[IGHS] Newsletter, October 3, 2005 Reno, Nevada

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Mission Statement:

The Ghostweb is the official Web Site of the International Ghost Hunters Society. Membership in the IGHS is always FREE. The IGHS is an international society dedicated and committed to the research, documentation, education, and investigation of ghostly phenomena recorded through EVP, digital, film and video photography. The IGHS is a society of ghost believers, ghost hunters, and ghost researchers with over 14,000 members in 87 countries worldwide.

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International Ghost Hunters Society Newsletter

October 3, 2004 from Reno, Nevada

Dr. Dave’s Notes:

We finally have arrived at the month that all ghost hunters love, October and the beginning of Halloween season. This is a time when we put on scary videos, watch television specials, and focus on the things that go bump in the night. We put up Halloween decorations and start preparing for the big night when our door bells will ring and monsters, ghouls, and ghosts assault us at our door steps. This is also a time when some serious Halloween fans have the times of their lives.

We know one such family in the great State of Virginia who turns their actual haunted woods into a Halloween maze of terror with monsters coming to life, ghoulish terror that only Halloween fans can conceive and implement. For years, visitors to these haunted “Booger” woods have been thrilled and scared as they walk along the spooky maze lit only by candles and flashlights in the dead of night. This is a yearly tradition in Lynchburg, by invitation only, and the most interesting aspect is that it is free. The love of this holiday has inspired IGHS member Sue Sereno to continue expanding her traditional Halloween “Booger” wooded maze. Sue and her sons start in September preparing trails in the haunted woods and by the time Halloween descends, their legendary maze is ready for those brave enough to experience the “booger” woods. Sue Sereno has been holding her “Booger” woods Halloween bash longer than the IGHS has existed. One thing is for sure, each year, when least expected, the Booger always makes his appearance at the event.

Sharon and I will be investigating the ghost towns of Nevada during this month. We have located and identified a number of ghost towns between Reno and Las Vegas that we will take time to explore and conduct EVP investigations. We love exploring these old mining ghost towns. BooBoo gets to run freely at many of these sites, but not all. Old mine shafts still exist at some of these sites, shafts that are just holes in the ground, no railing to protect visitors, just open holes that drop down into blackness. Most miners dig holes straight down for maybe twenty or thirty feet and then dug horizontal tunnels in search of the mother load. At one such mine shaft in Columbus, NV, we recorded a miner saying, “Deep, deep shaft.”

We will be traveling south from Reno as we head out next week to some remote campgrounds in the heart of Western America. We are not relic hunters; we take only pictures and leave footprints. Most of the ghost towns started when gold or silver strikes became public. In some cases, the town's population jumped to tens of thousands within a month of the discovery of gold or silver. The town faded away just as fast when the gold or silver vein ran out. The desert setting of Nevada has preserved these old ghost towns and we are sure the ghosts of the past will come alive for us as we conduct our field investigations. We will also be field testing our TEC ultrasonic detector at these sites.

As we travel across these beautiful United States, we get to discover a little more about what America is all about from many different viewpoints. One of the most interesting aspects about traveling is to experience the cultural differences that we have in America. Growing up in Oregon, I lived a sheltered existence as my parents loved to fish for trout and for salt water salmon. My early memories are of camping sites around the state where fishing was great. My parents would paint the names of the campgrounds that they stayed at while fishing onto the sides of the tent. The tent was covered with the names of several dozen campgrounds, much in the same way we identify the states we have traveled through on a US map on the side of our RV.

I remember one photo taken when I was ten or eleven years old. My mother is short, five foot two and she was standing next to a salmon she had caught that was hanging next to her. The salmon was longer then she was tall. She had caught the largest fish and had her picture taken and published in the local paper. We drove up to Washington State, back then it was taking a ferry across the Columbia River at Astoria to the Washington side. Our destination was Chinook, WA where we pitched our tent at a small camp ground known simply as Pop's Camp. In those days, everyone camped in tents and “Pop” would sort of baby sit all the kids while their parents were out fishing.

Early each morning, my parents would take their boat out across the bar that separated the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. They would come back in by late afternoon, clean their fish by the waters edge, and then take their catch to a cannery to have it smoked. Today Pop's Camp is gone, his home and the land that we camped upon has washed away by the storms and by erosion of the sea. Pop's Camp is now memories that we treasure from years gone by. The local Indian reservation is just outside of Chinook, and the town was named for their tribe, but that was about all that I ever knew about these Native Americans who had greeted Lewis and Clark in their historical trek to the Pacific Ocean.

Today many of us can now experience the Native American tradition of Pow Wows that are an integral part of the American Indians way of life. The tradition of the Pow Wow celebration began not as an entertainment, but as a healing ceremony. The Algonquin medicine man or “pawuag” conducted the ceremony either to heal an individual, arguing members of the clan or to bring harmony to warring groups of people. There were prescribed songs, dances, and rituals performed to bring about the healing process.

The Pow Wow was a solemn and spiritual occasion, yet it was also a time to celebrate the gathering of the People, a time to catch up on the latest news, renew old friendships and to strengthen tribal bonds. Today's ceremonies reflect in many ways the ancient tradition of the Pow Wow still holding true to the original purpose of healing, renewal, education and the continuation of cultural traditions. To many of the individuals and families who travel the circuit, the Pow Wow is not just a way of life, but also a way of living and a way of celebrating and a way to remain in touch with their ancestral roots.

This is a unique time when visitors can experience the first hand the spectacle of Native American dance and song to meet the artists who create the jewelry and artwork for which the Native Americans are known for throughout the world. In most cases, the Pow Wow committee juries each vendor to assure the buyer that the goods offered for sale comply with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act as prescribed by law. The visitor can experience Indian fry bread, Indian tacos, and mutton stew. The next time you read about a Pow Wow in your area, take some time, and experience the Native American dances and songs, they truly will be an experience to remember.

Check out the Yak Tail Skull Bone ghost charm jewelry, the Yak Tail Skulls are hand carved and difficult to find anywhere. Just because little old Tibetan monks didn't carry the Yak Tails over the Big Hump to be hand carved into skull beads, does not diminish the rarity of these beads. We have only found them in one place during all the years of our travels. Sharon’s creations are beautiful and unique. These ghost charm necklaces would make a wonderful Halloween gift to someone special. Check out the Carnelian and Ghost Charm necklaces at http://photos1.ghostweb.com/carn2.html.

Our Life Time Membership and Clip ID Badge is an excellent bargain over purchasing a yearly IGHS Membership Certificate and yearly Clip ID Badge. We have been going strong for nine years and we will be going strong for the next nine years, so why not save some bucks and sign up for the Life Time Membership. Some ghost organizations charge over $500 for a life time membership, we offer our Life Time Memberships at the same price as when we first offered them many years ago. Check out the good deal at http://www.ghostweb.com/memcert.html.

Happy trails.

Sharon’s Notes:

As Dave pulled into the RV Park in Verdi, NV, I looked up to the mountainside at the blazing Fall colors. My mind took me back to one year ago when we were in Verdi preparing for the Donner Party Workshop. It was an amazing experience and far cooler last year than it is today. Boo was even able to participate in the Donner investigation, thanks to those who attended.

I listen to radio coverage of the news and hear the same political rumblings and spewing of negativity I have heard for months on end. The same rhetoric people hear daily. The future is filled with uncertainty, confusion, and fear. Some claim the end of the world is near as others warn of the anti-Christ living among us with a common, recognizable face.

The sky may not be falling but the ground is certainly shaking these days as Mount St. Helen's actively struts her stuff. Dave and I lived just north of Portland, Oregon some years ago, where we could look out any window of our house and see the majestic mountain. We made several trips to the visitors’ center and watched the video reenactment of the mountain erupting in 1980. The strength and destructive power of nature is amazing to behold. From visit to visit, we could see the changes and growth as fragile flora returned to that barren land.

As the mountain rumbles and lets off steam, releasing pressure from deep within her bowels, the world outside follows suit as pressure builds and people blow off their own kind of steam. It is nature's way as pressure builds, release of that pressure is eminent, and somewhere it is going to blow.

Dave and I went to pick up a few groceries the other day and he lost track of me while in the store. Now, that is not real unusual and I lose track of him most of the time, if that is even thinkable. This time, I will eat the blame totally, as it was of my own doing. We had agreed to meet in the magazine section after I had picked up the paper products we needed. At the time we parted, neither of us knew there were a whole aisle of Halloween decorations and goodies just a couple of aisles away. This time of year, I get completely absorbed in the new Halloween items as they just get better every year. The rest of the world just kind of disappears while I walk along and look at the interesting and sometimes grotesque decorations. Obviously, this is my favorite time of year.

As I left the aisle of pleasure, I found Dave and we were discussing my disappearance as we walked back toward the dairy section. One of the clerks overheard us talking and smiled, as Dave made mention of my vanishing act when asked if she could help Dave find anything. He replied that he has lost me and could use some help. I can't justify myself, all I could say was that I like it lots better in the Halloween section than in the magazines.

Although that particular day I didn't spend my time in the magazines, I have in the past few weeks, done my share of looking through the issues that come out every year with wonderful Halloween ideas. This is the time of year I am looking for new ideas for Halloween to share in the newsletter. I am fining recipes this year beyond anything I've discovered before. Some of the names of these holiday dishes are enough to make a person gag, yet they are good, nutritional foods for parties, and warming for the chill, we'll feel on Halloween night. I always look for easy recipes that can be quickly put together for fun food, should people be planning for company coming or for a party in the works. I look for inexpensive dishes that are unique to the season and things that don't require a lot of preparation.

One very easy item that came to my attention was a recipe for Pumpkin Ice Cream. It may be getting colder in the eastern part of the country, but in the western states, the weather remains warm, so this would go good anytime. I prefer to call it, Pumpkin Ice Scream.

Take one cup of canned pumpkin, ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, 1 quart of vanilla ice cream, softened. In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin and pie spice until blended well. Stir in the softened ice cream and freeze it until ready to serve. This will make 4-6 servings.

If you want to get a bit fancier, you might consider serving cake with the ice cream. For this part of the fun, consider a red Devil's Food cake or even a spice cake, unfrosted. Just before serving, get out a bottle of marshmallow crème or a tub of Cool Whip whipped topping. Spread one of the above toppings onto individually sliced pieces of cake. Now, you will want to have a small jar of red jam, such as seedless raspberry, strawberry, or red currant. Take approximately ¼ cup of jam and put it into a microwave safe container. Heat the jam on the low setting, stirring occasionally while heating, until it becomes a liquid.

Take the warm liquid jam and drizzle it over the white topping on the slices of cake. You can blend it with a toothpick or let it drip, like the dripping of fresh blood. It is a great addition to the Halloween celebration, and it adds a hint of great flavor to dessert.

If anyone has ideas for decorations, recipes for unique food, or craft ideas they would like to share with fellow Halloween lovers and ghost hunters, send them along to us. We would love to include them in the newsletters, adding your name to the contribution.

Happy Haunting.

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Kind regards,

Dave, Sharon & BooBoo

International Ghost Hunters Society