Category: Family History
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Remembering the Springs I’ve Known
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Blogging, College Life, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Life in Bogota, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Life in the United States, Miami-Dade Community College, New Hampshire Weather, Personal Thoughts, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Spring 2024, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, Writing a First NovelRemembering the Springs I’ve Known Friday, March 20, 2026, Orlando, Florida “She turned to the sunlightAnd shook her yellow head,And whispered to her neighbor:‘Winter is dead.’”— A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young Spring has arrived again, at least according to the astronomical calendar. I turned 63 a little over two weeks ago, just four…
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In Which Florida Chills and Kindle Create Misbehaves (Again)
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Bogota, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Winter in Florida, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftMonday, February 23, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s a crisp late‑winter morning here in my corner of Orange County. The skies are clear, the sun is bright, and the thermometer is holding steady at 50°F (10°C). For us Floridians, that’s jacket weather; for anyone in New Hampshire, it’s practically spring. In Madison—where I spent…
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Progress, Patience, and a Quiet Anniversary
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Audible, Audiobooks, Blogging, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Jeronimo Diaz-Granados, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesFriday, February 13, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone—thanks so much for joining me. Another workweek has wrapped up, and while progress on The Jim Garraty Chronicles has been slower than I’d hoped, I’m grateful to have resolved many of the formatting headaches caused by the Kindle Create app. The omnibus is still moving forward,…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Soft Heart I Spent Years Trying to Hide
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Casablanca (1942), Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Coral Estates Park (Miami-area Neighborhood), Creative Writing, Family History, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Life in the United States, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Things I Miss, Writing as a CraftThe Soft Heart I Spent Years Trying to Hide Some people spend their lives pretending they’re not sentimental. I’m not one of them. To borrow the words of Captain Louis Renault, I freely admit I’m a rank sentimentalist—and unlike Rick Blaine from Casablanca, I don’t bother hiding it behind a mask of cynicism or put‑on…
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On Resolutions, Realism, and the Year That Surprised Me
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Audible, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesWednesday, December 31, 2025 — Orlando, Florida I’ve never been much for New Year’s resolutions. That just wasn’t the kind of tradition our little, lopsided family—Mom, my older half‑sister, and Yours Truly—ever took seriously. Sure, one of us might toss out a hopeful line now and then: “This is the year I’ll finally hit the…
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A Sunday Musicale for a Cloudy November Day in Florida
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Anxiety, Audible, Audiobooks, Autumn in Florida, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A StorySunday, November 9, 2025, Orlando, Florida It’s late morning here in my corner of Central Florida, and the second weekend of November has arrived cloaked in gray skies and a damp chill that mirrors my mood a little too well. I’m still worried—quietly, persistently—about when (or if) I’ll be reunited with my belongings that remain…
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The Hardcover Arrives: A Day of Memory and Milestones
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Beatriz Diaz-Granados, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in the United States, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaFriday, October 17, 2025 – Orlando, Florida Today, something quietly extraordinary happened. My author’s copy of Reunion: Coda—the new hardcover edition—arrived early. It was printed in Illinois, shipped from Hebron, Kentucky, and delivered today, of all days: my late mother’s 97th birthday, and the one-year anniversary of my departure from New Hampshire. I hadn’t expected…
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A Friday in October: Narration, Delivery, and Memory
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Audible, Audiobooks, Autumn in Florida, Beatriz Diaz-Granados, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Garratyverse, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) LeeFriday, October 17, 2025 – Orlando, Florida Here we are again—another workweek winding down, the weekend just over the horizon. It’s a nice, somewhat cool (for Florida, anyway) autumn morning in my corner of Orange County, and I’m settling into another day in the life of a working writer. Yesterday afternoon brought a welcome update…
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July 19: Remembering My Mother Amid Political Turmoil
Afternoon, Saturday, July 19, 2025 – Miami, Florida It’s a quintessential summer day in South Florida—sunny skies, no thunderstorms looming, and a heavy, palpable heat that clings to everything. At 91°F (33°C) with humidity hovering at 64%, the “feels like” temperature is a sweltering 101°F (38°C). For anyone who doubts the effects of climate change,…
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The Last Smile
Afternoon, Friday, July 18, 2025, Miami, Florida “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speakknits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.”― William Shakespeare, Macbeth Today isn’t a good day—not because it’s a “sad anniversary” sort of day, though it is that too—but because daily life feels unusually heavy. I’m overwhelmed by…
A Certain Point of View, Too 