In Memory of Our Friend Chris Laskey

On Saturday, August 1st, I learned that our good friend Chris passed. I knew he was on hospice, but it's never expected.  Today's blog honors Chris and our fond memories and includes a voicemail message I saved from him on April 10, 2026 when he left a brief message.

 (Photo: Chris in his favorite outfit- biking shirt, shorts and helmet) 

ABOUT CHRIS - Chris worked for the Federal Government and retired several years ago. He has two daughters from his former marriage, and one of his daughters who moved back to the area had visited him often since his cancer journey began. 

Funny and Great Storyteller- Chris would always make us laugh. He had the craziest adventures and stories. We would meet in Dunkin Donuts and laugh for a good hour or two. 

(Photo from June 2024: Chris posted "Si si si!!!’  Finished earlier this morning!  500 miles to Santiago!  Wahoo!  What a time!!")

After Chris retired he became an avid biker and he biked across the entire U.S., biked in Canada and then walked hundreds of miles in eastern Europe. That's only since we've known him over the last 7 years. Before that, he did so much more!  

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Furniture Refinishing!  - After he retired Chris would find old pieces of furniture, chairs, tables, bureaus, etc. and transform them from worn out junk into brilliant, beautifully restored antiques!  He was Amazing. - I remember delivering one finished piece with him to a buyer who was thrilled. I also remember picking up other pieces so he could work on them. 

CHRIS' CANCER JOURNEY  -  In the spring of 2024, Chris told me he was staying at a friend's house in Delaware and taking care of his friend's cat when he felt dizzy and fell down. He wound up going to the ER and learned he had a brain tumor.  Chris endured several surgeries, and it affected his speech and dexterity in his hands. Since then, he was in rehab trying to recover his speech and dexterity in his hands. We thought he was recovering. Then in 2026 things took a turn for the worse. 

 

( A post from May 2024 from his daughter Megan) 

May 2024 - A post from his daughter: Hi friends, My dad, Christopher Laskey, has been courageously fighting brain cancer for the past 10 months (since March 2024). He’s now preparing for a second brain surgery, and we’ve started a GoFundMe to help with medical costs, travel, and care at home. Any support — sharing, donating, or sending good thoughts — truly means a lot 💗 Thank you!

APPRECIATED THE SIMPLE THINGS - On Sept 19, 2024 while Chris was undergoing cancer treatment, he always appreciated the simple things in life. He wrote to someone on his facebook page "thank you! I can say with utmost certainty that my life has never been better!"

RESURGENCE - Since then, he was in rehab trying to recover his speech and dexterity in his hands. Apparently, there was some resurgence of the cancer in 2025. He told me earlier this year, that there were fragments still there, and he was undergoing more treatments. He told me he had to go to a hospital in Philadelphia for a time to get treatments. Unfortunately, I happened to be in Maryland for a couple of days when he was away in Philly, and I missed seeing him. 

ENCOURAGEMENT BY MAIL - I've been sending Chris weekly postcards since I learned of his cancer. His daughter Megan has been collecting them from his mailbox and delivering them as he was moved to a care facility. 

DECLINE - Then things took a turn for the worse, and he began to lose more control of his speech and dexterity. - He started to sleep more.  In June, his daughter Megan texted me and told me he was moved into hospice.  She said he would sleep most of the day and wake for periods of just 20 minutes at a time. 

CHRIS' VOICE  April 10, 2026 - Because I knew Chris was in rehab in April 2026, I kept a couple of his voice mail messages. He left me a voicemail message on April 10, 2026 and I wanted to save it for his family and friends.  When he passed, I scoured the Internet until I found a way to put his voicemail together with some of his pictures, so I could always hear the sound of his voice. I also put it on  YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2HdDx62kKVs 

A PHONE CALL - Megan  arranged a phone call for me to speak with her and Chris in July. We talked for about 20 minutes, and I could tell he was struggling. It was the last time I heard his voice. I still tear up when I think of it. I'm SO grateful to Megan for making this call. 

(Photo: Chris (back left), Jane, Steve, Stacey and Rob in October 2024 when Rob retired. Dinner at a Mexican Restaurant)

THE TEXT -  On August 1, 2026 at 2:18 pm ET, Chris' daughter Megan sent me this text when I was at a conference. 

 "Hi Rob and Tom, I wanted to let you know my dad passed away peacefully yesterday morning. Thank you for being such an incredible friend to him over the years. Your friendship meant so much to him." 

 

I had to leave the conference and sit outside where I had a hard cry for a long time.

I will always treasure my memories with Chris. He was a funny guy who appreciated the simple things. He always knew how to tell a good story, and we will always remember him. 

Visited: Sarah Orne Jewett Historic House, So. Berwick, Maine

 We love touring historic homes and learning about the houses, the people who lived in them, and their histories. Today's blog takes you to the Sarah Orne Jewett House in South Berwick, Maine. If you don't know who she is, you will by the end of this blog! 

WHO IS SHE?  - Theodora Sarah Orne Jewett was an American novelist, short story writer and poet, best known for her local color fiction works set along or near the southern coast of Maine. ;She was known to masterfully depict the landscapes, speech, and declining seaport communities of Maine. Her most celebrated works include the novel The Country of the Pointed Firs, and the short story, "A White Heron." 

(Rob and Tom in the Sarah Orne Jewett house) 

SHE HAD A PARTNER - We learned that she never married, and the love of her life was a woman named Annie Fields who lived in Boston. She partnered with Annie Adams Fields after the death of Fields' husband, publisher James T. Fields. They ;ived together for decades in a committed domestic partnership known at the time as a "Boston marriage." They were accepted by their literary circle and society peers as an openly committed couple, even exchanging vows and rings privately.

THE HOUSE - It's an historic Georgian-style home, built between 1774-1780 by merchant John Haggens. It was purchased in the 1830s by Sarah’s grandfather, Captain Theodore Jewett. It is located at 5 Portland Street in South Berwick, Maine featuring preserved family furnishings, eclectic Victorian decor, and an adjacent Greek Revival visitor center. In 1991, it was designated a National Historic Landmark for its deep ties to Jewett’s literary legacy.

(Photos: One of the bedrooms, and the kitchen. Credit: R.G.)

SARAH'S LIFE IN THE HOUSE - 

Sarah Orne Jewett was born in the house in 1849 and grew up next door in the newer Greek Revival home.

She and her sister Mary inherited the main house in 1887, where she wrote much of her famous regionalist fiction inspired by the Maine countryside.

Divided her time between this quiet Maine retreat and living in Boston with her life partner, Annie Fields.

A BREATHLESS TOURING NOTE - When you go into the house, you have to don "booties" over your shoes. Also, it's critical that you don't touch anything! - One older woman who suffers from asthma climbed the stairs and was out of breath, but she wasn't allowed to sit on anything, so she had to crouch on the floor until she could catch her breath. We thought that was a bit extreme, and felt badly for the woman! 

Idiot of the Week: Former NH attorney Sent To Prison For Defrauding Disabled Woman

This week's idiot is a former attorney and failed political candidate who was convicted of taking close to $300,000 from a woman with a brain injury who had come to him for help. Outrageous.

(Photo: NH Journal) 

  

Former Seacoast attorney Sent To Prison For Defrauding Disabled Woman

New Hampshire Journal, Thu, Jun 25, 2026 Justin Nadeau (New Hampshire Attorney General's Office)

NH Seacoast former lawyer Justin P. Nadeau, 53, was sentenced Monday, June 28, 2026 in Rockingham County Superior Court to 7 1/2 to 15 years in New Hampshire State Prison following his April 1 conviction on one count of theft by deception, two counts of financial exploitation of a disabled adult, 11 counts of falsifying physical evidence, and one count of forgery.

The sentence breaks down to two concurrent 5-to-10-year prison terms on the financial exploitation charges, followed by a consecutive 2 1/2-to-5-year term on five counts of falsifying physical evidence. That brings Nadeau’s total stand-committed sentence to 7 1/2 to 15 years.

For the remaining charges, Nadeau received suspended 2 1/2- to 5-year sentences on each of the six falsifying physical evidence counts, and a suspended 3- to 6-year sentence on the forgery count.

He took close to $300,000 from a woman with a brain injury who had come to him for help, and then launching a bone-headed cover-up when the New Hampshire Attorney Discipline Office started investigating his “ethics.”

“It’s difficult for me to imagine something worse for a lawyer to do,” one investigating member of the Professional Conduct Committee said, according to court records.

The charges stem from Nadeau’s relationship with Exeter woman Shawn Fahey, who hired him after she suffered a traumatic brain injury. During their business relationship, Nadeau convinced Fahey to give him nearly $300,000 in loans secured by a condo he did not own, as well as the anticipated proceeds from a pending defamation lawsuit he had filed against the Portsmouth Police Department. Nadeau reportedly told Fahey he was “strapped for cash” until the defamation lawsuit was resolved.

It Gets More Complicated

The lawsuit against Portsmouth police arose from the arrest of Portsmouth man Christian Jennings. Jennings was allegedly found with quantities of marijuana, Ecstasy, amphetamines, a loaded gun and $42,000 in cash. According to police, Nadeau was handling an $85,000 marina investment for Jennings before the arrest, though the marina deal never closed. Nadeau brought the lawsuit after police opened an investigation into whether he was laundering drug money. The defamation case was settled in 2019.

Nadeau also allegedly hid the $165,000 he collected after he sent Fahey to a Massachusetts attorney to handle her injury case, according to the PCC investigation. Nadeau reportedly collected referral fees from the Massachusetts attorney, as well as other money related to Fahey’s case.

The Attorney General’s Office said the evidence at trial showed Nadeau fabricated documentation, produced false electronic file metadata, destroyed or concealed his computer, and forged his then-wife’s signature on a backdated promissory note. 

Before his criminal and professional downfall, Nadeau tried to make a go of it in politics. He was the 2004 Democratic nominee in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, losing to Republican Jeb Bradley.

Hero of the Week: EMT is dressing up as 'The Roanoke Raven' to save his city

As a superhero fan, comic book reader, and someone who tries to help others, there's a guy after my heart who took it further and in a way I really admire. One man in Roanoke, Virginia decided to become his own community superhero and help people whenever and however he can. He's leading litter pick-ups,  returning grocery carts, distributing water to people who need it, and more. His message is that anyone can do heroic deeds. 

An EMT is dressing up as 'The Roanoke Raven' to save his city: 'If it takes wearing a superhero mask to do it, let’s do it'

  Jul 16, 2026 2:08 PM, Good, Good, Good

One man is looking inward for inspiration, by rebranding himself as a real-life superhero: The Roanoke Raven of Virginia.

Although he retains his anonymity, the Roanoke Raven did share his backstory with local news outlet WDBJ-TV.

By day, he works as an EMT for a local fire department. But when he puts on the “Spider-Man” inspired stealth mask and goggles, he becomes the superhero that he believes the city needs.

“We live in a city where thousands and thousands of emergencies happen a day, and no one really talks about them,” the Roanoke Raven said in an interview with WDBJ7.

“There are people on the street right now, homeless and not having the ability to eat at night, and you’ve got people passing them that refuse to make eye contact with them. That’s the society we live in right now.” He said seeing those needs “lit a fire” in him.

“I think we can make the city a better place to live,” he said. “And, I think that if it takes wearing a superhero mask to do it, let’s do it.”

When he’s not leading litter pick-ups and returning grocery carts, the vigilante takes a light-hearted approach to his social media videos, sharing his childhood inspirations, like Spiderman, Superman, and Batman.

“Growing up, I didn’t always have a stable anchor to teach me all the things that I needed to learn, and often I felt like I always saw the world in a different way than others around me,” the Roanoke Raven told Good Good Good.

“I’ve always been an optimist, and I feel as though those three superheroes who I have loved and adored since I was a kid amplified that fire.” The self-made vigilante also uses his platform to raise awareness about critical issues in his community. “Let’s talk about water,” The Roanoke Raven said in a recent TikTok video.

“The entire pack of 24 cost me less than $5 at Kroger,” he said. “And yet, no matter how cheap or simple this item is, we still have over 42 million Americans that are suffering from water insecurity.” “That's not good for anybody,” he added. So, the Roanoke Raven decided to do something about it.

“Today, me — and one of the citizens from Roanoke that wanted to help me out — lent a helping hand,” he said. “We got together, and we gave away over 120 bottles of water to random citizens in the area and donated the rest to the Roanoke Rescue Mission.” “That means that 120 more people have the ability to have a drink and stay hydrated with clean drinking water for the day.”

But he acknowledged that his mission-of-the-day could only go so far.

“The problem is, drinking water is temporary, being hydrated is temporary,” he acquiesced. “All we did today was put a tiny Band-Aid on a large problem. So what I’m asking for is [for] you to help, too. It takes two dudes and $20 to get 120-plus bottles of water donations in the Roanoke Rescue. So imagine what we could do if we all worked together.”

As opposed to the crime-fighting superheroes and bow-and-arrow-wielding vigilantes made popular by comic books, the Roanoke Raven platforms small, simple acts that help everyday people without a fight sequence. And while he encourages more people to get involved, the spotlight stays on the action — not his identity.

“Bottles of water are simple,” he concluded in his video. “And it is in their simplicity that we overlook their impact. Everything helps, anything helps. So today, I encourage you guys to go out there and help your community like I did. Let's give some people some drinking water. And tomorrow, who knows?”

He signed off with his trademark “My main goal is to make Roanoke city work together. Something that I’m really proud of is how the project is inspiring the community.”

Book of the Week: Secrets of the Greek Revival by Eva Pohler

I recently enjoyed the book, "Secrets of the Greek Revival, " by Eva Pohler. This is the first book in the "Mystery House Series" where three female friends in their 50s investigate seemingly abandoned properties. In the first of the series, they purchase the property and uncover the history and mysteries of it, focusing on a reputed haunting, hidden gold and a house that held secrets of tortured or abused patients. It's a well-written story that will keep you reading. I finished the book in a week, which is pretty fast for me! The characters are all likeable and the mystery that unfolds is more history than paranormal (I read it for the paranormal aspect), but I enjoyed it. It's a good story and a 5 of 5 star read.  

ABOUT THE BOOK: Some houses remember what the world tried to forget.

When three empty-nest friends purchase a neglected 1860s Greek Revival in San Antonio's historic district, they believe they're investing in a renovation project-and a fresh start.

They aren't expecting the attic footsteps. Or the woman in white.

Ellen has always been practical, skeptical, grounded in reality. But when strange occurrences escalate and long-buried records surface, even she can't ignore the truth: the house is holding onto something.

Decades earlier, the property operated as a private medical residence for women-patients declared unstable, difficult, or hysterical. Their diagnoses were signed. Their confinement justified. Their stories erased.Until now.

As Ellen, Sue, and Tanya dig into hospital archives, interview guarded neighbors, and uncover evidence someone doesn't want exposed, they realize this isn't just a haunting.It's a reckoning. Because the women who suffered behind those walls were silenced in life. And they will not remain silent in death.

In this gripping opening to the Mystery House Series, friendship, history, and the supernatural collide in a story about forgotten voices, buried truths, and three women brave enough to listen. Content Note: This novel explores historical injustices, including references to sexual assault within the context of institutional abuse.

CLIMATE: El Niño is officially here, and will be among the strongest ever recorded, NOAA announces

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gives the climate event a 63% chance to "rank among the largest El Niño events in the historical record going back to 1950. El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon characterized by unusually warm ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. During a standard El Niño event, the usual atmospheric balance is disrupted, triggering cascading consequences globally. During strong event, that imbalance can be greater. That's today's blog.

To read the latest update on El Nino from NOAA, visit the El Nino Watch page: El Niño conditions are present and expected to strengthen into the Northern Hemisphere winter 2026-27.

https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml 

El Niño is officially here, and will be among the strongest ever recorded, NOAA announces

Live Science, Ben Turner, June 2026

It's official: El Niño is  shaping up to be among the strongest ever recorded.

The natural climate cycle, which supercharges temperatures and shifts weather patterns across the planet, officially took hold over the past month, according to a June 11 update by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center.

What's more, an accompanying average of various forecasting models gives a "63% chance of a very strong El Niño during November-January that would rank among the largest El Niño events in the historical record going back to 1950," NOAA officials wrote in the update.

That prediction is increasingly shared by the world's best climate models, with about 75% of them now forecasting a record-breaking surge of at least 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.5 degrees Celsius) above average sea surface temperatures across key parts of the Pacific Ocean, according to Europe's Copernicus Climate Change Service, with other model scenarios climbing as high as 7.2 F (4 C).

'One of the most rapid transitions that I've seen': NOAA forecaster on how this year's El Niño could shatter records 

For reference, the past two strongest recorded El Niño events (2015-2016 and 1997-1998) sent ocean temperatures to 4.1 F (2.3 C) above average in the Niño 3.4 index, which measures sea surface temperatures across a key region of the Pacific Ocean.

What is El Niño? 

El Niño events occur every two to seven years as part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) natural climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean. The ENSO cycle flips between the warmer El Niño phase and the cooler La Niña phase, with neutral periods in between. El Niño periods bring elevated sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, thereby weakening or reversing trade winds and strongly disrupting global temperatures and rainfall patterns.

Earth's last El Niño ran from June 2023 to April 2024, delivering an injection of heat to our already-warming world that made 2024 the hottest year on record. That year was also the first to breach the 1.5 C (2.7 F) warming limit — a key guardrail set by the Paris Agreement, beyond which the effects of climate change are predicted to become increasingly disastrous.

The current El Niño will also raise global temperatures this year and next, making it likely that Earth will reach, or even surpass, those previous records.

Now that El Niño's onset is official, scientists can advise people around the world on how to prepare. The impacts of this extra burst of heat stand to be profound, with studies linking previous El Niño periods to famine in Europe; civil wars in tropical regions; and droughts, floods and forest fires around the world. This year's El Niño will arrive during a period of already-increased global food insecurity driven by the Iran war.

And while El Niño would have occurred regardless, scientists are seeing signs that this El Niño's quicker-than-expected onset was driven by humanity's warming of the planet.

FUN FACT- The 1960s Music "British Invasion" Started with a Clarinetist!

 I always thought music's British Invasion in the 1960s started with the Beatles, but I learned it was a clarinetist who kicked it off in 1962.The Beatles first hit the U.S. Billboard pop chart on January 18, 1964, when "I Want to Hold Your Hand" debuted at No. 45 on the Hot 100. Just weeks later, on February 1, 1964, it became their first No. 1 hit, officially launching the British Invasion, two years after Acker Bilk!   

The British Invasion has an odd beginning with clarinetist Acker Bilk

HISTORY.com , Last Updated: May 27, 2025

If you’d told a randomly selected group of American music fans in the spring of 1962 that a British act would soon achieve total dominance of the American pop scene, change the face of music and fashion and inspire a generation of future pop stars to take up an instrument and join a band, they would probably have scratched their heads and struggled to imagine such a thing.

The Beatles were complete unknowns at this point. Instead, if there was any image that would have come to mind, it would have been of middle-aged men playing the clarinet in bowler hats and stripey waistcoats.

Up to that point, the single, solitary Briton ever to have reached the top of the American charts in the rock and roll era was a man by the name of Mr. Acker Bilk. His instrumental single, “Stranger On the Shore” provided the first, false hint of the British Invasion to come when it went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 26, 1962.

"Stranger on the Shore" written by Acker Bilk for a British television series was a big hit in both the U.K. and U.S. in 1962. Bilk's clarinet was backed by the Leon Young String Chorale. "Stranger on the Shore" was issued by Atlantic Records on the Atco label. LISTEN: https://youtu.be/_cEr4CCtllA?si=JQYm2VY-xrGmXRZJ

As popular as it was however, the song that went to #1 on this day in 1962 did not set off a prolonged period of "Acker Bilk-mania.” “

Stranger On The Shore” proved to be the only significant hit for Mr. Acker Bilk, whose greatest legacy is possessing the honor of being the very first British artist to top the American pop charts—something that would happen 173 more times over the course of the next 35 years.

We Explored Gloucester, Mass #2: Hammond Castle

This is the second and final blog of our trip to Gloucester, Massachusetts to visit Hammond Castle. It today's blog, I'll tell you about the castle, the crazy mash up of styles used to build it, some interior highlights and the man who built it.  

WHAT IS HAMMOND CASTLE? With nearly 100 years of history, this medieval-style castle was the creation of famed inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. and now serves as an STEAM-inspired museum that blends history, science, and art. Today, you can tour the castle, attend community events and performances there, or rent it for events and weddings.

A STRANGE MASH OF ARCHITECTURAL STYLES - Because Tom is an architect, the first thing he noticed was that the castle had 5 different styles. To me, a layman, it looked like a mashup! - Because of the different styles, it wasn't linear. Hammond Castle was built between 1926 and 1929 and is said to be a romantic architectural pastiche blending a medieval European castle, a Gothic cathedral, and a Renaissance French village. Designed with the Boston firm Allen & Collens, the structure incorporates authentic 15th-, 16th-, and 18th-century European artifacts salvaged from war-torn and historical sites abroad. 

(3 Photos Inside the Great hall. Credit R.G.) 

BUILDING HIGHLIGHTS 

The Great Hall: A soaring, cathedral-like space dominated by a massive, multi-story pipe organ containing over 8,200 pipes and illuminated by grand medieval stained-glass windows. Most of the pipes are actually for show and are NOT connected to the organ! - The guide told us that the organ was being repaired, but when it's working there are sometimes organ concerts in the Great Hall. 

The Cloister Courtyard: An indoor-outdoor medieval garden area featuring authentic architectural salvage, including a church archway carved from Mount Vesuvius lava rock and facades from old European shops. Within the courtyard, one of the sides of the interior wall was an actual medieval tavern wall from France, brought over and reconstructed. - **WHY? Because when you have untold riches, it's what you do.  

CREEPY SARCOPHOGUSES - There were also three ancient Roman sarcophogus' there. Two of them were for children. They were all empty, though, as the bodies had either deteriorated or the bones were removed.  

  (Photo: The casting of Hercules (left) as discovered in the ruins of Pompeii).

 POMPEII STATUE - One of the ancient artifacts I found particularly interesting was a casting of Hercules, and it was found in Pompeii. 

GHOSTS & WHISPERS IN THE LIBRARY -  Well, there wasn't an actual ghost in the library, but he had a book called "Gallery of Ghosts" by James Reynolds. That caught my eye, so I'm planning on ordering it, if I can find it- since it's at least 75 years old!   Also in the library was a "whisper ceiling" where sound travels cleanly along the curved architecture despite appearing flat, alongside hidden passageways and spiral staircases.

WRAP UP WITH MY FAVORITE ARTIFACT - 

I don't know who this statue is supposed to be, but he's a handsome muscular guy, and he was a highlight. The statue was in the statue was in the Cloister Courtyard, next to one of the sarcophaguses (the white rectangular box shaped stone to the right).  I decided to focus my attention on the statue instead.

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IN CASE YOU WONDERED- WHO IS JOHN HAYS HAMMOND JR? -  (1888 – 1965)  He was an inventor, including being known as the “Father of Radio Control” for his pioneering work in that field. -He is known to have made over 500 inventions during his time, although most are obscure now with the advances in technology. His inventions did lead to tech that is used today in missles and radio controlled toys and vehicles. 

MOST WELL-KNOWN INVENTION - Hammond’s lifetime achievements in radio control would earn him many accolades, including the prestigious Elliott Cresson Medal in 1959, the Franklin Institute’s highest accolade, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Medal of Honor in 1963.

We Explored Gloucester, Mass #1: Eastern Point Lighthouse

In my quest to see as many lighthouses in New England as possible, we recently took a day trip to Gloucester, Massachusetts to visit Hammond Castle, which you'll read about in the next blog. But today, we'll show you Eastern Point Lighthouse (from a distance) and tell you about it and whether or not it's haunted.

(A zoomed in view of the Eastern Point Lighthouse from our location on the shore)

ITS TOUGH TO GET TO - Because it's on a peninsula that has very limited parking and the lighthouse itself isn't open to the public to tour, we opted for the longer-distance view from Hammond Castle.

(Rob and Tom with Gloucester Bay behind us, where the lighthouse is located)

Eastern Point Lighthouse marks the entrance to Gloucester Harbor and stands as one of Cape Ann’s most iconic maritime landmarks. Originally built in 1832 and still an active aid to navigation, the current lighthouse dates back to 1890 and remains operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC -  Although the lighthouse station is not open to the public, visitors can walk the adjacent Dog Bar Breakwater, a dramatic 2,250-foot granite jetty that extends into the Atlantic. 

(This is actually how far the lighthouse was from us!) 

From the breakwater, it's said you can see sweeping views of Gloucester Harbor on one side and the open ocean on the other, with the Boston skyline visible on clear days.  **But we didn't go to the Breakwater, because we enjoyed the views of Gloucester Harbor from the Hammond Castle, without the parking issues! 

HAUNTED? -Eastern Point Lighthouse is not widely known as a haunted site, though local folklore occasionally links it to phantom footsteps and shadowy figures due to the heavy loss of life in nearby waters. However, there are documented ghost stories, so it's likely not haunted. and people tie in the nearby deaths and assume it's haunted.  

Double Weekend Event! Wadleigh Library - Pets Talk and Monique Book Signing

This weekend was busy for Rob. First there was an interactive talk about how pets communicate from the afterlife at the Wadleigh Memorial Library in Milford, New Hampshire. It was there Rob got to have coffee with his old friend Bill who relocated nearby several years ago. It was also at the library event there was a "deja vu" moment.  Then Rob joined his friend, paranormal co-author and colleague, Monique Toosoon at the Mall of NH in Manchester, NH for her book signing event. Today's blog covers those events.

(Rob with a couple who attended the library event. This was a deja vu moment).

ABOUT THE EVENT - Michelle Sprague, the Adult Services and Reference Librarian contacted Rob months ago after seeing the fundraising lecture he did at the nearby Animal Rescue League of NH, and asked if he could do it in Milford, so it was arranged.  The library is located at 49 Nashua Street, Milford, NH and the website is wadleighlibrary.org.   

Rob's lectures are interactive, and when he discusses signs that pets give us from spirit, he asks people in the audience to share their own story about a particular sign they recognized. There was a lot of acknowledgement, some tears and understanding. People are less likely to hesitate sharing experiences because they are in a room with others who experienced similar things. 

 A DEJA VU MOMENT - Have you ever met someone for the first time, and immediately knew them by sight? It's happened to me a couple of times. The first time was 20 years ago at a wedding when I met a woman sitting at my table, whom I didn't know, but we both felt we had known each other. -It happened again during this event. There was a man and his girlfriend sitting in the front row of the lecture, and I instantly recognized him. However, I never met him before... In THIS life.

  Whenever you meet someone in this life and you don't actually know them, but feel as if you do, it means you met in a previous lifetime.  

   He assured me he never met or spoken with me before, and didn't know me. But I knew him.  

PARACLAUSES VISIT!  Candace and Derick Fedders are known affectionately as the "Paraclauses" because sometimes when they go on paranormal investigations, they dress as Mrs. Claus and Santa. They do that so that if there are child ghosts, they won't be afraid to communicate and it works!  - They're featured in my book "Haunting of Emery Estate." 

BONUS!  SEEING AN OLD FRIEND! - Our friends from Maryland moved to New Hampshire a year before we moved to northern New England, and the library was close to their house. So, our friend Bill met me for coffee before the library event. It was great to catch up.                                           Slideshow- https://www.tiktok.com/@robgutro/photo/7666601680540077342is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

SECOND EVENT OF THE DAY ! -  I stopped by The Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester, NH where my amazing co-author Monique Toosoon was signing copies of our "Haunting of " series of books. I had just come from giving a pet in the afterlife talk at a New Hampshire Library.

if you didn't get a chance to drop by either of our events, you can get our books on Amazon. this series takes you through our paranormal investigation from beginning to end and there have been some amazing interactions with ghosts, some of whom we have crossed over!

Karma: Man killed in car crash after threatening people

When people do bad things to others, or threaten to harm them, karma has a way of coming back at those people. This is a very sad and tragic story about how a man threatened people's lives with a gun, then lost his own life later in a car accident of his own doing. The lesson here is be aware that whatever you put out in the universe has a way of coming back.

Man killed in crash accused of threatening people with gun before

WMTW-TV Jun 22, 2026, Russ Reed

CHARLOTTE, Maine — A Maine man who died in a car crash in Washington County is accused of threatening people at a bar with a gun before the fatal crash, according to authorities.

Maine State Police officials said that shortly before 12:50 a.m. Saturday, June 20, 2026, the Washington County Sheriff's Office notified troopers of the crash on Charlotte Road in Charlotte.

A male driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Troopers who investigated the crash learned that the man had been at a bar, where he had reportedly threatened people with a firearm. He fled from the bar before law enforcement officers arrived.

According to police, he was spotted driving a red Chevrolet Corvette at an estimated speed of 150 mph on Route 1 in Calais. Baileyville police attempted to catch up with the car, but were unable to do so.

A Washington County Sheriff's deputy who was on Charlotte Road saw the man's car drive by him at a high rate of speed. Police said the deputy was unable to catch up with the car until the officer came upon the crash scene.

Police said the man was thrown from the car and his body was found a significant distance from the vehicle. Investigators said high speed was the most significant contributor to the crash. State police said the investigation into what happened before the crash is ongoing, and that toxicology results are pending.

The area of Charlotte Road near the crash scene was closed for several hours while troopers documented and investigated the crash.

Heroes of the Week: Taos, New Mexico County Fire and EMS rescued from Taos Rio Grande Gorge

This week's heroes are the Fire and EMS crews from Taos, New Mexico, when they had to drop a rope line into a gorge to rescue a trapped pregnant woman who was hiking. The Rio Grande Gorge, located just 10 miles northwest of Taos, New Mexico, is a dramatic 50-mile-long, 800-foot-deep canyon carved by volcanic activity and the Rio Grande.  

(Photo: Rio Grande River Gorge. Credit:  newmexicoriveradventures.com/)

Woman, 28 weeks pregnant, rescued from Taos Rio Grande Gorge 

By Geoffrey Plant The Taos News

TAOS — Taos County Fire and EMS rescued an injured pregnant woman from a trail in the Rio Grande Gorge on Saturday, when drought conditions in part determined the nature of the rescue.

“What we would be able to do in a normal year is we would be able to float her down in a raft — that would be our easiest option,” said James Hampton, the Taos County fire marshal. “But because the water’s so low this year, we can’t float them down because the raft just basically bottoms out on the river and they have to basically carry the raft the whole way.”

(Photo of the Taos County EMS and Firefighters. Credit: Wesley Foote)

The fastest way for a rescuer to reach her, he said, “was to go over the edge and send a rescuer down on a rope.”

After the rescuer determined the woman had an injured leg and was unable to walk, he said, they made a call: “We’re going to have to bring her up over the side.”

Hampton said the injured woman was on a trail that would have created dangers for anyone trying to carry her out.

The rescue, from dispatch to ambulance, took about six hours. The woman was then taken to Holy Cross Medical Center.

(Video of the Rescue as filmed by Wesley Foote. Taos County Fire and EMS rescued a woman, 28 weeks pregnant, from the Rio Grande Gorge July 4, according to officials, who emphasized the nature of the rescue was partly determined by drought.  SOURCE) 

Officials did not release the name of the woman, who reportedly had been hiking to or from hot springs in the area when she suffered an injury.

Deputy Taos County EMS Director David Varela said the woman, who was 28 weeks pregnant, was expected to make a full recovery.

Hampton said the woman was located by her cellphone’s GPS signal in the gorge, a 600-foot-deep crack in the Earth’s surface that defines the Taos Plateau. Cellphone service is poor or nonexistent in the gorge.

“They had an SOS on their iPhone, and when they sent that, it sent to the Apple Center and then they forwarded that information over,” Hampton said.

“One thing I want to highlight,” he added, “is that the people that were with her, and the injured person, they made the absolute right call: As soon as they recognized they weren’t going to be able to get her out of there, they called 911 immediately.”

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This story first appeared in The Taos News, a sister publication of The Santa Fe New Mexican.