Spooky Possibilities

 

"The ghost didn't want to scare her, it wanted to sit, to remember. To listen."

~Arabella Sveinsdottir

The Roof Was Never Empty: A Haunting Metaphysical Horror About Family Secrets,

 Doppelgangers And The Roof That Watches

It's January. It's Winter. And it if those two things are true, then wherever you are, it might just be a little gloomy. For me it's been a dense fog alert, from the National Weather Service, every day since the month began. Thick, pea soup fog, that doesn't burn off until past noon, making impossible to take one of our long birding trips to Bodega Bay, or even Monterey. San Francisco is also a no go, I hate driving to the city in the fog. So, to pull myself out of the gloominess, I am watching a movie about a ghost that I haven't seen before. From 1970, The House That Wouldn't Die. I guess I am lonely for October, Autumn, and all the deliciously scary stuff that makes me feel all warm and cozy. This movie looks like it has real spooky possibilities!

Halloween Countdown Film #12... What Lies Beneath

 

"You're not yourself today are you?"

 

~Dr. Norman Spencer

 What Lies Beneath 

 

Alan Silvestri  

 

Is there a ghostly face at the end of the movie? Do you see a ghostly face? Ooops, I guess I gave the movie away a bit, but whether or not there is a ghostly face at the end of the movie is a point of contention among a few of my friends, from back when this movie was made. Was it really released in 2000? Yep. Wow that was a long time ago! But even today, it captures my attention. Such great casting. Harrison Ford without his shirt on, playing a dangerous cad! Miranda Otto and James Remar as the creepy neighbors, Warren and Mary Feur, and Beautiful Amber Valletta as Madison Elizabeth Frank, the young woman who just might be haunting, Norman and Claire. Or is she?

 

 

Halloween Countdown Film #18...

 

Captain Daniel Gregg: You must make your own life amongst the living and, whether you meet fair winds or foul, find your own way to harbor in the end.

 

~The Ghost And Mrs. Muir

 

This movie is a ghost story, sure, but it also a romance that will have you in tears! I like it when horror, mixes with unexpected emotions. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is also a wonderful tv show, starring, Hope Lang. It's available on YouTube, so watch that too if you get the chance! 

 

 

Halloween Countdown Film #23... Poltergeist

 

Dr. Lesh...

Some people believe that when you die there is a wonderful light. As bright as the sun but it doesn't hurt to look into it. All the answers to all the questions you want to know are inside that light. And when you walk to it... you become a part of it forever. Now, some people die, but they don't know they're gone.

 

Poltergeist

 

 This ghost story had a fabulous cast! JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Zelda Rubinstein, and Richard Lawson! It's classic 1980's Steven Spielberg shtick, not as much in the scares and thrills, but rather spotting references to his other films. Let's see, there's a nod to Jaws, ET, Close Encounters Of The First Kind, A Guy Named Joe, which of course, wasn't a Spielberg film but, Always, which was based on, A Guy Named Joe, was, and can be seen on the tv in the Freeling home. But as 1980's ghost stories go it's amazing, with some, jump off the screen frights, but there are a lot of predictable ones too. It was always disappointing that this genre of movie had to show a gross scene to give itself relevance, but that was the 80's! It's a good movie, with a strangely poignant story, and I am glad that I just have to watch it, several times a year!

 

Bonus! Here is an interesting read about spookiness on and off the set of, Poltergeist. Did You know there was a curse surrounding the film? Is it an urban legend, or was it real? 

 

The Poltergeist Curse...

 Inside The Mysterious Cast Deaths And Oddities On The Set

 

 

Halloween Film Countdown #25... The Changeling

 

“Just because something cannot be seen with one’s

 physical eyes does not mean it does not exist.”

 
~Megan Mary,

  The Dream Haunters

 

Questions to ponder...

 

Do you believe in ghosts?

 

Do you believe in the supernatural in general?'

 

Do you believe believe that ghosts are merely the manifestations of unfinished business for the living and, perhaps, the dead?

 

Are ghosts merely the memories we carry with us?

 

Are ghosts regrets, which we cannot allow to heal? 

 

Are ghosts the inability to let accept loss after grief occurs? 

 

What are ghosts?

 

 The movie, The Changeling, will make you ponder the bigger questions of the supernatural, while absolutely scaring the heck out of you! I went with friends to see this movie, all the way back in 1981, and as I said then, I will say now, it's one of the best ghost stories I have ever seen. 

 

Watch it, and ponder, but not alone!

 

Halloween Countdown Film #27... Amityville Horror (1979)

Kathy Lutz: I just wish that... all those people hadn't died here. I mean... A guy kills his whole family. Doesn't that bother you?

 

 George Lutz: Sure, but... houses don't have memories.” 

 

 

Amityville Horror

Based on the book, by Jay Anson

 

 There's something just not right about the house at 112 Ocean avenue. Um, yeah... you think? Oh my ghosts and witches I love the Amityville Horror! As a kid I hung on any and all information about the famous haunted house, after I saw Ed and Lorraine Warren discussing it on the Mike Douglas show. I wouldn't say I am a fan of one killing one's family, but this case has always deeply fascinated me. Was it the drugs that Ronald Defeo jr. Defeo took, and it was that devil that made him do it? Was it greed? Or was it because Mr. DeFeo Sr. crossed the mafia? Of course it could have been the simplest of explanations, the house had one or two demons in it! Shrug. But the one explanation that I don't buy, is that the Lutz family lied for personal gain. None of that makes sense to me. So there's a lot to unpack about that situation, and maybe that's the point of making a horror movie, based on an actual incident. The Amityville Horror is a fun ride, unless you happened to have lived in that famous house. It's a great horror film, and if you like it, check out the Conjuring universe, which loosely follows the cases of demon hunters, Ed and Lorraine Warren, with a lot of familiar theatrics thrown in for effect, just like in the Amityville Horror! 

 

Watch the Amityville Horror with me tonight! 

I love being scared! 

 

Happy Halloween, Enjoy The Movie

 “HALLOWE'EN"

Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite
All are on their rounds to-night,-
In the wan moon's silver ray
Thrives their helter-skelter play.

Fond of cellar, barn,or stack,
True unto the almanac,
They present to credulous eyes
Strange hobgoblin mysteries.

Cabbage-stomps-straws wet with dew-
Apple-skins, and chestnuts too,
And a mirror for some lass,
Show what wonders come to pass.

Doors they move, and gates they hide,
Mischiefs that on moon-beams ride
Are their deeds, and, by their spells,
Love records its oracles.

Don't we all, of long ago,
By the ruddy fireplace glow,
In the kitchen and the hall,
Those queer, coofllke pranks recall?

Eery shadows were they then-
But to-night they come again;
Were we once more but sixteen,
Precious would be Halloween."

~Joel Benton 

 

 Here is a really good movie from 1972, The People. It's not super scary, but rather a flight of fancy, and it's one of my favorite movies to watch around Halloween. The Executive Producer of the film is Francis Ford Coppola, and it was filmed about 40 miles or so from Bodega Bay, near the town of Nicasio. It's hosted on Creature Features, so there's that bit of fun. I found it quite eerie when I was 10 years old, now I just feel a deep fondness, and nostalgia for it. Enjoy!

 

Original air date was, January 22nd 1974

ABC TV.

 

#10 Halloween Party (1953)

 

 

 

 “I long for the days
Of pumpkins and ghosts; 

When the dead use homes
And people as hosts.”
~E. Reyes,

 

  Devil's Hill: An Anthology

 

Press play, and take a step back in time!

 Boo!

 Gawd I love Halloween! I feel like a kid again!

 

#6 POLTERGEIST! Tale Of The Talking Cat! Warrens Were There!

 

 

 

 “Diabolical forces are formidable. These forces are eternal, and they exist today. The fairy tale is true. The devil exists. God exists. And for us, as people, our very destiny hinges upon which one we elect to follow.” 

~Ed Warren 

 

The first I saw, or heard of, Ed and Lorraine Warren, was when they were guest on, if memory serves me, the Mike Douglas show. They were there to discuss the Amityville Haunting. I was a kid, but I sat mesmerized! I was, of course, into all things ghostie, but my interest in the Warrens, and what they had to say, was more than just wanting to see a ghost fly across the strange, or a some other Hollywood nonsense. The Warrens were serious people, and Christians, and before that point I hadn't seen anyone of their sort even bother to speak of God, or their faith in general, let alone cop to the very idea that if you believe in angels, you really need to understand demons exist also.

 

Isn't that a note! Demons exist also. Hmmm. Okay, well, here's the thing, I believe that's true, but it wasn't until I reached my mid 20's that I came to understand that truth. How? Why? Well, I was through my own experiences with the strange and unexplained phenomena in front of me. I will go into it sometime, but for now trust me, and if you know me well enough then you already know I wouldn't fib about such things.The beyond is nothing to play with, and I will leave it there. Don't get me wrong, we didn't go looking for what we encountered, it presented itself to Alan and I, and it was a situation of deal with it or not, but there was no room to be lukewarm about its existence. 

I love all the movies in the Conjuring universe, but the real life the movies are based on, are far more compelling. The Smurl house, the haunting of 112 Ocean avenue, Amityville, New York. The Perron family. And of course, Annabelle. Who is not at all creepy, in fact I kinda like Raggedy Ann dolls. My husband on the other hand does NOT! No, he never met the famous Annabelle, but he did have one hell of a nightmare about a Raggedy Ann doll. Why? Shrug, who knows? He doesn't scare easily, but when it comes to those dolls, he takes a hard pass... always. LOL. It was the nightmare of no return! So, anyway, there it is. I believed in Ed and Lorraine Warren, and their life's work. I hope you will give the video a chance and perhaps consider the possibility that there is more beyond our daily awareness then we know. I can bare witness to the fact that there absolutely is an afterlife! Trust me.

 

Enjoy!

 

Trick or Treat 2022 And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #39

"Across a golden Autumn tapestry appear the spirits of our ancient selves demanding recognition and reward for one haunted night. Sated, they retreat from winter's onslaught and retire to subconsciousness hibernation for another twelvehmonth."

 

~Stewart Stafford

 

 It's almost Halloween! I wanted to make this Halloween special because last year's was almost non-existent. I was pretty much an exhausted vegetable. My health was poor. I was exhausted and broken from the move and things were going pretty awful in general, and then Covid-19 hit us hard. But here I am, about a year or so later, and I am doing better and better each day, but I am still barely functioning in other areas of life, like cooking. I was hoping that by now I would be featuring a Halloween inspired recipe on my blog, or maybe show off my monster cake pan. Not monster as in BIG, but rather, it's a cake pan featuring the heads of different monsters, however it's a no-go. I will come up with something. I want to embrace stuff this year. Covid-19 is pretty much done with me at this point, I just don't want to say it too loud. So maybe I will make a simple cookie recipe, cut into bat and ghost shapes. We'll see! Stay Tuned.

 

Shhhhhh... don't disturb the ghosts of Halloween past.

~Me

 

 

 

The Mothman Lighthouse And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #35

"Mothman flew away from town, like a giant bat,

 and then disappeared from sight behind a thicket

 of skeletal autumn trees."

 

~Don Roff

Heebie-Jeebies: Volume One

 

October carries fear under it's wing, no doubt, and what is spookier than a hauntingly beautiful lighthouse, just late enough in the day to cast all sorts of ghostly shadows? I love lighthouses, but this one is on my all time favorites list. Pigeon Point Lighthouse. It sits on the cliffs of Pescadero, California, lighting the way for man, and birds, for just long enough to earn adding ghosts to it's history. More to come on this subject, but for now, enjoy gazing into the photo. Oh, you could say, Pigeon Point lighthouse, three times and see if something otherworldly appears! Like a giant moth! Or not. Who would know?

 

Bwahahahahahahahahah! 

 

~Me

Ben Mears And Rob Lowe

 

Preston Castle Wall

Ione, California

May 7th 2022

Minolta

"There comes a time in your life when you have to choose to turn the page, write another book or simply close it."

 

~Shannon L. Alder

 

Preston Castle

Ione, California

Nope, not closing the book yet. Well, maybe the Twitter book, but that remains to be seen (see history). What do I mean by see history? Well, Elon Musk... the jerk... is trying to manipulate the price of the stock, and he has already said he would reinstate Trump, and you know how I feel about that, and I am not alone. Some of this shit is already firmly planted in history. The deal may not happen. We will see. If it does goes through, history will have a lot to say about it. 

 

But meanwhile back in the present. 

 

I'm not closing any doors either. I'm working on my health. Covid forced a giant detox of my eating habits. Before Covid, I ordered lean meat on my sandwiches, sliced extra thin, served with a jar of mayonnaise. Now, mayo is pretty much verboten. I can't tolerate mayonnaise, or anything oily. No fries. No jalapeno poppers. No mozzarella sticks, but there is some super healthy stuff I can't handle either. I can't have spinach, or lettuce, or any other leafy stuff like cilantro. Weird. I LOVE salad, always have. I am a veggie girl. But since Covid, I get a queasy stomach from it. Sigh.

 

I can't do much about most of it, but ride it out and hope it all goes back to normal one day, but I'm done with fucking waiting, I am taking lead and jump starting the process. Dr. Williams gave me a guide for kicking my sense of smell and taste back in. I purchased an aromatherapy machine. The sense of smell and taste go hand and hand. The idea is to choose a scent, and retrain my body to recognize it. Hopefully it will help my sense of taste if I use the same formula. I also purchased a sound machine to maybe help me get my body retrained to some healthy sleeping habits.

 

I can do this.

 

As for the mental exhaustion, again it's a matter of closing the last chapter on what happened last autumn, by closing the storage room. Hubby and I will be cleaning out the last of it next week, and that will be that. The door will be shut, with four months left on our contract at our current home. Hopefully Eric, the owner, will renew our lease, and I can take a little longer to recover, without another move. I'm trying to not think about it. I'm good right now. There is a roof over my head. I am relatively safe. And I am about to buy an air fryer to help me get back into the swing of cooking. I miss baking too. Alan has pretty much been doing everything since my breakdown, the poor man is well trained in being married to a nutjob. Sorry, chronically depressed person.

 

But he knows I eventually get back up, and I guess I will again this time too. What choice do I have? Suicide will always be sitting there, reminding me of it's availability, but, well, you know. Robin. I am trying really hard to not give up this time, in that I came so close to going though with it last fall. I have so much that I haven't shared about what has got me to this place, but as we move along I am sure the details will make themselves known. I just need to process things and go from there.

 

Now, about the "Lowe" in the title of this post. It refers to Rob Lowe. You might remember I posted about his visit to the Central Valley, when he filmed the first episode of, The Lowe Files, back in 2019. His love of the supernatural lead him to film the first episode at Preston Castle, in Ione, and that helped me find something to enjoy out here. I struggled in the first few years, as there isn't a lot to see, and photograph in and around Stockton. But Preston Castle changed all that. As did the town of Ione, Ca. The castle itself is mighty spooky and at the same time glorious. Like all truly spooky places it has a deeply troubled past, which intrigued me. In the next few years I photographed it many times over. And there is a very photogenic graveyard nearby and one of my favorite autumn trees to feature every year in my autumn leaf project, sits nearby in a small park and ride near the creek. 

 

I'm still grateful to Mr. Lowe, he will never know it, but he helped me heal. I experienced a lot of pain between 2015 and 2019 when he visited here. Because of his visit, I was interested about something again, and even slightly amused about how Preston Castle could have easily served as Hubie Marsten's house from Stephen King's, Salem's Lot, that Rob Lowe starred in. It's easy to pretend it was Ben Mears who visited here, and let my child's mind take over for a bit. Are there really ghosts roaming around among us? Perhaps. Are there vampires sleeping in an eerie house on a nearby hill? I don't know where they sleep, but I can say without a doubt that yes, there are vampires among us. That's what's got me to where I am right now.

 

Damn those vampires.

But Thank you, Ben Mears and Rob Lowe. 

 

"But when fall comes, kicking summer out on it's treacherous ass, as it always does one day sometime after the mid point of September, it stays awhile like an old friend who you have missed." 

 

~Stephen King

Salem's Lot

 

You might recall that this is my 

favorite quote to begin autumn with. 

 

 

Mockingbirds, Ghosts, Winter Storms And Dracula

"Listen to the night sky; the mockingbird

 always sings you my lullaby."

 

~Jmemo

 

The Northern Mockingbird is one of those birds that seem to be increasing in numbers, as the winter migration continues. They are such pretty birds, but they are difficult to photograph, they move really fast. I photographed this one at the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve in Lodi, California. I haven't seen one at my other haunt in Galt. And I haven't seen one in my neighborhood either, but one reason that might because we have some Scrub Jays, which seem a bit hostile and territorial, so I suppose that could be a reason. 

 

There is a big wind storm going on right now. I am in my office and it sounds like ghosts banging on the walls, and crying as they float through the house. It's not ghosts, but it's easy to imagine it could be. We have lived in our house going on six years, and I have never seen, or heard, a storm like the one that's happening right now. While it's kind of fun, I can only imagine the damage Stockton, and our yard in particular, will wake up to later today.

 

The night sky might have the sound of beautiful Mockingbirds, but tonight it carries the sounds of the an angry, powerful wind. Haunting and destructive. I hope all my bird friends are okay! The wind sounds like it would carry them away. It's spooky, which makes me very happy. It's almost like having autumn back! Maybe I will go watch a scary movie movie. I'm in the mood for Rosemary's Baby or perhaps, Halloween.

 

~Carly

 

Ghosts, Witches And A Yellow Rubber Duck

"As a spirit having a human experience, you can choose to not merely exist but to be fully conscience and aware of living in a limited world. 

When you take a conscience part in life and its multitudes of choices, you won't let life happen to you... you will make life happen for you."

~James Van Praagh

Ghosts Among Us:

 Uncovering The Truth About The Other Side 

It's Halloween, and I never get so grown up, as to give up on Halloween as my favorite holiday. If I haven't changed my mind yet, I probably won't be doing that at all. No, Halloween is still the most glorious, magical, fun night of the year. Yes, Christmas is lovely, and its all about family, but Halloween is the one holiday where you can be exactly who you want to be. One year I was a green M&M and on a different year I was a yellow rubber duck. Most years now, I am an American Horror Story witch. I like that costume, because I get to wear my Victorian Gothic jewelry and carry my black lace parasol, which I really enjoy doing, but being a rubber duck, or a yummy piece of candy isn't bad either! Still, I think I am more witch these days, than anything else. 

So, just remember that, or I'll put a spell on you!

Bwahahahahahahahahahah!

Hey, look at this, an autumn leaf in costume, as a hummingbird!

#39 Leaf Of The Day

October 31st 2019

Ione, California

Nikon

~Mood: Happy

~Me   :)

Twilight In The Cemetery

"Twilight, even remembered twilight,

 is better than no light at all."

~China Mieville

Ione Public Cemetery

500 Church Street

Ione, California

October 28th 2018

Back in October, I had planned to begin a new series, Cemeteries. I did one post, which featured the Ione Catholic cemetery, which also contained a lovely little chapel. Well, the day I photographed that cemetery, I also took some photos of a cemetery across the street. I decided to put the rest of my photographs on hold, after the devastating wildfire took place in Paradise, California. It just didn't seem like the right time to begin such a dark subject. After all, I can add to this series at any time during the year, so there was nothing time sensitive about it. I used to be a little frightened of cemeteries, but with maturity, came a different attitude completely.

 I began to think of all the history of those who are resting there. They all lived lives, so they all must have plenty to say about the times they lived in. Ione, for example, has had Their challenges. Their embrace of the times, or conversely, the things they rejected. What was their politics like? What was their social culture like? What was it like during the Gold Rush days, and what was it like to have the jazz musician, Dave Brubeck, be it's most famous son? Is Preston Castle/School of Industry, actually haunted? But I am not so sure I wanted an answer to that question! Not here anyway!

 All questions I will never know just by visiting the grave sites, but at the same time, by looking at the dates on the monuments, there is a point of history that can be researched. Plus, there is a quiet, calming thought about passing through an example of where I will call home one day. If I have my way, I will be cremated and scattered in the San Francisco Bay, or at least off the Marin County coastline, but I got a good vibe from this cemetery, well, except for the spooky Preston Castle, staring down on the cemetery, as if it is watching it, and the sign warning visitors to "beware of rattlesnakes."

 I don't think I have ever seen that kind of sign in a cemetery before, and it makes me wonder if anyone was killed by a rattlesnake, while visiting a loved one? Anyway, if my first choice is not obtainable, at least there is a cemetery, not too far away, that has some amazing autumn trees! All I ask is for a few autumn trees to drop a few leaves over me, and I am good to go! But not right now... lol... sometime a long time from now. Maybe sometime after I photograph Wyatt Earp's grave site, in Colma, California or maybe the Black Dahlia's (Elizabeth Short) resting place in Oakland. Morbid? Or is it simply history? Maybe a little of both? Anyway, I am attempting to show the beauty of cemeteries, and not the sorrow.

And now the autumn Leaf Of The Day...

#69 Leaf Of The Day

November 29th 2018

Photographed October 11th 2018

Tilden Park

Little Farm

Berkeley, California

~Mood: Quiet

~Me

Happy Halloween 2018 And A Face In The Crowd

"Haunt an old house.

Ask for a treat.

Laugh like a witch.

Lick something sweet.

Offer a trick.

Wander a maze.

Echo a boo.

Exclaim the phrase... normal's unnatural on Halloween!"

~Richelle E. Goodrich

Making Wishes

A Face In The Crowd

October 25th 2018

Half Moon Bay, California

 

It's Halloween! My favorite holiday, which occurs on the last day, of my favorite autumn month, October! It's sometimes difficult to know how to feel! On the one hand, the day I wait all year for is here, but on the other hand, it only lasts 24 short hours. In recent years, I haven't enjoyed my Halloween as much as I used to. My peace of mind has been shattered. I feel like this year won't bring as many ghouls and goblins as in other years, because of the political climate, and that makes me very sad. I am going to try to put on a happy face, and put on my AHS: Coven witch costume, and face the day optimistic. I am going to try. The pumpkin will be carved. The candy bowl will be filled, and ready to hand out miniature goodies to the little ones, and I will try to only be afraid of old Dracula movies on TV! But I will also pray for a ghost or two from sanity past, to stop by for a little while, and bring me some joy! I just need a little bit... just for Halloween. I will worry about November 1st, once it gets here!

BWA...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! 

#40 Leaf Of The Day

October 31st 2018

Photographed October 21st 2018

Ione, California 

~Mood: Quiet
~Me