Review of 2010: July thru December

July: I was happy that Debe picked the Hotel San Carlos in downtown Phoenix as her next workshop location. I have always wanted to stay there and do an investigation. I was joined by Sharon, Ginny and Dan on this very hot day in July at the hotel. There were many ghost hunting enthusiasts that spent the night and went on the hotel’s ghost tour. We did have some experiences. Check out my posts and pictures from the hotel and the George and Dragon restaurant (also known to be haunted).
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/07/hotel-san-carlos-ghost-hunt-photos.html

August: Many people would think we are nuts (they may be right, lol), but Sharon and I hit the deserts of Mobile, Arizona in the scorching heat to take pictures and check out the abandoned trailer park she had told me about. Armed with cameras, hats, sunscreen, and water, we headed out to get our photos. After taking quick pictures at the trailer park, we headed towards Mobile’s tiny cemetery. On our way there, we noticed a house that had completely burned down. Another photo op for us:
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/08/place-forgotten.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/08/mobile-arizonas-little-desert-town.html

September: This was the month that the “Abandoned Places: Abandoned Memories” book started. It was still hot outside but we were not going to let it stop us from taking our trips and getting those readings and photos. We went back to the abandoned trailer park, the burned down house and the barn behind it, a deserted hotel, and the Domes. Our trip took us through Mobile, Gila Bend and finally Casa Grande. We had a great time and couldn’t wait for the next trip:
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/09/little-girls-playground.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/09/hobos-bathroom.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/09/secrets-of-domes.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/09/vacancy.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/09/burnt-memories.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/09/lost-barn.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/09/spaced-aged-cafe-lodge.html

October: We started the month with a trip to Tucson to visit Vinnie, Florence, and Adamsville. We did this trip on a Sunday and the weather was somewhat cooperative. After spending part of the trip visiting with Vinnie, we headed out to Florence. We were surprised to see no one in the downtown area of this town. It looked like a ghost town, not a human in site. After that eerie experience, we checked out Adamsville’s cemetery. This and a couple of buildings are all that is left of this town that was wiped away by a flood. Here are the posts and pictures from that trip:
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/10/picacho-peak.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/10/florence-ghost-town.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/10/where-has-adamsville-gone.html

Towards the end of the month, Sharon and I decided we needed something fun to do that was focused on the Halloween season. We ended up at Schnepf’s Farm and their haunted corn maze. We had fun and felt like kids again. Since the drive to Schnepf’s was quite far, we stayed at the San Marcos Resort where ghosts have been reported wandering the halls. We did an investigation but nothing happened (poo!):
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/10/corn-maze.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/10/schnepf-farm-activities.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/10/pumpkins-pumpkins-and-more-pumpkins.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/10/san-marcos-resort.html

November: This month brings us back to Casa Grande in search of more abandoned places. This time we had a guest with us, Vinnie. While on a dirt road driving towards a structure, we found a dumping area and of course we stopped to check it out. Sharon found another doll and named her “Junkyard Annie”. After the dump we just happened to drive by an empty warehouse and found a deserted recreation building at the end of a scattered subdivision. While driving around Casa Grande and trying to find another abandoned place, we decided to show Vinnie the Domes. The place was in more disarray from the wrath of Mother Nature. I did get some great pictures through the cracked walls of the Domes:
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/11/sad-little-dump.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/11/forgotten-shop.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/11/lonely-recreation-center.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/11/beast-box-and-warehouse.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/11/mother-natures-fury-on-domes.html

December: Our last trip of the year was back to Superior and Miami where we knew there were plenty of abandoned places for us to put in the book. We were on the lookout for different structures and ended up finding a baseball field in Superior, and an apartment building and trains in Miami. The weather was perfect and so was the trip:
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/12/view-between-towns.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/12/bee-apartments.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/12/lonesome-whistle.html

I also got a tattoo which I have been wanting for the past two years.

In 2011, I will be changing my blog’s logo and adding some of my favorite pictures from my trips with Sharon, Vinnie, Debe, Ginny, and Mike on the sidebar. There will be many more pictures and stories from my trips with Sharon in 2011. We have lots of them planned for the next year and we are working on another Abandoned Places book. The first one is finished and we are waiting on the publisher and also looking into ebooks. As soon as the book is published, we will let you know where to find it. I will be doing more stories on the Wild West places, heroes, and villains. April will be posting one of her scary stories and weird dreams from time to time. Be looking for them.  Also, I will be doing giveaways for when I finally get that 100th follower and gifts from the various towns that Sharon and I visit.  I will look for the most unusual things that each town has to offer and have a giveaway to all my wonderful followers.

I want to thank everyone, my followers, and those who have stopped by and read my blog. I appreciate your support and can’t wait to show you more of my state and other places surrounding Arizona.

Hugs and Happy New Year,
Julie