Life Is Good! Happy Belated Halloween!

Happy Belated Halloween!
So at last I can really breathe! But time to move forward! Happy Belated Halloween All! Last week was grand- I hope that you all had a great Halloween! I've been waiting for this Halloween to come for weeks! I planned a small road trip to Flagstaff for Halloween.We arrived last Wednesday at the Monte Vista Hotel in historic downtown Flagstaff.



If you don' know about the Monte Vista heres a quick breakdown- In the 1930’s the main speakeasy in town was The Monte Vista Lounge and for a couple of decades the Monte Vista offered slot machines. In the 1940’s and 1950’s, Western movies became the all the rage and more than one hundred movies were filmed in nearby Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. During these filmings, the Hotel Monte Vista hosted such famous guests as Jane Russell, Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, John Wayne and Bing Crosby. I heard a rumor that even a scene from Casablanca was filmed there. Truth to this not sure? But I've heard...
Plus the big reason we chose the Monte Vista? Ghosts! Many ghosts! We chose the John Wayne Suite-not the best room. But we had heard that it was one of the rooms that had ghost activity. John Wayne himself reported the early ghost visit in this room.

Heres a few more tales from the hotel site and a few ghost sites:

The Bank Robber
In 1970, three men robbed a nearby bank & during the robbery, a bank guard shot one of the men. Despite their injured comrade they decided to stop by the hotel lounge and have a drink to celebrate. The wounded man bled to death while enjoying his last drink. Since then both patrons and staff have reported being greeted by a an anonymous voice saying "Good Morning!" There have also been reports of barstools and drinks that seem to move on their own.

The Women of the Night
Years ago Flagstaff's Red Light District could be found just south of the railroad tracks, only 2 blocks away from the Monte Vista. In the early 1940's two prostitutes were brought to the hotel to room 306. During their "visit" they were killed and thrown from their third floor window to the cold street below. Over the years, numerous guests have reported being awakened in the middle of the night and unable to return to sleep due to a feeling that they are being watched. In most instances, it is our male guests that report the feeling of having a hand placed over their mouth and throat, and awakening unable to breathe. After they awake, these guests say they found it very difficult to return to sleep due to an overwhelming feeling of anxiousness and a sense that someone is "keeping an eye" on them.


The Phantom Bellboy
Hotel guests have reported a knock at their door and in a muffled voice, someone announces "room service". When guests open the door, they find that no one is there. Some guests however have seen the figure of a bellboy standing outside of room 210. John Wayne experienced this ghost while he was a guest of the hotel. Mr. Wayne reported that the ghost seemed friendly, and that he did not feel threatened at all by its presence.

The Little Boy
Some guests have seen the image of young boy wandering the halls of the hotel. Some guests say that they have had this young ghost touch their hand! His voice can sometimes be heard as if he is walking behind you. Guests who have seen this ghost have said it looks as though he may be speaking with his mother.

The Meat Man
This bizarre long term boarder was known by his strange habit of hanging raw meat from the chandelier. In the early 1980's he was found in room 220 three days after his death. Not long after his death, a maintenance worker was doing repairs in the room. Needing a new fixture for the repairs, the employee left the room, turned the lights off, and locked the door. Upon returning, only a few minutes later, he found the television on with the volume full blast, and the linens on the bed had been ripped and scattered around the room!

The Rocking Chair
Once featured on the television show "Unsolved Mysteries" room 305 is by far the "most active" room in the Hotel. There are numerous reports of seeing a woman in the rocking chair near the window. Also guests and housekeeping alike report seeing the chair "move by itself"! History tells us that years ago an elderly woman who was a long term renter would sit by the window for hours on end. No one knows what she was looking at or looking for. Could it be she was waiting for someone? Someone she waits for even in death.

Baby in the Basement
The disturbing sounds of an infant crying in the basement have been heard again & again. Reported primarily by maintenance & laundry personnel, this is possibly the most disturbing encounter reported in the hotel. Staff have found themselves running upstairs to escape the sound of the cries. Though the sounds are very real to those who hear them, there has been no information that has explained this phenomenon.

The Dancing Couple
On several occasions lounge staff & patrons have witnessed a transparent couple dancing in the Cocktail Lounge. They are seen in formal dress laughing and smiling, eternally dancing.

The Voices
The staff at the Old Post Office (OPO Salon) have heard voices & seen figures moving in the building for years. No one is quite sure who these shadowy visitors might be.

Poltergeists
For years housekeeping have reported problems with light bulbs being unscrewed, or on some occasions completely removed!


The only thing that we had happen was a few knocks, party noises, and a few lights unplugged. But still great atmosphere for Halloween. But the main reason we were there? Was to see the Yard Dogs Roadshow!


The Yard Dogs Road Show is pure visual and sonic voodoo. A fantastic stage show that if you are lucky enough to see-you should damn well do it! Its a breath of vaudeville, wild west, sword swallowers, dancing dolls, fire eaters, rock n roll, burlesque, poetry, and an all around magnificent time to be had! I never miss a show. Life is to short... I highly encourage anyone and everyone to investigate the Yard Dogs as well as there founder Eddy Joe Cotton. Modern day hobo and train jumper..... I have them both in my links.... Sadly you will need to wait until next year for another tour... But prepare yourselves for next year- and while you wait support live local entertainment. Unplug yourselves.....

Anywho- we were there to see the Yard Dogs on Halloween night, look for ghosts, have great food, and shop for odd and strange items. We did all these things. Then on the way home we also stopped in Jerome. Friends I love Jerome! I could spend days in Jerome.(And I will one of these days) It is a photographers paradise! Not to mention a mixed media hodge podge playground of delight! This was my first time. I have lived here off and on for many years.... Never been to Jerome... I always put it off. But damn it was great. I cant wait to post all my shots. What did I learn from this... I must -and so must everyone else.. Unplug yourselves....Unplug and get off the grid of what you do every single day....mix it up folks... I needed this small trip. I can guarantee others out there need it as well. My point recharge the batteries....fill up the artistic well folks.

Above & below are a few pics I have made and played with....enjoy! I'll post again later tonight and talk about First Friday and a few things!
At the moment I'm off to Mystic Paper to find out about this new “Creative Cafe”...you sit, you make, you take, you socialize, you enjoy! I think thats how it goes... I'll let you all know...

Also these are the new Holiday colors for the blog for the next month or two. Holiday Colors.hmmmm hmmm...Let us know what you think?