Part 1: Visited Old Fields Burying Ground in South Berwick, Maine

Tom and I enjoy exploring old cemeteries because you never know what kind of history you'll find. One weekend last month, our friend Jeff (and our dogs and his dog) accompanied us when we explored the Old Fields Burying Ground in historic South Berwick, Maine.  Today's blog will take you there and give you some history Thanks to the Old Berwick Org website 

**************************** 

ABOUT THE OLD FIELDS BURYING GROUND (also known as the Vine Street Cemetery), it was established in the 1600s.

(Photo: Rob and Jeff exploring) 

Overlooking Leigh's Mill Pond, Old Fields Burying Ground on Vine Street, South Berwick, Maine, is one of the oldest cemeteries in the United States, dating from the 1600s. 

It was the main burial place of the town's first European settlers -- families such as those of Thomas Spencer (c. 1596-1681) and Humphrey Chadbourne (1615-1667) and his father, William Chadbourne (1562-1682). The Chadbourne Family Association placed a marker recognizing William Chadbourne's arrival in 1634. 

(Photo: Tyler (L) and Dash (R) kept looking out of the windows of the truck to see when their dads were going to return from exploring) 

After the community's 1652 submission to Massachusetts Bay Colony, it was ordered that a meeting house be built, and around 1660 the settlers did so nearby, on the intersection of today's Brattle Street and Old South Road, at what was then the town center.

(Photo: The older part of the cemetery had some crypts above ground and were very weathered after hundreds of years. It made for a good Halloween-like setting.)

Hundreds of citizens are buried in Old Fields Burying Ground, many in graves no longer visible or where only fragments of headstones remain. The earliest markers may have been plain fieldstones.

Among some 339 identified surviving graves in the cemetery are an unknown number of former soldiers' graves from the 1700s to the 1900s. Of the identified veterans, seven are of the American Revolution, six of the Civil War, two of World War I, several others identified with the colonial militia, including two who fought at the Siege of Louisburg in 1745, and others who served as members of the Massachusetts and Maine Militias in the early United States.

WHO WAS Jonathan Hamilton?  (1745-1802) – South Berwick’s illustrious shipbuilder and merchant started as a trader in salt fish in the 1760s. Soon he owned forests in Lebanon, mill rights on the Great Works River and a shipyard and store at Pipe Stave Landing. 

During the 1780s and 1790s his properties were responsible for over half the ship tonnage on the Salmon Falls River  (Which is the BORDER between New Hampshire and Maine)  as well as masts, spars, planks, and shingles. His ships carried these cargoes and likely also some enslaved people. 

Customs records show 104 arrivals of Hamilton vessels in the port of Portsmouth, over half from the West Indies. His stores and warehouses at the Landing and in Portsmouth were stocked with tea, sugar, coffee, molasses, rum, timber and shipbuilding tools. 

In 1785, he started building the finest house in the area, later known as the Hamilton House owned by Historic New England.   (THAT HOUSE WILL BE THE TOPIC OF A FUTURE BLOG)

Idiot of the Week: Oregon man arrested in connection with theft of $300,000 in comic books

As a comic book collector, I find this sad and outrageous. Some collectors send their comic books to professional restorers (although I haven't), and one guy took a lot of valuable comics and destroyed or sold them. Fortunately, he was arrested. Here's the story.

Oregon man arrested in connection with theft of $300,000 in comic books

  Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal, August 22, 2024

An Aumsville man accused of selling $300,000 in comic books that he was being paid to restore was arrested on Wednesday on 12 charges of theft.

The 57-year-old man, Mike Dechellis,  owned a business called “Hero Restoration” in Lebanon, according to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

Customers from Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington had sent him comics to restore.

The Aumsville man filed with the Secretary of State’s Office to dissolve his business in 2023.

But Linn County investigators found that some of the comic books were sold online or to a private comic book dealer in Washington.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH_21DUKqeM

Police were unable to locate the man for several months until they found him living in the 10000 block of Stayton Road in Aumsville.

When police arrested him on Wednesday, they also seized comic books and other evidence of theft.

Heroes of the Week: U.S. Coast Guard rescues man and dog in Florida during Hurricane Helene

 This week's heroes are members of the U.S. Coast Guard!  - Off the coast of Florida, where Hurricane Helene generated tremendous wave heights, a man and his dog had to be rescued when their boat overturned. Here's the story

(Photo: Coast Guard rescued Man and his dog from disabled boat . Credit USCG)

Man and his dog rescued from disabled boat 25 miles out to sea as Hurricane Helene fast approached 

The 36-foot sailboat started taking on water and left them both stranded.

ByJon Haworth, ABC NEWS, September 27, 2024,

The United States Coast Guard has rescued a man and his dog as Hurricane Helene fast approached them when his boat became disabled and started taking on water 25 miles out to sea, officials said.

The sailor and his dog were on a 36-foot sailboat on Thursday when the boat started taking on water, leaving the man and his canine stranded in the ocean approximately 25 miles off of Sanibel Island with no help or support nearby, according to a statement from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater released early Friday morning. VIDEO:
VIDEO LINK: https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/man-dog-rescued-boat-helene-approached-114269814

“Coast Guard crews responded to the boater’s distress call and rushed to the man’s location, approximately 25 miles offshore from Sanibel Island near Fort Myers,” authorities said. “A successful rescue attempt was made and the unidentified sailor and his dog were saved and brought back to land.”

Officials have not disclosed why the man was out to sea while small craft advisories and hurricane warnings had already been issued in the area as Hurricane Helene was expected to make landfall.

Livescience: How does grapefruit interact with drugs?

 If you take medications, you may have seen a caution about not eating grapefruit because it will interact with your medication. Now, thanks to an article from Livescience, you'll know why and what it does. That's today's blog.

How does grapefruit interact with drugs? 

 By Clarissa Brincat, Livescience, Sept 6, 2024

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice is considered a very healthy food because it's a good source of fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium and antioxidants — but there are times when people should avoid the sour citrus. If a person is taking certain medications, then eating whole grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice could lead to serious side effects or make the medicine work less effectively.

But why does grapefruit interact with certain medications, and what are examples of drugs people shouldn't take with grapefruit?

The primary culprit behind these drug interactions is a group of chemicals in grapefruit called furanocoumarins, Patrick McDonnell, professor of clinical pharmacy at Temple University School of Pharmacy in Pennsylvania, told Live Science in an email. Furanocoumarins can mess with some molecules and enzymes — proteins that perform chemical reactions in the body — in the small intestine.

These molecules and enzymes are responsible for breaking down many drugs and carrying them into the bloodstream, but furanocoumarins throw them out of whack. In some instances, the furanocoumarins can effectively boost the dose of a drug in the body, leading to unintended effects.

When medication is swallowed, it is broken down, or metabolized, by enzymes in the small intestine. One key enzyme is cytochrome P450 3A4, or CYP3A4. As the furanocoumarins in grapefruit are broken down in the body, their resulting derivatives can block the action of CYP3A4. Thus, instead of being broken down as usual, more of the drug enters the blood and also stays in the body longer, potentially leading to unwanted effects.

CAN CAUSE HIGHER IMPACT OF DRUG FROM NOT BREAKING IT DOWN 

 This can happen with certain blood-pressure medications, such as nifedipine (brand name Procardia and Adalat CC). These drugs work by relaxing blood vessels to lower blood pressure, but consuming grapefruit can increase the amount of the drug in the body, causing blood pressure to drop too low. This chain of events can also lead to a too-slow heart rate, or bradycardia, McDonnell said.

Grapefruit can also have this effect on some cholesterol-lowering statins, such as simvastatin (Zocor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor). Too-high doses of these statins can lead to muscle pain and damage. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), grapefruit can also boost the levels of certain corticosteroids used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease.

Grapefruit can also boost the levels of immunosuppressants, such as cyclosporine (Neoral), which can potentially harm the kidneys. A similar effect on anxiety medications, including benzodiazepines like diazepam (Valium), can lead to excessive drowsiness, McDonnell noted. Depending on the dose of benzos a person has taken, there could be more severe effects, such as difficulty breathing.

CAN ALSO REDUCE DRUG EFFECTIVENESS 

But grapefruit doesn't exert this boosting effect on all the drugs it messes with — in some cases, it can actually decrease the amount of a drug that enters the blood.

This is true of the allergy medication fexofenadine (Allegra). Drugs like fexofenadine are moved into cells by proteins called transporters, which move substances from one side of a cell's membrane to the other. Some of these transporters help move drugs from the intestines into the blood. Grapefruit-borne furanocoumarins block certain transporter proteins, thus causing too little of the drug to enter the bloodstream.

The FDA notes that the effects of grapefruit can vary depending on the amount of the fruit or juice a person has consumed and the medication they took. But the effects can be dramatic.

"Even just one grapefruit or an 8-ounce [236 milliliters] glass of grapefruit juice can change how your body processes certain drugs, especially those that rely on CYP3A4 for breakdown," McDonnell said.

There are other fruits that interact with drugs, "but none really are quite as dramatic as seen with grapefruit juice," McDonnell noted. This is probably because grapefruit contains a higher concentration of furanocoumarins compared to other fruits. But other furanocoumarin-containing fruits — such as Seville oranges, tangelos and pomelos — should still be treated with caution, according to Harvard Health.

Besides furanocoumarins, the citric acid in fruits can pose its own issues. The osteoporosis drug alendronate (Fosamax) interacts with various citrus juices, including orange and grapefruit. If ingested at the same time, the citric acid in the juices decreases absorption of the drug, making it less effective, McDonnell said.  The FDA advises asking your doctor or pharmacist to see if grapefruit juice interacts with your medication.

Words to Learn: Folderol, Brume, Credo, Vapid

Every day, I receive an email from Dictionary.com with a "word of the day." It's a great way to increase your vocabulary. Whenever you read a word of the day, think of something or someone in your life it applies to, and you'll remember it. Here are some Words of the day:  Folderol, Brume, Credo, Vapid. Check them out and use them! 

  
WORD OF THE DAY -folderol [ fol-duh-rol ] noun 

MEANING: mere nonsense; foolish talk or ideas

More about folderol 

First recorded in 1695–1705. Originally referred to a nonsense refrain in songs; of obscure origin.

EXAMPLES OF FOLDEROL 

• • The article was filled with folderol, lacking any serious research or evidence. 
• • The politician’s speech was criticized as folderol, offering plenty of charm but no real policy.

**************************************

WORD OF THE DAY  brume [ broom ] noun 

MEANING: mist; fog

EXAMPLES OF BRUME 

• • She loved the way the brume settled over the fields, creating a tranquil and mysterious atmosphere. 
• • The lighthouse’s beam cut through the brume, guiding ships safely to shore.

**************************************

WORD OF THE DAY credo [ kree-doh ] noun 

MEANING: a system of principles or beliefs

EXAMPLES OF CREDO 

• • The company’s credo, “customer first,” guides every decision they make. 
• • She lived by the credo that hard work and perseverance would lead to success.

************************************** 

  WORD OF THE DAY vapid [ vap-id ] adjective 

MEANING: without liveliness or spirit; flat; dull

More about vapid 

• First recorded in 1650–60. 
  
• From Latin vapidus, “flat, lacking flavor,” akin to vapor, in the sense of lacking substance, being made up of steam or heat.

EXAMPLES OF VAPID 

• The party was all small talk and vapid without any meaningful conversations. 
• I lost interest in the novel because the characters were vapid and one-dimensional.

Medium / Author Rob Gutro's 17 Oct. Events & Interviews

 October is the month for the paranormal with Halloween on the 31st, but everyone gets "in the spirit" early. It's always my busiest month. This October I have 17 events and interviews. See below in date order! Hope you can make one. - Rob

OCTOBER EVENTS!

MAINE LIVE APPEARANCE**

OCTOBER 1, TUESDAY: 6:30pm Pets and the Afterlife

Noble Adult and Community Education school, 100 Noble Way, No. Berwick, ME

REGISTER $15: https://noble.coursestorm.com/course/pets-and-the-afterlife1?search=rob+gutro

***********************************************

**LIVE RADIO INTERVIEW**

October 1, 11:00pm – October 2, 2024, 1:00am / Interview- The Night Hawk KSCO 1080am & 104.1fm Rob joins Kelly Powers host on KSCO Santa Cruz 1080Am The Night Hawk. We serve Santa Cruz, Monterey, Salinas, San Jose Ca and beyond.

***************************************************

**IN-PERSON EVENT: SOUTHERN MAINE**

Oct. 3, (Thursday) - 4 Haunts! Inspired Ghost Tracking Investigates Historic Places

Sanford Community Adult Education - : Willard School, 668 Main StreetSanford, ME 04073 REGISTRATION $15

https://sanford.coursestorm.com/course/4-haunts-inspired-ghosts-tracking-investigates-historic-places?search=ghosts&page=1

**********************************************

MASSACHUSETTS- LIVE EVENT/ Lecture

Saturday, October 5 at 2:30pm, "A Double Murder Ghost Investigation "

**THIS IS A TICKETED EVENT*** -

TICKETS:" https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=5737&stype=-12&sView=day&sLoc=0&sTrn=100001100

WHERE: Open Doors, 395A Washington St. Braintree, MA 02184 | (781) 843-8224 |

***********************************************

MAINE LIVE APPEARANCE**

October 8, Tuesday:: Ghosts of the Bird Cage Theatre: On a Medium’s Vacation

Noble Adult and Community Education school, 100 Noble Way, No. Berwick, ME

REGISTER $15: https://noble.coursestorm.com/course/ghosts-of-the-bird-cage-theatre?search=bird+cage

*******************************************

**IN-PERSON EVENT: SOUTHERN MAINE**

Oct. 10, 2024 (Thursday) 6pm ET How Our Loved Ones Give Signs From the Afterlife

Location: Sanford Community Adult Education, 688 Main Street, Sanford, ME 04073, Tel. 207-490-5145 (X8254) To Register: $15

https://sanford.coursestorm.com/course/how-our-loved-ones-give-signs-from-the-afterlife?search=afterlife

**********************************************

NEW HAMPSHIRE LIVE APPEARANCE

***OCTOBER 12, 2024 at 11am Lakes Region Humane Society, "Pets and the Afterlife" fundraising lecture. Physical Address: 11 Old Rt. 28, Ossipee, NH 03864(603) 539-1077 phone Megan Williams, Executive Director EVENT LINK TO GET TICKETS

WEBSITE: https://lrhs.net/ https://lrhs.net/event/pets-the-afterlife/

***********************************************

PRE-RECORDING INTERVIEW

Oct. 14 at 7pm ET - Interview- w/Kat Ward, host of Paranormal Heart podcast

Kat talks with Rob and Monique about their paranormal investigation and upcoming new book

***********************************************

MAINE LIVE APPEARANCE**

October 15, Tuesday at 6:30pm ET Ghosts of England: A Medium's Vacation Encounters

Location: Noble Adult and Community Education school, 100 Noble Way, No. Berwick, ME

REGISTER $15: https://noble.coursestorm.com/course/ghosts-of-england?search=england

***********************************************

**LIVE APPEARANCE CENTRAL MAINE**

October 19 and 20 - At Parafest, | 934 Main Street, Vassalboro, Maine

INFO: https://parafestmaine.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557986712747

***********************************************

MAINE LIVE APPEARANCE**

Oct 22, 2024 at 6:30 pm -Paranormal Cases from Inspired Ghost Tracking

Noble Adult and Community Education school, 100 Noble Way, No. Berwick, ME

REGISTER: $15 https://noble.coursestorm.com/course/paranormal-cases-from-inspired-ghost-tracking?search=paranormal

***********************************************

*PRERECORDED FOR YOU TUBE**

October 23 at 3pm ET Grizzly Bigfoot On the Hunt show

Host Chris Schlager and Christina wtill talk with Rob Gutro up to 2 hours about his abilities and how he uses his abilities with pets, as well as earthbound ghosts and spirits of people.

***********************************

MAINE LIVE APPEARANCE**

October 23, 2024, Wednesday Evening 6-7:30pm

Berwick Public Library- Lecture Presents: Double Murder Ghost Investigation

103 Old Pine Hill Rd., Berwick, ME 03901

***********************************************

LIVE INTERVIEW YOU TUBE and PODCAST Sunday, October 27 at 8pm ET on the Caffeinated Cryptid w/ Bobby Dizzle - Rob talks Paranormal, pets, ghosts and more Length of Interview: 1 hour Website: https://bobbydizzle.com/ **********************************************

MAINE LIVE APPEARANCE**

Oct 29, 2024 at 6:30 pm. 4 Haunts! Inspired Ghost Tracking Investigates Historic Places

Noble Adult and Community Education school, 100 Noble Way, No. Berwick, ME

REGISTER: $15 https://noble.coursestorm.com/course/4-haunts-inspired-ghost-tracking-investigates-historic-places?search=paranormal

**********************************************

COASTAL MAINE LIVE APPEARANCE

Wed.Oct. 30 at 1pm ET -Kennebunkport Historical Society - Presents: Ghost Cases from Inspired Ghost Tracking **OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

DATE/TIME: Wednesday, October 30 at 1pm ET LOCATION: Town House School, 135 North Street, Kennebunkport, ME

https://kporths.com/events/ Information: khaight@kporths.com

***********************************************

LIVE INTERVIEW_ October 31, 11am ET

Name: Forbidden Knowledge News, Host: Chris Mathieu All things HALLOWEEN- Haunted Houses, Graveyards, Ghosts

1 hour Website: https://forbiddenknowledge.news/

Remember Actor Billy Curtis in Superman and Batman TV Shows?

One actor appeared in both the 1950s TV Superman show and the 1966 Batman Television show. That was a dwarf actor named Billy Curtis. If you've watched the shows you may recognize him from either or both, or the Wizard of Oz film! 

The Little Actor with a Big Presence in Superhero TV and Movies 

Source: Dennis Hays, SUPERMAN: A Who's Who of the Man of Steel facebook group. June 27, 2024

Curtis was an American film and television actor with dwarfism who had a 50-year career in the entertainment industry.

The bulk of his work was in the western and science fiction genres. One of his early roles was uncredited as a Munchkin city father in The Wizard of Oz (1939). He had a featured role as part of the circus troupe in Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942). He also appeared in Superman and the Mole Men (1951), a B-Picture intended as the pilot for the Adventures of Superman TV series.

(Image: Billy Curtis appeared in Superman and the Mole Men (1951)  as one of the mole men) 

Curtis' work in westerns included the Clint Eastwood feature, High Plains Drifter (1973) in which he featured as Mordecai, a friendly dwarf sympathetic to Eastwood, he also appeared in the Musical/Western The Terror of Tiny Town (1938). This film is, as far as is known, the world's only Western with an all-midget cast. Many of the actors in Tiny Town were part of a performing troupe called Singer's Midgets, who also played Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. Curtis had a starring role in American International Pictures' Little Cigars (1973), about a gang of small people on a crime spree.

(Photo: Billy Curtis as "Mr. Zero" with Clark Kent (George Reeves) on the Adventures of Superman TV show in 1957)

Curtis appeared in three Superman-related TV projects in the 1950s. He played the lead Mole Man in Superman and the Mole Men (1951), in heavy make-up and costume. In 1957, he was the featured guest actor in the fifth season Adventures of Superman episode "Mr. Zero." Curtis played the title character, a friendly Martian, with his own face fully recognizable beneath a green wig.

(Photo: Billy Curtis as Superpup, for the TV show of the same name)

In 1958, Curtis played the leading role in the authorized children's show pilot The Adventures of Superpup. In a dog suit, and with all dialogue provided by another actor, Instead of dubbing in the voices, the actors who provided voices for the characters were seated off-camera, reciting the dialogue as it was filmed. Curtis played the dual role of Superpup and his civilian alter-ego, Bark Bent. (NOTE: The show never aired)

 (Photo: Billy Curtis in the Batman 66 episode as a Henchman for the villain False Face) 

In the episodes of the TV series Batman "True Or False Face" and "Holy Rat Race" Curtis is listed in the credits as "Midget". He is one of the henchmen working for False Face.

On June 27, 1909 Billy Curtis (born Luigi Curto) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and would have been 115 years old this year.