How many times do I get to see a historic building in the US? Hardly ever. The country is so new that has not yet had the time to grow old, make history and memories. In fact, I heard that when a building reaches 50 years of age, it goes down like dust. This past weekend I went to an art festival on the streets of Redwood City, a quaint town in Northern California and while walking around I noticed a few buildings designed in a classical style architecture. The Fitzpatrick building got my attention for its round shape over one of the entries, I thought it was a loggia above, but in reality, it is a turret with windows and a dome on top.
Redwood City, CA
Fitzpatrick is certainly not an American name. It seems it is a surname of a native Gaelic-Irish origin person with the Norman French Fitz as a prefix.
Redwood City in 1868 was a shipping port for all the industries present in the area. During the great earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco, the Fitzpatrick Building survived with minimal damage and for safety reasons, the dome was temporarily removed.
I love to see a plaque with a date.
The second entry of the Fitzpatrick’s building
Beautiful Ionic columns and decorated pilasters visually support a secondary entry. It must be pleasant working in this business building and be part of history, even if I think that the daily routine of those who work there, does not give much space to the imagination or to the realization of spending most of their days in a beautiful building that still stands after 112 years and that perhaps was part of many vicissitudes. I know that feeling, I studied fashion in a building 400 years old.
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
This Spring flew by, between winds of war, fake news, new diseases, corrupted politicians, investigations, and protests around the world to gain the lost freedom, we have arrived almost at Summer. What will it bring us? My hope is always that humanity will mend itself and be infused with so much love, compassion and empathy, as without these elements, life cannot be called life.
With the arrival of Spring, my goal was to instill beauty. Beauty multiplies as it is an entity that everyone wants and everyone recognizes for their wellbeing. I also wanted to spread kind thoughts. Who better than authors can do that? Authors are good with words, they know how to craft them to let the readers live a fantasy, see places and experience new emotions.
Spring is the perfect season for renewal. The authors I have invited to participate in this new series called “Spring, Beauty and Books” each have their own sensibility about Spring and I hope they have inspired the readers. I want to thank them for spreading beauty with their books and thoughts. I had a great pleasure hosting them. Enjoy the video I made with their words on Spring and their books.
“Nature is the source of all true knowledge. She has her own logic, her own laws, she has no effect without cause nor invention without necessity” – Leonardo da Vinci.
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
It’s one o’clock, businesses are closed, schools are closed, and everybody goes home for lunch. In the Mediterranean basin, life stops from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm every day. The main purpose of those four hours of pause is to have lunch with the family. After lunch, people have different activities, take a nap, read, talk on the phone, do house chores, help kids with homework, go out to exercise and many others. At 4:00 pm, all the businesses start again until the evening at 8:00 pm. This is the Mediterranean life, summer and winter.
The balcony above a business, as in my photo, often says the owner of the business lives above. In the Middle Age, it was a custom to live above the business to care for the family easier without having to walk or take the carriage to go home. Today, in Europe, the same work/living arrangement is still valid, unfortunately, there are only a few examples left.
Gioia del Colle, Puglia, Italy
The shutters of the French door on the balcony are real, meaning they have a real function, versus the decorative types I often see on houses in America. In the Summertime, the shutters are kept closed to let the fresh air in through the slats and keep out the ferocious sun. Behind the shutters, inside, the glass panels are always open. If you are visiting Italy, make sure you eat during the hours Italians eat. Restaurants are closed for a good part of the day, as Italians love to eat under the moon and not under the sun. Lunch in restaurants is served between 12:00 and 2:00 pm, and dinner doesn’t start until 8:00 in the evening until the smallest hours of the night. In some areas on the coasts, restaurants have a full house even at 3:00-4:00 am.
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
After two years of hibernation, taking care of my sick husband, and then ultimately, grieving the loss of my beloved husband, I escaped to a long winter vacation. My grief traveled with me, but the warmth of the Mexican sunshine and being around old friends and new was like a welcomed spring to my soul.
Mexican sunset
I came home dodging the brunt of our harsh Canadian winter here in Ontario as our city too, began to awake from what felt a long slumber. The freezing temperatures had transformed into crisp fresh air, and I once again began taking walks out in our beautiful walking trails as a wonderful escape into nature, and from the dark doldrums of my interior four walls. A vacation after two years of heaviness was like a new bud of spring opening for my sanity. I am slowly crawling back into life.
Bright colors with the promise of spring cheer me up, as does anything shiny and blingy. It’s the sunshine that has the power to lift me out of the dark abyss within, that sometimes grabs a hold of me. On those days without enough sun? This is where my huge floor lamp with large, white daylight bulbs can fool my darkness. No substitute for the sun, but a satisfactory backup plan.
My life now is just only coming into spring after two years of my internal harsh winter.
Mexican sunset
Bio
Debby Gies is a Canadian nonfiction/memoir author who writes under the pen name of D.G. Kaye. She was born, raised, and resides in Toronto, Canada. Kaye writes about her life experiences, matters of the heart and women’s issues.
D.G. writes to inspire others. Her writing encompasses stories taken from events she encountered in her own life, sharing the lessons taken from them. Her sunny outlook on life developed from learning to overcome challenges in her life, and finding the upside from those situations while practicing gratitude for all the positives.
When Kaye isn’t writing intimate memoirs, she brings her natural sense of humor into her other works. She loves to laugh and self-medicate with a daily dose of humor.
In the Autumn of My Life
In the autumn of my life I find myself looking back On the springs and summers Of glory days gone past. As the winter of life approaches, We often reminisce and look to reconnect With things and people that brightened our springs and summers, People who knew us and understood the times And circumstances of our lives. It’s a kinship of time that only those who’ve lived then can know. A time when glancing back brings a dollop of comfort As we march through the seasons of life Before winter’s approach.
Debby, your poem is very meaningful. I am happy to know you are coming back to life, the good memories of your lost husband will give you the strength to face new life challenges. Are you planning new books in the near future?
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Please, allow me to add a small promotion of my books.
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
Often, when I walk, I feel curious about things I see in the streets and if I am allowed I push myself inside to explore. I saw these colors through the large windows of this place, they draw me in like a magnet. Warm, vibrant, bold, sunny, these colors spoke to me a Mediterranean language and feelings of savory epicurean delights paired with rare wines. I didn’t know it was a Spanish tapas bar and restaurant with the exotic twist of culture from Latin America.
“Old World taste meets New World appeal at Cascal”, says the advertisement. This is a place where friends could linger over exotic cocktails, music, the bold personality of the architecture and daring food. flavors.
Inside, rather than having a great dining open space, the arcade function as divider of spaces, providing privacy between diners without totally obstructing the lights while mixing the colors into each space.
In the Mediterranean culture, arches embellished with columns, capitels and stones usually surround beautiful doors, also enclose kitchens’ cooking areas and wine storage, but often many arches divide spaces that would be otherwise too open, too cold and too unmanageable.
Colors create cozy interior atmospheres. Painted doors are inviting and show the personality of the people living there. For the Thursday Door Challenge organized by Dan Antion, this is my contribution. Ciao. Valentina Amazon Author’s Page
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
Winter, Beauty: During Thanksgiving time, our two older dogs crossed the rainbow bridge into God’s new Garden of Eden. A few weeks later, we miraculously met and fell in love with two five-month-old Border Aussie siblings. Maddie and Max were bred on a horse ranch in Ramona, CA. It wasn’t Spring, Beauty, but it was a happy, December winter day. The two pups were in an outdoor pen at the ranch. As soon as we stepped into the pen, Maddie (black & white, more Border Collie) jumped into my partner, Robert’s arms. Max (golden and white, more Australian Shepard) jumped up and kissed my face. At that moment, we were happily chosen for their forever home.
Spring, Beauty: Maddie and Max, now 9 months old, are energetic, smart, and loving pups. Showstoppers, they are magnets for animal lovers, who smile and pat them. Best of all, they share, in depth, their own incredible doggie stories. What better way to spread Spring, Beauty.
Spring, Beauty and Books: May Flowers and a Debut book coming: Three Years of Her Life: A Novel. To be published on Amazon, May 3, 2022.
Author’s Bio Christine E. Robinson spent years as a nurse practitioner before venturing into the world of fiction writing. Three Years of Her life is her first novel. A background as a published poet, experience in writing fiction/non-fiction books and screenplays, helped craft this story. Robinson lives in Southern California. Watch for a Women’s Fiction novel, available later this year.
This debut novel is an indelible portrait of family love, trust, commitment, and unrelenting prejudice. A stirring tale that rides the line between historical fiction and romance, inspired by a famous musician’s hidden secret in Germany.
“Three Years of Her Life, set in New England and Central Europe, is similar in concern and significant issues to bestselling American Epic books of the Great Depression, The Great War and the U.S. South. People and places focused, the novel’s heartwarming and heart-wrenching themes mark history in unsettled times.
A mystery woman’s photo, in question, is in the famous grandfather’s gold pocket watch for over fifty years. It devastates Elizabeth’s estranged grandmother, and she convinces Elizabeth to find the link. At a loss how, Elizabeth’s on track to be a nurse not a detective, she gets help from Erik, the doctor who captures her heart. He becomes obsessed with uncovering her grandfather’s secret and discovers more in Germany than the family can take. Now he shares a family heritage. When Elizabeth tries to stand up for Erik and her grandfather, it backfires.
Complicating her own life, Elizabeth falls into an entanglement with her guitar teacher. It’s only a longed-for connection to musicians, her absent father and dead grandfather, but it causes uncertainty. She’s now torn between two very different men. And what happens if and when she lets one of them go? Erik tips the balance for Elizabeth’s decision. He proves his character by risking his life transporting East Berlin hospital patients to the West through the Berlin Wall. But, what if border guards trap him in East Berlin? Unbeknown to Elizabeth, before Erik leaves on the mission, he sets up her future. And, he’s dead serious about his plan.
Elizabeth’s estranged grandmother convinces her to find the link to a mystery woman. Her photo is in Grandfather’s gold pocket watch. At a loss how, Elizabeth, a nurse, gets help from Erik, a doctor who captures her heart.”
Christine, I love the story of your two puppies, you saved them and they made your Spring. Your novel “Three Years Of Her Life” sounds romantic and intriguing and the cover design is evocative of an era gone by. Is it by any chance some of your life story in there? I wish you great success with this new publication.
*****
Allow me to add a timid advertisement for my books.
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
A friend invited me to this American place, she was sure I was going to like to see the wildlife. Wildlife lives outdoor, I thought, why are we going to a place with a door? Why didn’t she call it a zoo? We approached an impressive sturdy wood door with antlers as the door pulls, the building didn’t show as the structure was surrounded by large rocks. I remember the cement floor had amusing imprints of bear paws and fish stenciled on the cement as directions for people. A small bridge with cascading water and real birds bathing in the water gave a pleasant feeling to the shopping centre, as if I was somewhere in the mountain for real. Well, I thought if the outside looks so natural, the inside of this place will be just as attractive.
Entrance door
Vestibule
The vestibule that divided the outer door to the street and the interior door to the store made me smile: “Welcome fishermen, hunters and other liars”.
Inside, the animals on display seemed to be real and embalmed. My impression of this place? It seemed like a taxidermy museum with clothes for sale, quite interesting and amusing. The entire shopping centre is dedicated to natural activities, organic products, outdoor sports equipment, organic or fusion food, fish restaurants and it has been designed with symbols of nature.
Fish restaurant
I think by now, most of you living in the States have recognized this place is the Bass Store, of which some major states have at least one branch, I am sure. Dan Antion is the organizer of the Thursday Door Challenge. Ciao, Valentina Amazon’s Author Page
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
South Florida doesn’t really experience the seasons, so Spring doesn’t show itself as it does in the northern states. Sure, we have some frigid days (by South Floridian standards), but we mostly enjoy pleasant weather with bright blue skies and swaying palm trees. Despite the lack of visual representation, the energy of Spring is ours for the embracing. Spring is about renewal and growth. It encompasses dreaming and setting new goals. During this season, I enjoy spending more time outdoors. Whether it’s bike riding, walking, visiting the beach, or camping, nature rejuvenates my soul. This season also excites me because my son and I plan our summer road trip, a journey that creates long-lasting beautiful memories. Our steps are lighter, our vision is brighter, and our hearts begin soaring in Spring.
Photo: JPlenio on Pixabay – license free for commercial use
Harmony
step away from life’s hustle and bustle let go of the need to do – just be enter lush, magical forests exhale your envy and angst inhale earth’s energy be one with nature embrace jade’s gift joyfulness calming peace
My novel:
My newest novel is called HYPE. Here is the book blurb:
“Cici’s junior year in high school is going to be the best year ever. Popular co-captain of the varsity cheerleading team, she’s dating the starting quarterback. Even her jealous co-captain’s attempts to steal her boyfriend can’t curb her enthusiasm. When her mom moves in with her fiancé, a handsome, wealthy man, only one small detail threatens Cici’s perfect life. The school’s social pariah is about to become her stepsister, and Cici wants nothing to do with her. Everything changes when someone Cici cares about throws her life into a tailspin, and the one person Cici couldn’t stand becomes her only ally.”
Warning: This story contains scenes of sexual assault.
Yvette, you are blessed to live in Florida, with pleasant weather all year round. I remember going to the beach one year when I was there for Christmas. Your poem is inspiring. I wish you great success with your book “Hype”.
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Allow me, please to add a small advertisement for my books.
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
Across the pond, on this side of the world, we network in offices, pubs, and various social places to talk about business. In Italy, networking is about neighbors and families coming together, to sit at the doorsteps of someone’s home to enjoy a bit of time out from daily chores, not to engage in talks of business.
People meet outside their homes, in the street, or in a courtyard to talk about their problems, challenges, kids, life in general and gossip about someone they know is the practice of the day. Each person brings a chair, no need for an appointment, no need for a schedule, nothing is planned, and whoever shows up will be the support or the leader of the conversation at that moment.
Men, women and often kids show up at these daily meetings with the neighbors. Kids play with kids the usual soccer in the streets, chasing a ball from corner to corner, men talk to other men or play cards and women stay with the women. There is always an exchange of food and drinks, nothing complicated to prepare, local snacks, homemade focaccia bread, pretzels, olives, cheese, fruits and nuts, accompanied with wines or beer, just to keep the conversation going. This is an ancestral society where everyone knows the rules and their own roles.
Women in Polignano a Mare, Italy
Doors in this part of the Mediterranean seem to be built the same way, they follow the orderly classic style of architecture, travertine arches, usually with a keystone in the center, pillars on both sides and heavy metal or wood doors with a horseshoe or lion head doorknocker.
Polignano a Mare, Italy
Private courtyard in Polignano a Mare, Italy
When doors are not that great, courtyards, exterior stairs and balconies are made up cute and cozy. Courtyards attract tourists and visitors for their simple beauty. These are private little areas, where the locals living there meet to be social and of course help each other in case of need.
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
“Spring is the most promising and prettiest season. Color, beauty, and fragrance befall nature and dominate our senses. Spring means a fresh start, a new chapter; a reset in the world. There is hope, there is a promise, there is a breath of fresh air. The days grow longer, with opportunity, quality time, and smiles. Anything seems possible again as new life emerges and with it our belief in positive changes on a personal or universal level.
I’d like to say, as a nomad for almost two decades, that I search for spring year-round. Mentally and metaphorically, definitely. But physically and geographically, this would be a lie. While we have occasionally and accidentally followed spring around the world, it is eternal summer that we pursue during our travels. Summer is not as elaborate as spring, but it is certainly inspired and encouraged by it.”
A touch of spring color in the town of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Cactus blooms emerging in the California desert
Author bio Liesbet Collaert’s articles and photos have been published internationally. Born in Belgium, she has been a nomad since 2003 with no plans to settle anytime soon. Her love of travel, diversity, and animals is reflected in her lifestyle choices of sailing, RVing, and house and pet sitting. Liesbet calls herself a world citizen and currently lives “on the road” in North America with her husband and rescue dog. Follow her adventures at www.roamingabout.com and read her travel memoir Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary for a compelling, unique, intimate, and refreshingly honest account of life aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics; the joys, the challenges; and anything in between.
Blooming ocotillo cactus in the desert of Baja California, Mexico
A touch of spring color along the alleys in the village of Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Book blurb: Plunge Tropical waters turn tumultuous in this travel memoir as a free-spirited woman jumps headfirst into a sailing adventure with a new man and his two dogs.
Join Liesbet as she faces a decision that sends her into a whirlwind of love, loss, and living in the moment. When she swaps life as she knows it for an uncertain future on a sailboat, she succumbs to seasickness and a growing desire to be alone.
Guided by impulsiveness and the joys of an alternative lifestyle, she must navigate personal storms, trouble with US immigration, adverse weather conditions, and doubts about her newfound love.
Does Liesbet find happiness? Will the dogs outlast the man? Or is this just another reality check on a dream to live at sea?
Plunge paperback book cover
Have you ever wondered how life could be if you had made different choices? If you didn’t marry early, commit to a large loan for the house, focus on your career, or start a family?
Maybe you’re just curious about how a person thinking outside the box manages? A person without boundaries, striving to be flexible, happy, and free.
What you are about to read is how one such person follows her dreams, no, her intuition, and how she survives her naivety, life-altering twists, and a relationship in close quarters.
Plunge is a story of what happens when you go with the flow, when you have a bright idea – or thought you had one – and ride the waves of the unknown.
Liesbet, I admire your sense of adventure. It takes courage to live as a nomad since 2003, you have understood what is important to you and followed your heart. Your photos express well your free life. Your life sounds very interesting. I wish you much success with your book.
Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble
Welcome! Immerse yourself in the colorful world of Modern Tropical, an eclectic lifestyle brand for people who love the retro-modern beach aesthetic. It is produced by independent award-winning artist Kristian Gallagher.
Valentina Expressions 