Skywatch Friday, Season 4, Episode 27

One of my favorite weekly memes is Skywatch Friday. I don't get to participate as much as I'd like to, but will add an entry this week. This is my favorite spot in my favorite place right at sunset. The witness tree has seen nearly 150 sunsets in its life.

If you want to see more sky shots from around the globe, stop over at Skywatch Central at: http://www.skyley.blogspot.com/

Senior Pictures in Gettysburg

Arielle is starting her search for a college. Her second trip was to a school 45 minutes from Gettysburg, so of course, we had to go there. She decided to have her senior photos taken there since I love it so much and it will make them even more memorable. For sure, none of the other seniors will have photos like hers.

We spent two days there taking photos of her around the battlefields. On Saturday, it was pretty cold, but there she was in her little red mini dress and black stilleto heels on Devil's Den, Little Round Top, the Pennsylvania Memorial and other sites. We had the photo gear all set up, just like we would at any other professional shoot. The looks people gave were a riot! Quite a few tourists began taking her photo, too. Probably wondering what famous model she was or who exactly this beautiful girl was. She had to be "somebody" to be dressed like that and have all that equipment to take her photos. Only makes sense, right? :)

There was a huge re-enactment this weekend, so hundreds were dressed in period costume. I took a photo of her with a few soldiers and they were saying she wouldn't be accepted dressed like that in 1863. Yeah, she would have been one of those who followed the wagons. Then one of the women dressed up took a series of shots with her, including one where she was "lecturing her" about appearing in public in her underware! Too funny!

We just need to put her name and graduation year on the corners and make it the right size and she'll be set to start giving them out. We'll always remember the blast of taking the photos and have those memories as well as the photos themselves. Why pay someone else hundreds of dollars when we're perfectly capable of doing them ourselves? Plus the fun of making her a minor celebrity at the same time!

We also got to meet an internet pal of mine along with her family. We've "talked" over the internet for years and she recently moved to this part of the country, only about an hour from Gettysburg, so we had to get together. We gabbed like we've known each other for ages. Hope to have more fun with Cari and her family next time.

Weekend Reflections #5

I took this photo at Sachs Bridge in Gettysburg. It's one of my favorite spots and I visit it at least once a summer.





I just discovered this meme and thought it would be fun to give a try. If you want to check out other photos, stop over at Weekend Reflections central (http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/)

Skywatch Friday, Season 4, Episode #9

Here's my entry for this week's Skywatch Friday. This is a beautiful sky over little Round Top in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Considered by some historians to be the key point in the Union Army's defensive line that day, Little Round Top was defended successfully by the brigade of Col. Strong Vincent. The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, commanded by Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, fought the most famous engagement there, culminating in a dramatic downhill bayonet charge that is one of the most well-known actions at Gettysburg and in the American Civil War.


If you want to see more gorgeous sky scenes, stop over at:
http://skyley.blogspot.com/ for all the links.

HorrorFind 12 in Gettysburg the Wrap Up

Well, the convention is over and I'm almost home. At least I'm half way there. I should be home by tonight and can't wait to see my hubby and kids. They are driving to pick me up since I can't drive. Do you realize how inconvenient it is to not be able to drive? I have to rely on my 18-year old daughter to take me places or catch rides with others going. Makes me feel even worse.

The headaches are now constant and I'm on new medicine to try and combat it. Usually, I can at least tolerate things, but today, it feels like a knife has been wedged into my neck and another red hot poker is being slammed repeatedly into my left temple. Such are the joys of my day.

So, the final day of HorrorFind was less hectic. We had met all the celebs we were interested in the first two days, so we were able to just walk around and watch the other fans and take photos. That's my favorite part. I did buy a new series of zombie books from their author Kim Paffenroth. He kindly autographed the two books as well as a mousepad he gave me and posed for a photo. I started reading the first book as we were walking around, but had to stop when I just wanted to stand in one spot and finish the book. I'll have it done in a day or two, depending on the level of pain. Sadly, reading makes things worse.

One of my brother's friends had kidney surgery and wasn't able to go with us. One of her favorite actors was there and my brother asked him if he could possibly say a few words to the video camera for his friend. Instead, he offered to talk to her on the phone, if that were possible. Terrence Zdunich starred in Repo the Genetic Opera. When he handed my brother back the phone, his friend was still screaming and hyperventalating. She couldn't believe he would do that for her. I'll tell you, I haven't seen the movie, but that man has another fan for life in me. Any celeb who would take time out of his day to call a sick girl deserves my admiration.

Another very nice celeb was Doug Bradley who played Pinhead on Hellraiser. Any fans out there of the cube? He was happy to pose for photos, so I had one taken.

Again Gary Busey wasn't really available at his table and Jake was no where to be found while we were there. No loss, for even though I might enjoy their movies, I can't imagine paying $20 just to have a photo taken with them or of them. I noticed not many people did in the three days.

Diamond Dallas Paige, yes the pro wrestler, was there. He was in Rob Zombie's movie The Devil's Rejects. He was very animated that day and was signing postcards for free. They describe his workout plan and he showed me some of the people who had done it and the unreal changes in their lives. It's called YRG Fitness System. I have no idea what the cost is. He didn't require payment for that autograph or for a photo with him. Another really nice guy.

Has anyone seen the movie The Human Centepede? Well, three of the stars were there. I saw the trailer and it made me nautious, so I haven't gotten the nerve to watch the movie yet. Brother is laughing since I can watch most horror movies while eating a nice medium rare steak. In fact, when we got back to his place, I finished my steak from dinner while we watched the Italian classic Zombie. Back to the stars of this movie. They were very friendly to everyone and even gave a response to what Tosh.0 said about their movie. My brother is sending it to the show. He really slammed the movie, so we're thinking he'll use the promo.

The dealers' room had quite a variety of items to purchase and make up artists were avialble to turn people into the walking dead. I didn't have that done because we had a two hour drive ahead of us and I imagine I'd be talking to some nice men in blue if I walked into a convenience store to get a bottle of water with blood and bruises covering my fave and hands. :)

While there were some serious problems with the convention, it was mainly how some of the staff acted. I've already addressed that in another post and won't go into it again here. Most of the staff were great and helpful. We did enjoy the convention and found it incredibly convenient to be staying in the same hotel as the show. The cost of admission was nothing compared to other shows I've covered and written about. I can get over some of the rude staff because the celebs were good. I just hope they think about finding a decent place for their costume contest/auction where people aren't turned away and treated so poorly.

Second day of HorrorFind

Today was the second day of three at the HorrorLinkFind Weekend 12 convention in Gettysburg. It was a lot different from yesterday. The celeb room was packed. It was hard to even move around. Dee Wallace was again so sweet and friendly, I think I now have new favorite actress! She remembered us and was happy to let me give my hubby a special gift. Can't tell what since he reads this.

Today was the costume contest and auction. The people in charge didn't think it through. The place it was held was a small room in the movie theater. There were probably 400-500 people turned away. It's things like that that people won't return because of. The "STAFF" weren't very nice. They were pretty arrogant about it. When the convention was so huge to begin with, they should have known better and moved the contest. Everyone wanted to see Bruce Campbell. The fans were so disappointed and the staff couldn't have cared less. Nothing was offered to the fans who were turned away. When a few were at the back of the building to take photos while the costume contest was going on, the untrained staff again showed their true colors.

We will be leaving tomorrow afternoon. We have to go visit Devil's Den and the witness tree while we're here. I can't be this close and not go. I'm sure others have been in the same boat. Brother doesn't mind and he's driving. He hasn't been here in about a decade. He was here one time with Randy, Dad, the kids and me. I'd like to start this as an annual event.

Better get back to working on photos!

Back to Gettysburg

I’m in Gettysburg, PA for the weekend and already it’s made me want to just stay for the rest of my life. I was just here in August for our 22nd anniversary. Randy couldn’t make it this weekend, so I caught a ride with my brother. There are quite a few people dressed up in costume.

We’re at the HorrorFind convention. It’s a horror get-together. There are so many celebs to sign autographs and post for photos. Todd got his photo taken with quite a few stars today. I only got one – Dee Wallace. Yes, the mom on ET. She had quite a few nice 8x10 photos, either color or black and white. I chose a photo of her and Jake Busey from the Frightners. Busey is also at this convention. Everyone is
charging between $15 and $30 per item signed. If you buy a photo or whatever, they will usually agree to take a photo. She is selling a few DVDs and other things on that line, but my absolute favorite is a booty panty and a thong. They have either Cujo or The Howling. I got one of each. Even though she autographed them to me, I think that Randy will be enjoying them just as much.

We had gone downtown for a bit, just to look around since he hasn’t been here in about 10 years. Of course, we got tickets to go on a ghost hunt. I was a little leery about that after the awful experience we had with a ghost hunt last month. We did go and it was one of the best tours in any State I’ve travelled in. They didn’t fake a thing or try and trick people. They gave us the full 2 hours after passing out the ghost hunting tools. We were right next to Culp’s Hill and I got a few nice photos.

Tomorrow, we’re starting bright and early for a Q&A with George Romero. Yes, the father of zombies!! Then there’s a movie being screened for the first time. Then we’ll go back to the dealers’ room to pick up a few things and to the celeb room and get autographs of ones who we missed today. Must get Adriene Barbeau & Kristy Swanson for sure. Kristy brought along steaks to sign. Too funny. Of course, I’ll have to get one.

I had to lie down and take a nap because the day took too much out of me. The food in the hotel restaurant is out of this world. Todd and I both agreed we’d be eating there again on Saturday.

Gary Busey is at the show, but doesn't spend much time at his table, he's usually walking around with a drink of some sort or another in his hand. He and his son charge $30 for an autograph while most everyone else is at $20, plus Gary demands payment to even have a photo taken of him. Well, being a reporter, I find that repulsive, so here's my freebie!

Until tomorrow …

Gettysburg Vacation

As anyone who reads here regularly knows, I have a deep love of the town of Gettysburg in the Southern portion of Pennsylvania. Randy and I have spent our anniversary there every year for the past several years. I just can't get enough. It's one of those things I'll never be able to explain fully, but when I get there, it feels like I'm "home." We arrived there Wednesday, August 11 and left after breakfast on Saturday, the 14th. It's never long enough for me. We visited our favorite spots, including: Sachs Bridge, the Pennsylvania Memorial, Devil's Den and the Virginia Memorial featuring Gen. Robert E. Lee and his horse Traveller, as well as trying new things during our stay. We toured the Jenny Wade house, did a ghost hunt and took a battlefield bus tour with a professional guide, all for the first time.

We tried a new bed and breakfast - The Dobbin House at 89 Steinwehr Avenue - this year. We love the food and the rooms looked gorgeous, so we stayed our three nights, had our lunch in their downstairs tavern one day and had dinner in the library for our anniversary night. The food was incredible! I'm sure I had to have gained at least a couple pounds. To show you how friendly the people are in the area, the couple seated beside us at dinner wanted to buy us a glass of champagne in honor of our 22nd anniversary. I can't drink alcohol, so we had to decline, but it meant a lot to be asked. We're complete strangers and had just made small talk with them. I'm sorry I didn't get their names.

After dinner, we walked to our room and saw a horse-drawn carriage in the parking lot. We have always wanted to take one of those trips, so we asked the driver to wait until we changed. I really enjoyed that ride. When it was over, we went out to Devil's Den to sit and reflect until the park closed at 10 p.m.

We went on two ghost walks and a ghost hunt at a near-by abandoned house. The group had all sorts of neat toys to play with. Even though we didn't get so much as a photo of an orb (or dust mite), it was still a fun way to spend an hour. The ghost hunt was scheduled to be from 12-2 a.m. on Friday the 13th. The group was late starting it and it took too long to hand out the toys and drive there. By the time we got to the house, it was already 1 a.m. and we had to be out by 2. The other major problem with the hunt was they had way too many people. There were 32 of us. With four "lead investigators", we were split into two groups of 16 each, with two pros. There was the house and barn to check out. The only remotely eekk filled moment for me was when the bat buzzed me in the barn. The group didn't really help the newbie hunters, so most of the time, we looked like a mob. I want to give the pros the benefit of the doubt and say they didn't realize how hard it would be to investigate with that may people and not just the money (most expensive in Gettysburg) they were receiving from each person.

The house hadn't been lived in for seven years, after the last two family members died in the home, so it was in bad shape. The floors and ceiling were in horrid shape and I'm not sure how safe it was for that many people to be walking around in it. One of the pros told Randy and me to make sure not to be in the attic with more than 5 people for that very reason. Bad part, they forgot to let everyone else know the same info. The steps to the basement were in bad shape. The equipment I had measured electrical charges. In one room, it went crazy. OK, the pro came running. I explained why it was going off - the wall was where the power came into the house. The woman in charge was also excited, until I explained that, too.

When the hunt was over, they did a quick debriefing and gave us each a nice printed certificate for participating. That was a nice touch. One of the other women on the hunt was excited because she had the same reaction from her equipment and was sure it was paranormal. The woman in charge explained what had happened. That was something some groups would never had done, they debunked. The hunter didn't want to believe it and left sure she had found something paranormal.

We were up and ready to leave early Saturday morning. After breakfast, we headed off to Ohio to see my best friend and finish up our trip. I'll be back in Gettysburg over the Labor Day weekend for the HorrorFind Convention. Of course, I'll be on the battlefields as much as possible. My daughter is a high school senior this year and I'm taking her senior photos while we're visiting. I can't imagine a better backdrop than Devil's Den or Big Round top at sunrise or sunset.

Back from Gettysburg

We got back from Gettysburg last night and I'm slowly getting the hundreds of photos and video downloaded. I want to write down some of the highlights of the trip, so I remember everything.

As most everyone knows, hubby and I go there every year to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We've been going there for about a decade now. The last two years, we've gone without our teenagers.

We had talked about going to NYC this year, but something just called me back to Gettysburg. I can't explain it. When I get there, it's like I'm finally home. I sit on top of Devil's Den at night and just get recharged. The witness tree there is like an old friend. I can close my eyes and see the town and battlefields like I was still there. We didn't push ourselves to see and do everything. It's not possible for two nights and three days. We know the things we like best and did them. I needed to lie down a bit when the pain hit real bad, but I didn't let it keep me from enjoying the trip. We hiked up Big Round Top and the three look out towers as well as the Pennsylvania monument.

We discovered a new resteraunt this time - The Dobbin House. WOW! The food is absolutely incredible! We had dinner there the first night and had lunch at their Tavern (which is only lit by candles) on our way home yesterday. It looks like something out of a fantasy novel. They also have a bed and breakfast, so we'll be staying there next year.



We stayed at the Farnsworth House again this year. Our first night wasn't very restful. We were in the house and the room had a "smell" that was not very pleasant. Reading the book written in by other guests, they felt it was ghosts doing it. I think there was just a problem with the plumbing. I was kept up by the banging and stomping in the attic. Sounded like a chest was being dragged all over, even though it was locked and nobody was there.

Our second night, we stayed in a room in the garden called the Belle Boyd Room. It was an adult's only room and we thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate our 21st anniversary. OMG! It was incredible, but VERY cold. There was a two-person hot tub and a walk in shower in the bathroom that looked like a Grecian bathhouse. The bed was soft and huge. The bedroom walls were covered with paintings of the Birth of Venus, Aphrodite and Cupid and little naked cherubs. We kept the fireplace going all night. After soaking in the tub, I was so relaxed, I fell asleep and didn't wake up til the alarm went off the next morning.



We took a ghost tour with Ghosts of Gettysburg Wednesday night. It's the only ghost tour in town we'll ever do. We've tried others and they were not very good. At one, I won't name names on here, but email and I'll be happy to give more details, hubby leaned under and took photos and found hidden speakers! So very lame! I don't expect to see ghosts on the tours, I enjoy the stories and history. There's no reason to fake things!



Thursday morning, we got up and took a double decker bus tour of the battlefields. We do this every year, too. It's a two-hour tour that gives an overview of the three-day battle and some history of the town. Well worth the minimal price. We sat on Devil's Den til the park closed at 10 p.m. on Wednesday. Usually, it's my favorite part of the trip. Unfortunately, this time, a bus load of kids were there screaming and swearing and running all over. Can't enjoy something like that. Some parent had his two little kids on top of the rocks and let them run all over in the dark. I was sure they were going to fall off. SIGH! What is wrong with people? Seeing where mutants had carved their initials into the rocks made me cry. Then when we got to Sachs Bridge, it was awful. Why is it acceptable to write and draw all over historic places? Why ruin things? I'll never understand why people feel the need to destroy.



I miss the town and people already. We met quite a few new people this year from all over the United States and Canda.

The shops are very friendly. My absolutely favorite is the Quartermaster's Daughter, who runs a little jewelry store and I can't recommend it enough. I bought a new charm for my bracelet and she added the charms I had picked up in Salem and Boston for free. She even replaced a broken clasp for me. Never charged me a penny for all her time and material. I'll be back again next year to add a new charm. :)

Photo Hunter 147: Chipped

The theme of this week's Photo Hunter is "Chipped". Since I haven't been able to get out and really do much, I'm digging through my archives and came across this tombstone from Gettysburg. It's old, worn and chipped! :)

The migraines are back. This one has been going on for about three weeks now. Today, well yesterday now, wasn't too bad, so hopefully, things will get better soon and I can get some new images to share.

If you want to take part in this meme, stop over at Photo Hunter and learn all the details.

Skywatch Friday 22

Keeping with my Gettysburg theme, I took this when we were there for our 20th anniversary in August. Guess I'm just feeling nostalgic tonight and wanted to revisit some of my happy memories.



If you want to take part in this fun meme, just visit Skywatch Friday and learn all the details.

Photo Hunter: Favorite

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is favorite. I'm choosing my favorite place to visit - Gettysburg, PA. I know it might sound strange, but when we go to the town, I always feel at peace. It's a sad place, you can feel the weight of the thousands of young men and boys who were taken too soon, but it feels like I'm home. We try to get there every year.

Devil's Den is one of those places where hundreds were killed during battle. When it came time to clean up the bodies, the people just threw them in the cracks of the rocks. Until they began to decompose, then they had to try and scoop them out. Didn't work too well.



It's not a gruesome place at all. Last time we were there, Randy and I stayed on the rocks until the park closed at 10 p.m. I wasn't scared at all, even when he had me step back inside the rocks for a photo. Maybe I was there in a previous life and that's why I love it so much?



If you want to take part in the fun, stop over at Photo Hunt central and find out all the details.

Skywatch Friday

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Skywatch Friday

It's not as dramatic as last week's entry, but it's from one of my favorite places, Gettysburg, PA. This is a witness tree. What does that mean? It was there when the Civil War took place and witnessed all the horror of the War that happened during those three days in July, 1863.



In July of 1863, General Robert E. Lee's Army Of Northern Virginia of 75,000 men and the 97,000 man Union Army Of The Potomac under General George G. Meade met, by chance, when a Confederate brigade sent forward for supplies observed a forward column of Meade's cavalry.

Of the more than 2,000 land engagements of the Civil War, Gettysburg ranks supreme. Although the Battle of Gettysburg did not end the war, nor did it attain any major war aim for the North or the South, it remains the great battle of the war.

Here at Gettysburg on July 1, 2, and 3, 1863, more men actually fought and more men died than in any other battle before or since on North American soil.

Want to take part in the fun? Stop by Skywatch and get more details.

Ghost hunting with Gretchen

As everyone who knows me or regularly reads these posts knows, I LOVE ghosts and the paranormal. Halloween or Samhain, depending on your beliefs, is my absolute favorite holiday. I read all the books, watch the TV shows and go on all the tours and hunts I can drag Randy on. Every year for Halloween, my family adds another witch or some sort of themed item to my collection.

Today, we celebrate our 20th anniversary and decided to do something special for it. We stayed at a reputed haunted bed and breakfast called The Farnsworth Inn. We checked in around 3 p.m., set up the video camera to scan the room while we're out and went off the see the sights. I had set up two stuffed animals on the bed because there are reports of a little ghost boy named Jeremy who plays with things in the room. I haven't watched the discs yet, but will do that tonight after hubby leaves for work.


We also went on a tour with Mark Nesbitt's Ghost of Gettysburg Tour. We had taken one before and loved it, so we wanted to try another of his tours. It was great, as usual. I'd never go on any of the other tours in the town. We've tried several and were always disappointed. One was downright fake to the hidden speakers Randy managed to capture on film by sticking his hand way back the hall. Anyway, I did capture a face at one of the stops. There was nobody in the store at the time because it was 10 p.m. It could have been something else, but we can't figure out what it might be.

We set up the camera to record over night in the room again, so I hope to have something to show for it. I was kept up all night by loud bangs from upstairs. That's the attic where the Louisiana Tiger sharpshooters were stationed during the Civil War. There was nobody up there. It's locked and padlocked. Randy never heard a thing. I asked everyone else when we were on our way to breakfast. Only the people right next door heard it. The mother said she hadn't heard a thing, but her teenage son heard one loud bang. Guess I just got lucky?

After we checked out, we did a double decked tour of the battlefields. We were on the top in the front seats. We had take the tour before and loved it, so had to do it again. :) After that, we drove around to see Sachs Bridge and an old paupers cemetery that is still in use today. It was so horribly sad to walk there among the stones. Many were broken off, uncared for and many had Unknown man.

By then, it was getting late and we wanted to spend a couple hours at Devil's Den. The park allow visitors on the battlefields until 10 p.m., so we sat on the rocks taking photos and EVPs until then. I haven't listened to those yet either, but will get them all done tonight. One really strange thing that happened while we were sitting there, we smelled very strong pipe tobacco beside us. There wasn't anyone else near enough to have caused that. One other person a few rocks down said the same thing.

It was eerie to be in a place where so many hundreds of young men and boys died in such agony. If any place is haunted, it would be there. These boys hadn't even begun to live and were suddenly gone.


The only time I had any, fear isn't the right word, but the only time I paused was when Randy asked me to step inside the den for a photo. I did it, but quickly jumped out as soon as the photo was taken.

It was truly a wonderful trip and I can't wait to go back again. Something about Gettysburg just calls to me and it feels like "home." Does that make sense?

Worldless Wednesday

Off Ghost Hunting

Randy and I will be leaving for Gettysburg in just a bit to celebrate our 20th anniversary at the historic and reportedly VERY haunted Farnsworth Inn.

We'll see the sights, then hopefully catch a few ghosts on film. We have enough electronics packed to make TAPS proud. :)

Talk to everyone on Wednesday and hopefully, I'll have a real killer ghost photo to share!

Virginia Beach

Spent the past two days at Virginia Beach, VA. It's so beautiful, we hate to leave, but we'll be heading north tomorrow afternoon. We have to get the kids to their grandparents' houses, so Randy and I can get to Gettysburg to celebrate our 20th anniversary and do some ghosthunting early Monday morning. I'm beyond excited about that! Hopefully, I'll be able to impress everyone with my ghost photos next week.



While we were here T and Randy learned to use boogie boards and after being slammed around by the surf the first couple hours, they seemed to master it and did great today. A learned how to use one when we were here three years ago on a band trip. She did better this year.

We spent the days just walking around the area, doing a lot of shopping, sending out dozens of postcards and soaked up the sun. I'm finally a shade other than pale. Much better. Poor Randy looks like a boiled lobster. Being a man, he didn't think he needed sunscreen the first day. BIG MISTAKE!

We rented a bicycle built for four people and rode all over the boardwalk. It was a lot of fun. Of course, I didn't peddle it, that's what husbands and strong young teenagers are for. :) I spent the two hours just taking photos and seeing the sights.

After this week and a half vacation, I'll need a vacation to recuperate!