§ Boo!!!

I took this nautical glass ball that is a lighted globe [usually sits on our dining room table], resized the image, and made a Halloween Ghostly Apparition.


Spooks and goblins
at your door
Friend or foe?
Knocking, screaming, moaning...
...'tis the score!!



Happy Halloween to those who celebrate the season

And, tho I haven't been online much, I have checked my comments for the last entry on my blog, and want to take this time to thank everyone for the kindness, and well wishes sent my way. My cardiologist is booked with appointments up into late December, but with the ER visit last Friday and my heart history, they are going to squeeze me in to see a 2nd Dr. I have seen one time before and he has my charts and records. Today. Thanks again everybody!

§ Haunting, the Dead, St. Nicholas...Thoughts of an Eclectic Nature

WANNA SNIFF?

I'm sure a lot of you bloggers have noticed a message in your comments from Jerry B. He has taken on a huge, time consuming, task. And it's worthy of giving it a look see!!! His new site, called SITE HOUND SNIFFS is a vast listing of blogs...all listed in categories!! I've been honored [both Hootin' Anni's and I'd Rather B Birdin'] to be added to the growing list. Check it out sometime soon...and take time to view some sites he has listed...don't forget to send along a note of thanks and appreciation for all his many hours of work!!  By the way, the image here is from the site...I hope I'm not infringing...I think it's adorable and needs to be seen more than just on Jerry's site.  After all, it's a valuable asset at our fingertips.

DAY OF THE DEAD - flowers too

...well, it isn't until October 31st thru November 2nd, but our city will begin celebrating with a street fair, parade and more on the 29th. Of course I'll be there, haunting. At least the craft booths, the wall of remembrance, and the parade. I have a room full of some of our Day of the Dead trinkets on display...

GHOST SHIP



In honor of Halloween...I write this:
The USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier from the 1940's is nicknamed the Blue Ghost for a reason...In our harbor, we have a real ghost ship! It's also a WWII museum. But there have actually been apparitions and odd things happening aboard!! Read about it HERE...from Haunted Places to go dot com.


TV - Online

I have yet to watch BULL online. According to the internet news, BULL is the #1 new show for the season. Of course, it's time slot is nestled between two of the most popular...what do you expect? I am ever so faithful of NCIS/NCIS New Orleans. Lots of new characters in each program. I'm not impressed with the two new agents on NCIS...hopefully they'll improve with time, but for now, it's wha, wha, wha....woe is me for the both of them [Torres and Quinn]. Then, watching NCIS New Orleans...I don't miss Agent Brody at all; she just didn't fit in to begin with in my opinion. Now we have a new agent on this program also...A supposedly temporary FBI agent that will most likely replace Agent Brody. As I watch tho, I get a bit of deja vu with her. This week, watching episode 3, it dawned on me...she looks a lot like Angelina Jolie! And I guess I'm not the only one who agrees...this split image was found on cheezburger.com's look-alikes. What do you think?

...then, Gregorio's FBI director, Agent Isler. He too looks like someone. And again, it dawned on me. Jeff Dunham's puppet...Peanut!!  [no disrespect here...I LOVE Peanut!!!]  You decide...

FIVE star BOOK REVIEW

Glenn Beck's The Immortal Nicholas. One word...awesome!! I know Mr. Beck is more popular as a radio talk show host, with a voiced opinionated political stance for the most part. I've always been a bit skeptical of picking up any of his published books. This one was on the dollar shelf at Half Price Books, and I figured you can't even buy gum for that price, if it's no good, it won't be a waste of money. LOL....

So, I bought it, brought it home, and truthfully, I don't want to put it down. Excellent. Mr. Beck brings the human touch of St. Nicholas, as a man, to life. Not as a rolly polly jolly ol' elf, but a regular man with a life as a guard to the three wise men on their way to Bethlehem. He meets the King of Kings and from there I haven't read beyond this as of this posting. I can't wait to see how it ends. I am totally impressed with this unique way of telling a fabled story of Santa Claus and joining it with the Biblical side of the meaning of Christmas.  From online reviews, the majority critics and 'common readers' rate this book FIVE stars!!!

"Before he was Father Christmas, he was a father"

§ "just a rat: with a cuter outfit...."

Thursday, on Bud's Birthday, we went out to lunch of his choice...on the North Shore of the Corpus Christi Bay, at Blackbeard's. It's really more or less a little out of the place shanty town restaurant, but oh the food. It's very good. Bud had a favorite of his at this establishment...a guacamole burger. I, on the other hand, had my usual 'birthday' lunch item. Fried Shrimp. Luckily there are only two of us at home any more, so I'm not splurging on fried foods all that often. And their butterflied shrimp is extraordinarily sweet and tender. Yum. Anyway, after we ate our lunch, and everyone there that works, wished him a happy birthday, we drove back into town over the harbor bridge and stopped at Blucher Park to see if we could catch some bird activity. Along about 5 minutes after arriving, we were interrupted by a phone call from Erik. I talked with him a few minutes while looking up into the trees for birds as the wind howled through the branches and bird songs echoed. I handed over the phone to Bud, Erik was anxious to talk to him and wish him a happy birthday. All well and good. I then had free hands to make use of the camera and binoculars to hunt down the elusive feathered friends of the park. Really tho, nothing out of the ordinary...same ol' birds that I have tons of photos of already. As we meandered through the park, heavy blackened clouds came in from the northwest. Winds really kicked up, coming from a storm front headed our way. I was sure we'd get some heavy rain from it, and we headed back out from the park and low-lying trees to the safety of our car parked in a parking lot a block away from the park. As I climbed the incline to get out of the park, I spotted some movement in a lone tree at the top of the hill's exit area. A woodpecker perhaps? It was circling around the trunk of a tree branch as a woodpecker often does. Nope, no woodpecker. It was a couple of juvenile squirrels! So cute, so playful, and so fun to watch...




...as I reached the parked car finally, Bud was still chattin' away with Erik [it was raining heavily in Houston]. By the time we got back on the freeway heading towards home, the dark, ominous clouds were thinning out. Nothing in terms of heavy moisture for us. Just a light mist! Bummer.

Oh, and I thought I'd add this little ditty 'bout what you read on the back of Blackbeard's Menu. The Ghost of Blackbeard?!! Perhaps. And fyi...nearby, on the bay shoreline, the WWII aircraft carrier is permanently docked. The USS Lexington. It is reported that the ship is also haunted. Nicknamed the Blue Ghost. But I digress. Here is what is on the back of the menu:


you can enlarge it if need be

§ busy as a bee - day trip

It's a cactus blossom...a prickly pear cactus!!









CONNECTING TO:





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MONDAY MORSELS


Over the weekend, Bud and I drove over to Rockport, Texas. It's one of my 'local' scenes that is truly a favorite. A fishing village, a boater's paradise, and a small, quaint, beautiful area. Nearing the center of the cultural area, the skyline is so spectacularly pleasant to the eye, I'm drawn to the area when we arrive....sparkling, mirrored Gulf waters, large yacht masts jutting up into the blue sky...peaceful and quiet except for a call of a gull or the flight overhead of a pelican....tranquility!!! Here, there are two small towns that are connected. By that I mean...Rockport and Fulton intersect only by an imaginary borderline. Two towns in one. In Rockport, there are museums, art galleries, more or less the 'cultural' side. In Fulton plenty of history and historical landmarks including the Fulton Mansion which we toured a few years back. This time around we had in mind to go through the Art Center on the bayfront and then drive over the Copano Causeway [also known as LBJ causeway] and head toward a 'ghost town' ---it's considered a ghost town because it's all part of the Rockport/Fulton area, separated only by the bay waters, and really not listed on many maps---in other words, it's there and exists, but no post office nor any 'city' amenities such as council, government, etc., but there ARE homes and points of interest all along--- on Goose Island; called Lamar, Texas. [The white arrow in above photo shows you "Lamar" and area of Goose Island]. Once on the old road that enters into the lush, green state park area of Goose Island, many 'town' roads go this way, and that way. Throughout, there are homes nestled among the vast amount of live oak trees. I had in mind to stop and photograph a small Catholic Chapel that is filled with history of the area....it's over 150 years old, still has the original altar from the early to mid 1850s. Tho, the chapel was not located where it is today, the State Historical Society raised $70K to have it moved inward somewhat, and near one of the oldest cemeteries in the area....Lamar Cemetery. The Chapel is called Stella Maris [meaning the star of the sea]. It was closed by the time we arrived since mass is only held on Sunday, but I did take a photo of the exterior, and the state historical marker....

The Stella Maris Chapel is currently located next to the old Lamar Cemetery, is the first recorded church in Aransas County, and is reported to be the oldest building still in existence in the diocese. The chapel was originally located on the Schoenstatt property in Lamar. Irish immigrant James W. Byrne, one of the original founders of Lamar, first owned the property. He served in the Texas Revolution and was spared from the Goliad Massacre. It is noted he paid for the land with script earned by his service. Byrne's wife, Harriet, was a niece of Bishop Jean Marie Odin, the first Bishop of Texas. Byrne deeded two Lamar outlots to the Catholic Church for the purpose of building a place of worship. Through the recommendation of the Bishop, the French architect D'Alsure was put in charge of supervising the construction of the chapel. Seth Ballou, recognized as the earliest settler of Lamar, spearheaded the construction with the help of his slave, Moses Ballou. Many Lamar settlers contributed to the building effort. The exterior of the chapel was made of shellcrete (a cement of burned shell ashes, sand, crushed shell and water). Although some believe the church was completed in 1858, there is some evidence it was finished as early as 1854. Wilhelmina and Peter Johnson, early colonists of St. Joseph Island, reportedly had their marriage blessed at the chapel in 1856. Bishop Odin was noted as a frequent visitor and conducted Mass there. Twice during the Civil War, the Union Navy, from Aransas Bay, shelled Stella Maris. The chapel received little damage. Union forces had an encampment on St. Charles Bay in the location of the Byrne's residence. [history online source]

The link I just provided will show you the 1800's original location AND an old photo of what it looked like one and a half centuries ago!!! It will open in a new window. Tomorrow, I will have a short post on the cemetery. Bud and I walked around it some, and I took a few photos. Hopefully, after that being published, I will continue with our little day trip with photos of the area of the Art Center in Rockport.

§ B00!!

Thursday ThemeSong Lyrics Link

You Tube Connection: Ray Parker, Jr.


Images are all from my computer desk...my ghost collection from candy dishes to candle holders and a votive candle figurine... [the next to the last photo is of the 'newest one' - bought this season at the Halloween Store here in town. It's battery operated and glows from red to green to blue to purple and back to red] if the switch is turned to the on position. Just a tiny thing.





If there's something strange
in your neighborhood
Who you gonna call? - Ghostbusters!

If there's something weird
and it don't look good
Who you gonna call? - Ghostbusters!


I ain't afraid of no ghost
I ain't afraid of no ghost

If you're seeing things
running through your head
Who can you call? - Ghostbusters!

An invisible man
sleeping in your bed
Oh, who can you call? - Ghostbusters!


I ain't afraid of no ghost
I ain't afraid of no ghost

Who you gonna call? - Ghostbusters!

If you're all alone
pick up the phone
and call - Ghostbusters!



I ain't afraid of no ghost
I hear it likes the girls
I ain't afraid of no ghost
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Who you gonna call? - Ghostbusters!

If you've had a dose
of a freaky ghost
You'd better call - Ghostbusters!


My song isn't a complete one this week...I ran out of ghosts!! LOL

Sunday, January 4th, 2009
4:00 A. M.


A Ghostly Tale on a foggy morn here in Texas....the Drawing of Winners for my 1st Blog Giveaway, and Sunday's Unconscious Mutterings.



Play along with your subconscious; Sunday's Word Association.
Join here.

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Confirmation :: Catechism [church - school -manual of teaching the doctrine]
2. Verse :: Prose
3. Authorize :: Approve
4. Blog :: Mine
5. Thirty :: Something
6. Heir :: loom
7. What are you doing? :: Typing this answer
8. Complaint :: Department
9. Leave :: Vacation [military]
10. Tune :: Tommy


~...end Mutterings
[comment HERE to skip the rest of my Sunday Blog]








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Up close and personal....with Fog!!
No flash
Looking from the backyard
Over the fence
toward the front street light
[our home's chimney to the right]















Oh the bells, bells, bells!!
Macro setting of wind chime
Brass Bells
Flash setting...fog droplets seen













View from patio
Looking into the back yard
Faintly visible is the raised stone flower bed
Macro setting
Flash ON
Foggy dew visible!!








- - -



Okay, so this was like, ummmmmmmm, getting the crap scared outta me!!! Yes indeedy.
You see, one morning this past week, it was beautiful.
Still dark...way before sunrise.
The lights of the city along the freeway in the distance could not been seen, except for an orange, eerie, glow.
It was foggy.
Not a dense fog, but still, none-the-less foggy!
I've attempted many times to photograph fog and it's beauty to no avail.
But that doesn't mean I give up.
I grabbed my trusty digital and ventured outdoors into the back yard and tried to get up close and personal with nature. The day was early. The silence was deafening...but oh so perfect to sneak around and try and capture the beauty of the dark. I had the camera on macro, and started from the patio edge. Snapped away. As I walked more into the dewy grass and around the stone flower wall, where a lot of shrubs and flowers are, I took some more photos. As I was by the pyracantha and duranta bushes, I heard a jet flying ....I could faintly see the lights of the aircraft and aimed the camera skyward. Nothing visible in the viewfinder. So I just started taking more photos. I turned off the flash, and got some fabulous photos, tho eerie. I'm gullible when it comes to spooky things. I actually get excited over such things like the idea of UFOs, the paranormal, etc. Still, I can find evidence for myself that most are hoaxes. At least I convince myself otherwise. Anyway. Like I said, as I view through the viewfinder and scan some of the photos that have already been saved to the camera's memory chip, I see one I took of the bushes...I stopped what I was doing, and went indoors to hook the camera up to the usb port and upload them so I could see them in the larger state.

My heart was pounding. Bud was up by then, and he is a believer!!! I can get him going on and on about the paranormal and the possibility of ghost-like phenomenons. In fact, he swears he's witnessed some in some of the homes we've lived!!! I, personally, have never had the opportunity to actually see any with my own eyes...until Friday morning.....

I'll swear on a stack of Bibles or in a court that this photo was NOT in any way enhanced or that I did not do one thing to add any effects!!! This photo below was taken with the camera setting on macro, with flash, looking into the pyracantha and duranta bushes in the raised flower-bed:

The spots you see in the upper dark area is actually the fog...the circular misty balls of fog. But the white fuzzy looking twirly stuff? I was certain I had photographed ectoplasm!!! I called Bud into the room, showed him a 'normal' photo of the same area...with the dense droplets of the fog...nothing swirling around. All the photos I took of that area were all taken within seconds of each one...I still wasn't SURE about it all. I, in the back of my mind, was becoming a believer. Bud, after looking at all the photos from the computer that I downloaded off the camera, would hmmmmmmm, and say "spooky"!!! I asked him what he thought. We both were on the same wave length...I was becoming seriously tempted to get in contact with Ghost Hunters International. It was beginning to scare me. We were just outdoors the other day cleaning some of the autumn/winter debris of dried leaves and trimming some of the overgrowth from the past summer; I KNEW there were no webs!! That couldn't be webs! But, just what was it? Could it actually be ectoplasm?!!! What is your opinion?

About 30 minutes later, still quite dark but getting near to dawn, I just had to go back out and see if it was still there...outside I traipse with the digital and I positioned myself as close to where I thought I was standing previously. And took more photos, brought the camera back in and viewed those photos! Not ONE had anything remotely close to the 1st one I captured!! Not one! No special phenomenon seen anywhere. It WAS some sort of ghostly apparition then! It had to be!

Some of the first time out with photos of the area:
[can enlarge & open in a new window]



30 minutes have passed:




OH, AND JUST IN CASE YOU'RE REMOTELY INTERESTED!....
It dawned on me.
It wasn't any such thing as ectoplasm, apparition, phenomenon, ghost....
It was SMOKE from my cigarette!
At least 99.99% sure....

Phew!!!!!



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This past Friday, late afternoon, when we finally returned home from a long day out and about, I had Bud draw the names of four for my blog giveaway. As he drew out the name tags, I snapped photos of the action....






So, this was the drawing of names. The first two, from top left to right were the first to be drawn. And the bottom row, left to right is the last of the book thong winners [left] and the grand prize winner; the lavender crocheted winter scarf. [right]. Now, I bet you're all very curious as to who's names were drawn, right?

In order to see just who the winners were, you'll have to indulge me. I posted the drawing here...and then, I decided to make the excitement build a little bit and get the ol' adrenaline pumping for all those who participated. Yep, I'm ornery that way. But, fear not, the names and the very much awaited 'congratulations' go to these.

Follow me...
I'm taking you now to the Blog Giveaway blog and the revealing of the winners' names.

Remember once again, the winners must send me their email with the snail mail address where I'm to ship the gifts. So, are you ready?

Step through the magic of your computer screen and come with me.....