Hollywood Stories – Be Part of a Great Film

The Blissful Adventurer - Hollywood Stories

With This Ring

Hollywood Stories are made from extraordinary circumstances. Writer/Director Greg Bowyer, an 18 year Hollywood Production Professional is seeking backers to join him in making a hilarious romantic comedy. I know Greg personally and he is unquestionably one of Hollywood’s brightest minds and this beautifully developed story blew me away when I heard the synopsis. Original, compelling, and riotously funny, With This Ring  is a romantic comedy about Jacqueline, a newly-licensed surgeon, who loses her engagement ring inside Brad, the notorious “all-destroyer” malpractice attorney.

Panicked by the threat of a career-ending lawsuit, Jacqueline decides it’s better to trick Brad back into surgery than tell him the truth.  But since Brad has major trust issues when it comes to doctors — and women — getting him back on the table seems hopeless.  Desperate, Jacqueline turns to seduction but soon finds herself caught between her fiance, her career, and her new love.

With This Ring (kickstarter link) will star the incomparable Joe Mantegna and is scheduled for production this year and release next year. You have a real chance to be part of funding this wonderful project. The project needs $100,000.00 to be fully funded by May 19 of this year. Each contribution will fund the very best talent for this project and set the movie in motion for box office stardom.

I encourage anyone who has ever wanted to be part of a Hollywood production to consider making a donation from $1 up to $10,0000.00. I want to see this movie in theaters and I am confident you all will as well. Let’s help Greg set this ship in motion.

Click Here to Pledge and be part of With This Ring!

Cheers!

Michael

Happy Anniversary Juliet – Four Years on the Path

The Blissful Adventurer - Anniversary

An Infinite Path (Photo by Loren J Root)

I like tradition. I like it when it evolves from something so simple and becomes its own existence. Writing to you Juliet on significant dates has become my cherished tradition. In this act of sharing with the world my unceasing love for you I find keys to understanding my own existence. I discover new elements of you and me that were not there only an occasion before now. What is this four years together? What is the significance of the constructs we hold closely as if they are inalienable? Why do I sound like the narrator from a Terence Malick film when I wax philosophical? I am not sure I can answer any of these questions, so I will share some insight into us and let the world decide who we are. [Read more...]

iPhone Puglia Vacation – Join Me!

The Blissful Adventurer - iPhone and Puglia

The Iconic Trulli Cones of Puglia

The iPhone Puglia is an 8 day – 7 Night Journey with me, The Blissful Adventurer, and iPhone Photography Icon  Sam Krisch to the must-see region of Puglia, Italy. From October 22-29 of 2013 an intimate group of passionate travelers will experience the most authentic journey into the heart of Southern Italy. Equipped with iPhones, passion, and lots of local wine, we will document one of the last remaining realms of traditional Italian living. Southern Visions Travel, the most authentic operator in the region will be managing every detail for us on this trip, and trust me, they are the absolute best in the business [Read more...]

Twenty Five 25 Word Travel Essays

Travel Photos - The Blissful Adventurer

Maroon Bells, CO

Twenty Five 25 Word Travel Essays is a quick link to the very cool-

TRAVELING ALONE: 25 Very Very Short Stories  (click this link to read)

I am # 25 and I encourage you to read them all before you get to mine. Also, please subscribe to the wonderful Your Life is a Trip experiential travel blog. I am a regular contributor.

Cheers,

Michael

Italy Images – iPhone 5 Editing Tutorial

The Blissful Adventurer - Italy

A Solitary Vineyard Near Marsala

Italy Images – iPhone 5 Editing Tutorial is a sampling of my recent work editing standard DSLR images using only my iPhone 5. I am very excited about the quality and style of these photos and I want to share with you today some details on how and why I edit as I do. [Read more...]

Italy Rules – Expanded

The Blissful Adventurer - Michael Housewright

Spaghetti with Clams – Le Marche

What a wonderful and sometimes intense set of responses from my previous post – The Italy Rules. I want to take a little time today to expand and expound on some of my thoughts and provide further insight into traveling in Italy.

1. Italy Guides – Here is my short list of who I would travel with and why in Italy.

  • The Rome Digest - This new and wonderful consortium of talented Rome guides includes my dear friend Katie Parla, who is my champion of all things Roman (pork, gelato, beer, wine, art, history, and life) If you are going to spend time in Rome, and you should, let the Rome digest draw a map for you
  • VeniceRow Venice Nan McIlroy is one of the most knowledgeable people in Italy regarding living life, eating well, and getting out on the water. Don’t pay 200 euro for a snooze on a gondola. Pay less and get out there and learn to do it yourself. Easily one of the greatest experiences I have ever had in Italy
  • TuscanyJudy Francini will cook with you and teach you what it means to truly experience life in Tuscany. Reach out to her. She has been cooking successfully for her Italian husband for years. She will teach you how to impress anyone.
  • Puglia – this is a bit biased but I can vouch for the unbeatable quality of Southern Visions Travel. Antonello Losito leads this superior company leading the most authentic excursions into Italy’s tastiest region. From 1 day to 1 month, these guys are amazing
  • Le MarcheMariano Pallottini - the best guides are sometimes not guides. For this truly under-the-radar region no one can show visitors the ropes like Mariano. Please tell him I sent you.
  • Travel for Teens - If you would like to send your son or daughter on one of the most amazing experiences to be had. I strongly suggest using Travel for Teens. Managed and operated by a group of passionate, intelligent, and experienced men and women, TFT is the leader in volunteer and cultural travel in Italy for students. Ask for Ned or Nick and your young adult will be blown away
  • For other Italian regions I have friends of friends and would be happy to do some research for you [Read more...]

The Italy Rules

Sicily - The Blissful Adventurer

Cathedral – Mazzara del Valo

The Italy Rules are my set of guidelines for the first-time and infrequent Italy traveler. I have traveled to, lived, and worked in Italy frequently over the past 20 years. In this time I evolved from a curious tourist to hardened, salty veteran of the trials, travails, and pitfalls of one of the world’s most visited countries. One usually dreams of Italy for years before finally setting their foot into the proverbial boot. The dream usually crashes in much less time. This post is really for the traveler who has not been deep into the Amazon or climbed to base camps in Nepal. This post is for those of you who enjoy modern conveniences, large bathrooms, and the amenities of a comfortable Western life. For the most part, I am you. I love my big bed, my central heat and air, and my very fast wi-fi connection. However, Italy is reason enough for me forego these luxuries for a few weeks or months out of every year. [Read more...]

Lost Images of Turin, Italy

The Blissful Adventurer - Turin

View from the Church Steps – Turin.

Lost Images of Turin, Italy

I made my first trip to Turin, Italy in August of 2010. I was simply blown away by the architectural influence of the French Savoy family. However, like most of Italy in August, the city was practically deserted. The empty streets along with the general resignation on the faces of the locals, during this holiday month, gave one of Europe’s richest cities an eerie and sickly feel.

The Blissful Adventurer - Torino, Italy

A haunting bridge over the Po.

I love the ghostly light emanating from the center tunnel in this image. This one ray of sunshine seemed to encapsulate the spirit of this very challenging summer in Italy. [Read more...]

Life Not Always a Beach in San Francisco

The Blissful Adventurer - San Francisco

Some Days Life is Not a Leisurely Stroll

The San Francisco bay area is considered to be one of the most dynamic, fascinating, and beautiful places to live on the planet. 99 days out of 100 I agree wholeheartedly, and enjoy my walks, drives, thoughts, meals, and discoveries. The one day out of 100 that goes south, usually goes straight to hell. [Read more...]

New Social Media Outlets for The Blissful Adventurer

The Blissful Adventurer - New Work

A Room with a View

Old Canon Powershot – Snapseed – Glaze – Vintage FX – Image Blender

Readers, at long last I have the occasion to post again. I want to take a few moments today and introduce you all to some new social media outlets for The Blissful Adventurer.

First of all, I want to say that Instagram is a tremendous creative outlet for me and my photography. I use it as a photo lab to experiment with new techniques and ideas. I post DSLR and iPhone images alike to my Instagram gallery, and I encourage all of you who love photography to dive into the app and follow my work. I know many of you are already there, so please let me know if I have missed you and I will begin to follow you immediately.

I also want to introduce you to a new website for experiential travel writing called Your Life as a Trip . I will be a contributing writer for this wonderful publication and my first piece comes out on April 9. Please take a look at the site and enjoy the many talented writers who contribute to this wonderful site. I will be posting here to my blog everyday prior to April 9 in hopes that we get a big push for my initial outing with Your Life as a Trip . [Read more...]