AZ Trip # 11 - The Bird Cage Theatre Part 1: Meeting Amy and Billy!

L to R: Dan, Rob, Billy, Amy

The Bird Cage Theatre was a theater in Tombstone, Arizona.
 Back in 1993, when I first visited I befriended Billy and Amy. Billy manages the theatre turned museum. 

Amy and Billy in front of the stage

   Back in '93, I visited the town dressed up as Wyatt Earp (because I am somewhat of an amateur historian on Wyatt) and Billy, Amy and their daughter Becky took a old time photo with me in 1880s garb. (Becky is now married in living in the upper Midwest!). That was one of my favorite photos, ever and I was so honored to find that photo was still hanging up in Billy's office in the theatre!

Dan and Rob

THIS YEAR -  Dan and I were fortunate enough to enjoy time with Amy (and we had great coffee and an amazing coffee roll), and later joined by Billy. We all went back to the Bird Cage after coffee and I encountered another ghost. But in today's blog you'll learn about the theatre. We'll get to the ghosts in a later blog. 


WHEN WAS IT OPEN? It operated intermittently from December 1881 to 1894. When the silver mines closed, the theatre was also closed in 1892. It was leased as a coffee shop starting in 1934 and later made into a museum as it stands today. 


ABOUT THE BIRD CAGE:

The Bird Cage Theatre

The Bird Cage Theatre opened on December 26, 1881. It was owned by Lottie and William "Billy" Hutchinson. Hutchison, a variety performer, originally intended to present respectable family shows like he'd seen in San Francisco that were thronged by large crowds. After the Theatre opened, they hosted a Ladies Night for the respectable women of Tombstone, who could attend for free. But the economics of Tombstone didn't support their aspirations. They soon canceled the Ladies Night and began offering baser entertainment that appealed to the rough mining crowd. When the price of silver slid to 90 cents an ounce in 1886, the remaining mines laid off workers. Many residents of Tombstone left. The Bird Cage Theatre closed in 1892.
RE-OPENED -   In 1934, the Bird Cage Theatre’s new owners opened the place back up for show. They found everything in the building the exact way it was left, even the poker table. Today the Bird Cage stands as a tourist attraction and a visual look into its colorful past.  

Wyatt Earp frequented the Bird Cage with his brothers

FAMOUS PEOPLE - Many famous and notorious legends frequented the Bird Cage. Performers such as Lillian Russell, Lotta Crabtree, and Eddie Foy Sr. have performed on the stage along with Fatima, the belly dancer. Others like the Clantons, Earps, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday and even Pete Spence, laid down many silver coins for a shot of whiskey.

Rob, Amy and Billy

HAUNTED - The theater is reported to be haunted,and it is! On this visit, I encountered as many as 10 ghosts, so I can assure you it is haunted. It was featured in the paranormal investigation shows Ghost Hunters in 2006, Ghost Adventures in 2009 and 2015, Ghost Lab in 2009, and Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files in 2011.

NEXT: Fatima, the Ghostly Face, Rob's Book Cover

Super Idiot of the Week: Preacher: It’s a “Historical Fact” That Dinosaurs Were Killed in the Civil War

There's dumb, there's dumber and there's dumbest. This guy surpasses "Dumbest." Here's an interview (you can watch the video here, too) with this young "Preacher" who not only calls for the execution of all gay people, but he thinks dinosaurs were killed off during America's Civil War (that's April 1861 to April 1865 for those who don't know, not 300 million years ago). Here's the story and video about this week's idiot, Matt Powell:>>>>

 Preacher: It’s a “Historical Fact” That Dinosaurs Were Killed in the Civil War

John Gleason recently did an interview with Matt Powell, the 22-year-old budding hate-preacher who has said the government should execute gay people because the Bible says so, wants women to stop dressing like whores, and thinks all atheists are Coke-drinking video game addicts.

I suppose you can give Powell credit for being willing to have the conversation, but that’s about all the praise he deserves, because the highlight of the clip is a doozy.

At one point, John wants Powell to explain why ancient cultures don’t make references to dinosaurs. If humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time, as Creationists believe, wouldn’t we have records of their existence dating back hundreds of years? Doesn’t the fact that everything we know about dinosaurs comes from discoveries made in the 1800s suggest that they lived long before humans came onto the scene?

Powell rejects the premise because he insists those references do exist. In fact, he says, Confederate soldiers in the Civil War fought dinosaurs! And we have a picture of it!

Watch the exchange around the 16:10 mark. And stick around for John’s reactions.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/eEe7EI5tDBE 

… I believe if we study history — you know, the Confederates were able to shoot pterodactyls. You know, back in the Civil War. And they spread these things out. Anybody can look it up online. They spread these things out, and… this is a historical fact. So, you know, they spread this thing out and it’s got huge wing-length. It’s a pterodactyl they shot! So of course these things have been around. Now they went extinct, obviously. Slowly but surely. And so I don’t believe that just because… at some point in time, coming from your perspective, that… just because they stopped talking about it means that they never saw it. When we have all this evidence that they’ve seen it.

Just to be clear, the picture he’s talking about is this one:   (GREAT PHOTOSHOP PICTURE!) 
How do we reconcile that image with the science that says the creature died out more than a hundred million years before this photo was taken?
Simple: It’s a hoax that’s been around for several years. There’s all kinds of ways to show that, but a couple of propagandists have been perpetuating the myth for years and so it lives on. The point is that there’s no reason to think the Civil War was between Confederates, Union soldiers, and dinosaurs.
John’s expressions speak for us all
Source: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2018/09/26/preacher-its-a-historical-fact-that-dinosaurs-were-killed-in-the-civil-war/?fbclid=IwAR2pVZyGNQ0qV7YNnu1p8lCt0xsszcrZph7FJlZIuaAXHEsqgw7WdqtWzVI

In the News: Archeologists Unearth ‘Sorcerer’s Treasure Trove’ In Pompeii Dig

We love archaeology and have been to Pompeii, Italy, where in 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius buried the ancient city in ash, killing all and preserving the city. Archaeologists rediscovered the city under all that ash in the 19th century and it is an amazing place to explore. 
  In August, an article came out about new discoveries in Pompeii and it revealed that the Volcano didn't erupt in August, but October of that year.
Here's that article from BBC news service: 

In the News: Archeologists Unearth ‘Sorcerer’s Treasure Trove’ In Pompeii Dig 

BBC NEWS

12 August 2019

 

Archaeologists working in the buried Roman city of Pompeii say they have uncovered a "sorcerer's treasure trove" of artefacts, including good-luck charms, mirrors and glass beads. 

 

Most of the items would have belonged to women, said Massimo Osanna, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

 Image copyright EPA Image caption Most of the artefacts would have belonged to women - possibly slaves or servants  

A room with the bodies of 10 victims, including women and children, was excavated in the same house.

Pompeii was engulfed by a volcanic eruption from Mt Vesuvius in AD 79. 

The fatal eruption froze the city and its residents in time, making it a rich source for archaeologists.

The trove was found in what remained of a wooden box. The wood itself had decomposed and only the bronze hinges remained, preserved by the volcanic material which hardened over it.

Image copyright EPA

In it were crystals, ceramic, amethysts and amber. Scarabs (beetle-shaped amulets) from the Middle East were identified, along with various gems, including a carnelian with a craftsman figure and a glass bead engraved with the head of Dionysus, the Roman god of wine, fertility and ritual madness.

It was more likely the objects belonged to a servant or a slave, rather than the owner of the house, Mr Osanna told the Italian news agency Ansa. None of the artefacts was made of gold, much favoured by the wealthy of Pompeii.
"They are objects of everyday life in the female world and are extraordinary because they tell micro-stories, biographies of the inhabitants of the city who tried to escape the eruption," Mr Osanna said. 

Archaeologists are now trying to establish kinship ties between the bodies found in the house via DNA analysis. 

"Perhaps the precious box belonged to one of these victims," Mr Osanna speculated. The items in the box may have been worn during rituals as charms against bad luck, rather than as ornamentation, he said. 

The chest was uncovered in the House of the Garden in Region V of the archaeological park - the same area where an inscription was discovered last year, indicating that the eruption may have taken place in October 79, two months later than previously thought. 

The house itself would have belonged to a man of high status, confirmed by the quality of the amber and glass beads found in the trove, archaeologists say. 

Most people in Pompeii were not killed by slow-moving molten lava, but by a vast cloud of hot gas and fragments, called a pyroclastic flow. The cloud surged over the city, killing its residents wherever they were, and burying them in ash, preserving their final moments.

Video Interview: Rob on Edge of the Rabbit Hole about "Kindred Spirits"

This week I had the distinct pleasure of joining my friends Mike Ricksecker and Vanessa Hogle, hosts of "Edge of the Rabbit Hole" to talk about my new book "Kindred Spirits." It was a really fun interview!
VIDEO:

It's Easy to be a Dog Foster Parent. Here's How

It's Easy and Inexpensive to be Foster a Dog or Cat!

Please consider saving a shelter or rescue dog or cat. You'll be surprised how inexpensive it is, and you're saving a life. You will very likely NOT have a foster dog or cat forever. It can be a short-term thing and you save their lives.

Please open your home to foster.  Here are some simple things to know:
1) Rescues pay medical costs.  
2) You take them to the vet 
3) Have the rescue contact your vet to set up and ensure a "rescue discount" and payment plan. Often, the vet will direct bill the rescue and you have ZERO out of pocket costs. 
3) You just buy food and treats. A 2 month supply of dry dog food is about $40. 
4) You provide a dog bed and some love and attention, and get it back in return a million fold.  Yes, you have to let them out in a fenced in yard or walk them several times a day, but you get out, meet neighbors, and burn calories.
5) Incredible feeling when your foster gets adopted- Nothing like being responsible for saving a life. It makes you a HERO.
6) Update the rescue with dog/cat habits, pictures and 10-15 second videos to post on the pet's profile on Rescue website. It really works. People want to see how a pet behaves in videos and read about their habits, medications, quirks, and how they get along with other pets or chlidren.
7) BONUS- Although you think it may be difficult to see a pet get adopted- we have befriended our foster dogs' adopting parents and keep in touch. It's a great way to make new friends, share experiences and keep up on the life of your former foster. 
8)  Fosters get adopted- we've had many.
The bottom line: FOSTERING through a rescue  saves dogs and cats from certain death. 

 Message us for details at Rgutro@gmail.com. On behalf of all of the homeless dogs and cats, scared of being euthanized today and everyday, Thank you for for saving them.

AZ Trip #10: The Ghost Who Walked Through Me in Tombstone

The sidewalk where the ghost of a man walked through me

In today's blog, we take you to Tombstone, Arizona.My friend Dan and I left Bisbee and drove to Tombstone for a ghost tour (which you'll read about in the next blog). In this blog, you'll learn a bit about Tombstone and then about the ghost who actually walked through me. 

The outside of Smoke Signals during the day

I've been to Tombstone before, last in 1993, when I was pursuing the history of Wyatt Earp. In fact, I'm a big fan and have traveled around the country to places he lived and worked. I was going to write a book about him, but so many have been done that I decided against it. Anyway, Wyatt and his brothers were in Tombstone (see the movie of the same name, which is most historically accurate, BTW).

ABOUT TOMBSTONE, AZ - Tombstone is a town in southeastern Arizona, known for its Wild West history. Exhibits at the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park include a replica gallows. On historic Allen Street, the O.K. Corral outdoor theater re-enacts the famous Oct. 26, 1881 gunfight between the Earps and Doc Holliday (who represented the law) versus the "Cowboys," who were rustlers and murderers. Resident ghosts are said to haunt the bullet-riddled Bird Cage Theatre. Outlaws are among the local townsfolk buried at the 1878 Boothill Cemetery.

Sidewalk at night

MY GHOSTLY SIDEWALK ENCOUNTER - Since Dan and I arrived about 1 hour before the ghost tour, we thought we would walk around the town (although all businesses were closed except for the saloons and a variety store). The store fronts all open to a wooden planked sidewalk, and as we were walking down one of them we stopped in front of a store called "Smoke Signals." 

Suddenly, the ghost of a dead man walked right through the left side of me! I felt cold and realized he had taken warmth from my body! My left arm and side had all suddenly gone cold and I felt as if I had the wind knocked out of me!  I told Dan what happened, and asked him to feel my left arm. He confirmed that it was very cold, unlike my right arm. We also noticed that I had goosebumps on my left arm. 

WHY THE COLD? As I wrote in my books, ghosts are all about energy. They're like a light bulb that needs energy to get strong enough to light up (and communicate with the living). So, when the ghost walked through me, he took my body heat to continue to manifest.

WHO WAS HE? The ghost didn't tell me who he was, but I knew immediately that he was once a resident of Tombstone. He wasn't in the mood for talking or answering questions and seemed in a hurry. He just walked through me and kept on walking. That would be the first of many ghosts I encountered that night.



NEXT: THE BIRD CAGE THEATRE GHOST TOUR- part 1

The spot where the ghost walked through me

Stem Cell Therapy Works! - Now Rebuilding my Muscle

I've been able to rebuild my muscles 7 months after stem cell therapy

Today, 6 months after stem cell therapy to repair the torn muscle in my shoulder, I've been able to return to workouts. I have NO pain in my shoulder anymore. I highly recommend it. Stem cell therapy took me out of daily pain and I've been able to restart weightlifting to a healthier body.


In June 2018, I somehow injured my left shoulder. Each night I awoke with searing pain in my shoulder. I saw an orthopedic doctor who told me that if physical rehab didn't work (and it didn't after 9 months) I would be in pain for the rest of my life. So, enter stem cell therapy. Just 3 days after the stem cells were injected, the sharp pain ended in my shoulder. Three months later I was given the "go" to start lifting light weights again. Today, 7 months later, I've been back to lifting heavier weights and am back to my regular workouts (pre-injury). 

Stem Cells

Political note here - this is only possible because the U.S. Democratic party overturned the restrictions on stem cell research (from the GOP Bush Administration). So, if you're sick or in pain, next time you vote, consider who will promote research to better take care of you.



Story of how the stem cell therapy happened and worked: https://rob-tom-dolly-franklin.blogspot.com/2019/05/my-good-experience-with-stem-cell.html

AZ Trip #9 - A Super-smart Kid and Best Mexican Food

Rob and Dan enjoying great Mexican food at Santiago's

In today's blog about my trip to southern Arizona, my friend Dan and I were exploring Bisbee, an old copper mining town. It was there that we encountered a really smart 10 year old working for his dad in a book store, and enjoyed the best Mexican food. I think both of these are noteworthy, although simple pleasures.


BEST MEXICAN FOOD: SANTIAGO'S - We enjoyed Mexican food at Santiago's in Bisbee, and were very pleased. The restaurant is located in the San Ramon Hotel.
at 1 Howell Ave, Bisbee, AZ 85603. The atmosphere was nice, but the tacos were amazing! The taco had a home-baked shell, and the chicken inside was both shredded and grilled, making it extra tasty. Highly Recommended! BTW, Bisbee is just 10 miles from the Mexican border so it should have great authentic Mexican food. Website: http://www.santiagosmexican.com/

Entrance to Meridian Books and Comics

AMAZING SALES KID- We went into the store "Meridian Books and Comics" and were amazed by the 10 year old boy behind the desk. It was apparent that his dad owned the book store. He was so sharp, and a good salesman, too. He greeted us and told us where everything was located in the 5 room store, and when I asked about comics, the kid recited all kinds of facts about different superhero trade paperbacks and even manga-related stuff

(which I know nothing about). In fact, although I really didn't see anything I wanted, I was so impressed, that I bought a couple of used Superman graphic novels.


For information about the store: https://www.facebook.com/meridianbooksbisbee/ 

NEXT: THE GHOST WHO WALKED THROUGH ME IN TOMBSTONE

AZ Trip #8: Exploring the Lavender Pit

The Lavender Pit. Credit:TripAdvisor (a chain link fence prevented a good pic)

Getting back to the Arizona trip with our friend Dan, today's
blog takes you to the Lavender Pit in Bisbee, Arizona (southern part of the state). The pit is actually not named for the color lavender and you'll find out who... after you learn some history. 



WHAT IS THE LAVENDER OPEN PIT MINE? - According to the University of Arizona, Arizona Geological Survey, the Lavender Pit is a former open pit copper, gold and silver mine.   Workings are a huge open pit. 

HOW MUCH ORE OVER HOW LONG?  Some 75 million tons of ore were produced from 1954 to 1970. It’s a big hole in the ground, dug over a 23-year span as part of a copper mining operation.

IDENTIFYING MINERALS BY COLOR - Over 300 types of minerals are in the hills around Bisbee. Here's how to tell what some of them are:
RED- Sulfide minerals 
GRAY- Granite porphyry (contains some copper) -the gray comes from pyrite in the porphyry.
YELLOW - Breccia
PURPLE/LAVENDER- Limestone and conglomerate 

HOW BIG IS THE PIT MINE?  It's huge. It's 1,000 feet deep, three-quarters of a mile wide, a mile-and-a-half long, and covers 600 acres, according to Arizona Oddities website.  

WHO WAS IT NAMED AFTER?  The pit was named after former Phelps Dodge official Harrison Morton Lavender Sr., was also responsible for obliterating a town. Before mining operations began, the 191 homes and businesses that made up the community of Lowell had to be relocated.
 
WHO OWNS THE PIT TODAY? According to Arizona Sonora News, Freeport-McMoRan, one of the biggest mining companies in Arizona, has owned the pit since 2007, when it bought Phelps Dodge, the company that dug the hole. In recent years Freeport-McMoRan started covering some of the rock waste surrounding the hole with soil and desert plants. The hills are now a discolored purple.

NEXT: A Super-smart Kid and Best Mexican Food

NH Trip #3: Ed's Spirit Shows Up in New Hampshire

The Superman who stopped me in my tracks- It was Ed's doppelganger

In the previous NH trip's blog, I wrote about how I went to New Hampshire to give fundraising talks at 2 Animal Rescues about my 2 "Pets and the Afterlife" books. I also talked about my new book called "Kindred Spirits" which is about 14 years of communications from a spirit named Ed, and how I befriended him. 
  Well, Ed likes to remind me that he's still very much around and he did so again during this trip.
Because I had a couple of hours to use before I went to the rescue, and I learned there was a comic-con in the same city of Manchester, New Hampshire, I decided to go there and enjoy it. 

Ed before he passed in 1996

  As I was walking around, I was attracted to a photo on one of the walls. I looked at the picture and it appeared that Ed was looking back at me, dressed in a Superman costume (my favorite hero)! Of course, I'm sure it wasn't Ed, but the man looked just like Ed (from the photos I've seen). 
     I don't know who the man is, but the resemblance is uncanny. I've posted a photo of Ed here, too, so you can compare for yourself.

I knew it was a sign from Ed telling me he's with me, and he was proud of me talking about his spirit-life story in the new book!

Spirits will often lead you to someone who looks like them to convey the message that they are very much around you. To learn more about ways spirits give us signs, or to read the amazing story of how I befriended Ed's spirit, check out "Kindred Spirits: How a Medium Befriended a Spirit" on Amazon. 

NEXT: Back to the Arizona Trip

Idiot of the Week: Pennsylvania state lawmaker arrested on child pornography charges

Republican Michael J. Folmer, Credit; PA Live

This week, I was hard-pressed to find an idiot of the week and was just waiting. Well, I didn't have to wait too long.
 - And when I saw this article on Reuters news wire, I read it to find out to what affiliation the Idiot/Offender belonged. Okay, so I admit that I wasn't surprised he's in the Republican Party. SIGH. Here's the SICK story:

Pennsylvania state lawmaker arrested on child pornography charges

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - A Pennsylvania state senator was arrested on Tuesday over child pornography charges, the state attorney general said.

Republican Michael J. Folmer, 63, was charged with possessing child pornography, sexual abuse of children and criminal use of a communications facility, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a statement.
“I will continue to say it - no one is above the law, no matter what position of power they hold,” Shapiro said.
Folmer, a four-term Republican from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, could not be reached for comment at his home on Tuesday night following a brief initial court appearance.

Republican leaders of the Pennsylvania state legislature said Folmer was being immediately stripped of his chairmanship of the state government committee and that further action could be taken against him by lawmakers.
Prosecutors said they were initially tipped off to the case after the microblogging network Tumblr discovered an image of child pornography had been uploaded to the site in late 2017.

The Tumblr account was traced to Folmer, prosecutors said, and authorities who seized the politician’s phone found two additional images of child pornography, according to the criminal complaint.

Folmer played a key role in the passage of a bill that legalized medical marijuana in Pennsylvania in 2016.

Reporting by David DeKok in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Jane Wardell

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

Book Review: Anatomy of a Ghost

I enjoy reading all kinds of paranormal books to get another paranormal investigator or medium's sense of the paranormal. The latest one I read is called "Anatomy of a Ghost" by  Robin M. Strom-Mackey. 
  The book is a comprehensive "Guide to Analyzing the Dead." In the book, Robin outlines all kids of paranormal entities that have been talked about in the paranormal world. She explains poltergeists really well (They are manifestations of mental and emotional energy that simulate ghostly activity).
 She talks about haunted houses and gives a nice overview of the spirtuality movement in history. As a meteorologist, I also appreciated the chapter on physics and quantum physics.   She also covers creatures from other cultures. 
   I found it interesting and well-researched!  Well worth a paranormal read!  - Rob 

 ABOUT THE BOOK: Anatomy of a Ghost is a careful dissection of many subjects on the paranormal. Find out what experts in the field really believe about ghosts and haunted locations. Beyond just spirits and ghostly phenomena, the book also covers man-made paranormal entities, the unexplained shadow people and the lore surrounding angels and demons. Looking for evidence that the soul survives bodily death? The chapter on After Death Communications and Near Death Experiences suggests that such experiences are universal and, in the case of After Death Communications, occur quite frequently. Included in the book are many of the first-hand experiences by the author and her colleagues. From the child ghost in Pennsylvania, to the demon in Dover. The book is laced with stories from people who have actually experienced the paranormal in their own lives.

NH Trip #2 NH Comic-Con! Costumes and a Fellow Fan on my Flight

Batman at NH ComicCon

Robbie the Robot, and the Lost in Space Robot

Alien costumes

Last weekend, when I (Rob) flew to Manchester, New Hampshire to do 2 Animal rescue benefits (that you read about yesterday), I had a couple of hours in the morning before I had to be there, so I took myself to breakfast and read the local newspaper. I was excited to read that the New Hampshire Comic-Con was happening THAT DAY in Manchester! So after breakfast I drove to the hotel and the Comic-Con. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love (DC comics) superheroes and attend the Baltimore comic-con annually (Coming up here in October). So, I enjoyed shopping and seeing others in costumes.

DC Comics Swamp Thing

A blue dragon

MEETING A FELLOW FAN ON MY FLIGHT - Later on the flight home, I met a veterinarian named Mike Lawrence who was also there  and sponsored a fundraiser for turtles. He had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle tee shirt on and was standing behind me in the airport to board my plane so we talked!  He was also reading a Spiderman graphic novel onboard while I was reading a Batman graphic novel- so we talked a lot!  My hope is to go to his practice in Tennessee and do a fundraiser there.

A Cat "Left Holding the Bag"

  Anyway,  Here are some of the pictures.

Star Wars Outfits

NEXT: Ed's Spirit Visits Me In New Hampshire

NH Trip #1: Great NH Rescue Events - and a Message from Missy the Dog

Rob Ready for his lecture

This past weekend I (Rob) visited 2 Animal rescues in New Hampshire and lectured on how pets communicate from the afterlife. I do these talks as fundraisers for the rescue (the rescue charges and admission, and it all goes to support the rescue). It was a return engagement for me at both the Lakes Region Humane Society in Ossippee, NH, (https://lrhs.net) and the Animal Rescue League of NH (https://www.rescueleague.org/) in Bedford, NH (near Manchester, NH.

Megan does introductions at the Lakes Region Humane Society

     I was so pleased to see so many people had signed up for both events, and they were both amazing groups. The best part of these lectures is when people in the audience understand the signs I speak about, and then share their own stories. (Please tell other rescues I will help them, too. See below).

LHRS room is filling up

    Usually whenever I give these talks I can sense some pets, and although I did, there was one dog in particular who was adamant I tell her mom that she's still around her mom in spirit. Here's the story>

ARNH sweet dog!

MISSY THE DOG MESSAGES ME

Animal Rescue of NH lecture

  At my appearance at the Animal Rescue of New Hampshire in Bedford, NH, before I started my lecture, I asked a woman sitting down if she had a dog named Missy. 

   Turns out, Missy was the name of her dog that passed a couple of weeks ago. 

A Dog needing a home at ARNH

A vocal little guy at ARNH needing a home

   I told her that Missy came to me from the moment my plane landed, knowing where I would be (in the same room with her mom later on). Missy also came through as I was walking into the rescue that afternoon and told me she has clarity of thought (which wound up making sense as her mom later informed me Missy had dementia). 

   Missy also told me that she was always with another dog with whitish colored tight curly fur. Missy's mom showed me a photo of her other dog that had that exact appearance.

   In short, Missy's mom (I think her name was Debra) was astounded and comforted to get the message Missy is still very much around. 

A cute little one at ARNH needing a home!

    KNOW ANY RESCUES NEEDING FUNDRAISERS? - If you know of a rescue that would like to have me speak as a fundraiser, tell them about me, and have them contact me at Rgutro@gmail.com. I  schedule talks on the weekends (because I'm a meteorologist full time).   
MY BOOKS - Check out my books "Pets and the Afterlife" and "Pets and the Afterlife 2" available on Amazon.com -under $10 in paperback and Under $3 in Kindle!

AZ Trip #7: Descending Into Bisbee's Queen Copper Mine

Going into the Mine on a narrow train

In today's blog, we'll take you down into an old copper mine in Bisbee, Arizona called the Queen Mine. We'll tell you how the mine re-opened and share pictures from far beneath the earth! 

Claustrophobic, Dan?

HOW THE TOUR WORKS - Everyone boards a small train. There's basically a long seat stretching from the front car to the back car, where people sit, one per person, and legs over the raised seat.

Looking up at another tunnel

Tour guides, retired Phelps Dodge employees, lead the group 1,500 feet into the mine and recount mining days, techniques, dangers and drama. Adding a personal touch, the miner-turned-tour guides help visitors experience what it was like to work underground.

NO GHOSTS, BUT LOTS OF DUST-  I didn't sense any ghosts in the mine, although I believe that there were some fatalities in it. However, if you opened your mouth, you could taste chalky dust.

Moving thru the narrow mine

Dan and Rob underground

Dan  suited up for mining

Going through the mine shaft

Rob suited up

 HOW THE MINE RE-OPENED AS AN ATTRACTION - The Phelps Dodge Corporation owned the mine and closed the Bisbee underground mines in the summer of 1975.  According to Queenmine.com, Bisbee Mayor Eads felt that history of mining should be kept alive in Bisbee and in a manner that would attract tourists to the community.

Rob on the mining train

RE-OPENING THE MINES  - Volunteers cleared thousands of tons of fallen rock and re-timbered the old workings. They were assisted by local individuals and groups who furnished support and food for the workers. The local effort came to the attention of a federal agency, the Economic Development Administration, which approved a large grant to the City of Bisbee to help the mine tour project and other improvements in downtown Bisbee designed to aid the tourist business.

drill in the rock wall

lead in the cave walls

 TOUR OPENED 1 YEAR LATER  The
Queen Mine Tour was officially opened to visitors on February 1, 1976. Since then, more than a million visitors, from all 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries, have enjoyed the ride into the mountain on the underground mine tour train.

NEXT: Exploring the Lavender Pit  (after 3 NH Trip Blogs)