A Summer Evening in Caseville: A Story

Dear Fashion Friend:

It’s another delightful summer evening in Caseville, Michigan. It’s mid-July and family, and friends sit around the campfire talking about Tiger baseball and the upcoming Cheese Burger Festival. Nearby, music lovers assemble at the town’s outdoor stage to enjoy a free concert. After a day of adventure, children bike to the local Dairy Queen for ice cream cones. On the beach, there are those playing volleyball. A gentleman throws around a frisbee for his dog. Teenagers arrive with pizza and soda from Giuseppe’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant. They take out their radio and relish the music of Taylor Swift. A charming summer evening, indeed!

A pensive young woman, who is walking on the beach, just finished her swim. She is wearing a black bikini and a boho cover-up from the lovely world of www.aleyacollections.com. Its floral design is an enchanting one. The colors are a beautiful blend of blue, pink, white, and yellow. A young man, who is sitting park bench and sipping water, is thinking about what to write for his next fashion blog post. Her presence proves to be inspiring. He cannot help but admire her choice of neckpiece and foot bracelet. She is breathtaking. Aphrodite, as beautiful as the love goddess is, would be in awe of her. Our young woman would look exquisite in one of Aleya’s charming collection of cocktail dresses. Or perhaps an evening dress. On his smartphone, the young man begins to take down notes for his next blog entry as he enjoys the view of Lake Huron.

The young woman, however, has a determined look on her face. She has decided to tell her friend how she feels. She gets into her car and drives back to her apartment on Main Street. After a shower and change of clothes, she pours a glass of iced tea and sits down to write a love letter to her friend. Her facial expression, like the one found on the young lady’s face in Gianni Strino's painting La Lettera, is one of honesty and sincerity. “The frankest and freest and privatest product of the human mind and heart,” Mark Twain observed, “is a love letter.”

How will her friend respond? To be continued, dear Fashion Friend.

I hope your visit to www.aleyacollections.com was an enchanting one.

Sincerely,

Gabe xoxo

P.S. 1. This blog post is a combination of autobiography and fiction.

P.S. 2 It’s an honor to share my autobiography with you. I love looking back at my experiences in Britain, Greece, and the United States. I need, however, to clarify something. As you know, I enjoy storytelling about our models for my blog posts here at www.aleyacollections.com. I like to wonder about their lives and what sort of work would they do if they were not modeling. In one case, she was an antique dealer. In another scenario, she owned a boutique. It’s fun to engage in storytelling, and I hope that you – and the beautiful models of www.aleyacollections.com -- have enjoyed my efforts.

In writing up these stories, I also like to mention the names of restaurants found overseas or right here in the United States. If I don’t know the restaurant personally, however, I visit its website and ascertain its potential to be a place for a romantic rendezvous. I look, for example, at its décor, and its menu. If I like what I see, I make a mention of the restaurant in my blog post. Here, then, is a list of the restaurants that I don’t know personally. I provide you with the name of the blog post and the restaurant’s website. Those restaurants that are not on the list are spots that I do know personally.

Here is the list: Blog post: “Summer Evening in Boston.” Restaurant: www.atlanticfish.com.; Blog Post: “Prelude to Summer II.” Restaurant: www.rivercrabbluewaterinn.com.; Blog Post: “Erato’s Spirit.” Restaurant: www.cliffbells.com.; Blog Post: “She Walks in Beauty.” Restaurant: www.ramonfreixamadrid.com/en.; Blog Post: “Lovely Velvet.” Restaurant: www.le-bernardin.com.; Blog Post: “An Evening in Alexandria, Virginia.” Restaurant: www.fishmarketva.com.; Blog Post: “Enchanting!” Restaurant: www.pikeplacechowder.com.; Blog Post: “Thoughts on Fashion, Friends, and St. Valentine’s Day.” Restaurant: www.blueacreseafood.com.; Blog Post: “Lace and St. Valentine’s Day.” Restaurant: www.daandreanyc.com.; Blog Post: “Cupid and Lunch Dates.” Restaurant: www.paperstationbistro.com.; Blog Post: “Exquisite Red!” Restaurant: www.savasannarbor.com.; Blog Post: “Sequin on St. Valentine’s Day.” Restaurant: www.viaduct.co.nz/eat-and-drink.; and “Ideas for St. Valentine’s Day.” Restaurant: https://www.thebentley.com.au.

Bests wishes for a beautiful week.