(Un)Dead Man Walking...

Welcome to October... or, as I prefer to think of it, that time of year when suddenly everyone thinks about ghosts, ghouls, and hauntings only to forget about them after Halloween. Those of us dealing with the dead generally feel it's "just another day at the office" and sometimes scoff at the sudden interest. Although there is one exception to it being like the rest of the year: everyone wants you to be everywhere at once for the whole 31 days.

Honestly, I haven't had what you might call a laid-back October in a few years now. I miss the days when Halloween was something to look forward to instead of the last night and a mile marker for that next chance to take a deep breath, kick off your shoes, and relax. But this is what I've chosen, because I love the paranormal. So I won't complain... though I might try my best to find mild ways of enjoying myself between gigs.

And this month is going to be action-packed for me. I'm gone to Cleveland this weekend to conduct an investigation at a haunted place, followed by an appearance on The Kode 'N Nyte Show on NRR Radio on Sunday to talk ghosts, have fun, and give away a copy of Queer Hauntings. Then I have a few days of down time, hopefully having coffee with a friend, before taking my great adventure east to Salem, the Witch City!

Thankfully traveling via Amtrak again (I love rail travel... so relaxing), I'll be arriving in Boston on October 8th where I'll meet with Jeffrey Justice, who has been tirelessly helping me plan events in Salem for my week-long stay. I don't have a full schedule yet to give you all, but you can be sure I'll be poking around town, popping up in some of the expected (and more unexpected) places. If you happen to be in the area, check with your local bookstores and see if I'll be popping by... I know Cornerstone Books is on my list for the 15th!

Although it is mainly intended to be a "business" trip, that doesn't mean I'm not planning on enjoying myself. If money permits, I'll be having a nice celebratory beverage at some night spot with Jeffrey and I'll be taking plenty of photographs throughout my stay. I''m even planning an excursion to a haunted New England site as research for the sequel to Queer Hauntings (yes, I'm already working on that slowly). Perhaps I'll take a few interesting photos and have a little contest here... letting my dear readers try to guess where I was.

After I arrive back in Ohio on October 17th, it's off to Dayton for another busy week with friends, followed by a ghost tour. Perhaps I'll stop to breathe around the 24th before the month crescendos into Samhain, or All Hallows Eve. All the while my laptop will be with me. During all my excursions, I should be letting everyone know what is happening and updating things accordingly. There is no guarantee I'll have time to post daily, but at least I'll do my best to share my experiences with you all.

A Ghosts and Gays Tour of Southwestern Ohio...

Now that yesterday's severe headache has abated, I can finally spill about my recent trip to Dayton. It was a very eventful and busy week, but one of the more enjoyable excursions of recent past. Earl and Chuck were delightful hosts, as always, and my stay in Germantown was somewhat restful but never boring. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the cord for the digital camera, so my photographic explorations posted on Flickr were quite limited. Eleven photos in one week. Not too much for a shutter junkie like myself.

There were a few interesting highlights of my trip to report. The first was a walking tour of downtown Dayton, following the old Miami & Erie Canal, now buried beneath a boulevard and forgotten by many. The host, Leon, heads the Gem City Circle Walking Tours and offers several different journeys through the city. (You can bet I'll be coming back in the fall for the ghost tour!) Leon is a dear, and quite knowledgeable on the history of the city. I highly recommend that anyone going to the Dayton area take a trip with him. And I'd like to thank him for allowing me to offer up a bit of history in the Ohio & Erie Canal, as well as aiding in answering a few questions from fellow walkers. Most of us had a gay-old time...

I also had a chance to be the audience for the Dayton Gay Men's Chorus as they prepared for an upcoming concert and performance of HMS Pinafore, to be performed on May 30 at the haunted Victoria Theatre at 8:00 PM. My one regret is I won't be in attendance. After seeing the rehearsal, I know it'll be worth the price of admission! They are a sweet bunch of guys, and were very friendly to this passing northerner. The comedy didn't deteriorate with each run-through, either, which is always a good sign. Of course, it did make me want to join in. Who knew I'd find any city in Ohio so inviting and pleasant that I'd consider living there?

Lastly, I spent some time on two separate occasions in historic Yellow Springs, home of the nearly-defunct Antioch College. If an easy-going, motley mix of unique individuals is your cup of tea, this town is perfect for you. Within the first few minutes, I witnessed angry lesbians trying to park, an emo boy waking casually down the street in his skin-tight black jeans, and a woman with impossibly-long blond dreadlocks greeting everyone she passed. But yes... plenty of average men and women as well. Nearly every business has a faded Human Rights Campaign sticker adorning the front door, and for those of you metaphysically-minded, there are several occult shops from which to choose. I stocked up on small colored candles and a small selection of tumbled stones. Had I enough money, I could have easily bought out nearly every store!

It is also quite a haunted little town (not only by ghosts, but by beautiful old homes on every corner), though I couldn't find a copy of the 1943 book on local ghost stories. I did, however, happen to snap a photo of one haunted house from the past, and had a wonderful, inexpensive lunch at the renowned Ye Olde Trail Tavern. The restaurant hosts at least three ghosts, and our waitress regaled us with her own personal ghostly experience only a few days prior. I do believe this would make an excellent stop on a haunted walking tour... perhaps Leon should consider it.

Otherwise, a good time was had by all. I added a new book to my collection: Rhine's New Frontiers of the Mind (1937) found at Dark Star Bookstore. The prefect compliment to my 1937 zener cards! There were a few people I would have liked to see, but it simply wasn't in the cards. Some timing never works out just right. But, such is life. Perhaps next time, everything will fall into place. Regardless, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. And I'm already thinking about my next adventure. Well, next several. Not only back to the southwestern regions of Ohio, but beyond these borders. As Mark Twain once wrote in Innocents Abroad, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts." So, get out there and explore the world. It just might shock you into happiness.

Southern Journeying...

It has been a whirlwind week thus far. So much to say, so much to see. I will be waiting until I return this weekend to tell all the details, though. It might take me that long to organize my thoughts and collect together everything from my Dayton trip! Overall, it has been a wonderful experience. Good friends, interesting and wonderful people, unique sights. I'm already looking forward to this fall and enjoying a ghost tour when I return. While I haven't spent a great deal of time seeking out ghosts in the places I've been, one doesn't need to be surrounded by the dead to enjoy some things! sometimes, living can actually be more fun...



For those of you thrown off course by my last post, I do apologize somewhat. I've been meaning to post a French entry for a while, but recently had a little added incentive. I miss being more bilingual, and being reasonably close to french-speaking areas of Canada, it seemed fitting. I'm sure I shall do that again. Perhaps after an adventure further north...



In other news, my manuscript hates me. Formatting it isn't as simple as I would like and I seem to hit pitfalls every time I attempt it! The rainy, dreary weather doesn't exactly excite any enthusiasm, either. but at least I've given it a good try. One way or another, I'll solve that enigma known as Microsoft Word. Perhaps when I'm home again. Though some things might take precedence over it upon my immediate return. Life is getting quite interesting, and I know more than ever that where this year leads me is a mystery. So many possibilities and probabilities. We shall see, as I always say...

The Difficulties in Snapping a Picture...

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an expert digital photographer. I still prefer the "old school" 35mm camera over modern technology. But while wandering Woodland Cemetery last week, I saw a perfect photo opportunity and captured the moment.

It took a few tries, but I finally managed.

Digital is the opposite of 35mm when it comes to lighting. Most pictures end up bleached. But this one (after three other tries) came out perfect. I just had to share it, since it brought out my long-dormant artistic side.

Click on the image to view it full-sized (1024 x 768).

A Long Day's Journey into Night...

The past several days have been so jam-packed with things to do that I didn't have time to write about each day as it happened. I will, however, do my best to recap last week and this weekend in a more condensed version.

Wednesday marked my first experience traveling Greyhound. I've always been the "don't knock it 'til you try it" type, so I kept an open mind. The first leg to Columbus was definitely better than I had expected from word of mouth. Few passengers made for a quiet trip, though it was what could be described as a teeth-rattling journey. Every bump on the road seemed exaggerated by the bus, sending a ripple of rattling metal and intense vibration throughout. At times it was a scenic experience, but I was grateful to get off for my brief wait in one of my old home cities.

From there, it was on to Dayton in a packed bus, sitting with a motley mix of people. A younger man sat across from me in a sweat suit, carrying a brown paper bag. Having known a diverse range of people in my life, I knew he had recently been released from prison. He talked on a cell phone, along with a dozen others, while the tinny sound of music escaped from head phones nearby. After more than an hour of journeying, we touched down in Dayton. My friend Earl was there waiting. I met his partner Chuck and unwound at their house near Germantown. After a long day of traveling, much of Wednesday is but a blur. We had ourselves a lovely meal of stroganoff and watched a few old films before retiring for the long day ahead.

Thursday became a day of exploration. With the pleasant weather, we took a bit of a haunted tour of the Dayton region, based on a few notes I had taken prior to departure. We stopped at the old Sorg Mansion and Sorg Opera House to snap some photographs and marvel at the beautiful architecture of the old neighborhood. Sorg House loomed over the skyline like the House on Haunted Hill, with its intricately carved stonework and wrought iron gates. It had recently been sold to an unknown owner, so getting a peek inside was out of the question. We did stop at the local Obama headquarters to chat with the volunteers packing up before heading out for a bite to eat. Later, we went through Woodland Cemetery, home of dozens of fantastic haunted tales, and wandered among the tombstones. The Wright Brothers rest there along with many notable names. And I was quite pleased to see the famous stone of young Johnny Morehouse had been repaired (a vandal had removed the dog's head from the old stone, but it had apparently been recovered and reattached). Back at Earl and Chuck's, I put my culinary skills to work and made chicken paprikash. Even without authentic Hungarian paprika, it turned out splendidly.

Friday was a dreary day, but we managed to wander Germantown Cemetery and have a conversation with the groundskeeper (who debunked the majority of the hauntings) before setting off for Dayton again. Given the shift in temperature, we stopped at a store so I could buy a sweater (I hadn't packed for cooler weather since the forecast I glanced at claimed warmer weather would prevail) before stopping to visit the Patterson Homestead. The museum was open so we had an opportunity to take a tour of the house, given by a nice and (extremely) bubbly guide. Through her torrent of historical information, we did manage to ask a few questions and she was very open to telling her personal experiences of the hauntings and invited me to investigate the place when I return. We grabbed a late lunch near the University of Dayton before returning to their home for some photography and a bite to eat. Earl and I headed out to Miamisburg to pay a visit to Library Park, a former cemetery with a documented ghostly legend from the late 1800s, and stood for a long spell on the steps of the old Carnegie Library chatting about everything under the sun.

Saturday was a more relaxing day. We met with Earl's photographer friend Rich for lunch at Brio in The Greene, chatting about the paranormal and eating what can only be described as a delicious and very filling meal. We spent some time browsing the nearby bookstore (unfortunately, none of the books I was looking for were on the shelves) before Earl and I returned to the quaint countryside near Germantown to get ready for dinner with a few of his friends. There were problems making reservations, but we managed to get a table thanks to the quick thinking of Tim and Trent. We had a splendid time at Tim's birthday dinner, though my shyness did rear its head. Tim and Trent were wonderful people: intelligent, witty, and at times hilarious. I did receive a few jibes for being the youngest one there, which came out more so later at Tim And Trent's house during a brief tour of their abode (Trent pointed out various celebrities in photographs who had been famous "before I was born" and smartly commented with a smirk that I could Google the names later). We munched on ice cream and cookies and chatted about spooks (they believe their house is haunted) and politics before returning to Chuck and Earl's to hit the sack.

I bid farewell to Chuck and Earl on Sunday before heading back north on the packed Greyhound bus. During my three-hour layover in Columbus, I had coffee and pastries with clairvoyant Rebecca Muller and her husband. The were both very nice people great to converse with regarding hauntings, orbs, and everything else. They noted how dead downtown Columbus has become and grumbled about the stupidity of the city's drivers as we weaved around closed roads and orange barrels. We spoke of famous hauntings and TAPS blunders before I returned once more to the station for my final bus... and not a moment too soon, for they began boarding only minutes after I arrived. A few hours later, I found myself in rainy Akron again, headed north and grabbed a quick bite to eat before collapsing into bed.

Overall, it was an incredibly wonderful experience. Both Earl and Chuck were gracious hosts and excellent conversationalists. The friends which I had the pleasure of meeting were all just as witty, fun, and whimsical. Of course, as is often the case with travel, there never seemed to be enough time for everything, but I know it won't be my final visit. Yes, Dayton is an imperfect city, but it has its gems. I took from it some very fond memories and plenty of things to contemplate. The tarot readings Earl and I exchanged on Sunday morning were quite interesting and enlightening as well. It may take me a while to digest the entire journey, but it was a welcomed break from the monotony I sometimes find myself trapped in.

But now, it's time to get back to work...

I'm Not Dead Yet...

So I'm in the Dayton area and I've been keeping busy... so, it might be a few days until I take the time to make a detailed entry about everything here. I will say I've visited a few haunted places during the day and taken a good number of pictures. I'll spill more later....

Otherwise, it's an interesting moment for me tonight: my first literary rejection letter from a possible publisher. I'll explain more about the reason later as well, but I'm being optimistic as always! Plus the stubbornness helps a little...

Slight Detour Ahead...

For the next several days, I'll be breaking from my regular posts as I embark on a bit of a journey outside of northeast Ohio. Tomorrow morning, I'll be traveling to Dayton to spend a few days visiting friends and hopefully exploring a few haunted places. I'm sure it will be an amusing time, and perhaps a bit interesting in some ways as well!

If time permits, I might trek around Columbus a little on Sunday, but given the weather forecast it might not be a good day for it. At least the chilly dampness will be a convenient excuse to have coffee with a friend or two.

I'll still be posting on here while I'm gone, but any news stories or interesting websites/people may have to wait until Sunday night. But I have a feeling there might be some interesting things to talk about in the hometown of author Chris Woodyard...