Review of 2010: July thru December

December 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hugs and Happy New Year,
Julie

2011 FenwayNation Calendar

December 2010

Get the the new 2011 FenwayNation Calendar with exclusive original photographs of Boston's historic Fenway Park. BUY IT HERE.

Beltre May Be Headed To Halos

December 2010

Memo to Adrian Beltre's likely new Los Angeles/Anaheim teammates:

Do not try to adjust his Halo after he pops a key home run.

If you do, you may be on the DL for the balance of the year. Apparently, the Sons of Mike Scioscia are the prohibitive front-runners for the services of the former Sox third baseman—despite Scott Boras' continued insistance on a 5-year pact. With his options dwindling, Beltre may have to settle for something less, but it's probably going to be in the friendly confines of the "The Big A".

Ozzie's Son Calls Jenks "Punk"

December 2010

Get ready for some Memorial Day Mayhem. That's the first time the Chicago White Sox come to Boston (May 30th) in the aftermath of the Great Guillen-Jenks Family Feud. White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen's son, Oney, called new Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks a "punk" after the latter's comments about Ozzie earlier this week.

How ironic that this would all come to light on the birthday of Craig Grebeck—who toiled for both hose franchises. Oh, the humanity!

Review of 2010: January thru June

December 2010

The year started out with a blue moon shining the way to our friend’s house on New Year’s Eve. I made a wish on that moon that 2010 would be a much better year than 2009. I had no idea what a much better year it would be.

January:
I finally did something I have always wanted to do, go on a ghost hunt with other people. After several emails from my new friend Sharon (better known as Autumnforest of Ghost Hunting Theories), I decided to do a paranormal workshop lead by Debe Branning at the Pioneer Cemetery in central Phoenix. I met Sharon in the parking lot of the cemetery and knew right away that we would be great friends. She parked right beside me with Dale the Doll seat belted right next to her. Something told me that there would be more to this goofy, fun, sweet person that travels with a dummy (not me, Dale, lol). While taking the tour of the cemetery and picking up trash, we talked about everything. I felt like I knew her for many years. We had a great time and I learned a few ghost hunting techniques. I didn’t know then, but this was the beginning of our trips together which would lead to us doing books on abandoned places.
 ( My post: Ghost Hunting with Autumnforest )

I also took a trip in January with my husband to Flagstaff, Arizona and stayed at the Hotel Monte Vista. This hotel is known to be haunted. I was excited to stay in the “Meat Man’s room”, (The Meat Man Was Quiet) where he was reported to be haunting the room. We never saw him. We did experience 2 degree weather while traveling to the Grand Canyon. This was more than what we were used to coming from Phoenix.

February:
 I got invited to go with Mike, his two sisters and their friends to Bisbee, Arizona and spend the night at the Copper Queen Hotel. The last time we were there, we experienced a little paranormal activity. We had money slide off a dresser and heard whispering while trying to sleep. This time we had much more activity in both rooms of the hotel as well as the Evergreen Cemetery. When we arrived in Bisbee, we were met by snow falling. This was very exciting for us Phoenicians who don’t experience snow at all. The snow turned into rain for most of the first day. That stormy weather could have been part of why we had so much activity. Read about our experience. It took four posts to write about the entire trip:
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/02/bisbee-part-one-arrival-and-walk-around.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/02/bisbee-part-two-evergreen-cemetery.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/02/bisbee-part-three-in-darkness.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/02/bisbee-part-four-bedtime.html

March:
 I took my first trip to Superior, Miami and Globe with Sharon, Debe and Ginny. This trip is where my eyes were opened to the beauty of cemeteries and abandoned buildings. I didn’t see them as hopeless and sad; I saw them as art, especially through my camera. This was the beginning of me wanting to take many more pictures of deserted and lonely places. I did get some interesting posts from some of the headstones I took pictures of. Their stories were just as fascinating. Here are some of the posts I did from them:
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/03/great-place-to-make-horror-flick.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/03/pearl-bandit-queen-hart.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/04/nortorious-pete-spence.html

April:
This is the month is added the “Bizarre Arizona” to my title of the blog. I wanted to have a unique blog, different from others, that focused on the state I live in. Arizona is loaded with Wild West history and has many appealing places. I wanted people to see the best side of Arizona instead of what has been said about it on TV.

May:
This month brings me back to Globe to spend the night at the Noftsger Hill Inn with Sharon, Debe and Ginny. This hotel used to be an elementary school and is rumored to be haunted. The room we stayed in was huge. It used to be a class room and had high ceilings and massive windows. It was an exciting place to stay. On this trip we wandered around Globe and Miami too. I was able to take many photos around town. Here are my posts on that trip:
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/05/noftsger-hill-inn.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/05/inside-noftsger-hill-inn.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/05/three-blogateers.html
http://above-the-norm.blogspot.com/2010/05/besh-ba-gowah-archaeological-park.html

June:
I didn’t go anywhere that month. Just stayed home, worked on my blogs and enjoyed my family. The temperature outside was a scorching 113-118 degrees. I usually stay inside in the cool air conditioned house when Mother Nature turns the oven up.

I will be adding the second half of 2010 on Friday's post.

Panic In Concrete Park

December 2010

Severe panic must be setting in at the Concrete Bunker on 161st Street (AKA New Yankee Stadium). Text messages between Andy Pettitte and Mark Teixeira indicate that the lefty may be hanging up the brooding scowl and retiring to his home in Texas. This, of course, would leave the Empire with a rotation that can best be characterized as: "C.C., Hughes & A.J. and pray for a Rain Delay". Laughable, at best.