Abstract Paintings and Adventure in Mexico

In this post I'll show you some of Harry's abstract paintings. Why am I doing this on my romance after 50 blog? Well, Harry will turn 81 this June. He is still painting and blogging and is constantly romancing me with delicious dinners. We go to our favorite restaurants and then we try some new ones. In Sawyer where he lives, there always seems to be a new eatery opening somewhere nearby.

I'm also the envy of some of my girlfriends and many sales women. Harry actually likes to go shopping with me and loves to buy me shoes, preferably sexy high heels which fortunately I can still wear. I'll have to take a photo of the latest ones: a pair of Nine West bright red shoes with three inch heels and another pair of hot pink three inch heels plus a matching purse. The only problem is that today we don't seem to dress up quite as much as we used to do. Almost everyone is casual wearing flat heeled shoes. When I drive I do wear flats but I am determined to wear a pair of my many heels even with my more casual dress when we go out.


Now, back to Harry. Here are two of his abstract paintings. Many of them are on display at the Port 412 in St. Joseph, MI. And WOW, do they make a difference in how the restaurant looks! There are also a some paintings at the Craig Smith Gallery in Harbert, Mi, near Sawyer. It is on the Red Arrow Highway in southwest Michigan.

His gallery in Mexico, The Loft, is interested in having some abstracts as well. When we were there recently we had lunch with John Strawn, the owner on the left with Harry on the right. Harry and I both became fond of having a mango daquiri with our lunch. Actually Harry preferred a margarita. If you want to slow down, try a vacation in Mexico. Those with A personalities have a difficult time adjusting and should never even consider staying there for any length of time.

Usually Harry and I try to go on the fabulous house tours sponsored by the International Friendship club with the proceeds going to help children with cleft palates. This time we both felt we were really burned out. We also discovered that we were really out of shape. Every time we'd think about going for a walk, we'd end up falling asleep! Almost a week passed by before we started walking on the beach or even downtown Puerto Vallarta. Fortunately or unfortunately our favorite shop, VIVA, no longer exists so our shopping was at a minimum. I did however find a couple of inexpensive dresses at the Fiesta Americana hotel where we usually stay. I had packed my summer clothes that I had worn last year without trying them on and found to my dismay, I had gained weight. These dresses were quite plain, lovely colors, and could be changed with jewelry. My daughter said the dress makes me look huge, but the gauze material was cool and flowed as I walked. I had brought a pair of turquoise heels with me which matched perfectly. The necklace and earrings I also purchased at the hotel boutique. They are made from bone and are much lighter than turquoise gemstone. I've received numerous compliments on the jewelry when I wear it here in Michigan. Harry is in the middle of the photo along with my longtime friend Pamela. We are at Trio, one of our favorite restaurants in Puerto Vallarta. It's become a tradition for the three of us to dine there on every trip.

That's it for now. For more chit chat about our trip to Mexico, check out my other blog, theromancegame.blogspot.com or simply click it on from the links on the right side. Thanks for stopping by and have a super day. I'll have more of adventures in the near future. Let me know what you would like to read about or how you like this blog by leaving a comment which you can click on at the bottom.

Harry Borgman, fine artist, and my internet romance

I've been introducing you to Harry Borgman, the lively artist I met on the internet four years ago. We're now into our fifth year of dating! Wow. And we've just returned from a wonderful visit to Puerto Vallarta where we try to go every year. We almost didn't vacation there this year because of the state of the economy and what it has done to our retirement savings. Then we checked out the Orbitz travel site and found that both air and hotel were approximately half price. How could we resist. I eventually called Orbitz to get more information about the hotel room which we wanted to upgrade plus we were awarded a $200 coupon. We also saved about $500 by leaving town on a 5:30 a.m. plane but we probably would not do that again. It takes a couple days to get over exhaustion. On the plus side by 1 p.m. we were having lunch at our favorite table next to the beach at the Fiesta American.

I'll write more about this trip with photos on my other blog, theromancegame.blogspot.com, (or you can simply click the link listed on the upper right of this page). Now I want to introduce you to more of Harry's art. He is one of the most versatile artists around. By the way his art work will be on display at a restaurant, Port 412, on State St.in St. Joseph, MI, Sunday, April 19, 2-5 p.m., there is a special opening for the show. It's also a charity event with tickets for $35 which will buy you two cocktails and numerous hors d'oeurves. Part of the proceeds will be going to the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor.

While in Puerto Vallarta we visited the gallary "The Loft", where some of Harry's artwork may be seen. John, the owner, has requested Harry send him a few of his abstract paintings. I'll let you know when they will be on display later this year.

Harry's paintings and sculptures have been exhibited in galleries in New York, Chicago, Detriot and Harbor County as well as in Paris, France where he lived for several years. His graphic designs have been featured in magazines and television by advertising agencies around the world. He was art director on the Chevrolet account at the Campbell Ewald Agency but decided he enjoyed the hands on work of art design and fine art more. He has just recently designed a medallion for the Corvair Club celebrating the 50th year since GM first made the car.

Following is another art medium he has developed over the past few years. These are digital designs which have attracted much attention and are some of my favorite pieces of art.

















These designs can be reproduced in other colors so are perfect for interior decorating. These are only two of many.

















Harry is also an outstanding photographer. His photos of a small beach on Lake Michigan are not only beautiful for their variety, but amazing as they were all taken in the same area but look totally different with a vast number of subtle colors. Of course all these digital paintings and photographs are available. For further information contact me by leaving a comment with you email at the end of this blog or by linking to his blogs. There are still more samples of his art work to come. It's amazing what and who you can find on the internet! Your pal Gloria

Artists Are Romantic, too! Harry and Gloria in Puerto Vallarta.

After we turn 50, romance seems more elusive than ever. The question I was asked most often during the years I published "Choices, for the Rest of Your Life" was "How do I meet a new love?" I had been a widow for over 23 years at the time and was curious myself. I was reasonably prominent in my town but still the choice of men seemed limited. Thus, the reason I wrote my book 50 WAYS TO FIND ROMANCE AFTER 50. I decided to go to the horse's mouth, so to speak, and interviewed over 50 couples over 50 who had met and married or developed a committed relationship after they had turned 50. One of the ways a couple in my book met was on the internet. At the time that I started the book there were limited options of sites on which to meet. As I was giving many talks around the area after my book was published, I decided to see what was happening in the cyber world.

I was astonished to find that now there is a special site for almost everyone. If you like dogs, there's a site. Or cats. Or a special religion. Or your favorite hobby. Even one for your special chemistry. I met Harry, a recent widower, on one of the more traditional sites and liked that he was holding one of his cats in his photo. After many emails we established that we had similar likes and similar lifestyles. It wasn't long before we were on our way to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I had had a client there for many years for whom I published a newsletter and he and his late wife had enjoyed vacationing there. We even were fond of the same hotel, the Fiesta Americana. One of his daughters' asked if he really wanted to go with a strange woman (me). My daughter told me to have fun. We went and have been vacationing there ever since. Harry has some of his paintings in a gallery there as well as friends from his ad agency days. I always look forward to visiting my friend Pamela who own Rancho el Charro (see links for her website). We always go horseback riding on one of her 32 horses at least once while Harry strolls around the small village where her ranch is located. We also look forward to sampling the many wonderful restaurants there. Harry also suggests good subjects for me to photograph and I have sold several from my series on "Portos of Mexico" at the Scarlet Macaw Gallery in Sawyer, MI. I'll include a couple of my photos in a future blog. Incidentally, all the books and artwork shown on these blogs are also available for purchase. Just leave a note in the comments area which you can access at the end of this post.

Here a fun photo and a couple of Harry's watercolors of Puerto Vallarta. In the next blog I'll share with you some of his abstract paintings and digital art. And his watercolors:

Harry Borgman, artist and lover continued

In the last blog I gave you a sampling of Harry's work. He is inspirational to many as his talents embrace a multitude of mediums, a plethora of subjects both traditional, comic and strange. Mad Magazine has bought his ideas; Sick Magazine has featured both his art and writings. His paintings and sculptures have been exhibited in galleries in New York, Chicago, Detriot, and Harbor County as well as in Paris, France where he lived for several years. His graphic designs have been featured in magazines and television by advertising agencies around the world. He was art director on the Chevrolet account at the Campbell Ewald Agency. He eventually turned down offers to work in the lucrative field of art direction so that he could continue the hands on work of art design and fine art.

This prolific artist has extended his talents to writing numerous books about traditional, digital, and mixed media techniques. Early in his career he taught at the Center for Creative Studies in Detriot, Michigan and now occasionally teaches art seminars. As we saw in the previous blog, he also enjoys designing controversial posters with universal truths. I'm including some of his humorous work and a couple of his more recent books. In my next post I'll tell you a little about our romance as we visit Puerto Vallarta and include some of his wonderful watercolor paintings and fun photos. Have a super day!And of course he loves his cats. Here's one of a series of cartoons featuring Tiff, Jpeg, and Laura.
Harry has written several books, many of which have been used in art classes over the years. He often receives an email from an art student who used his books in school. His later books include digital work and humor about the art world.

Harry Borgman, Artist, Young & Vital at 80!

To all my friends reading this blog, late Happy Valentine's Day! While I was able to write a new post on my other blog about chocolate, my energy faded too soon. Should have eaten more chocolate!

One of the best examples of "Romance after 50" is my own continuing love story with Harry Borgman, an artist, whom I met on the internet four years ago. The details of our meeting I've provided on an earlier post. This blog is about Harry and his prodigious talent. Although he is now 80, I am constantly amazed at the artwork that he is still producing. Like the energizer bunny, he just keeps going.

If you are at all discouraged because you feel that your age is a handicap, that your creative muse has fled, and that you are just too old to achieve anything anymore, than you need to read about Harry and see the striking variety of art that he has created just since I have known him. In a later post I will include other work which he painted, designed, and sculpted earlier. For a more complete array of examples, you should check out both of his blogs. Links to them are on the upper right hand corner of this page. Incidentally, all of his work can be purchased.

POSTERS:























Obviously he likes to design both the
serious and the humorous.


















He has dozens of different style posters. Another type that he designs is for his gallery near Sawyer, MI, when a new show is introduced.









Then there's the fun poster that he created to show the adventures that we've had in Mexico.















Or there's this one using a photo of me from a much earlier trip to Puerto Vallarta








Well, that's about all for today. In the next installment I'll include more of his work including some digital designs, his watercolors, and even some cartoons. Before I leave, one last photo of Harry's cat Tiff which says it all:

Computer Problems, Have Patience

Hi dear friends,

I'm experiencing a serious problem with my hard drive. As long as I can post I will, but if you don't see a new column for several days, please have patience. I'll be back. Hopefully, I'll write one more before it fails me completely. I had it diagnosed at the genius bar at the Apple Store and there is a problem which needs to be fixed.

If all goes well, I'll post a new column in the next couple days. If not, I'll be back in a couple weeks. Thanks for checking in. Gloria

In the meantime, here's a new cartoon by my friend Harry Borgman to give you a chuckle.

Your New Passion, Glamour and Interfering Children

Dear Friends,

While the perception about people over 50 is slowly changing, many younger whippersnappers continue to believe that older people are almost all feeble, lame, losing their marbles, and doomed to live a life filled with doctors' appointments and prescription medicines. This view has been reinforced by many of the ads on TV. If you're over 50, you probably need a diaper or you're constipated!

Certainly the thought that those in the second half of their lives are exciting and glamorous and might find love and passion is quite incomprehensible. In many of the interviews for my book with couples who have found a new love and a new life, I discovered that often their children had tried to discourage their single parent from experiencing the fun and excitement of a burgeoning romance. One woman, the widow of a prominent man, withdrew her story because her children were so unhappy with her new marriage because he wasn't like their father. In another case a son stopped his mother from even having coffee with a male friend because he thought that it wasn't really right at her age. She spent the rest of her life alone and lonely.

Frequently if there was a problem, it was caused by the children. A daughter disapproved of her mother's marriage to an intelligent and most interesting man because he was an agnostic while the mother was a devout Catholic. They agreed not to try to convert the other and married. Their solution solved the problem. In another case the woman was Christian while the fiance was Jewish. That worked out too. After all, the two people involved were not only in love, but mature and able to solve such problems. Sometimes children can really be a pain.

In fact, several of the couples in my book felt that love was better this second time around. This time they were not mating only because of hormones, but they were finding a new partner who actually liked to do the same things as they. One man was finally able to share going to the theatre with his wife, an activity his former spouse had not enjoyed.

Let's face it. There's nothing like being admired and adored. I think as we age we become more aware that we often have to compromise and/or find new solutions. Our way isn't the only way. As our lives grow more harmonious, we can each expand our horizons , be more supportive of each other and consequently share more of our lives together.

Now is your new romance going to take the place of everyone else in your life as happened when we were very young and consumed with lust and love? Probably not. Both the partners now have developed deep relationships with friends whom they are loathe to give up. Nor should they. It's even better if you can merge your friends. I've always found that a party is much more interesting if you have a diverse group. One of the last parties I gave included both conservatives and liberals politically. Quite a stimulating debate developed. I'm not sure I'd have both sides back at the same time, but the by standers had an entertaining time.

That's my blog for the day.

We need more love in the world. If you're over 50, you still may find the love or a new love of your life. How? Read my book, "50 Ways to Find Romance after 50" which you can order from my website.

Gloria