Here Ghostie, Ghostie, Ghostie

"Now clear your minds. It knows what scares you. It has from the very beginning. Don't give it any help, it knows too much already."

-Tagina Barrons (Zelda Rubenstein) From Poltergeist

Maybe it's the because of the weather we have had the last few days, here in Northern California, maybe it's just because I love a good mystery, but I have been getting that all too familiar urge again...the urge to visit a reputed haunted dwelling. The weather, in my neck of the woods, has been very cold, colder then usual for winters in the Bay Area, and we have been having a lot of ice and snow. From there, all it takes is a good clap of thunder, or two, to set my adventure urge into high gear. There is a wealth of legendary hauntings in California, including The Claremont, here in Berkeley, but there is one haunting I heard about recently that has me really interested in learning more about. It is the ghost of the Cary House, in Placerville, California. Placerville, sits in the Sierra foothills, east of Sacramento, in El Dorado County. I am hoping to take a ride, late next week, to play a little in the snow, and photograph Cary House. Built in 1857, Cary House was, at one time, considered to be the finest hotel in gold country. The town of Placerville, was originally called, "Old Dry Diggings," but took on the ominous nickname of , "Hangtown," because of it's "overzealous use of hanging as a means of judgment."

I had hoped to visit several different ghostly "hot spots" last year, but never quite got to it. I was manic with the camera last year, and saw so much inspiration everywhere that I didn't settle on any particular subject, but instead enjoyed a lot of time playing with lighting and with focus. I think I did well with finding the right conditions for different lighting possibilities, so I don't have to put some much thought into the technical. Sometimes I find, especially when I am using my digital camera, it's best to rely on my instincts and not over think the shot. On the other hand, I know I need to work on eliminating my habit of allowing too much foreground in my shots, and not considering the background and how it will either enhance or distract from the main subject.

I am hoping to capture something spooky, at some point on one of my spirit jaunts. I am interested in what comes next after this life, and it intrigues me to think that perhaps my sense of humor might still be able to hang around, and playfully get into some minor mischief. LOL. I wonder if there has ever been a case of a haunted blog on the Internet? Tee Hee. Can you imagine that? Maybe a typical ghostly entry might consist of "spirit writing," only instead of using a paper and pen, it would be by typing. Tee Hee. Just the same message, typed over and over..."GET OUT! GET OUT!" LOL.

Why does that always seem to be the phrase, for the ghost of the moment, to have whispered in the presence of some spooked person? It's always, "Get out." Of course, if you have ever watched shows,which are supposedly based on real encounters, such as Dead Famous, which airs on the Biography Channel the phrase might be something like, "I'm here." In the last episode, the shows hosts, Gail Porter and Chris Fleming, were in search of the ghost of Lucille Ball. During the show they visited many of the comedian's favorite places in the Los Angeles area. Among them was the original studio that was used for the filming of "I Love Lucy," the Queen Mary and the Hotel Del Coronado, in San Diego. Both of which have an extensive history of reported hauntings.

Because I am having to streamline my photo jaunts this year, I am going to narrow my ghostly pursuits down to a few here and there. Mostly here. LOL. I am hoping to get to go down to the L. A. area late next summer to, among other things, visit John Ritter's grave. Also, I have promised Deslily, that I would place a flower on the Hollywood Walk of Fame star of DeForest Kelley, so perhaps I will drop by the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which was a favorite hangout for many stars, like James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball. Some say, they like the place so well that they never left. Who knows, maybe I will make a reservation, set up the tripod and see if I get any ghostly visitors in the middle of the night. How cool would it be to wake up the next morning and see that I had, had a visit from Clarke Gable in the middle of the night? Just to be sure I make a good impression, I think I will sleep in my make-up. LOL. Here ghostie, ghostie, ghostie...

Note: The episode of Dead Famous that I mentioned in this entry, is repeated later today (Saturday) on the Biography Channel, at 2:00 PM ET. It was a pretty cool episode, if you enjoy a good look at old Hollywood or enjoy a good urban legend. Check it out! :)

-OndineMonet
"Thoughts"
Point Pinos Lighthouse
Carmel, California
August 19th, 2005
Afternoon 2