A Gay Ghost Hunter's Snippets of Life… and the Afterlife
Tomorrow morning, I’ll be leaving the confines of my small town… to the confines of a small, long-vanished town in a valley: Beaver Creek State Park! Thankfully, the weather is supposed to be nice. Perfect for camping! There is a Scavenger Hunt set up for Saturday night, so anyone who is interested, feel free to stop by. I know full well that some of the prizes are quite nice. Here is the flyer, done beautifully by Jeri Holland:
(click to enlarge the image)
Training Day 3: Now that most of the information thrown at us has been digested, things are getting easier. I actually left in good spirits today without that dread of going back. Sure, there isn’t any health care or special favors coming out of it, but it’s employment. Flexible schedule too. Since everything is going smoothly, I’ll be starting my assignments on Friday.
I was worried how Friday was going to work out. I have plans in the evening, so there’s a lot to try to accomplish in one day. And being the late bloomer I am, a few birthday presents are scheduled to arrive that day. At least now I know I’ll have time to wrap them! I always worry about getting something someone already has, but I hope that my unique eye avoids any duplicates. If not, well… I gave it my best.
Because of Friday’s schedule, I’m thinking I won’t quite reach 40 hours for the week. But I’ll try to get as close as possible. This month is a bit of a nightmare with schedule overlaps, but I’ll be getting full paychecks probably next month, if all goes well. Then, they’re talking about assignments during the summer and into the fall. It might not be regular work each week, but it’ll be a heck of a lot better than being an unemployable non-ape.
For now, I’ll just be happy for what I can get. After all, it means that come autumn, that vacation I’ve been talking about taking should be a sure thing. After so many years without a break from Ohio, I sure could use the travel time.
Those of you who know me well know that I love photography. I may not do it as often as I’d like, but I enjoy being behind a camera. I did fight the digital revolution (and still prefer 35mm), but digital is easier when you’re dealing with the internet. Scanning regular images, as well as all the expense involved, makes it something I save for what I deem most important. Some sightseeing and paranormal adventures require tangible photos worthy of frames. The rest, well, I’ll settle for a digital.
I’ve been a member of Flickr for a few years now, I think. It was only recently that I actually bothered uploading any photos onto the site. It’s easy and a good way to get some exposure for any images you’ve captured… and, for some, a way of sharing other people’s photographic work. For me, it’s a way of sharing some of the things I’ve photographed (and bothered saving the images for) with new people, friends, and anyone else. I’m very picky about what I place on it.
But today, I finally uploaded some new images from this past weekend. I had the great pleasure of going to a small family gathering (not my family) in Valley View at one of the “haunted” places in the Cuyahoga Valley: Edmund Gleeson House. I was invited by a Gleeson family descendant who still lives nearby, and took the chance to get a sneak peek inside the rehabilitated home. I met the owner, listened sheepishly as the Gleeson descendant went on and on about my book to everyone (she even gave they mayor of Valley View a copy… I shook his hand), and poked around the old farmhouse. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I went for it.
Everyone was pleasant. A few of the teenagers in the room immediately wanted to know more about the “ghost”. The other Gleeson house down the road (occupied by the descendant) is also haunted, apparently. I maintained my usual speculative distance from any firm answers about the hauntings. I’ve never experienced anything nor have I investigated anything, therefore it could just be legend. We had an interesting discussion of local legends, like “Hell Town“, as well.
I didn’t overstay my welcome and had plans, so the visit was brief. But I did get to snap a few photos inside before leaving. I gave the owner a copy of the book as well, for curiosity’s sake. The National Park Service did an incredible job on the home. I would have taken more photos, but the place was packed with guests and family and I didn’t want to intrude too much.
To see these and some of the other photos from the Cuyahoga Valley (as well as other random images from the past few years), just go to my Flickr photostream.
I had every intention of spending Valentine’s curled up in bed while watching another movie marathon. But it wasn’t in the cards. Instead, I was invited to an impromptu ghost hunt at a closed theater again. While no ghosts showed, there was plenty of laughter to be had. I, crowbar in hand, trying to put a hole in a wall which might lead to a secret tunnel… and, with my bowler hat on, looking more like a sadistic Vaudeville murdering act. (I do need to get a copy of that picture taken of me pretending it was a cane.) Then, of course, making Jeri nearly pass out with laughter at my imitation of a local “action news” weatherman with his strange, crack-like jerky movements almost pantomiming the day’s forecast.
Strange, but true.
We all nearly froze to death in the auditorium. I crawled into bed late and didn’t defrost for a good hour. I managed to collect a few nifty odds and ends from the building. Nothing of any consequence, but then again my flashlight died as soon as I arrived. That’s what I get for bringing my cheap plastic one instead of the club-a-man-to-death Mag-Lite.
Today, I spent almost the entire day reading a new book I’ve wanted for a long time. It is Steve Cooper’s first novel, With You in Spirit
Otherwise, I’m gearing up for another long writing week. We shall see how far I manage to get over the next five days. I’m trying not to put the cart before the horse. But I am optimistic. April is turning into a busy month for me, so I must get the writing done in a few weeks and any tweaks hammered out through March. Luckily, I am using a day-planner again, so I can keep everything in check.
It’s the final push now, so no holds are barred, no waiting for information to add to the book. What I have I have, and that’s what I’ll use.
It’s another slow week for my blog. Conversely, it’s a good week for writing elsewhere. I’m pounding out as much as I can again and putting major dents in my book workload. There is quite a lot to get through today and more planned throughout this week. If I keep going at this pace, I should be able to breathe a sigh of relief by Friday.
Last weekend was fun, exhausting, and interesting. Saturday night’s trip to Union Station was more interesting than usual. Logo was there filming for a program involving drag queens, though we missed whatever minutely interesting moments there might have been. Instead, we left for the Cedar Lee Theater in Coventry for the midnight showing of Clue. By then I was a bit exhausted, but I did get my second wind for long enough to enjoy the show. Sunday, I spent having a mini movie marathon at home, watching David DeCoteau B movies and trying to stay awake through them all.
But now it’s back to the research and writing. So much to do, so little time…
Another weekend survived. Dodging strange people and the mentally ill, I relaxed with a few friends Saturday night. And yes, I had some well-deserved margaritas, thank you very much. Is that a crime, I ask? And no, I wasn’t sick as a dog the following day. Exhausted, yes. Under the weather? No. Just a bit sore from climbing stairs, cleaning like a madman, and dodging debris.
As always, I’m behind with many things. I have editing to tackle, blogs to catch up on, a disaster I call my desk begging to be uncovered, and plenty of my own writing and research to pounce upon. One thing I’ve learned in life is that there are two possible modes: complete utter boredom and overwhelming chaos. We shift between the two. And now, my life is headed toward the latter.
I’m quite good at jinxing myself, so I’ll keep tight-lipped about some things until I feel safe tossing everything out there for the universe to listen. I will say that things are going splendidly. I am making headway in more ways than one. But this week, I have plenty of things to tackle. Emails to send and await replies. Voraciously reading, rereading, and revising written work. Piles of notes to sift through, write legibly, and add to. And that pesky pattern for a stuffed animal to create.
December needs to slow down a smidge.
So forgive me if my posts are erratic. It will all be explained in due time, but for now I’ll use the excuse of pre-holiday insanity. Time is not on my side and Norman Meade should be shot for suggesting anything of the sort. As we count down the final weeks of 2008, this year certainly is heading for a bang.
The most tumultuous thing about this weekend, fortunately, was the weather.
Yesterday evening was an interesting dinner in Cleveland with a few friends and the paranormal troop during monsoon-like weather. Rock Bottom Brewery may be an allegedly haunted place, but the only frightening part about visiting the Powerhouse in the Flats is the $6 parking fee for the building. Wind whipped rain off Lake Erie after earlier thunderstorms, adding a bit of mystique to the illuminated building… and puddles to dodge as you run back to the parking lot.
The temperature plummeted by nightfall in anticipation of today’s snow. I stayed up a tad bit later than normal to catch some Doctor Who on BBC America. A relaxed morning gave way to wading through junk email and plotting out the coming week. Snow began to coat outdoor surfaces this evening and it isn’t expected to let up for the next week. Winter has arrived in northeast Ohio, just in time to curtail outdoor plans and remind me of the unpredictability of Mother Nature.
It might be a good week for a coffee shop meeting with friends after all…
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…
Almost 48 hours after helping a friend move to a new apartment, I feel like the upper half of my body has been beaten repeatedly with a stick. The move itself only took two hours, and I’m feeling it. Once again, I’m finding bruises I can’t remember getting. My shoulders, back, arms, and chest all give slight protests in response to any action.
To say that I worked up a sweat Saturday would be a gross understatement. After the first 30 minutes, I could feel the beads of sweat running down my face, dripping off my nose like a passing summer shower. Yet I couldn’t take too long of a break. When there’s a task to be done, idleness is not in my vocabulary. There were moments when I was pulling the cart filled with furnishings down the long corridor when I imagined the similarities to a work horse tied to the plow in a field. Too tired to think or object. Hard work can be its own form of tunnel vision.
Afterward, we relaxed before heading out for dinner and then on to a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Though it has been nearly a decade since I first watched the stage performance to accompany the movie with the 69th Floorshow Company, it seemed very different this time. I had forgotten most of the lines, yet many audience members seemed to know less than I did. I remembered the days of sitting in a smaller audience, closer to the screen and the action, surrounded by enthusiastic people shouting out a chorus of one-liners.
Listening to someone yelling at the people to be quiet and another college-age man behind me giving an in-depth psychoanalysis of the performance and people took away from the carefree atmosphere for a moment and made me realize how much things change.
As we spilled out of the theater, an intoxicated man emerged from a nearby building (presumably a bar), shouting and threatening to annihilate one of the young, skinny boys from the audience. His friends held him back as I lost sight of them in the parking deck. What an angry place this world can be at times.
I have much to accomplish this week, yet I still feel utterly exhausted. Luckily, some things will have to wait until a few books arrive from other libraries. My research work has been going by rather slowly. Obtaining old maps to discern past lives of buildings is never an easy task. Still, I am finding a wealth of fascinating information about history and people. I will probably share a few little tidbits as time progresses.
I realize too that my usual Friday “road trips” have fallen to the wayside. This hasn’t been for lack of enthusiasm. I do have my reasons, but I will try to indulge those who miss the tales with something comparable. There is so much to say and share, yet there is only so much time in the day…
The camping trip was an interesting experience, to say the least. Rest? Relaxation? Not such a strong possibility. In fact, last night I may have had a total of an hour of sleep. Between a dog and people talking and laughing until dawn, rest wasn’t an option.
I felt relieved to take a shower today, took a brief nap, dealt with the insanity called my neighbors (they went so far as to slam their door so hard it shattered the glass), and overall have felt the stress level rise back to overflowing. At times, I wonder if Alice’s adventures in Wonderland were more sane than what seems to surround me on a daily basis.
Otherwise, I was too tired to post this weekend’s entries, so I’ll save them for this coming week. For now, I’m burning some incense to attempt a calmer atmosphere… and looking forward to a nice, long sleep in a bed for the first time all weekend.