That's No Ghost Lady, That's A Raccoon

"Can you imagine life without the horror genre? 

There would be no monsters, only assholes."

~Michael A. Arnzen

Alan and I bought a new house. Well, it's new to us, but in reality it is 53 years old. The same age Alan and I are. And as a 53 year old it has some problems with plumbing, and waking up in the morning, and remembering. Yes, I said it, remembering. The automatic timers are a bit eccentric. We moved in on the 1st of September, and all seemed normal, then one night, a couple weeks ago, we heard it. That sound. That strange, disembodied sound of something wet... and terrible...moving around the house.

Glooop, GlOOPY GLOOP GLOOP.

Me: Alan! Did you hear that?

Alan: Hear what?

Me: That Gloop sound.

Alan: No, honey, I don't hear a gloop... snore. SNORE!

Me: ALAN! LISTEN!

Alan: SNORE. SNORT. I will check it tomorrow.

Well, tomorrow came and as you might guess, no gloop sound. Then three days pass without even a peep, when once again, GLOOOOOOOOP. GLOOOP. Bubble, bubble, bubble. Like a witches cauldron. Only this time it happened on a night when Alan was working the graveyard shift. Perfect! It was absolutely perfect. There was a gloop, gloop ghost, or witch, and I was home alone! So what could I do? I did the only thing I could do. I turned on every single light in the house, and 3 TV's! The ghost/witch was so frightened, it gave up and went wherever wet ghosts/witches go. 

The gloop sound came and went over the next few weeks. Sometimes in the daytime, but mostly at night. Late at night. Now, fast forward to a couple days ago, when the whole spooky situation came to a logical and embarrassing conclusion. You see, that is when we had the first visit with our professional pool person. He explained that the gloop, gloop sound was nothing more than an ill timed pump, that was on a timer, because, you see, Stockton has certain days of the week, and times of day, when you are allowed to water plants and add water to pools. 

Alan: HA HA HA. A ghost? Ha Ha Ha.

Me: I don't know, it could still be a ghost, look at what I caught on camera!

(See Above)

Pool Guy: Um, that's not a ghost lady, that's a raccoon!

Alan: HA HA HA HA HA.

Me:*?%#^^%!@&! (Censored)

Thanks A Lot Alan!

Leaf Of The Day

October 3rd, 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Key To Ridding Yourself Of Vampires

"Theres nothing worse than waiting not knowing

 what'll happen to you. 

Your own imagination can be crueler than any captor."

~Rochelle Meade

Frostbite

Vampires. If we don't know any personally, we probably know someone who does. Maybe they are real, maybe they were just folks who suck our will dry. Vampires are needy. They are also demanding, charismatic, annoying, they keep odd ours, and they, if allowed, will suck you dry of compassion and common sense. I have known a few in my lifetime, but one day I grew up and learned the word NO. NO is a lot like holy water, or a pretty sterling silver cross, but not quite as lethal to the dear vampire as a wooden stake through the heart.  Funny thing about vampires, when they realize they don't frighten you anymore they lose all their power. They actually become mortal. I slayed a vampire this past summer, and it felt mighty good. Oh I had some help... an Angell actually, of the Angell Law Firm. LOL. It helps to have an Angell on your shoulder when evil comes calling!

The memory of that slaying brought another fond memory to mind. Last year, during our vacation, Alan and I visited Ripley's Believe It Or Not, at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. It was filled with all kinds of curious things, but the Vampire Killing Kit was my favorite of all the exhibits. I took as many photos of it as I could that day, specifically to do a post this October. Did some part of me see my vampire encounter coming? Nah... I don't think so. How could I? No, I think I just found it fascinating that someone would go so far as to actually create a full kit for riding the world of that kind of evil. But when you really ponder it, it makes sense. If something is bothering you, you create a way to make it go away! Vampires aren't a new thing, and getting rid of them will always be a challenge, but like I said, sometimes looking them square in the eye, and saying, "NO! YOU DON'T SCARE ME. I HAVE AN ANGELL ON MY SHOULDER. BE GONE EVIL ONE!"... works pretty darn well!

So, what's the key to ridding yourself of vampires?

Tell The NO.

If All Else Fails...

 Find the right lawyer to tell them to go away!

Leaf Of The Day

October 2nd, 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Look Back At The Summer And September 2015

"They say to never look back.

But sometimes I do.

It's gratifying to see how far I have come."

~Richelle Goodrich

Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts And A Little Poetry For Every Day Of The Year

Despite all the drama, I had this little pockets of fun this past summer. I didn't do a lot of photography, but I was happy with the end result of my time with the camera. I missed blogging regularly. I missed being online, but the connection through the hotel was less than stellar. Anyway, September got me back into the swing of things, and as a result, I have a nice retrospective of some of my favorite summer photos, and a collection of what I photographed in September.

So, onward...

Summer 2015

September 2015

The Leaf Of The Day

October 1st, 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Late September Sunset

"Dusk is just an illusion because the sun is either above the horizon or below it.

 And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are. 

There cannot be one without the other, yet they cannot exist at the same time. How would it feel, I remember wondering, to be always together, yet forever apart?"

~Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook

The sunset Tuesday night was nothing short of amazing! It was the softest shade of purple on the outside, but the center of it was the most vibrant orange I have ever seen! 

It was GORGEOUS!

I really do need to photograph more sunsets!

:)

Leaf Of The Day

September 30th 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Paul The Second

"A tree with red leaves is like an old man with gray hair.

 Likewise, my love for you was blue, now it's orange,

 and that's a compliment."

Jarold Kintz

This Book Is Not For Sale

Meet our new tree Paul 2! Yes, his name is Paul 2! Why? Well, you see, I had a beautiful Japanese Maple tree when I lived in Berkeley. We picked it out. We planted it. Nurtured it. Loved it. Fed it the best plant/tree food available, and watched it grow for about 6 years. Then, one day, earlier this year, I found out suddenly that I had to move. I had planned to take a cutting from the tree so I could take a new generation of Paul with us, but then we decided to purchase a type of dwelling that made it impossible to take a tree starter with us. Little did we know at the time that our plans would change so profoundly. We ended up buying a house instead, where we could have brought the new tree to, but alas it wasn't to be. Cruel fate had played a dirty trick. 

But it's in the past. I will just have to hope that Paul The First is still thriving among the rose garden I planted, and that he will grow to be a lovely tree, enjoyed by someone, for many, many years to come! But that brings us to Paul The Second. He was a kind of housewarming gift! You see, the wonderful man who owned our new house previously, offered to purchase us a new tree as part of the closing deal! How lovely is that? He even looked till he found me a Japanese Maple! It's not the same variety as Paul The First, but it's lovely in it's own right, and as of yesterday, it's a permanent fixture on the property and member of the family!

Oh, and about the name Paul. Well, our landlord, the one who originally rented to us 14 years ago, was named Paul. He was a terrific man, and always to pleasant to do business with. Unfortunately he was stricken with cancer several years ago, and it just tore his poor body apart. It was very, very sad when he passed away, I still miss him very much. Anyway, when we found out about his passing, we planted the Japanese Maple in the yard in his honor. And in a strange way, we wouldn't be in our new home, had he not rented to us originally. So, Paul The Second is a tribute to a lovely man... and the fate of finding our old place!

Fate.

What a fascinating thing you are!

Leaf Of The Day

September 29th, 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Well... It DOESN'T!

"Shoving feathers up your butt doesn't make you a chicken!"

~Brad Pitt

Right... so sometimes I simply don't have anything to say. It's in those times that I search out some mildly interesting photo from the archive, that didn't make it to the post, for whatever reason, and I make good use of it by posting it to bring you a grin. The chicken I you see above sits by the side of the road, just on the outskirts of Turlock, Ca. It made me smile, so I posted it to Twitter. And now it makes it's debut here. Turlock might be HELL on earth, but you see some interesting things there!

 

Leaf Of The Day

September 28th, 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

 

Past Interpretations

"A path is a prior interpretation

 of the best way to traverse a landscape."

~Rebecca Solnit

Wanderlust: A History Of Walking

This past summer I was on a path. A path that came along suddenly, and seemed to only have one direction. When my rental cottage was ripped out from under me, it meant one thing, Alan and I would be moving on, and moving on meant one thing, it was time to buy our own place. Buying our own place meant one thing... we would be leaving the Bay Area and heading east. And that's what we did! We moved east! Well, not at first. At first we planned to move slightly southeast, but when that all changed we took out a map, and a Zillow app, and ended up in Stockton, California. Oddly enough, Stockton was where I thought we might move to, prior to the ill fated decision to move southeast. Anyway, to get to either place from the Bay Area, one must travel through the Altamont Pass.

 The pass can be one of the most tranquil drives in the area, or a bumper to bumper nightmare, depending on time of day, and the day of the week. I took this picture almost a month ago, on one of those bumper to bumper drives, which as it turns out, would be my last trip over the pass. A bit of information I didn't know at the time. But that day, as I looked at that moon shining in the sky, I felt tranquil and ready for the future, whatever that meant. I don't know why, but the sight of the moon made me feel safe somehow. I had my camera out, the moon was posing for me, and the landscape was serene. I am smiling now just thinking about it, and I know that it makes me want to try really hard later tonight when the moon goes into it's eclipse.

 After all, I will be photographing it from the comfort of my own back yard! How awesome is that? My first lunar eclipse, in my own back yard! I have all the cameras charged and loaded with batteries! I have some snacks and beverages ready. My tripods are all set up, and everything is a go! Well, except for the ridiculous end of the world theories and the possibility of some low fog out here in the San Joaquin valley. It's always something! If the end of the world doesn't get ya, there is a "possibility of fog!"

LOL.

Am I worried? Nah! I am not worried in the slightest! If the end of the world comes, then so be it! All I ask is that I am not in the shower when the trumpets blare.And as for the fog, well, who knows, maybe some fog will give the photos just the edge I am looking for! Phooey on fog and end of the drama junkies. I am happy. 

And I am home!

Leaf Of The Day

September 26th, 2015

Mood: Happy

~Me :)