The Story of Ben Linus

ABC’s Lost has many noteworthy characters that are on this factious island. I wrote a post "The Story Of John Locke"  because he is one of my favorite Losties. On this last season of Lost, we find the survivors and others caught in two separate storylines after the bomb went off. In one, everyone is still on the island, in the same year, but not all together. John Locke is dead but his likeness is either evil or not and can become the smoke monster that kills all who defies him. The second storyline is about the plane landing and what happens to everyone after that. Which story is real, one or two, or perhaps both. We won’t know until the two hour season finale.

One of the show’s fictional characters is Benjamin “Ben” Linus, portrayed by Emmy winner, Michael Emerson. Ben was only supposed to be on the show for three episodes but the producers saw something in him and his portrayer, Emerson. When we first see Ben, he tells the survivors that his name was Henry Gale and was also on the plane. Locke and the other survivors grew suspicious of Ben and later his true identity was revealed. Ben was the leader of the Others, a group of island inhabitants that tortured and terrorized the Oceanic Flight 815 survivors. His ability to manipulate and lie, enabled him to mess with Locke’s mine, and gets himself released from their captivity in the hatch.

Ben Linus was born in the woods outside of Portland, Oregon. His mother Emily died giving birth to him and his Dad, Roger, blamed Ben for his loss. When he was a young boy, his father took a job for the Dharma Initiative, and they moved to the Island. Roger started drinking heavily and verbally abused Ben. Ben grows to hate Dharma and runs away bumping into the never aging Richard. Richard was an island native and part of the group known as the “Hostiles”. Ben wanted to be a part of this group. Richard told him to be patient and he will get his wish. In the fifth season where the island is moving through time, Sayid comes across young Ben and shoots him, leaving him for dead and hoping to end Ben’s reign of terror. Jack refused to help the dying Ben so Kate and Sawyer bring him to Richard who deems him as one of the Others from that point on.

We begin to know more about Ben’s past in his flashbacks. In 1988, Charles Widmore, the leader of the Others, sent Ben to kill Rousseau, “the French Lady”. He sees that she had a baby and kidnaps her and raises her as his own. Four years later, in another flashback, we see Ben killing his father and all of the members of the Dharma Initiative with poisonous gas. After that, he banishes Widmore from the Island and takes over as leader of the Others. He tells them that he is in constant communication with Jacob, the real leader, but it comes out later that he never met Jacob.

It was only two days before the crash of Oceanic flight 815 that Ben learned he has a spinal tumor. While watching the crash, he sent a couple of his group to investigate to see if there were any doctors aboard and had survived. He learns of Jack Shepard, a spinal surgeon, and concocts a plan to get Jack to do his surgery. After finding out that the men he sent didn’t get any answers, Ben came up with the idea to be Henry Gale, a man that died on the island earlier, to get closer to the survivors. After escaping, he was able to capture Jack, Sawyer and Kate to put his plans in motion. After some convincing, Jack agreed to do the surgery. But before Jack was done, he refused to finish unless Sawyer and Kate were let go and Ben agreed.

Locke ends up rescuing Jack but not without a hostile encounter with Ben. Ben tells Locke that they have his father and if he killed him, he can become part of the Others. Locke ends up getting Sawyer to do his dirty deed and then takes the corpse to Ben. Ben decides to take Locke to meet Jacob but shoots him and leaves him for dead after discovering the Locke can hear Jacob.

Ben ends up back with Jack and the other survivors who are now in contact with a freighter somewhere off the coast of the island. Ben warns them that these people are evil and will kill everyone. For his efforts, he is beaten and taken hostage while Jack makes contact with the freighter.

In the fourth season, the survivors are now divided into two groups, those that believe the freighter people to be good and those that believe they wish them harm. Ben knows that Charles Widmore sent the freighter and wants him. As the people from the freighter land on the island, the mercenaries end up killing Ben’s daughter, Alex, and others. Ben summons the smoke monster who quickly attacks the men, killing them all. Afterwards, Ben, Locke, and Hurley visit Jacob’s cabin where Locke goes inside by himself. Locke returns and tells them that they must move the island. They go to the Orchid where Ben tells Locke to leave and become the new leader of the Others while he enters a secret room. In the room is a large immobile wheel in the wall which Ben turns and it teleports the Island to a new location and through time. Ben himself is sent to the Sahara Desert in Tunisia, ten months ahead of the time he left the Island.

Ben seeks out and finds Sayid, one of the Oceanic Six that got off the Island, at his wife’s funeral. He convinces Sayid that Widmore was the one that had his wife killed and enlisted him as his personal assassin. While Sayid fulfilled Ben’s lists of targets, Ben finds Widmore and threatens to kills his daughter, Penny, as punishment for the death of Alex, his daughter. Meanwhile, Locke leaves the Island to convince the Oceanic Six to return. Ben finds Locke and kills him making it look like a suicide. Ben then later convinces Jack that Locke’s body needed to be on the same flight with other six. Ben and the Oceanic Six board a flight to return to the Island. Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid end up on the Island in 1977 with those that were on the Island when it was moving through time. Ben and Sun remains in the present with Locke’s dead body, the stranger walking around in Locke’s body, and the survivors of this flight.

A failed attempt to take a boat to the main Island, Ben is faced with Locke, who is quite alive. He tells Locke that he tried to get to the main Island to be judged by the Monster, breaking rules and returning to the Island. He and Locke go to the main Island looking for the Monster at his house. Locke tells him that he knows where the Monter’s lair was located, in tunnels beneath the Temple. Ben and Locke enter the temple when Ben falls through the floor and is faced with the Monster. He sees flashes of all the decisions he made, most of which involved Alex. After not being harmed by the Monster, he sees Alex who tells him not to kill Locke and to obey whatever he asks of him.

Along with Locke and Sun, Ben returns to the Others’ camp where Locke promises all of them that he will take them to see Jacob. As they are walking back to the temple, Locke tells Ben that he will kill Jacob. Because of what Alex said, Ben reluctantly agrees. When they reach the statue, Ben and Locke enter where they are met by Jacob. Jacob realizes that Locke is not Locke but his enemy and he is there to kill him. After a heated argument, Ben stabs Jacob twice, killing him. A very upset Ben is told to bring Richard inside, but before he does, Ben is confronted with Locke’s corpse. The group that brought Locke’s body was confronted with the smoke monster after shooting at “Locke”. Ben, Sun, and Frank (the plane’s pilot), buried Locke and Ben eulogist him saying that, “John was a believer, a man of faith, and a better man that Ben himself could ever be”.

In this season’s story one; Ben is on the island with Sun, Frank, Miles and other survivors. They are at the camp of the Oceanic 815 survivors, cleaning up the mess to make the place livable. In the alternate timeline where the plane didn’t crash, Ben is a European History teacher, having survived the destruction of the Island in 1977. We see him meet up with Locke who is a substitute teacher, and Alex, who is a student of his and not his daughter. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out.

The Big 25

Mike with his sisters, Kelly and Trish, at the Copper Queen Hotel

Today is Mike's 25th birthday and sadly young enough to be my kid.  I met him through both my kids who worked with him at Toys R Us and then Wells Fargo.  He and I had this love of the paranormal in common, which sparked the beginning of this blog.  Even though he has been missing in action posting anything lately, he is still part of this blog.  I told him that I am keeping the blog going and to jump in anytime to add a post.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKEY!

Miss Aaron?

Another goofy picture from the tweets of Aaron Goodwin (Ghost Adventures).

Pearl "Bandit Queen" Hart

When we took our daytrip to Miami and Globe, we stopped by a couple of cemeteries. Resting in the Pinal Cemetery, near Globe, is Pearl Hart Bywater. Debe showed us where her grave was located and told us a brief history on her escapades. Sharon (Autumnforest) told me that she would make a great post, so I took her advice. I did some research on Pearl but there a many conflicting stories of her life. Some of the details are uncertain and often inconsistent leaving many to speculate what the real story is on this Arizona outlaw’s life. She is acknowledged as the only known female stagecoach robber in Arizona’s history earning her the nicknames of “Bandit Queen” or “Lady Bandit”.

She was born Pearl Taylor in 1871 in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. Her parents were religious and wealthy affording her the best education. Her father, James, was a civil engineer who moved his family to Toledo, Ohio in 1878. She was enrolled in boarding school at the age of 16. It was there where she met a young man named Frank Holt and eloped with him when she was only 17. He was known as a drunkard and gambler who became more abusive right after they were married. She went home to her mother but reconciled with him several times after that. Together they had two kids, a boy named “Little Joe”, and a girl named, “Emma”. The kids were only eleven months apart in age. There are some stories told that she sent her kids to her mother in Ohio, after she left Frank, and hopped a train to Trinidad, Colorado. The story goes on to say that she possible met another man, a piano player named Dan Bandman, and went with him.

In 1892, she arrived in Phoenix with claims that she worked as a cook or singer, possibly a demimondaine. She lived on Washington Street and developed affection for cigars, liquor and morphine. She ran into her ex, Frank, while living in Phoenix and he persuaded her to move to Tucson with him. They lived well for a brief period but once the money ran out, he became abusive again. Frank ended up enlisting in the military service during the Spanish-American War, leaving Pearl alone. She found it very difficult to survive and became very depressed. She tried to kill herself at least four times but was stopped by a friend. Some say that she wished Frank would be killed by the Spanish.

In the late 1890’s, while she was living in Mammoth, Arizona, which is located 47 miles north of Tucson, she worked as a cook in a boarding house. Other stories had her operating a tent brothel near the local mines and doing quite well until the mines closed. Shortly after that, she got word that her mother was gravely ill and she needed to come home. Desperate for money, she hooked up with a friend, Joe Boot, who said he had a mining claim but found no gold. Many say that Joe Boot wasn’t his real name but that he was using an alias. In May of 1899, the two of them decided to rob the Globe to Florence stagecoach near the settlement of Troy and Kane Springs Canyon. Pearl cut her hair, dressed in men’s clothing, and was armed with a .38 revolver. Boot held a gun on the victims while Pearl stole two firearms and money. They gave each passenger a $1.00 for food, took the driver’s gun and fled south towards Benson. They worked their way up the San Pedro River hoping to get far away from the crime. The stagecoach driver unhitched a horse, road to town and alerted the sheriff, W. E. “Bill” Truman. Then in June of 1899, the Pinal County sheriff caught up with the two bandits while they lay asleep. They were captured near the north side of Benson and charged with armed robbery. Boot went quietly but Pearl put up a fight.

He was taken to Florence jail while Pearl was put in a Tucson jail. Florence’s facility was not equipped for female prisoners. Many people were fascinated by the female bandit, with some showing sympathy for the petite, five foot tall woman. She became the voice for women’s freedom and liberation. While serving time, she felt affection for an inmate trusty named, Ed Hogan, who was a petty thief. Hogan was allowed to freely wander aimlessly and became obsessed with Pearl. Because her cell was made of lath and plaster, Hogan was able to cut a hole in the wall, aiding in her escape on October 12, 1898. She was recaptured two weeks later in New Mexico. When Pearl and Boot finally went to trial, she made a plea saying that she needed the money to see her ailing mother. The jury found them not guilty which angered the judge. He ordered another trial and the pair was convicted and punished. Boot was sentenced to thirty years and Hart for five years. They were sent to the Yuma Territorial Prison to serve out their time. Boot was made a prison trusty, driving a supply wagon for which he used to escape after two years of his sentence.

On November 18, 1899, Pearl was assigned the number 1559, and started serving her five year sentence. She received lots of attention for which she truly enjoyed and used to improve her circumstances. Her cell was oversized, larger than most, and came with a small yard. She used the yard to entertain reporters and other guests. She was released from prison in December of 1902 when she was pardoned by Governor Alexander Brodie. It was two years before her sentence was done and amongst rumors that she was pregnant. It is unclear if this was true but the claims are that the pregnancy would have embarrassed the prison and that is why the pardon was given. There was no evidence of Pearl having a third child and could have been a ploy by her to get released from prison early. In any case, she was given a ticket to Kansas City, Missouri, and asked to leave the territory.

Her later life is also a mystery. One story is that she did a short lived play reenacting her crime and talking about the horror of being in the Yuma Territorial Prison, while living in Kansas City. In 1904, while running a cigar store, she was arrested for receiving stolen property. She was declared innocent of the charge. Another story is that she returned to jail, in Tucson, 25 years after her first time she was put in prison but for reasons unknown. And then there are claims that she lived a private life with her husband of 50 years, George Calvin “Cal” Bywater. They lived in Dripping Springs, Arizona, where she was known as Pearl Bywater. A woman pretending to be a census taker claimed that while at her home she noticed that her clothes were dirty and cigar butts were all over the place. She also suspected Pearl to be the infamous Pearl Hart, Bandit Queen. Her death is a mystery as well. Most claims are that she died sometime after 1928, not able to give an exact date. But other claims state that she died on December 30, 1955 from Cardio Vascular Disease in the Gila General Hospital located in Globe, Arizona. She is buried next to her husband in the Pinal Cemetery which is located near Globe.

Perhaps many of Pearl’s life stories may be just claims with no documents to back them up, but whatever the truth may be, Pearl Hart has earned a place in Arizona’s Wild West history.

What Joseph Has Seen

On a warm summer day in July of 1843, Joseph was born in Prince Williams, Virginia. He was the second child of James and Mildred having an older sister named Mary. His papa James was known to his friends as Jas, and was a sailor and farmer. Prior to the Civil War, he served in the county militia which was required by all able-bodied men in Gloucester. Jas also served in “The Gloucester Invincible for Guinea” led by Lt Col. Powhatan Robertson Page. His mother, Mildred, was the eldest child of William and Ana Hobday. Her father owned 200 acres of an estate known as “Little England” near the James River. Joseph grew up with three brothers and two sisters playing on the land of the Virginia estate.

When he was 18 years of age in 1861, the American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, began. At the age of 20, in March of 1863, Joseph enlisted in the CSA 26th VA, Infantry, Company F. He was listed in the “Ord & Circulars Guard Report” for guard duty on December 1863 to January 1864. At the age of 22, Joseph was present at the final Muster Roll which occurred on February 28, 1865 and then served at Appomattox Court House. While Joseph was serving his time at Appomattox, he had no idea what was coming next.

On the morning of April 9, 1865, the battle of Appomattox Court House was fought and ended the four year battle of the American Civil War. General Robert E. Lee abandoned the confederate capitol of Richmond, Virginia after the Siege of Petersburg, headed west in hopes of joining his army in North Carolina. Joseph stood with his regiment when Lee launched an attack at the Appomattox Court House hoping to break through the Union force. He was there when Lee realized that his cavalry was surrounded by two corps of Union Infantry and there was no hope. On that historic day Lee surrendered to Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant by signing documents at the house of Wilmer McLean and officially ending the Civil War. Joseph was among the many men that were present when this battle and surrender occurred. He continued to serve at Appomattox until May of 1865 until he was paroled in Richmond, Virginia at the age of 22 years.

When he was 25 years of age, he married Catherine Alice in Norfolk, Virginia. She was 21 years old when they married on Christmas of 1867. Together they had one child named Mary Maude, and continued his career as a waterman/sailor. Joseph died at the age of 59, two years before his daughter, Mary, died from Typhoid Fever.

Joseph Fleming was my great great Grandfather on my Dad’s side. His daughter Mary was my great Grandmother and married to my great Grandpa George. They were the parents of my Grandpa Wilton whose tragic death I wrote about in my post, Will Rogers and My Grandpa.   Wilton was only two when his mother, Mary died, and my father was only two when his dad, Wilton, died in the plane crash.

There are many stories of the ghosts seen at the Appomattox Court House. Along with the sounds of battle cries, guns, cannons, horse hooves, many have claimed seeing apparitions, especially of gray ghosts. Most of the apparitions seen have the civil war uniforms on and appear to be still fighting the battle. My cousin and others have reported experiencing that eerie feeling like you are being watched by many unseen eyes. They have also mentioned the feeling of heaviness as if many souls were surrounding them. I’m not sure if my Great grandpa Joseph’s spirit is there, but I know one thing, Appomattox is on my bucket list of places I need to visit.

Destination Truth Recap: Ghost of Masada; the Leprechaun

Look for my Destination Truth Recap on the Ghost Hunters Investigations blog. I will posting the DT recaps there every week.

A Great Place to Make a Horror Flick?

Yesterday I took a road trip with Autumnforest of Ghost Hunting Theories, Debe Branning and Ginny to three of Arizona's small towns, Superior, Miami, and Globe.  All of these towns had several things in common such as great cemeteries, many abandoned buildings, and several antique shops.  The sad reality was they were almost like ghost towns and many of the shops were stocked with merchandise, but the doors were locked.  We walked around each town, taking pictures of all the abandoned buildings, which had many of the locals staring at us like we were nuts.  We did manage to find a couple of stores opened and checked out all the cool antiques. I wanted some of the items, but they wouldn't have fit in Sharon's (Autumnforest) car and quite frankly, I didn't have the money.  We did have a great lunch at a Mexican food restaurant in Miami and walk around the interesting cemeteries afterwards, in each town.  The weather was great. It was in the 70's with a nice breeze.  I'm posting the town pictures first and then the cemetery pictures will follow.  Some of those pictures will also have a story about the person that resides in that grave. Be sure to check out Autumnforest's videos of our trip if you haven't already.

SUPERIOR:

MIAMI:

GLOBE:

Globe Trotting to Miami, Arizona

Miami, Arizona is a small town with a population of 1,841 and located in Gila County.  It once was a booming western copper town but now those copper mines lay dormant.  The old downtown has been renovated, and with its low-cost housing, more people are moving there to enjoy that small town feeling.
 

Just 7 miles or so from Miami is Globe, Arizona.  Globe's population as of 2005 was 7,187.  The town was founded in 1875 and was a mining camp.  Most of the residence that live there are retirees.  Globe depends on tourism, mining and other resources for their economy.
 
Tomorrow, I will be taking a day trip with Sharon (Autumnforest), Debe Branning and Sharon's ghost hunting partner, Ginny.  I have been through both towns but never stopped for anything more than gas or something to eat on my way the the White Mountains.  Sharon assures me that both towns have haunted places, abandoned buildings, great cemeteries and antique shops.  Look for not only my posts, pictures and videos but Sharon's as well on her blog, Ghost Hunting Theories.

Around Town

Pictures from around Bisbee, AZ.

Chip Coffey

When you think of psychic mediums, one name comes to mind, Chip Coffey. His uncanny natural gifts have not gone unnoticed by several newspapers or magazines. They have noted his outstanding abilities in many articles. Not only can Chip’s story be found in a majority of printed items, but he has been a distinctive part of many television and radio broadcasts. Lately, we can find Chip using his abilities in such A&E Network programs as Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal, Paranormal State and Airline. On Psychic Kids he acts as a mentor towards children who have experienced psychic abilities, primarily seeing ghosts.

Chip Coffey was born on August 21, 1954 in Elmira, New York. He lists his occupation as “Medium” and is currently living in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a tweet Chip said about himself:

“I shop at Walmart, mow my own grass, do my own laundry and clean up dog poop every now and then. Yep, I'm a celeb. ROFLMAO.”

I didn’t find information about his younger years, but you can find Chip all over the web in his many sites. Read more about his personal life, about the shows he is involved with, and other aspects of his life at the following places:

His website: http://www.chipcoffey.com/

myspace: http://www.myspace.com/chipcoffey

twitter: http://twitter.com/CHIPCOFFEY

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chip-Coffey-Psychic-and-Medium/90338070683?v=wall

Here is a link to an interview he did with Ghost Theory in 2009: http://www.ghosttheory.com/2009/09/05/skeptical-qa-with-chip-coffey

The Manster

Here is one for you Autumnforest! When I was little, Phoenix had a local show called “Wallace and Ladmo”. Along with Wallace and Ladmo were other kooky characters such as Aunt Maude, Captain Super and Gerald. Every Saturday they would be somewhere around town and all us kiddies and even adults would show up to see them in person and hopefully get a Ladmo bag. Sometimes they would appear at one of the local theaters and after the show they usually entertained the crowd with a horror flick. This was in the late 60’s and early 70’s, so many of the movies were cheesy black and white horror flicks from earlier decades. No matter how old, they still managed to scare me.

On Autumnforest’s blog “Ghost Hunting Theories”, she posted a blog about Parasitic and Vanishing Twins . For some reason one of those horror flicks popped into my head. The movie was called “The Manster”. This 1959 movie was about a reporter, Larry, which was sent to Japan to interview an unconventional scientist, Dr. Suzuki. This Japanese scientist lived atop of a volcanic mountain and was conducting bizarre experiments. Dr. Suzuki realized that Larry would make the perfect subject in his next experiment. Unbeknownst to Larry, Dr. Suzuki injected him with a serum causing great pain in his shoulder. As the pain worsened, Larry decides to examine his shoulder and finds a large eyeball that had grown in the area of the injection. Gradually, Larry is transformed into a morally repulsive two-headed monster.

Paranormal Oscar Activity

Starring Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin



Smile and have a great day!

Oliver House: Bisbee's Haunted B&B

I posted this in 2008 on our TAGO blog and decided to repost it to go along with the pictures I took while recently visiting Bisbee. I am hoping that the next time I do a post on the Oliver House it will be my personal experience while staying there.

In the quaint little town of Bisbee, Arizona, many of the residence that live there are not just of the living or breathing kind, but paranormal kind as well. The interesting history and haunts of the Copper Queen Hotel makes it a popular place for tourist to want to spend a night or two. But remember, Bisbee can boast other haunted establishments too such as the Oliver House. Bisbee’s haunted bed and breakfast might be another place that you may want to stay if you don’t mind a ghostly visitor or two.

The Oliver House was built in 1909 by Edith Ann Oliver, the wife of Henry Oliver, a mining tycoon. It was originally used as mine offices and later became a boarding house for miners. The story was told that in the late 1800’s the wife of a local policeman was having an affair with Nathan Anderson, a mining employee. Her husband found out about it, went to the house and killed the both of them. Nat was shot at the top of the staircase to the second floor while entering room 13. He was shot in the head, between the eyes, and in the back. After killing the two of them, the husband headed downstairs and killed everyone in the parlor. He then drove to the edge of town and committed suicide. A total of 27 people died in the house, including those from the mass murder.

With all that violence that happened in the house, you can bet there are some unhappy spirits still hanging around. Some of the guest who has stayed there has reported hearing footsteps in the hallways at night. Some have said that they could hear running water in pipes that don’t exist. Most of the activity is around room 13 where Nat was murdered.

Each of the Oliver House’s rooms has their own bit of spooky activity. In the Plum Room strange cold spots and the feeling like you are being watched have been reported by eyewitnesses. The Purple Sage Room had reports of doors and shutters that open and shut by them. The Grandma Room is said to be haunted by an older woman who died there of natural causes. Some reports in this room are that the rocking chair moves on its own and seeing the older woman watching over them at nighttime. In the Captain’s Room some have felt the presence of a hostile spirit and heard a voice saying “Get Out”!!!

Next time you want a “haunted” place to stay, keep the Oliver House in Bisbee, Arizona in mind. You can be sure that when you stay there, you won’t be alone.

~Julie~

view from the porch

Who Do You Think You Are?

This looks really good. Since I am currently researching my family's genealogy. I am curious on how they find all the information on the celebs and their families' history.



Who Do You Think You Are?
Starts tomorrow, Friday, March 5th, 8/7c on NBC.

Photos and History

(via Twitter: GA's Aaron Goodwin grabbing the clouds)

Lately I have been racking my brain about what to post! I love reading all the fascinating and clever posts on the blogs I follow. Many of you are great story tellers and amazing writers. Some are very knowledgeable on anything paranormal, and ghost related. I have learned many things I never knew on the subject. Some have educated me on why places may be haunted or taken me to places I never heard of, and telling stories of their history and haunts. I may not be as verse on the subject of the paranormal as many of you are, but I love learning as much as I can about it.

The one thing I find that I am enjoying lately is the history of Arizona and other places. If you knew me in high school and even college, I barely made it through those classes. Now, after two years of unemployment and researching my family’s genealogy, I have a renewed interest in history. I also have a renewed interest in art, specifically in photography. I want to focus on posting photos with the history behind them.

I have a personal blog that I started in 2008, http://therandommindofmissjulie.blogspot.com/ . I didn’t know what I would be posting or even how to make it interesting for anyone dropping by to read it. I decided to share my family and thoughts with everyone and if they were interested they would decide to keep coming by and maybe even commenting. Lately, the blog has been inundated with my Granddaughter, Kennedy’s, pictures. She is my first grandchild and I am a proud Grandma. I was lucky enough to get some great followers who have interesting blogs. They are all worth the read, but there are three I would like to make a point of mentioning:

Stephen Baird - http://nikonsniper.blogspot.com/ .  He posts amazing photos that he has taken in many places. Most of his photos stand alone on the post and don’t need any explanation. He shares his world through one photo at a time and occasionally he will write an interesting blog.

Then there is Les Barr - http://thisiscorker2.blogspot.com/  known to us as Corker2. Les not only posts the most interesting photos but he gives us the history too. He takes us all over his state of PA and other places. He even shares his most personal past and present events in his life.

Another blog I enjoy reading is Chesapeake Bay Woman - http://lifeinmathews.blogspot.com/ .  She also shares photos of where she lives but has a humorous way of telling stories about the quirky people around her. She delves into the history of living in Mathews, as well as what is happening today.

I like how these people not only posts interesting photos but give you the personal side of what they are all about. This is what I would like to do as well. I’m not a professional writer or photographer but I am passionate about both. I have many pictures of interesting places that I have been and the stories behind those places are just as fascinating. I have noticed that my posts which have gotten the most comments are the more personal ones (Santa Bob  Will Rogers and My Grandpa and TheseOldDoorknobs). I enjoyed writing about them because they were personal. I will continue posting new horror flicks or TV shows coming out, crazy photos (thanks to the GA boys) and stories that I come across. Those are part of what this blog is all about. I’m also hoping that Mike will add a post or two, but I do understand that he is a very busy boy.

I just want to say thank you to all our followers and others that stop by and read our posts. We greatly appreciate it.

~Julie~

March Madness

I’m not talking about college basketball, but four TV shows that will be returning in March.

1. GHOST HUNTERS: The TAPS team gets things started on Wednesday, March 3rd on Syfy. TAPS will be celebrating their 100th episode and picked a great place to to investigate, Alcatraz! This 2 hour episode will be hosted by Josh Gates.

2. DESTINATION TRUTH: Speaking of Josh Gates, Destination Truth will be making its return on Wednesday, March 17th on Syfy. I am very excited to see where he takes us and what kind of mysterious creatures will he be looking for. If you are not watching this show, WHY? It is definitely one show not to miss.  http://www.syfy.com/destinationtruth/index.php

3. FLASH FORWARD: This particular week is going to be a good one. Not only is Destination Truth premiering, but Flash Forward also returns. Look for more excitement on Thursday, March 18th on ABC. The promo looks good.  http://abc.go.com/shows/flash-forward

4. V: Last but not least is V. I have to admit that I am the least excited for this show but willing to give it another chance. Maybe things will pick up for the better. Here’s hoping that it will. http://abc.go.com/shows/v

LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!