Interesting People
An Open Book
As a writer, Patricia Newman has a radar that is “always up and looking for ideas.”
The prolific children’s book author and Carmichael resident turns those ideas into educational and entertaining books that tackle complex subjects for readers ages 4 and up. She’s on the lookout for inspiration.
“You have to follow those cryptic signs placed in your way throughout your life and be open to what they’re telling you,” says Newman, whose newest and 18th book, “Planet Ocean: Why We All Need a Healthy Ocean,” was published this year.
Opportunity Knocks
Debra Celiz was not in the best spirits when she returned to Sacramento in 2013 after 45 years in San Francisco.
In the midst of a busy career in health care administration, Celiz was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye disorder. There’s no cure. Patients gradually lose peripheral vision. Celiz decided to move back to her hometown to be closer to family as she figured out how to live with declining eyesight.
Whimsical Wonderland
If you walk down Taylor Way and notice a yard that looks like something out of “Alice in Wonderland”—colorful mushrooms, stepping stones, a burbling fountain—then you’ve discovered Adam Salinger’s East Sac residence.
Salinger and his wife, who have owned the house for 20 years, have gradually transformed it into a whimsical gathering place for neighbors and passersby. Everything in the yard—from artwork to strategic plantings of fragrant herbs and trees—are pure Salinger, an avid outdoorsman and educator who has channeled his love of nature and innate artistic abilities into a showstopping abode.
Message Received
If Sami Kader feels down or overwhelmed, he takes his own advice: “Never give up—you got this.”
It’s a message Kader spreads to more than 50,000 young people each year through his motivational movement program, Sami’s Circuit. It’s also a message kids in more than 100 schools throughout the state receive remotely through his weekly video series, “Sami’s Circuit On Demand.”
Frame Up
Every Christmas, Kathy Caitano gives her sons a piece of original art. Her grandkids get one too. This unique gifting strategy is not just because Caitano owns Artistic Edge Custom Framing & Gallery on Fulton Avenue. It’s because she knows the importance of getting children hooked early on art.
“Art education in the U.S. is lacking,” says Caitano, who has owned Artistic Edge for 15 years. “In Europe, art is not a luxury but a necessity. Here, people don’t feel that way if they’re not exposed to art when they’re young. My kids grew up in the gallery, so they know how to admire art. I always suggest that people bring their little ones in and expose them to art—they love it.”
Exercise Caution
Exercise Caution Yoga studios need rules as business returns By Amira Sweilem May 2021 Julie Havelock, owner of Purely Hot Yoga, reopened her studio in response to demand. Despite COVID-19 closures, some of her clients pleaded with the business to...
