When Harry and I were in high school, our junior or senior year most likely, we were with a small group of friends riding around on the back roads between towns one day when we found an empty house set back a short distance from the road. We parked the car and headed in to investigate.
We walked up the long driveway. There were still a few yard ornaments hidden in the tall weeds of the yard. It was a big two story white house. We first explored every side of the house for secret entrances. We found nothing but the front and back doors.
When we tried to go inside, the doors were locked. We looked in the windows. What I remember seeing was just the shell of a house. There was no upstairs floor, just one large open area. There were windows up high that indicated there should be an upstairs, but there wasn't one. We saw many birds and/or bats flying around inside. That was the main reason we didn't try harder to get inside.
Since we couldn't get inside to cause any mischief, we ended up leaving to find somewhere else to explore. Today the house is still there. And since our exploration the house has been remodeled and currently has people living in it.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Kids in an Electronic Candy Store
It was around 1986 or 1987 when Harry and I first used a computer to go "online" and browse a virtual mall.
He had a Commodore 64 for a few years. I eventually had one of my own. We mostly played games on them. We also dabbled in programming. But when he bought a modem for it that connected the computer to the phone line, we knew the future of mankind had arrived.
With the modem came one free hour with a service called CompuServ. That was a golden hour and we didn't want to waste it. Eventually the big day came and we dialed up CompuServ. Our next stop after that was to crack into some government computer and see if we could take control of any intercontinental ballistic missiles.
And with our countdown timer started, we got connected. Everything was text based. We saw the main menu that had games, chat rooms, shopping, and more. So we chose to shop from home. Wow, I felt like we were living an episode of the Jetsons. Once in the mall there was another menu to select clothing, music, food, etc. We chose food. We went deeper and deeper until we were in a candy store. I believe we even selected some candy to buy, but we didn't get as far as purchasing. Then we logged off.
I was hoping there had been some kind of glitch and the candy would show up on Harry's doorstep anyway, but as far as I know it didn't. I don't think we ever used the full hour. And as far as I remember we only connected that one time. I know the country's defense system was never in danger.
It would be another ten years or so before I went back online when I finally subscribed to my own dial-up Internet. And now, more than another ten years later, I'm writing this.
He had a Commodore 64 for a few years. I eventually had one of my own. We mostly played games on them. We also dabbled in programming. But when he bought a modem for it that connected the computer to the phone line, we knew the future of mankind had arrived.
With the modem came one free hour with a service called CompuServ. That was a golden hour and we didn't want to waste it. Eventually the big day came and we dialed up CompuServ. Our next stop after that was to crack into some government computer and see if we could take control of any intercontinental ballistic missiles.
And with our countdown timer started, we got connected. Everything was text based. We saw the main menu that had games, chat rooms, shopping, and more. So we chose to shop from home. Wow, I felt like we were living an episode of the Jetsons. Once in the mall there was another menu to select clothing, music, food, etc. We chose food. We went deeper and deeper until we were in a candy store. I believe we even selected some candy to buy, but we didn't get as far as purchasing. Then we logged off.
I was hoping there had been some kind of glitch and the candy would show up on Harry's doorstep anyway, but as far as I know it didn't. I don't think we ever used the full hour. And as far as I remember we only connected that one time. I know the country's defense system was never in danger.
It would be another ten years or so before I went back online when I finally subscribed to my own dial-up Internet. And now, more than another ten years later, I'm writing this.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Exposing the Spy Film
With a group of high school friends, Harry and I explored an abandoned church located out in the country between our town and a nearby town. But that story will be a different post.
One day after that exploration, Harry, his mom, his brother, and I were headed to that nearby town. So one of suggested we show the abandoned church to his mom. We took the back roads and finally got to the church. We got out and were walking around the grounds when another car pulled up. An older guy got out and started talking to us. He seemed friendly, but in an awkward way. Before he left he asked if he could take our picture. For some reason we all stood in a group and smiled, he took a couple pictures, then he got in his car and left.
Then we realized, "Why would he need our picture?" Something didn't seem right. So we got in our car and the chase was on. We soon caught up to him and tailed him at a distance so he wouldn't know we were behind him.
We followed him down many country roads that I had never been on, a meandering route that ended up in that nearby town we were going to anyway. We continued following him through town until he turned into the parking lot of the very store we had been going to. He parked and walked into the store.
So Harry's mom parked her car next to this crazy guy's car. He had left his driver side window open. I got out of our car, reached into his car, and grabbed his camera that was lying in the front seat. I opened the film door and exposed the film to the bright sunlight for a few seconds, then closed the camera, put it back on the seat, and got in our car.
We drove to the other side of the lot and parked, did our shopping, and never did see or hear from that man again. It remains a mystery to this day who he was and why he wanted our picture.
One day after that exploration, Harry, his mom, his brother, and I were headed to that nearby town. So one of suggested we show the abandoned church to his mom. We took the back roads and finally got to the church. We got out and were walking around the grounds when another car pulled up. An older guy got out and started talking to us. He seemed friendly, but in an awkward way. Before he left he asked if he could take our picture. For some reason we all stood in a group and smiled, he took a couple pictures, then he got in his car and left.
Then we realized, "Why would he need our picture?" Something didn't seem right. So we got in our car and the chase was on. We soon caught up to him and tailed him at a distance so he wouldn't know we were behind him.
We followed him down many country roads that I had never been on, a meandering route that ended up in that nearby town we were going to anyway. We continued following him through town until he turned into the parking lot of the very store we had been going to. He parked and walked into the store.
So Harry's mom parked her car next to this crazy guy's car. He had left his driver side window open. I got out of our car, reached into his car, and grabbed his camera that was lying in the front seat. I opened the film door and exposed the film to the bright sunlight for a few seconds, then closed the camera, put it back on the seat, and got in our car.
We drove to the other side of the lot and parked, did our shopping, and never did see or hear from that man again. It remains a mystery to this day who he was and why he wanted our picture.
Friday, September 5, 2008
TAYE
It was shortly after the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986 when I had an idea. Would it be possible to build a space shuttle out of paper and launch it with bottle rockets? So I began designing my own version of the space shuttle, but on a much smaller scale.
Harry and I were very much into model rockets, space, and astronomy. So experimenting with our own home-made rocket designs was right up our alley. I soon had a prototype built and we launched it with some bottle rockets. Well, we attempted to launch it. I don't exactly remember the results of that first launch, but I know they weren't good. I built more shuttles and we had more launches. The launches usually ended up in the shuttles burning, just falling over on the launch pad, or lifting a couple of inches and exploding.
Soon a few friends joined in on the designing and launches. So we considered it our own aerospace club and called it TAYE. By 1988-1989 TAYE was in full swing with no fewer than five full-time designers. I had tested more than a dozen designs myself and the others probably another dozen collectively. We branched out from shuttles to rockets.
Then in October of 1988, TAYE had a breakthrough when a rocket designed by one of our friends actually lifted off the launch pad and flew about 15' in the air! That cranked up the excitement because now we knew it was possible to get one off the ground.
Many of these launches were recorded to audio cassette. And some (including the historical Oct '88 launch) were videotaped. Some day I would like to organize all of the TAYE footage (audio and video) and get all the launches catalogued. We kept records of every launch.
After high school graduation in 1989, the club slowly disbanded. There was a resurgence in the early 90's using Estes model rockets, but TAYE was soon shut down to inactivity and now just remains a part of aeronautical history.
Harry and I were very much into model rockets, space, and astronomy. So experimenting with our own home-made rocket designs was right up our alley. I soon had a prototype built and we launched it with some bottle rockets. Well, we attempted to launch it. I don't exactly remember the results of that first launch, but I know they weren't good. I built more shuttles and we had more launches. The launches usually ended up in the shuttles burning, just falling over on the launch pad, or lifting a couple of inches and exploding.
Soon a few friends joined in on the designing and launches. So we considered it our own aerospace club and called it TAYE. By 1988-1989 TAYE was in full swing with no fewer than five full-time designers. I had tested more than a dozen designs myself and the others probably another dozen collectively. We branched out from shuttles to rockets.
Then in October of 1988, TAYE had a breakthrough when a rocket designed by one of our friends actually lifted off the launch pad and flew about 15' in the air! That cranked up the excitement because now we knew it was possible to get one off the ground.
Many of these launches were recorded to audio cassette. And some (including the historical Oct '88 launch) were videotaped. Some day I would like to organize all of the TAYE footage (audio and video) and get all the launches catalogued. We kept records of every launch.
After high school graduation in 1989, the club slowly disbanded. There was a resurgence in the early 90's using Estes model rockets, but TAYE was soon shut down to inactivity and now just remains a part of aeronautical history.
Monday, September 1, 2008
The Cave
Harry and I loved to explore while growing up. There was a place just outside of town, not too far from our grandma and grandpa's house, that had plenty of ground to explore. It was located just behind what we called the Corner Dump. In fact, it wasn't too far from where we had our titanic rafting excursion.
But on this particular day we crossed a wide ditch, then walked across a large field, went through some woods, and found a road. We followed the road a while and came to a bluff that overlooked a lake (probably a coal mining strip pit). We made our way down the embankment to the bottom near the shore. Where the water had lapped against the dirt wall there was an area carved out that resembled a shallow cave.
So we spent a lot of time there that day, thinking we had really been great explorers to have found a "cave". It started getting late so we returned home.
I managed to go back there years later and there was no sign of the cave. It had all washed away. Had we really discovered a cave or was it a materialization of our collective imagination?
But on this particular day we crossed a wide ditch, then walked across a large field, went through some woods, and found a road. We followed the road a while and came to a bluff that overlooked a lake (probably a coal mining strip pit). We made our way down the embankment to the bottom near the shore. Where the water had lapped against the dirt wall there was an area carved out that resembled a shallow cave.
So we spent a lot of time there that day, thinking we had really been great explorers to have found a "cave". It started getting late so we returned home.
I managed to go back there years later and there was no sign of the cave. It had all washed away. Had we really discovered a cave or was it a materialization of our collective imagination?
Friday, August 29, 2008
A Scrape at the Rock Piles
One summer when Harry and I were around 13 or 14 (it was around the same time as our subterranean exploration) we were riding our bikes around the rock piles behind my house. There were some younger kids (probably around 9-12 years old) also playing at the rock piles. I remember they climbed to the top of one of the piles and started yelling at us, calling us names, trying to pick a fight.
So after a bit we climbed the pile they were on and stood next to them. We didn't fight, we just talked really mean. But that was enough to scare them pretty good. They ran off saying they were going to get their big brothers. Whatever.
A little while later we were still riding our bikes around the rock piles and the kids came back. This time they had their big brothers! They called out to us, so we stopped riding and were now sitting on our bikes. The group walked up to us and one of the older (a couple of years older than me and Harry) brothers asked if we were picking on their little brothers. We explained what happened, but they didn't like that answer. The threats started flying and the tension was buiding.
They started to surround me and Harry (still sitting on our bikes). I looked towards the road that ran beside the rock piles and beside my house and was doing some quick calculations in my mind. Just when I thought getting physical was inevitable, I hopped up onto my seat, peeled out, and pedaled as fast as I could to get to my house! I can only imagine Harry's thoughts as I left a small dust trail as I tore across the rocks, "Is he crazy? Is he gonna die? And did he just leave me here by myself?"
I glanced back behind me and saw several of the kids chasing me. A few seconds later I made it to the road. As I raced down the road toward my yard they cut across some grass and caught up to me. Just as my front tire reached my yard, one of the kids grabbed the back bar of my banana seat and pulled the bike to an immediate stop. I'm still not sure how I managed to do it, but even though the bike stopped instantly, I didn't. I somehow flung a leg up and cleared the bike, landed on my feet, and continued on foot.
I yelled back to them "This is my house! Get out of here!" But it wasn't until I was safely on the back porch looking out the back door at them that they slowly turned around and walked away. I stuck my head out the door to let them know "I just called the police!", which I hadn't but it showed I wasn't playing around.
I don't think I have ever asked Harry what happened to him after I darted off on my bike. But apparently he made it through ok. I'm sure he eventually rode up to the house to see if I had made it.
It was a close call, but we had both made it through another rough scrape.
So after a bit we climbed the pile they were on and stood next to them. We didn't fight, we just talked really mean. But that was enough to scare them pretty good. They ran off saying they were going to get their big brothers. Whatever.
A little while later we were still riding our bikes around the rock piles and the kids came back. This time they had their big brothers! They called out to us, so we stopped riding and were now sitting on our bikes. The group walked up to us and one of the older (a couple of years older than me and Harry) brothers asked if we were picking on their little brothers. We explained what happened, but they didn't like that answer. The threats started flying and the tension was buiding.
They started to surround me and Harry (still sitting on our bikes). I looked towards the road that ran beside the rock piles and beside my house and was doing some quick calculations in my mind. Just when I thought getting physical was inevitable, I hopped up onto my seat, peeled out, and pedaled as fast as I could to get to my house! I can only imagine Harry's thoughts as I left a small dust trail as I tore across the rocks, "Is he crazy? Is he gonna die? And did he just leave me here by myself?"
I glanced back behind me and saw several of the kids chasing me. A few seconds later I made it to the road. As I raced down the road toward my yard they cut across some grass and caught up to me. Just as my front tire reached my yard, one of the kids grabbed the back bar of my banana seat and pulled the bike to an immediate stop. I'm still not sure how I managed to do it, but even though the bike stopped instantly, I didn't. I somehow flung a leg up and cleared the bike, landed on my feet, and continued on foot.
I yelled back to them "This is my house! Get out of here!" But it wasn't until I was safely on the back porch looking out the back door at them that they slowly turned around and walked away. I stuck my head out the door to let them know "I just called the police!", which I hadn't but it showed I wasn't playing around.
I don't think I have ever asked Harry what happened to him after I darted off on my bike. But apparently he made it through ok. I'm sure he eventually rode up to the house to see if I had made it.
It was a close call, but we had both made it through another rough scrape.
Monday, August 25, 2008
House of Pain Update
Since posting the House of Pain story on August 4, Harry has emailed me additional details that I had originally forgotten. I remember most of his additions, but some of the details have already been erased from my memory and replaced with newer data.
So instead of a new story today, click here for the updated House of Pain story.
Enjoy.
So instead of a new story today, click here for the updated House of Pain story.
Enjoy.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Camilla - Bonus
Since posting the original 3-part series on Camilla (part 1, part 2, part 3) Jill has emailed a part of this storyline that I never knew. This is her addition to the story.
The Camilla stories triggered my memory as to the origin of the name "Camilla". One day when Amy [one of her friends] was over and her and I were by ourselves I was telling her about our "ghost" when we thought we heard something (I don't think you were home). I doubt there actually was any noise, we had just gotten ourselves scared talking about it. Anyway, we ran outside and we were sitting near the street on the south side of the house. We were too scared to go back in and then Amy said she saw the ghost looking out the little window on the staircase. I think I actually believed her, too, but she said the ghost's name was Camilla. I had never heard that name before so I thought maybe Amy could communicate with the ghost (just like the spirit bird). Anyway, we continued referring to the ghost as Camilla for a long time and finally one day I asked her where she came up with that name. She said it was the name of Grover's pet chicken on Muppet Babies. I was pretty disappointed at that because it was silly.
I guess I had heard them referring to the ghost as Camilla, so when I did the ghost writing experiment that was the name I wrote down for the ghost.
So this brings to a close the saga of Camilla. If anyone else has any more information regarding this not-so-supernatural story, please send it to me at avatarmud@gmail.com.
Thanks again to Jill for her contribution.
*** In March of 2000, I recorded a song called "Camilla". It was about our ghost hunting while growing up. It talks about Bloody Mary, the Spirit Bird (as discussed in this previous post), and a dream Jill had of a white mannequin-thing eating marshmallows that scared her half to death!
Click here to listen to "Camilla"
Click here to read the lyrics to the song
The Camilla stories triggered my memory as to the origin of the name "Camilla". One day when Amy [one of her friends] was over and her and I were by ourselves I was telling her about our "ghost" when we thought we heard something (I don't think you were home). I doubt there actually was any noise, we had just gotten ourselves scared talking about it. Anyway, we ran outside and we were sitting near the street on the south side of the house. We were too scared to go back in and then Amy said she saw the ghost looking out the little window on the staircase. I think I actually believed her, too, but she said the ghost's name was Camilla. I had never heard that name before so I thought maybe Amy could communicate with the ghost (just like the spirit bird). Anyway, we continued referring to the ghost as Camilla for a long time and finally one day I asked her where she came up with that name. She said it was the name of Grover's pet chicken on Muppet Babies. I was pretty disappointed at that because it was silly.
I guess I had heard them referring to the ghost as Camilla, so when I did the ghost writing experiment that was the name I wrote down for the ghost.
So this brings to a close the saga of Camilla. If anyone else has any more information regarding this not-so-supernatural story, please send it to me at avatarmud@gmail.com.
Thanks again to Jill for her contribution.
*** In March of 2000, I recorded a song called "Camilla". It was about our ghost hunting while growing up. It talks about Bloody Mary, the Spirit Bird (as discussed in this previous post), and a dream Jill had of a white mannequin-thing eating marshmallows that scared her half to death!
Click here to listen to "Camilla"
Click here to read the lyrics to the song
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Secret Room
In December of 1986, Harry's family moved into their current house. The upstairs was one large room that turned out to be Harry's bedroom. We had many crazy times up there.
He had a walk-in closet in his room. So one day he and I were digging through old boxes and stuff in the closet and we noticed a piece of wood in a small alcove on the left side of the closet. We cleared the way back to it and slid the wood over. There was a hole leading to a small crawlspace.
So we immediately became Indiana Harry and Jason Jones. We were always ready for adventure. Harry crawled first, I followed right behind him. We crawled in just a few feet and the passageway turned to the left. It was very dusty back there. In fact, it had probably been hundreds of years since another human being had been back there! We couldn't wait to find the lost treasure.
So we turned left and crawled for several feet and it opened up into a rather large attic opening, large enough to stand in. We were on the other side of one of the walls of his bedroom. This open area was right above their kitchen. It was a section of the house lost to ancient times. Or some would say it was unusable space. But we considered this our secret room.
We only went back there a few times over the years. And then on January 14, 1995, after Harry had moved out and his younger brother had taken over the upstairs bedroom, his brother and I took a camcorder back into the area, revealing the secret to the rest of the world. And for those who didn't learn about it from that video know about it now!
We never did find any treasure back there.
He had a walk-in closet in his room. So one day he and I were digging through old boxes and stuff in the closet and we noticed a piece of wood in a small alcove on the left side of the closet. We cleared the way back to it and slid the wood over. There was a hole leading to a small crawlspace.
So we immediately became Indiana Harry and Jason Jones. We were always ready for adventure. Harry crawled first, I followed right behind him. We crawled in just a few feet and the passageway turned to the left. It was very dusty back there. In fact, it had probably been hundreds of years since another human being had been back there! We couldn't wait to find the lost treasure.
So we turned left and crawled for several feet and it opened up into a rather large attic opening, large enough to stand in. We were on the other side of one of the walls of his bedroom. This open area was right above their kitchen. It was a section of the house lost to ancient times. Or some would say it was unusable space. But we considered this our secret room.
We only went back there a few times over the years. And then on January 14, 1995, after Harry had moved out and his younger brother had taken over the upstairs bedroom, his brother and I took a camcorder back into the area, revealing the secret to the rest of the world. And for those who didn't learn about it from that video know about it now!
We never did find any treasure back there.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Camilla - Part 3: What's In A Name?
This post will conclude the story of Camilla, the "ghost" that haunted our house when we were young. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
So how did we find out the name of this "ghost" that was haunting our house? After Jill had the dream about it, we knew what it looked like. But we wanted to learn more about it. So we did the standard tape recording of the upstairs. When some explainable noise did turn up on tape, of course that was the ghost communicating with us. So then we knew it was real!
Then one day I saw a paranormal television special that showed a piece of paper with writing on it that people claimed was the actual writing of a ghost. So I told Jill about this new experiment. We set a blank piece of paper and a pencil in Mom and Dad's closet and left it there for a few hours to make sure the ghost had plenty of time to write. Later when I went back to get the paper, I may have scribbled the name "Camilla" on the still blank piece of paper. And I may have claimed that the ghost had written it. After all, I didn't want Jill to be disappointed.
Years later we made a homemade Ouija board and used it at our dining room table. We asked Camilla many questions, and when it came time for her to spell her name for us, I secretly helped her. So this faked experience reinforced the faked experiment from years earlier. It didn't get much more professional than that!
So in conclusion, one could say that the only ghost we ever had hard evidence of was me. And I have no idea where I got the name Camilla. Maybe a real ghost planted it in my mind. . .
*** In March of 2000, I recorded a song called "Camilla". It was about our ghost hunting while growing up. It talks about Bloody Mary, the Spirit Bird (as discussed in this previous post), and a dream Jill had of a white mannequin-thing eating marshmallows that scared her half to death!
Click here to listen to "Camilla"
Click here to read the lyrics to the song
So how did we find out the name of this "ghost" that was haunting our house? After Jill had the dream about it, we knew what it looked like. But we wanted to learn more about it. So we did the standard tape recording of the upstairs. When some explainable noise did turn up on tape, of course that was the ghost communicating with us. So then we knew it was real!
Then one day I saw a paranormal television special that showed a piece of paper with writing on it that people claimed was the actual writing of a ghost. So I told Jill about this new experiment. We set a blank piece of paper and a pencil in Mom and Dad's closet and left it there for a few hours to make sure the ghost had plenty of time to write. Later when I went back to get the paper, I may have scribbled the name "Camilla" on the still blank piece of paper. And I may have claimed that the ghost had written it. After all, I didn't want Jill to be disappointed.
Years later we made a homemade Ouija board and used it at our dining room table. We asked Camilla many questions, and when it came time for her to spell her name for us, I secretly helped her. So this faked experience reinforced the faked experiment from years earlier. It didn't get much more professional than that!
So in conclusion, one could say that the only ghost we ever had hard evidence of was me. And I have no idea where I got the name Camilla. Maybe a real ghost planted it in my mind. . .
*** In March of 2000, I recorded a song called "Camilla". It was about our ghost hunting while growing up. It talks about Bloody Mary, the Spirit Bird (as discussed in this previous post), and a dream Jill had of a white mannequin-thing eating marshmallows that scared her half to death!
Click here to listen to "Camilla"
Click here to read the lyrics to the song
Monday, August 11, 2008
Climbing the Water Tower
Behind the garage of the house where I grew up was the town's water tower. I have several water tower stories, but this particular one involves me, Harry, and our grandpa.
Harry and I had always played around the water tower. The water tower served as base in many games. It was also a popular spot to ride our bikes and perform stunts. We would even climb a few feet up one of the water tower legs occasionally and jump off.
But one day we looked up one of those long silvery legs and we had an idea. I don't know about Harry, but I actually heard its cold, metallic voice whisper "Climb me". I can imagine the two of us looking up, then slowly looking down and turning toward each other, and without uttering a word both start heading up the leg.
Harry went first. As soon as he was a few feet above my head I started climbing up after him. We were going for a new height record. And who knows? Maybe we would make it all the way to the top! In the top picture above, you can see the two horizontal rings that go around the legs at 1/3 and 2/3 the way up. We soon made it to the lower ring. Wow, what a view! But there was more. So we continued the climb.
Upon reaching the upper ring, I noticed I could look over our garage and see into our back yard. I could see the sidewalk that led from the garage to the back patio. I could even see the back patio. And who was that sitting there on the patio in a lawn chair? I think he's looking up at us. Uh-oh, it's. . .
Our grandpa, with cigarette in hand, who had been watching us for a couple of minutes noticed we saw him. I will never forget those six little words he clearly shouted, clear even from our high altitude: "Get your a--es down from there!"
Without hesitation, we took his advice. And that was the highest I have ever climbed on the water tower.
Harry and I had always played around the water tower. The water tower served as base in many games. It was also a popular spot to ride our bikes and perform stunts. We would even climb a few feet up one of the water tower legs occasionally and jump off.
But one day we looked up one of those long silvery legs and we had an idea. I don't know about Harry, but I actually heard its cold, metallic voice whisper "Climb me". I can imagine the two of us looking up, then slowly looking down and turning toward each other, and without uttering a word both start heading up the leg.
Harry went first. As soon as he was a few feet above my head I started climbing up after him. We were going for a new height record. And who knows? Maybe we would make it all the way to the top! In the top picture above, you can see the two horizontal rings that go around the legs at 1/3 and 2/3 the way up. We soon made it to the lower ring. Wow, what a view! But there was more. So we continued the climb.
Upon reaching the upper ring, I noticed I could look over our garage and see into our back yard. I could see the sidewalk that led from the garage to the back patio. I could even see the back patio. And who was that sitting there on the patio in a lawn chair? I think he's looking up at us. Uh-oh, it's. . .
Our grandpa, with cigarette in hand, who had been watching us for a couple of minutes noticed we saw him. I will never forget those six little words he clearly shouted, clear even from our high altitude: "Get your a--es down from there!"
Without hesitation, we took his advice. And that was the highest I have ever climbed on the water tower.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Camilla - Part 2: The Dream
This post will continue the story of Camilla, the "ghost" that haunted our house when we were young. You can read Part 1 here.
In our house, all the bedrooms were upstairs. Mom and Dad's bedroom had a doorway connecting their room to Jill's (my sister). My room was across the hall from both of their rooms. I may have been around 8-10 years old, Jill was 6-8 years old. Dad was working nights, so it was just Mom asleep in their room. Jill was asleep in her room. And I was asleep in my room. At the time I had two small pewter figures that I carried everywhere, one was a knight and one was a viking. They both had sharp points, the knight had his sword and the viking had the horns on his helmet. And this particular night I had both figures lying on the floor by my bed.
So we had all gone to bed. I was sound asleep. The next thing I knew Jill was standing beside my bed screaming at the top of her lungs. My first thought was that she had stepped on those figures and hurt her foot, but that wasn't it. Mom came running in. Jill was crying and by now I was crying too, I didn't know what was going on. Later Mom said she thought Jill had fallen down the stairs.
So after Jill calmed down, she told us she had seen a ghost. It turned out to be a dream. And the dream caused her to sleep on a cot in my bedroom for the next few months. The dream was this (to the best of my memory):
She had seen a white, bald, faceless mannequin type figure coming into her room from Mom and Dad's room. And it had a similar-looking friend behind it in Mom's room. And they were looking for marshmallows to eat.
When Jill dreamed this she thought it was real. We're not sure if she then walked in her sleep or just came into my room half-asleep, but regardless it scared all of us that night!!! And it was the basis for many ghost hunts in the years to come.
Tune in next Friday for Part 3 of the trilogy of posts regarding Camilla. It explains how we found out what her name was. . .
*** In March of 2000, I recorded a song called "Camilla". It was about our ghost hunting while growing up. It talks about Bloody Mary, the Spirit Bird (as discussed in this previous post), and a dream Jill had of a white mannequin-thing eating marshmallows that scared her half to death! Tune in next Friday for the conclusion of the Camilla story.
Click here to listen to "Camilla"
Click here to read the lyrics to the song
In our house, all the bedrooms were upstairs. Mom and Dad's bedroom had a doorway connecting their room to Jill's (my sister). My room was across the hall from both of their rooms. I may have been around 8-10 years old, Jill was 6-8 years old. Dad was working nights, so it was just Mom asleep in their room. Jill was asleep in her room. And I was asleep in my room. At the time I had two small pewter figures that I carried everywhere, one was a knight and one was a viking. They both had sharp points, the knight had his sword and the viking had the horns on his helmet. And this particular night I had both figures lying on the floor by my bed.
So we had all gone to bed. I was sound asleep. The next thing I knew Jill was standing beside my bed screaming at the top of her lungs. My first thought was that she had stepped on those figures and hurt her foot, but that wasn't it. Mom came running in. Jill was crying and by now I was crying too, I didn't know what was going on. Later Mom said she thought Jill had fallen down the stairs.
So after Jill calmed down, she told us she had seen a ghost. It turned out to be a dream. And the dream caused her to sleep on a cot in my bedroom for the next few months. The dream was this (to the best of my memory):
She had seen a white, bald, faceless mannequin type figure coming into her room from Mom and Dad's room. And it had a similar-looking friend behind it in Mom's room. And they were looking for marshmallows to eat.
When Jill dreamed this she thought it was real. We're not sure if she then walked in her sleep or just came into my room half-asleep, but regardless it scared all of us that night!!! And it was the basis for many ghost hunts in the years to come.
Tune in next Friday for Part 3 of the trilogy of posts regarding Camilla. It explains how we found out what her name was. . .
*** In March of 2000, I recorded a song called "Camilla". It was about our ghost hunting while growing up. It talks about Bloody Mary, the Spirit Bird (as discussed in this previous post), and a dream Jill had of a white mannequin-thing eating marshmallows that scared her half to death! Tune in next Friday for the conclusion of the Camilla story.
Click here to listen to "Camilla"
Click here to read the lyrics to the song
Monday, August 4, 2008
House of Pain
Harry and I went to an old house in the middle of nowhere a few miles outside of our town with another boy from school. He was a year or two younger than us. We knew him, but never hung out or did things together, so I'm not sure why we were with him on this particular day. Harry must have been at least 16 because the house is too far out of town to have ridden our bikes. So we were a little older for this story.
This house had once been a large two-story farmhouse (if I remember correctly). And no one had lived in it for years. So what were we doing out there? Speeding the effects of time on an abandoned building, of course. We were throwing bricks, kicking things down, just causing harmless damage to an old object that didn't mind.
And then this boy's face went white as he saw a vehicle driving up the lane to the house. Harry and I did the natural thing, we ran and hid behind something large (a fallen down section of wall if I remember correctly). The vehicle stopped and it was this boy's dad. They didn't live too far from there. And then the terror hit me and Harry.
This boy's dad got out and started yelling at him and cussing. I don't think he was happy that his son was there. And then we heard his dad hitting him. Ouch! There was no way we were showing ourselves, we just hoped the boy didn't say anything about us being there too. After what seemed like eternity they both got in their vehicle and left.
Needless to say, as soon as the dust from their vehicle was gone we were in ours and headed home! I haven't been in that area for a LONG time but I doubt the house is still there. And when we saw the boy at school again we never did mention that day to him.
Monday, August 25, 2008 - UPDATE
After reading this story, Harry provided these additional details via email:
Harry and I had a friend with us that day. We three had been out presumably looking for trouble when we found this abandoned farm "complex". In addition to the house there was an old barn and possibly one or two sheds. There was a U-shaped driveway and we hid the car behind the last building. The boy in this story lived near there and rode up on his bicycle and joined us in our "destruction fever". So Harry, our friend, and I were in the barn when we heard another vehicle pull up. And that was the boy's dad. You can read the original story above for what happened next, but the way Harry put it was "...his dad turned into Mr. T on a pissy bad hair day!"
Harry's epilogue: Harry talked to the boy at school the next Monday. Harry nervously mentioned the incident and the boy said it was no big deal. Nothing was ever said again about that day.
This house had once been a large two-story farmhouse (if I remember correctly). And no one had lived in it for years. So what were we doing out there? Speeding the effects of time on an abandoned building, of course. We were throwing bricks, kicking things down, just causing harmless damage to an old object that didn't mind.
And then this boy's face went white as he saw a vehicle driving up the lane to the house. Harry and I did the natural thing, we ran and hid behind something large (a fallen down section of wall if I remember correctly). The vehicle stopped and it was this boy's dad. They didn't live too far from there. And then the terror hit me and Harry.
This boy's dad got out and started yelling at him and cussing. I don't think he was happy that his son was there. And then we heard his dad hitting him. Ouch! There was no way we were showing ourselves, we just hoped the boy didn't say anything about us being there too. After what seemed like eternity they both got in their vehicle and left.
Needless to say, as soon as the dust from their vehicle was gone we were in ours and headed home! I haven't been in that area for a LONG time but I doubt the house is still there. And when we saw the boy at school again we never did mention that day to him.
Monday, August 25, 2008 - UPDATE
After reading this story, Harry provided these additional details via email:
Harry and I had a friend with us that day. We three had been out presumably looking for trouble when we found this abandoned farm "complex". In addition to the house there was an old barn and possibly one or two sheds. There was a U-shaped driveway and we hid the car behind the last building. The boy in this story lived near there and rode up on his bicycle and joined us in our "destruction fever". So Harry, our friend, and I were in the barn when we heard another vehicle pull up. And that was the boy's dad. You can read the original story above for what happened next, but the way Harry put it was "...his dad turned into Mr. T on a pissy bad hair day!"
Harry's epilogue: Harry talked to the boy at school the next Monday. Harry nervously mentioned the incident and the boy said it was no big deal. Nothing was ever said again about that day.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Camilla - Part 1: Bloody Mary
While we were growing up, the upstairs bathroom at my house contained a portal to a dimension full of ghosts and spirits. It was a doorway to another realm. A room in which we dared not sit alone in the dark. Well, that's what Harry, Jill, and I thought anyway.
It was the hub for many of our ghost hunting activities. But one ritual in particular that stands out in my mind was Bloody Mary. I think it's a standard urban legend, but when Harry brought the idea from St. Louis I thought we had stumbled upon a portal to the afterlife. It was usually just me and Harry doing it, but I think Jill found the courage to join us a couple of times.
We would sit in the bathroom with the lights off (and it was pitch black with the lights off). Then we would say "Bloody Mary" three times and look into the full-length mirror on the wall and we would see the face of Bloody Mary!!! I saw it almost every time we did it. It was amazing, and scary, all at the same time. And so were our imaginations.
We did various other ghostly things in the bathroom, but Bloody Mary is the one that stands out in my memory.
*** In March of 2000, I recorded a song called "Camilla". It was about our ghost hunting while growing up. It talks about Bloody Mary, the Spirit Bird (as discussed in this previous post), and a dream Jill had of a white mannequin-thing eating marshmallows that scared her half to death! Tune in next Friday for the continuation of the Camilla story.
Click here to listen to "Camilla"
Click here to read the lyrics to the song
It was the hub for many of our ghost hunting activities. But one ritual in particular that stands out in my mind was Bloody Mary. I think it's a standard urban legend, but when Harry brought the idea from St. Louis I thought we had stumbled upon a portal to the afterlife. It was usually just me and Harry doing it, but I think Jill found the courage to join us a couple of times.
We would sit in the bathroom with the lights off (and it was pitch black with the lights off). Then we would say "Bloody Mary" three times and look into the full-length mirror on the wall and we would see the face of Bloody Mary!!! I saw it almost every time we did it. It was amazing, and scary, all at the same time. And so were our imaginations.
We did various other ghostly things in the bathroom, but Bloody Mary is the one that stands out in my memory.
*** In March of 2000, I recorded a song called "Camilla". It was about our ghost hunting while growing up. It talks about Bloody Mary, the Spirit Bird (as discussed in this previous post), and a dream Jill had of a white mannequin-thing eating marshmallows that scared her half to death! Tune in next Friday for the continuation of the Camilla story.
Click here to listen to "Camilla"
Click here to read the lyrics to the song
Monday, July 28, 2008
New Bicycle
It was Harry's 14th or 15th birthday. We had done about all we could with our K-Mart Special bicycles, so for his birthday his parents got him a new ten-speed bike. We were both so excited. Now our thoughts shifted from bike stunts to speed.
After the party he and I took it out for its maiden flight. I was still on my K-Mart special, but I was able to keep up with him. We rode all the way down Main Street to the south end of town. And this is what we were doing:
We were riding side-by-side, one of us was on the sidewalk, the other on the road. When we came to a driveway, we would cross over and switch places. So now the one that had been on the sidewalk was on the road and vice versa. So we kept switching, trying to go faster and faster. We got to the end of Main Street and turned around. We headed home doing the same thing.
In the picture above (taken in 2008), imagine Harry riding his bike near full speed on the sidewalk coming from the right. And now imagine the smooth sidewalk that meets the road not there, but instead a deep ditch. I was riding on the road next to Harry and watched as his front tire hit that ditch at full speed. The bike stopped and he flew over the handlebars. I can't remember if it was his elbow or knee that got scraped up. But we went to a nearby house and thr lady cleaned up his wounds.
Imagine what was going through our families' minds when they saw us returning from the bike ride with Harry bandaged up and riding my bike and me pushing Harry's bike in a wheelie position (because the front wheel was bent and wouldn't roll). I can't remember if they were more concerned that his new bike was trashed or that he got hurt.
The bike was repaired and passed its initiation. But it had a long road still ahead.
After the party he and I took it out for its maiden flight. I was still on my K-Mart special, but I was able to keep up with him. We rode all the way down Main Street to the south end of town. And this is what we were doing:
We were riding side-by-side, one of us was on the sidewalk, the other on the road. When we came to a driveway, we would cross over and switch places. So now the one that had been on the sidewalk was on the road and vice versa. So we kept switching, trying to go faster and faster. We got to the end of Main Street and turned around. We headed home doing the same thing.
In the picture above (taken in 2008), imagine Harry riding his bike near full speed on the sidewalk coming from the right. And now imagine the smooth sidewalk that meets the road not there, but instead a deep ditch. I was riding on the road next to Harry and watched as his front tire hit that ditch at full speed. The bike stopped and he flew over the handlebars. I can't remember if it was his elbow or knee that got scraped up. But we went to a nearby house and thr lady cleaned up his wounds.
Imagine what was going through our families' minds when they saw us returning from the bike ride with Harry bandaged up and riding my bike and me pushing Harry's bike in a wheelie position (because the front wheel was bent and wouldn't roll). I can't remember if they were more concerned that his new bike was trashed or that he got hurt.
The bike was repaired and passed its initiation. But it had a long road still ahead.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Bird Hunting
The day was April 3, 1988. Harry and I were riding around with a friend on the back roads near our town. Harry was driving his mom's white Ford Crown Victoria, our friend was in the passenger seat, and I was sitting in the center of the bench seat in the back.
We were driving along the road in the picture above. It has since been repaved, but at the time the road had some large potholes in it. We weren't just joyriding, we were out sniping enemy birds. We were armed with .22's in a heavily fortified mobile unit.
As the car slowly crawled along the road, we watched for birds sitting on fences or on the ground. When one of us would spot a bird the car would stop, the person with the best shot would poke his gun barrel out the window, and the bird usually ended up on the ground with the last thoughts of "Maybe I should have flown away."
After many successful hits, we were headed back to town. In the excitement of the last shot (of which I hadn't been the shooter) I forgot my gun was still loaded. As the car rolled along the country road one of the tires hit a large pothole, I was bounced in my seat, and the gun sitting across my lap fired. We had all the windows rolled down, so the blast wasn't as loud as it could have been. But the bullet went through the passenger side door to my right, shattering the glass that was down inside the door.
Harry stopped the car, we checked that we are all still alive, then we headed home. There was no hiding this one. The small bullet hole in the interior of the back passenger door and the outward dent on the outside of the door where the bullet hadn't quite made it all the way through the door meant we couldn't even fabricate a story to hide the truth. We cleaned the broken glass out of the back seat and I kept this bag of it as a memento of stupidity (see picture above).
Sometimes teenagers just don't think!
We were driving along the road in the picture above. It has since been repaved, but at the time the road had some large potholes in it. We weren't just joyriding, we were out sniping enemy birds. We were armed with .22's in a heavily fortified mobile unit.
As the car slowly crawled along the road, we watched for birds sitting on fences or on the ground. When one of us would spot a bird the car would stop, the person with the best shot would poke his gun barrel out the window, and the bird usually ended up on the ground with the last thoughts of "Maybe I should have flown away."
After many successful hits, we were headed back to town. In the excitement of the last shot (of which I hadn't been the shooter) I forgot my gun was still loaded. As the car rolled along the country road one of the tires hit a large pothole, I was bounced in my seat, and the gun sitting across my lap fired. We had all the windows rolled down, so the blast wasn't as loud as it could have been. But the bullet went through the passenger side door to my right, shattering the glass that was down inside the door.
Harry stopped the car, we checked that we are all still alive, then we headed home. There was no hiding this one. The small bullet hole in the interior of the back passenger door and the outward dent on the outside of the door where the bullet hadn't quite made it all the way through the door meant we couldn't even fabricate a story to hide the truth. We cleaned the broken glass out of the back seat and I kept this bag of it as a memento of stupidity (see picture above).
Sometimes teenagers just don't think!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Paper and Fire
When Harry and I were around thirteen we grabbed some notebook paper and some matches and sat at their back door (on the right side of the house in the picture below).
What could we do with paper and matches? Something mischievous to be sure. The first thing we did was make paper airplanes, we were experts at that from making them at school. After we found a design that would fly a considerable distance, we made several of them and set them on fire and threw them in the yard. Their flight distance decreased while engulfed in flames.
After the airplanes it was time to chill. So we sat back on the steps to the basement, rolled up a few cigarettes using the notebook paper, and proceeded to smoke like our grandpa. But one puff on those college-ruled stogies and we were finished! If you've never smoked notebook paper... don't. I think the tops of my lungs are still charred from the short experience.
And that's a couple of things teens can do with paper and fire.
What could we do with paper and matches? Something mischievous to be sure. The first thing we did was make paper airplanes, we were experts at that from making them at school. After we found a design that would fly a considerable distance, we made several of them and set them on fire and threw them in the yard. Their flight distance decreased while engulfed in flames.
After the airplanes it was time to chill. So we sat back on the steps to the basement, rolled up a few cigarettes using the notebook paper, and proceeded to smoke like our grandpa. But one puff on those college-ruled stogies and we were finished! If you've never smoked notebook paper... don't. I think the tops of my lungs are still charred from the short experience.
And that's a couple of things teens can do with paper and fire.
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Spirit Bird
The house where we grew up was a very special house. For if you sat real still and quiet in the dark and had been a good boy or girl, you just might hear the faint whistle of the Spirit Bird, sent from Heaven itself! So that's what Harry and I told my younger sister, Jill, when we were young.
I remember sitting in the living room in the dark and telling her to be quiet and listen for the Spirit Bird. I told her I had read about the Spirit Bird in the Bible and it only visited special kids. And Harry backed me up by claiming he had read the same passages. So while I was whispering about the Bird, Harry would sneak across the room and start whistling like a bird.
"There it is!" I would say. "Can you hear it?"
"Yes!" Jill would reply with excitement. She must have thought she was really special if the Spirit Bird was visiting her.
And on very rare occasions one might catch a glimpse of it. That's when one of us would have a flashlight and give a quick flash in the direction Jill wasn't looking so she only caught a glimpse of it out of her peripheral vision. A bird that glowed in the dark, how magical!
I remember doing this on a few different occasions, it wasn't just a one-time joke.
And Jill, if you are reading this, I hate to tell you the Spirit Bird isn't real.
{tweet-tweet-tweet}
Or is it???
I remember sitting in the living room in the dark and telling her to be quiet and listen for the Spirit Bird. I told her I had read about the Spirit Bird in the Bible and it only visited special kids. And Harry backed me up by claiming he had read the same passages. So while I was whispering about the Bird, Harry would sneak across the room and start whistling like a bird.
"There it is!" I would say. "Can you hear it?"
"Yes!" Jill would reply with excitement. She must have thought she was really special if the Spirit Bird was visiting her.
And on very rare occasions one might catch a glimpse of it. That's when one of us would have a flashlight and give a quick flash in the direction Jill wasn't looking so she only caught a glimpse of it out of her peripheral vision. A bird that glowed in the dark, how magical!
I remember doing this on a few different occasions, it wasn't just a one-time joke.
And Jill, if you are reading this, I hate to tell you the Spirit Bird isn't real.
{tweet-tweet-tweet}
Or is it???
Monday, July 14, 2008
Boxcars
There is a place on the west side of town where Harry and I used to ride our bikes and spend hours playing around. To get to that part of town you have to cross a set of railroad tracks.
There is only one set of tracks there now, but in the picture above you can see where there used to be another set on the right. On that siding, long train consists, usually boxcars, were left for weeks or months at a time. I can remember visiting the trains a couple of times. We were always worried we would surprise, or be surprised, by a hobo or bum.
On one occasion we took a friend and a tape recorder with us. We recorded ourselves for at least an hour just running and playing around the boxcars. It was fun when a train came on the main line. We would jump into one of the stationary cars and watch the speeding train fly by.
There was another time when it was just Harry and me on a very cold day. We were climbing up into the boxcars to get out of the wind and cold. And we had a means of making fire with us. So we found a bunch of trash and built a fire inside one of the boxcars to keep ourselves warm. I remember looking back as we left for home, there was still smoke coming out of the door.
But now those tracks are gone and our days of playing in boxcars are long gone.
On one occasion we took a friend and a tape recorder with us. We recorded ourselves for at least an hour just running and playing around the boxcars. It was fun when a train came on the main line. We would jump into one of the stationary cars and watch the speeding train fly by.
There was another time when it was just Harry and me on a very cold day. We were climbing up into the boxcars to get out of the wind and cold. And we had a means of making fire with us. So we found a bunch of trash and built a fire inside one of the boxcars to keep ourselves warm. I remember looking back as we left for home, there was still smoke coming out of the door.
But now those tracks are gone and our days of playing in boxcars are long gone.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Messing with Trains
We lived a block from the railroad tracks. So we flattened many pennies in our day. But we eventually moved on to bigger things...
Lying not too far from the tracks were some old track parts, spikes, and old ties. One day when we were in our early to mid teens we found a wooden railroad tie still at its full length, so we decided to set it across both rails of the tracks to see what happened when a train hit it. We set it in place and waited... and waited... and then we heard the train whistle several miles down the track. Showtime!
The picture above shows the approximate location of this story. We ran a short distance and hide behind some bushes within site of the tracks (on the right side of the picture). The tension was building. The suspense was killing me. We gave no thought to the fact that this was extremely dangerous, we just wanted to see the timber explode. And we were not disappointed.
Just before the train hit it I lowered my head and closed my eyes. I heard the explosion of wood and soon small pieces of wood were raining down around us. The tie really had exploded into hundreds (or thousands) of pieces. After the train was gone we assessed the damage. There were a few pieces left of the timber, but most of it had been turned into toothpicks.
Lying not too far from the tracks were some old track parts, spikes, and old ties. One day when we were in our early to mid teens we found a wooden railroad tie still at its full length, so we decided to set it across both rails of the tracks to see what happened when a train hit it. We set it in place and waited... and waited... and then we heard the train whistle several miles down the track. Showtime!
The picture above shows the approximate location of this story. We ran a short distance and hide behind some bushes within site of the tracks (on the right side of the picture). The tension was building. The suspense was killing me. We gave no thought to the fact that this was extremely dangerous, we just wanted to see the timber explode. And we were not disappointed.
Just before the train hit it I lowered my head and closed my eyes. I heard the explosion of wood and soon small pieces of wood were raining down around us. The tie really had exploded into hundreds (or thousands) of pieces. After the train was gone we assessed the damage. There were a few pieces left of the timber, but most of it had been turned into toothpicks.
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