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Posted on April 30, 2013

“Go confidently in your dreams, live the life you have imagined.” ~ David Henry Thoreau

Have you heard the inspiring story of Dallas Clayton? The author who is being touted as the next Dr. Seuss?

From his interview on the Jeff Probst show the other day, he revealed that he was a person without direction in his life until he became a father and decided to write a book for his son. The rest is history. He wrote an outstanding narrative that children could well relate to, and he discovered he had art talent and could do his own illustrations, also.

His first book, An Awesome Book of Love, which came out of wanting to communicate his love for his child, sold like wildfire. This print-on-demand title kept selling out. Eventually, he was contacted by large, mainstream publishing house, and they offered him 10%. His response to that was “Why should I sign a deal like that? I am already making 100%.” Long and short of the story – he was eventually offered a “sweet deal,” which allowed him to start a foundation for literacy “The Awesome World Foundation.” http://www.veryawesomeworld.com/.

Clayton said, in his interview with Jeff Probst,one of the biggest benefits that came with writing the book for his son, who was five when the first book was published, is that “his son saw what it takes to author and publish a book.” He saw his Dad involved in the entire process of the business – writing, illustrating, making mock-up books and even shipping the books from their living room when he needed a fulfillment company. Clearly, an eye-opening experience for a child who probably thinks books magically appear on library bookshelves. And it all began with independent publishing and taking a leap of faith.

I love these kinds of success stories!

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.

The Song of Hope

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Posted on April 25, 2013

The other day when I was participating in World Book Night, I read the full list of books that were being distributed as part the event. Most were previous years best sellers. Some I had read, but not too many. My nose is usually between the covers of one my clients independently published books, where there’s plenty of fulfilling reading. There are not enough hours in the day to hit all the NY Times best sellers.

Reading the list led me to wonder how many books do you have to sell to be considered a best selling author? Research tells me 5,000 copies or more. Clearly, most authors write because they love the process of creating a satisfying story.

But, for every writer out there, there is an element of hope among us. Hope that our books will do much better than we ever anticipated. Some of us allow ourselves to dream beyond our wildest imaginations.

Don’t we all dream of better tomorrows? That’s what inspires writers to get up every morning.

I hope you’ll return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. A LIVELY Friday is planned. We will be sharing independent thoughts, words and views that are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

All Things Fulfilling

Writing Focused on Fine Art & The Humanities

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