Gail Ingis's Blog, page 13

BEING HAPPY: ONE LIPSTICK AT A TIME

The House of Gail presents weekly: Gail’s Newsie News . . .

First issue 8/17/17

Beauty Counter’s Sheer Lipstick

I love lipstick!

So what else is new?

Most women love it. But I want to share with you why I love it.

My favorite color is RED. Red lipstick is bold. It tells people – Don’t mess with me, I have a smart mouth and I know how to use it! It’s been said that men love red lipstick. Bright red lipstick, red roses, the lady in red—it seems as though all things love and romance are associated with the color red. … Do you wear the color red?

 

Right now, I’m wearing Clarins 60, it’s thirty years old. Can you believe it? Don’t worry, I sterilized it with 70% alcohol. This color is indicative of Dark Shadow’s Gothic television soap in the 60s and 70s, a series made in Lockwood-Mathews Mansion. Gothic indeed. I wear it whenever.

A kiss for you . . . with my Gothic lips

 

A few of my books behind me wearing my Gothic lippy

 

 

 

Cross-section assortment

A small section of my collection

 

 

 

I own

Gail with her pinkest pink lippy

A LOT of lipsticks. I have a wide assortment of colors and shades, from precious pink to soft nudes to the reddest reds and orangest orange. Every lipstick tells a story. And every shimmery gloss or creamy matte is important to me. Why? Because for fifty years, I was an interior designer, and if there is one business where you have to look good, it’s the design biz. And that’s where it began for me. Plus, I’m an artist/painter so of course that means I love color. And lots of it.

Gail & Tom

And now that I have added romance writer to my resume, I of course have added even more reasons to LOVE LOVE LOVE lipsticks. I put it on every morning before I sit down to write about love and romance. I don’t wear it for anyone else but me. And that makes me happy. It makes me feel good when I write. Every new chapter means I get to wear a new color!

At this stage in my life, with all the volunteer work I do and all the writer’s events I go to, not to mention family gatherings, parties, weddings and of course my ballroom dancing – lipstick is still important to me.

On my morning walk one day, my neighbor stopped me and asked, “How come you always look like you’re going to a party?”

“It’s my lipstick,” I replied. “It’s the first thing I put on after my clothes.”

“You even wear it on your walk?” she asked.

“Yes, and the bonus is that my lips are always moist, never dry or chapped. And it makes me feel good.”

She looked at me like I had just given her the secret of the fountain of youth.

And what do I see when I pass my reflection? I see a happy 81-year-old woman who has done a lot in her life, raised a family, run successful businesses, founded an interior design school, was a professional artist and painter, a tennis teaching pro, and now a published romance author. I see a vibrant woman who enjoys herself.

I see me more than anyone else, why wouldn’t I want to please myself. Besides moist lips, there is another bonus to wearing lipstick – my darling husband Tom never fails to tell me how pretty I look.

And guess what? Lipstick can do a lot more than just add color to your lips. According to Miki Hayes of Bustle Magazine, lipstick can make you walk taller, reduce stress, and even bring people together.

So why do I love wearing lipstick? I love it because I love how I feel when I wear it. And that’s the most important reason to me.

Celebrate your love of lipstick. And remember, lipsticks and kisses go well together.

ROMANCE IS IN THE AIR . . . by Gail Ingis

My darling, I will love you until the end of time, an hour, a day, forever. Love at any age is contagious. it’s the kind of contagion you want. Catch a falling star, catch him in your arms. The stars tell all, or maybe your heart tells all. So many love songs, a little of Frankie here, “What is this Thing Called Love.”  

Between us, Tom and I have nine grandsons, ages 11-31. And we have three granddaughters, (a set of twins, 13, and their 5 year-old sister). One of our boys got married on July 22. Jonathan married his childhood sweetheart, Taylor. And another grandson is getting married on Sunday, August 13. Ben is marrying his college sweetheart, Stephanie.

WOW! Two back-to-back weddings. Love and romance are certainly in the air! Something I know all about because I’ve been married to my love, Tom for almost 25 years.

Jonathan and Taylor’s wedding ceremony was on top of a mountain at the Mountain Creek Resort in New Jersey, on what was reported to be the hottest day of the year. We traveled up the mountain standing in, what they call a cabriolet, (pronounced cab-ree-oh-lay).

Joanne, Gail & Tom riding up on the cabriolet

The ride up was breathtaking. We had a gorgeous view of the valley as the cabriolet carried us up and up, and the ground moved farther and farther away. The sun was a blazing furnace, and by the time we reached the top, we were wilted. Thank goodness for the never-ending supply of the wet stuff. Nope, not beer! Water! There were plenty of bottles to go around. Whew! The ceremony was beautiful and the reception, even more so. The big party was held in a beautiful backyard garden oasis at the home of my son, Rick and daughter-in-law, Tammy. Only one word can describe the celebration–awesome!

Ben & Steph

Ben and Steph’s wedding will be more traditional, in a banquet hall. I’m sure it will be beautiful. I can’t wait to be with everyone again, all dressed up in our best duds and having a wonderful celebration, another milestone in our wonderful family.

I hope these sweet young couples have discovered true romance. Not just the flowers and sweet words kind, but the every-day kind of love you show the person who means the most to you. It’s the little things you do for one another daily. In my house, I cook and Tom does the dishes. I dust, and am the sergeant of the latrines (we have three) and Tom vacuums. Who wouldn’t love a guy like that? He also does the laundry. Bet you think I’m kidding. Tom won my heart long ago. He’s a guy who knows about romance. First you have romance then you have love.

So why am I hung up on romance and love? I’m a romance writer after all.

Under the backyard tent

Tom and Gail

Joanne & Paul

Gail & Rick

IT’S ROMANCE . . .

 

 

My darling, I will love you until the end of time, an hour, a day, forever. Love at any age is contagious. it’s the kind of contagion you want. Catch a falling star, catch him in your arms. The stars tell all, or maybe your heart tells all. So many love songs, a little of Frankie here, “What is this Thing Called Love.” https://youtu.be/GIOJ2gkrNvc

Between us, Tom and I have nine grandsons, ages 11-31. (Besides the grandsons, we have three granddaughters, a set of twins, 13, and their 5 year-old sister) One of our boys got married this July 22. Jonathan married his childhood sweetheart, Taylor. And another grandson is getting married this Sunday, August 13. Ben is marrying his college sweetheart, Stephanie.

WOW! Two back-to-back weddings Love and romance are certainly in the air! Something I know all about because I’ve been married to my love Tom for almost 25 years.

Jonathan and Taylor’s wedding ceremony was on top of a mountain at the Mountain Creek Resort in New Jersey, on what was reported to be the hottest day of the year. We traveled up the mountain standing in, what they call a cabriolet, (pronounced cab-ree-oh-lay).

Joanne, Gail & Tom riding up on the cabriolet

The ride up was breathtaking. We had a gorgeous view of the valley as the cabriolet carried us up and up, and the ground moved farther and farther away. The sun was a blazing furnace, and by the time we reached the top, we were wilted. Thank goodness for the never-ending supply of the wet stuff. Nope, not beer! Water! There were plenty of bottles to go around. Whew! The ceremony was beautiful and the reception, even more so. The big party was held in a beautiful backyard garden oasis at the home of my son, Rick and daughter-in-law, Tammy. Only one word can describe the celebration, awesome.

Ben & Steph

Ben and Steph’s wedding will be more traditional, in a banquet hall. I’m sure it will be beautiful. I can’t wait to be with everyone again, all dressed up in our best duds and having a wonderful celebration, another milestone in our wonderful family.

I hope these sweet young couples have discovered true romance. Not just the flowers and sweet words kind, but the every-day kind of love you show the person who means the most to you. It’s the little things you do for one another daily. In my house, I cook and Tom does the dishes. I dust, and am the sergeant of the latrines (we have three) and Tom vacuums. Who wouldn’t love a guy like that? He also does the laundry. Bet you think I’m kidding? Tom won my heart long ago. He’s a guy who knows about romance. First you have romance then you have love.

So why am I hung up on romance and love? I’m a romance writer after all.

Gail & Rick (son)

Under the backyard tent

Tom & Gail

Gail & Linda ( daughter)

Grandsons Jon, Chris & Matthew

Joanne & Paul (son)

RWA: ROMANCE and the KITCHEN . . . ANTS

The House of Gail

Prologue

Romance Writer’s of America does it right. A conference in Orlando with all the magic moments, including a trip to Disney. Have you ever been to a conference that had entertaining and enlightening speakers, topped off with twinkling lights and fireworks from your hotel balcony every night? It was spectacular. Until the invasion of the . . . ants!

Chapter 1

Odorous House Ants (hardened honey)

Holy cow! Ants crawling all over me, all over the car, all over our stuff. So tiny I thought they were little spiders, squishing them with my fingers, the critters were so fast, I didn’t have time to take off my shoe to swat, hand swipe was the only way. One kept wriggling. I put on my glasses and saw they were ants. Oh no, not good news. When you see one, you can be sure there are hundreds. Did they build a colony in my car? OMG, this is serious.

Chapter 2

White napkins and ant trap

Fumigate, and we all die. I didn’t have bug spray anyway. Two whole days to get home in the car with these crawly things. Google check. You need Terro Ant Traps and no matter what, don’t let the liquid in the traps spill, it’s sweet and a mess to clean up. We’d have to find a Home Depot, which would hold up our trip. Vacuum the car. If you think we could find a car wash that would vacuum the suckers up, forget it. Just go home and suffer. No more eating in the car. Kitchen ants in a car, what a dilemma.

Chapter 3

We’re home, it’s dark, now what? All the luggage, what to do? OK, I got it. Lay out a white sheet on the driveway (No taking the car into the garage), put everything in the car on the sheets and tiny black ants are now all over the sheet. Sprayed them. My neighbor appeared and said, bring the luggage up to the deck and leave overnight. They’ll scatter . . . She looked me in the eye and asked, won’t they? She didn’t really know, I didn’t know, Tom didn’t know. I can’t spray bug spray on the soft luggage, all the clothes will get damaged. We wiped everything down, should have wiped with alcohol, but didn’t think of it. Wiping with a paper towel didn’t really do it. We brought in one piece of luggage at a time. Looked okay. Next morning . .

Chapter 4

Ants on the kitchen counter from what we thought were cleaned suitcases.

Terro

Well, it’s official, now we have kitchen ants in our kitchen. Called our Terminex Pest Control. We are customers for over ten years, but no priority, they can’t get to us until Friday. This is Tuesday. You have to be kidding me. No joke. We used bleach cleaner for the counter, wow, that was a good idea anyway, great way to clean granite. Ants seemed to vanish. Put six of the Terro traps on the floor around the kitchen island, and other areas. They may be in hiding. We didn’t use any food, didn’t prepare any meals, sandwiches from Costco come in handy. It was morning when we laid out two white napkins on the counter. We put a trap on one white napkin to see them easily. It’s night now, no ants. I’ll let you know results in the morning, bugs seem to play in the night.

So, what’s happening with the car? I thought you would never ask.

Chapter 5

This car looks innocent, but something lurks behind those doors.

Detailed the car interior, about $100 (these ants are expensive). They found ants running up and down inside the door edges. They vacuumed them away. Got home with the car, sprayed indoor/outdoor bug spray on the doors, and set two Terro traps on the floor of the car. If there is a colony, they will eat the sweet stuff, bring it to their home and poof, they are gone. Colony will be dissipated.

Chapter 6

Rotting tomatoes

Why did this happen? Guess what folks? Cleaning the car, when we first got home from the RWA conference, revealed a rotten tomato, ugh. Disgusting. Shopping for produce before Florida, we never noticed that one of the tomatoes had rolled under the seat. The tomato cooked in the Florida heat. Those were happy ants. We never noticed crawly things until our trip home. Finally home, at sunset.

The End

Epilogue

It’s the next day . . . nary a sign of ants . . . God is good all the time!!!

Got home in time to witness this sunset at Trader Joe’s to pick up milk for the morning.

Indigo Sky for the reader who enjoys historical romance! @AmazonKindle http://amzn.to/2nWqbcq Indigo Sky available on Amazon buy link: http://amzn.to/2j0LXLE
Author page: http://amzn.to/1K4GVQA

 

 

 

A BRIEF ENCOUNTER: WITH DISNEY

Spaceship earth

The 2017 Romance Writer’s of America National Conference is here in Disney World at the Swan/Dolphin Hotel. In my careers, I’ve been to lots of conferences: interior design, architecture, tennis. All were terrific, but this one is the most fun, romance writers  have lots to say about men, women and lovers. This first day was filled with activities you would expect at any conference,   workshops, lunches, meeting old friends, and making new ones. By 5:00 pm, I was ready to sit down, have a cold drink and chat, but instead we went to Epcot.

Epcot was a perfect end of the day with exploration at Disney’s World Showcase. Fun at Frozen.

Frozen

 

Tree peppers

Learning about hydroponic veggies growing vertically (amazing to see) at Land of the Living, history and future of civilization at Space Ship Earth. Me in my scooter while the rest of our group walked the six miles around, and around and around trying to get to the French Patisserie, only to find them closed right after the fireworks. Sad face . . . imagine the disappointment.

History of Civilization

Kathryn, Pat, Gail, Lisa

Big thanks to Kathryn Ascher who organized the whole thing, right down to Fast Passes. We all giggled as we got right up to the front of the lines for our rides while a mob waited in long lines at Frozen. There were five of us in our small pack, Kathryn, the creator of the epcot day of course, writer Lisa Jass and her mom Pat Jass, and my Tom Claus, who also happens to be a writer, the scientific kind. And the music played on, Frankie singing “New York, New York.” I got off my scooter and we danced our Foxtrot up and down the pathway from the Swan to the Dolphin. Such a great evening, even got to see the fireworks. Four hours at Epcot – a brief encounter. Thank goodness.

Swan Hotel

Epcot lights

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOU CAN’T COME BETWEEN A WOMAN AND HER SHOES

The House of Gail

Long ago and far away in Brooklyn, NY, 1954, Doc Ingis, my fiancé’s father, said, “Go buy yourself a beautiful pair of shoes, I’ll treat.” Oh boy, a fairy tale offering. He gave me fifteen dollars. I was rich and a silly young thing then, in love and engaged to be married. I took my fiancé’s hand and asked him to come shopping with me. I told him that there was a shoe store on 86th Street that would have the perfect pair of shoes. In fact, I had seen them in the window of A.S. Beck shoes. The shopping was close to his house in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn. What a great opportunity, treated to my first pair of high heels. So exotic, the three inch kind, pink, backless, with two straps holding them onto my feet. I loved those shoes. I put them on and pranced back and forth in the store to show them off for my fiancé. He loved them too.  “There’s something about those shoes,” he said. They were sort of like these in the picture, only with two thin straps.

1950’s vintage heels

 

I felt like a peacock showing off his feathers. When we got back, Doc Ingis asked, “How much did they cost?” “Fifteen dollars,” I said proudly, thinking I had made a wise decision. WHAT? . . . “You paid fifteen dollars for two straps, why? How could you make sense of that?” Naturally, the tears rolled down my cheeks. Although, I did keep them, I did. But I never forgot his reaction and his words from this usually kind and generous man. I’m sure that experience influenced my shoe shopping habit today. I love my shoes, no matter the cost.

I have two weddings coming up for grandsons’ and their ladies. Excuse to buy new shoes! The first wedding is on top of a mountain, we get there by cable car, and that’s where the ceremony takes place. Then later in the Ingis backyard, all set up for a wedding celebration. Buying these shoes had almost a near-supernatural effect, like updating a fab fashion outfit from last year.

Wedding 1 Non-traditional on the mountain and in the backyard. I’m wearing black silk culottes and a white silk sheer blouse.

 

Trust Leave it  Science has an answer to that supernatural effect: Turns out, we’ve always been wired for shoe lust, even when the going gets tough. I had to have these, I immediately got taller and thinner, and can almost look into Tom’s eyes, rather than looking up. Well, almost. However, although I’m practicing, I may still need to hold his arm to walk in these stilts.

Wedding 2 Traditional in a hall and wearing a gown.

Here’s some facts about Apparel and shoes:

First of all, there’s some serious mood-boosting going on when you try on any kind of apparel. “The neurotransmitter dopamine is released, providing a feel-good high, similar to taking a drug,” says Martin Lindstrom, a branding expert for Fortune 100 companies and author of Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy. “The dopamine increases until you swipe your debit card.” Usually, the high then flatlines, and guilt starts creeping in…except, that is, when the item you’re purchasing is a pair of shoes. Shoppers rationalize shoes as a practical buy — something they can wear multiple times a week — so they hold on to that pleasurable feeling longer,” says Lindstrom.

But it’s not just dopamine at work. Shoes’ mood-altering traits also come from another brain reaction, says Lindstrom. Buying new footwear stimulates an area of the brain’s prefrontal cortex termed the collecting spot. “Shoes are a collector’s item, whether women realize they perceive them that way or not,” says Suzanne Ferriss, PhD, editor of Footnotes: On Shoes. Just think of how they’re often stored artfully on shoe trees and shelves. “They’re like sculptures,” says Ferriss. As a result, collecting each type provides a mini-adrenaline rush similar to the satisfaction a stamp collector gets when he acquires a rare find.

All those wonderful feelings are intensified when you choose high heels…but again, it’s biology, not Jimmy Choo, at work. “Like most animals, we’re wired to associate height with power,” says Helen Fisher, PhD, professor of anthropology at Rutgers University. “High heels can literally raise your status because you’re taller when you wear them.”

Heels carry historical significance as well, adding to their appeal. In previous centuries, only the wealthy wore high heels — everyone else had practical footwear to do manual labor. “Shoes were a measure of class,” says Fisher, “and we still have a bit of that mind-set ingrained in us.”

Now go even higher — to stilettos — and another element rears its head: sex. Stilettos are undoubtedly foxy, but why, exactly? “When a woman wears them, she assumes a primal mating pose called lordosis,” says Fisher. “Her butt lifts, and her back arches.”

But there’s more to it than how hot your bum looks. According to Daniel Amen, MD, author of The Brain in Love, our minds are structured in a way that may associate feet with sex. “The area of the brain that communicates with the genitals is right next to the area that deals with the feet,” says Dr. Amen. “These regions share neural crosstalk, which may be

why shoes can be erotic.” And we thought it was just our lust for high style.

Some of this info is from http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/advice/a3331/women-love-shoes/

Did you know about the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto?

The Bata Shoe Museum is a footwear museum in downtown Toronto, Canada, located at Bloor St. and St George St. in the Bloor St. Culture Corridor. The museum collects, researches, preserves, and exhibits footwear from around the world.

Indigo Sky for the reader who enjoys historical romance! @AmazonKindle http://amzn.to/2nWqbcq Indigo Sky available on Amazon buy link: http://amzn.to/2j0LXLE
Author page: http://amzn.to/1K4GVQA

ROMANCE WRITER’S OF AMERICA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2017 ORLANDO, FL

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Annual Conference

Gail Ingis (using Beautycounter products)

July 26-29, 2017 Workshops, mentors, pitching editors, publishers and more:

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

Join 2,000 romance writers and industry professionals from all over the world for RWA2017 in Orlando, Florida, July 26–29, at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort. The four-day conference features nationally recognized speakers, special events, and more than 100 workshops.

Education and information
Networking with fellow writers
Interaction with editors, agents, publishers, booksellers and other romance industry professionals
“Readers For Life” Literacy Autographing event
Featured speakers

RWA2017 CONFERENCE INFO

Registration
Cancellations
Scholarships
Hotel & Travel
Featured Speakers
Schedule of Events
Workshops
Librarians Day
Literacy Autographing Event
Editor/Agent Appointments
Promotional Opportunities
Volunteering
Sponsorship Opportunities
Trade Show

GENERAL CONFERENCE INFO

Conference FAQs
Qualifying Markets
Future Conferences
Harassment Policy
How RWA Selects Conference Hotels

WORKSHOP PROPOSALS

Click here to submit a workshop proposal. The deadline to submit is November 15, 2016.

CHAPTER CONTESTS, CONFERENCES

AND EVENTS

Local RWA chapers offer a number of conferences, contests, and workshops.  Click below to see the schedule for the coming months.

Contests
Conferences
Online Workshops
Find a local or online chapter

CONFERENCE WRAP-UP

Purchase Audio Recordings (Member Only)
Photos from conference
Video from Conference

CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort
Orlando, Florida
July 26–29, 2017

The RWA Conference is the place where career-focused romance writers meet, mingle, and get down to the business of being an author. RWA2017 includes over 100 workshops, the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing (open to the public); Keynote and featured speakers, book signings, and the RITA and Golden Heart Awards Ceremony.

WHO WILL YOU MEET AT RWA2017?

Maria Connor, my Author Assistant

Here are just a few statistics from past conferences:

Over 20 countries represented
More than 800 published authors
Over 50 agents
An average of 150 industry professionals

https://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=1691

Literacy signing on Saturday, July 29th from 3-5 pm. I’ll be there, with hundreds of authors and Maria Connor, so please stop by. Say hi, and buy my book to help support the Literacy organization. We all donate our books and our time.

Indigo Sky for the reader who enjoys historical romance! @AmazonKindle http://amzn.to/2nWqbcq Indigo Sky available on Amazon buy link: http://amzn.to/2j0LXLE
Author page: http://amzn.to/1K4GVQA

WE’RE IN THE NAVY NOW!

Tom, Gail and Ed

We’re in the Navy (Army) now, a 1940’s song. That’s the tune our walking partner had to be singing. Ed has been walking everyday since forever, says he. Maybe sixty years, He’s 92 now, if he’s a day. Ed is in good shape, we figure cause he’s had the walking habit. Sort of like the postman, in the rain, the snow, freezing or hot, hot, hot. Ed walks. I have been walking with him for over ten of those years, maybe longer, then finally Tom took over, now he walks with Ed. And I do too when there’s time. I still get in my walking though, earlier and faster. Turns out he never finished high school, but went into the Navy instead. It was good, he was in a construction brigade man. He actually was in charge of accepting anything that was shipped to the boat, like ammunition. Once there was an explosion, he escaped, but many died. Ed served well during World War II, but he never saw any fighting.

WWII Seabees

The first Seabees (from Construction Battalions) were recruited by the United States Navy during World War II. They were skilled construction workers whose task was to assist in building naval bases in the theatres of war. In all, 325,000 men served as Seabees during the war.

The first three Naval Construction Battalions were formed in March 1942 by Admiral Ben Moreell, under the command of the Civil Engineer Corps. Enlistment was voluntary until December 1942, when the Selective Service System became responsible for recruitment. After basic training, including combat training, most members of newly formed battalions were sent to one of two Advanced Base Depots at Davisville, Rhode Island or Port Hueneme, California for advanced training before being shipped to an overseas assignment. Between tours of duty units would return to the Recuperation and Replacement Center at Camp Parks, California. As numbers grew the battalions were formed into regiments, the regiments into brigades, and brigades into a naval construction force for each theater of war. Special Construction Battalions and construction battalion detachments were also formed, containing men with specific construction skills. Eventually 190 battalions were created, in addition to detachments and maintenance units.

During World War II the Seabees constructed over 400 advanced bases, in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. In the Atlantic their work helped to protect the Panama Canal and Atlantic convoys, and to support operations in North Africa, Sicily, and mainland Italy, and the D-Day landings and subsequently in Western Europe, especially the crossing of the Rhine. In the Pacific, where 80% of Seabees were deployed, they built advanced bases to defend the Aleutian Islands and to support American advances in the South Pacific – starting from the Society Islands – and in the Central Pacific, starting from the Gilberts, Marshalls, Carolines, and Marianas. The Pacific war often found the Seabees in close support of invasion forces, taking part in unloading supplies, and quickly constructing or restoring harbours, airstrips and other facilities on newly captured islands. Their role in such operations as the invasion of Okinawa.

 

HISTORY IMAGINED: Hank Dempsey, Villain

Hank Dempsey (Villain)

The antagonist featured in Indigo Sky pens the driving force of his addictions

After realizing his need for drugs, alcohol and money was all he cared about, Hank Dempsey tried to run, but trouble met him at each juncture. His birth, life and death reveal his path of destruction. Addictions controlled his life. Part of my book is loosely based on the real life of Fitz Hugh Ludlow, syndicated columnist, lawyer, art critic and addict.

GI: Where did you grow up and who loved you?

HD: Dubbed Hank Dempsey when I was born on September 11, 1836, in New York City, I was the pride and joy of my father, Reverend Henry Dempsey, abolitionist and my mother Abbey Wells Dempsey. At six-years old, father considered me a bright boy because I had learned to read almost without help.

GI: What influence did your birth family have on you?

 HD: My father was an outspoken abolitionist minister at a time when anti-slavery enthusiasm was not popular, even in the urban North. Father was also a ticket-agent on the Underground Railroad where escaped slaves were safely transported to safe cities. The moral lessons learned at home were principles hard to maintain among my peers, especially when expressed with my father’s exuberance.

GI: How do you feel about your family, and your father who defies most of societies attitudes about slavery?

HD: I tried my hand at haranguing a multitude upon the subject of Freedom, with as little success as most apostles, and with only less than their crowd of martyrdom, because, though small boys are more malicious than men, they cannot hit so hard. These experiences inspired me to write about the ‘truth’ of freedom. Mother was ill for years and died when a few months after my twelfth birthday. My mother’s suffering may have brought out in me an obsession with mortality. She seemed to have an indescribable dread of death, as of the dying itself. Mother had an appalling sense of the fearful struggle, which separates the soul from the body. 

GI: Where did you get schooled?

My literary skills followed me into the Poughkeepsie Collegiate School where I had my debut as editor of the College Hill Mercury, a student publication that showed my creative literary bent at the age of fourteen. I was expelled for insubordination and eventually ended up in Union College, Schenectady, New York. I took some intensive courses in medicine. And in 1857, I had been an anesthesiologist during minor surgery and remember being asked by surgeons for my opinions on the actions of various courses of anesthesia. There, having been asked by the University President, Rev. Nott, to write a song for the commencement ceremony of the 1856 class, I wrote the Song to Old Union. I understand they still sing that song.

GI: What is your favorite occupation?

HD: Writing. I am known as an American author, journalist, and explorer; best known for my autobiographical book that I wrote in 1857, The Hasheesh Eater. I was also the author of many works of short fiction, essays, science reporting and art criticism.

GI: How did you meet your wife?

Leila Osborn Dempsey

HD: Leila and I met at the Catskill Mountain House, in the New York Mountains, when she was only seventeen. In the woods one day, she passed by my group and stopped to listen to the stories I was telling. I said that this was only for children, but the kids hollered to let her stay. Afterwards, I walked her back to the hotel, and found her charming. I pursued a relationship. When I discovered that she had a dowry, and that her father would give her an allowance a husband would handle, I asked her to marry me. I thought my love for her was real, but after thinking it through, it was the money motivation that drew me in, not her beauty. Although I made a good living with my syndicated column, her allowance gave me more luxuries than I could afford on my salary. I depended on that extra money for my busy life and excesses.

What are your excesses?

HD: Already plagued by a history of frailty and ill health, I self-administered one or another treatment of drugs regularly used for relief of pain and various other symptoms. My curiosity, if not my health, was nurtured by these treatments.  It was my friendship with Mr. Anderson of the Poughkeepsie Apothecary that opened the door to active experimentation with a variety of drugs, not for cure but for exploration. But he warned me of the dangers, and to prove it, he showed me one bottle with a skull and cross-bones. He emphasized not to play around with these poisons, that they could kill me. With a disregard to my own safety, I made upon myself the trial of the effects of every strange drug and chemical that the laboratory could produce. Mr. Anderson had no idea of my obsessive behavior. Drugs and alcohol lured me. Time seemed endless, when it was only a fleeting thirty-seconds. I sensed the knowing nods of my audience, who judged that I had merely underestimated the lure. The memory wooed me continually like an irresistible sorceress, as did the occasional drink of alcohol with women of the night. Then with the ingestion of the drugs all became habitual. I shared with my school buddies by supplying them with these horrendous so-called medicines. My friends unwittingly migrated to me like swans to water.

  GI: Who are your best friends?

HD: I thought my best friend was Rork Millburn. He invited me to join him to go across the country to Yosemite. The plan was for me to journal our adventures while he gathered resource material to create paintings when back home in his studio. We were vacationing at the Catskill Mountain House, in the mountains of New York, to rest up for the trip. When we got to the Mountain House, Leila went out for a walk alone. Rork was out painting and heard her scream. He ran to her aid, and saved her from drowning. From that moment on he was infatuated with her. He had no idea who she was.

GI: What did Rork do once he discovered Leila was your wife?

HD: I introduced Rork and Leila before dinner that evening. Then I found out that Rork apologized to Leila if he had done anything offensive when he pulled her from the water. Rork knew I had a drug and drinking problem, and also knew of my relationship with my lady friend, Sissy Lanweihr. Unknown to Leila and Rork, I invited her to the Mountain House. At dinner, Rork was appalled at my blatant flirting with Sissy. His final stamp of disapproval came when I was verbally abusive to Leila. As drugs and drinking took an increasing toll on my life, Leila turned to Rork for comfort. Rork encouraged Leila to divorce me.

GI: When and where were you happiest?

HD: I can’t remember when I was ever happy. Maybe when I was a boy, but I was always in trouble at school. The only friends I had were the druggies, and crazy like me. Maybe when Leila and I married, I could have been happy, but alas, unfortunately for me, I could not give up my habits and addictions.

GI: Do you pay someone back for hurting you, or getting in your way?

HD: I did just that. I shot Rork when he was out for a morning stroll on our visit in New York City, and left him for dead. But he lived. Leila then had compassion for him. It didn’t do much good to shoot him and commit a crime that would destroy my marriage and perhaps even get me hung. That’s when Leila put an ad in the paper requesting a divorce. My lady friend, Sissy, was waiting for me at the St Nicolas Hotel. I sent for her, and we ran. On our way to St Joseph for supplies, we bumped into Rork and Leila at the home of Rork’s friend, Alex Major, who was an acquaintance of mine. When Rork and I argued and got into a scuttle, I pulled out my gun. Alex shot me. As I lay on the ground, Alex said, “It’s only a shoulder wound, we’ll get it fixed up.” Leila had asked me to sign the divorce papers. I begged Leila not to divorce me and screamed at Sissy, who had began to whine and holler about my getting shot, to get out of my life. I said that I my first loved Leila and if I could make a choice today, I would choose Leila. Sissy shot me in the face . . . dead.

Author’s Notes:

My book, Indigo Sky, is a story loosely based on the love affair of 19th century Hudson River artist, Albert Bierstadt & debutante Rosalie Osborn Ludlow, wife of syndicated journalist, lawyer, critic, womanizer, alcohol and drug addict, Fitz Hugh Ludlow, who died at the age of thirty-four from drug abuse and tuberculosis. Albert & Rosalie married, they never had children. Rosalie died a few years later from tuberculosis.

Albert Bierstadt worked on immense paintings of the landscapes he had sketched in the new West. One of his masterpieces is his “Domes of Yosemite.” 10 feet high by 15 feet wide. Originally commissioned for $25,000 by LeGrand Lockwood for his country home in Norwalk, CT. The painting was sold when Mr. Lockwood died and his home was mortgaged, his wife sold the painting to a New York Auction gallery for $5100, then sold to Horace Fairbanks for $5000 who trucked the painting to his home and business (Platform Scale) and built a gallery for the work. The painting was hung in the gallery of the St Johnsbury Athenaeum, Vermont in the rear of the building of the library.

Domes of Yosemite Oil by 19th century Hudson River painter, Albert Bierstadt (who is known as Rork Millburn in Indigo Sky) 10feet x15 feet wide

Domes of Yosemite 4×5 feet oil

 

 

 

 

 

Indigo Sky Trailer: Preview YouTube video I#36491CE

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NEVER LOST, NEVER BORED, NO NOT ME!

Guess where I’ve been?

This is a blog about beauty, buildings, dance, décor, design, dogs, food, graphics, health, history, makeup, music, style, writing! You name it.

Mixed tulips, my fav

 

 

So, guess what? I’m never lost, about what in the world to write for my blog. Except, after I took Jane Friedman’s workshop on writing blogs, I thought that focusing on one subject would be a great way to grow my readership, get some comments other than spam. I did that for a couple of weeks and realized that there’s no way I would have fun anymore. I love writing my blog. Why? Because I have had a lifetime of fun. Like dating, marriage, babies, grandchildren, school, interior design, architecture, oops, you are probably bored, really who cares what my fun has been. But, no not me, never lost, never bored.

Yup, I did that too! Danced on roller skates at Park Circle Roller Rink that was located on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. Oh that organist played some pretty cool dance music.

There’s more, like roller skating and dancing on those wheels. Like ballroom dancing on my own wheels. You’ve all seen that picture when I won a dance competition last November at Foxwoods, right? Like gourmet cooking and baking fancy cakes and cookies, you should taste my lasagna.

Ronnie’s Bagels, Hillsdale, NJ My watercolor. Hubby Tom and daughter Linda are sitting on the bench.

Like painting in watercolor and oil, like writing a book, and then writing more of them, like beautiful choirs at church, like helping young couples to fix up their houses. Like working with architects designing buildings, like learning, like teaching and sharing, like car trips, like going on safaris in Africa.

Happy elephant under that waterfall

Like walking through Antonio Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia Church and his wicked buildings and apartments in Barcelona with dragons on the roof, or Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion. Like the tulips in Holland, so beautiful and on every street corner for a thimble full of change. Like walking across that Bridge Ponte-Vecchio in Florence, Italy, and be dazzled by the jewels in every little boutique. Like springtime in Paris and Monmarte with artists everywhere.

Bison on the road in Yellowstone . . .

This email message and bison photo came from our son Todd Claus and family who were on a car/trailer trip:  “Thought I’d share some pics of the bison we ran into in Yellowstone when exiting the park late (9:30-ish) one night. We sat parked for about 8-9 minutes while this herd of probably 300+ Bison took over the road on their way to somewhere! As they passed and we took pics, we also laughed like little kids at the sight- just amazing creatures. We were so lucky to have this experience, could have reached out and touched several, they were that close.”

Springtime in Paris