VIDEO: Our Dog Tyler Howls at Fire Engine Sirens!

Our black and tan mini-dachshund Tyler loves to howl at the sirens of fire engines. For some reason, every time a fire engine rides nearby and Tyler hears the siren, he starts howling!  It's really funny, and none of our other 3 dogs does it. Here's a short video of Tyler doing his "Siren Howl!" 

Free Event tonight: "The Haunting of Dr. Samuel Mudd's House"

Dr. Mudd's house story included

Tonight, Friday, May 10, 2013 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM EDT*Free and Open to the Public** 
Come hear about "The Haunting of Dr. Samuel Mudd's House"
Rob Joins Margaret and Ronda to share personal experiences of paranormal activity at Dr. Samuel Mudd's house in southern Maryland. 

The A&E story video will also be aired! 
Rob's encounters with the ghost in Dr. Mudd's house are also chronicled in his book "Ghosts and Spirits: Insights from a Medium." 

WHERE:  Inspired Journeys, Jessup, Md.
To register, email: inspiredghst@aol.com 
Directions: http://www.inspiredeventsofmd.com/upcomingEvents.html

Come to the meeting to hear about Dr. Mudd's hauntings!

BACKGROUND:  Dr. Mudd was the physician who set John Wilkes Booth's leg after he broke it during the assassination of President Lincoln. Booth shot the President in an upper balcony in Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C. and then lept to the stage, breaking his leg. He then hobbled out of the theatre and rode a horse to Dr. Mudd's house where it is assumed that he forced the doctor to set his leg. The doctor was originally convicted of collaborating in the assassination and later let out of prison.

Mary Ann's visit: Part 3: Fort Mc Henry, Baltimore/ Ghostly Encounters

Fort McHenry is a National Park Service Historic Site in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. This fort is surrounded by water on three sides, and has wonderful grounds to enjoy outside the fort. The National Park Service manages the park, and has a great new visitor's center with an amazing museum and displays showing the history of the fort. There's also a fantastic short film that explains how the Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key, as a result of his observations during a ship battle in the War of 1812. For more information about the park, visit: www.nps.gov/fomc/‎

ROB'S VIDEO TESTIMONIAL OF GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER - Both  Tom and I had ghostly experiences at Fort Mc Henry - just as we did at the Hampton Mansion earlier in the day. Barracks Number 2 was a particularly active location. Here's a short video that I made after going into Barracks Number 2. It was in this room that I experienced stabbing pain in my side, and a ghost that died in that room was telling me that he had shrapnel in his side when he passed.

SECOND GHOSTLY EXPERIENCE - When I went into the adjoining room, I had another ghostly experience and made the second video. It was in this room that both Tom and I experienced light-headedness as we walked into the door and to the left. When I panned the camera - in the exact spot of the dizziness, the transmission of the camera became scrambled. That's because there was a ghost standing in that very spot. It was perhaps in this spot that he died - and he doesn't realize that he's dead and needs to cross over.

MaryAnn's Visit: Part 2b: Hampton Mansion -Hauntings?

Rob and Tom goofing it up outside

We enjoyed the Hampton Mansion National Historic Site with our friend Mary Ann both outside on the grounds and inside  - where we sensed some energy of people who lived there before.

MaryAnn joins the goofy boys!

According to an article on the Baltimore Examiner, the National Park Service staff of the Hampton Mansion discount all indications of any ghostly presence.  However, the Examiner reported that visitors to the site have claimed several paranormal experiences there. Visitors have claimed  to hear sounds of things breaking like glasses, china, or even a chandelier. However, nothing broken was ever found. Some people have said that the sound of the breaking chandelier has in predicted the death of a Ridgely family member.


One of the ghosts that supposedly haunt the Hampton Mansion is the ghost of Tom, a former butler who was born and died in the mansion around 1900. Tom's ghost has been seen by visitors many years after his death. Other visitors reported seeing a woman in a satin ball gown, combing her hair. There has also been reports of sounds of a harpsichord coming from her room. 

THE KITCHEN - Although we didn't take any pictures in the kitchen, Tom and I (Rob) and Mary Ann all sensed energy there. I felt that it was residual, meaning that it's like an emotional thumbprint left behind from stress, anxiety or happiness- all of which are usually found in anyone's kitchen!

Main stairway where Rob kept sensing a man

Looking into a 1st floor room from the stairs... a ghost is in there

Picture of a mirror- where Rob sensed a face watching

FIRST FLOOR - The stairway especially held my attention. I kept sensing that there was a man at the top of the stairs. If there really was a ghostly butler haunting the mansion, it was likely him. He stood at the top of the stairway and as I stood at the foot of the stairs (listening to the docent talk about the nearby dining room) I sensed the entity walked down the stairs and went into the main entryway, so I took pictures of three chairs in that hallway. The main hallway connects many of the rooms on the first floor, and was likely even used as a ballroom for dancing.
 

Hallway where Rob sensed the male figure was walking

Dog Rescue Adventure: Bringing Little Huck Home to Jon and Erin!

We were waiting for Julie to bring Huck

Julie arrives with Huck for the next leg

On Sunday, May 5, Tom and I worked with Bonnie Blue Rescue of Virginia as part of a number of volunteers to transport a lovable puppy named Huck from a shelter in Connecticut to his Mom and Dad who live in Richmond, Virginia. 

Huck gets comfy in our truck

Rob and a sleepy Huck

  We've never worked with Bonnie Blue Rescue before, and we were amazed by their organization and coordination. The initial coordinator was vacationing in Hawaii, but she posted the need for a transport from northern Baltimore to northern Virginia on Saturday, May 4th. I (Rob) saw the posting and responded immediately that Tom and I would do it. 

Huck gives Tom a big kiss!

  The coordinator then handed the transport organization off to another coordinator named Natalie who provided a detailed and time-scheduled handoffs for Huck's travel on Sunday, May 5th. Natalie sent out an email that included these details:

Tom gives a Huck Hug

Passenger: Huckleberry; Breed: Lab/Hound mix; Age: 14 weeks;Size: 22 lbs

SUNDAY, MAY 5 - Here's how the transportation schedule worked:

Joanne brings Huckleberry to join the transport in Southbury, CT!

Leg 1: Filled by Cate!  Southbury, CT - White Plains, NY; Leg 2: Filled by Emma! White Plains, NY - Elizabeth, NJ; Leg 3: Filled by Marianne! Elizabeth, NJ - Woodbury, NJ; Leg 4: Filled by Maggie! Woodbury, NJ - Elkton, MD;

What a lovable face!

Leg 5: Filled by Julie! Elkton, MD - White Marsh, MDl Leg 6: Filled by Rob and Tom - White Marsh, MD to Springfield, VA;  Leg 7: Filled by Jon and Erin (his new parents!)  Springfield, VA - Richmond, VA  

 OUR EXPERIENCE:  Huck is adorable!  He didn't bark and settled quickly onto the doggy mattress and comforter in our truck's cab. Such a well-behaved boy!  - We worked with Jon and Erin via phone to get to a closer pick up point when they ran into bad traffic, and met in Springfield. They asked that we video the meeting, and Tom took the camera. It was awesome! We look forward to hearing about Huck's happy life in his forever home. I made a short video of the happy meeting and you can see it here.
   Jon said that he and Erin were following the rescue of Huck's pregnant mom from a kill shelter in West Virginia-when Bonnie Blue Rescue took her in. When Huck's mom gave birth to puppies, the rescue enabled people who donated to help out, to name one of the pups, so Jon and Erin named one Huckleberry, or "Huck." This reunion is one that happened after a couple of months. It was amazing.

HERE'S HUCK'S LIFE STORY FROM JOANNE AT THE RESCUE:

Joanne of Bonnie Blue Rescue shared Huck's life story with me:  Huck was one of my all time favorite fosters. I've had home since he was 8 weeks old. I think I have weakness for hounds and his face is just too cute!

Tuck gives Erin a big thank you kiss!

Jon and Erin meet Huck!

Jon and Erin meet Huck!

  I am not sure of you know the background to his story but Bonnie Blue rescued his pregnant Mom Zinnia, brought her up North and the pups were all born at one of our Volunteers homes. Those of us volunteers here in Ct. got to meet Zinnia while she was still pregnant and we had a pool for when and how many she might deliver. The pups got sick at one point and we lost one. Huck was the runt and I met the whole litter at 6 weeks. I then got to choose the 2 that I  wanted to foster. I said "Huckleberry and any of the blondes ( most of the pups were caramel colored and look Nothing like Huck!!) I got Huck and Sprout, his brother. It was the first time I've taken two young pups at the same time but it was an awesome experience!  I had a little harder time letting go of Huck, although we are on our 18th foster at this point. My saying is "I've never been so happy to be forgotten so quickly"  :)   It makes the whole experience ssooooo much better for me to know we have this wonderful network of Caring people all the way from here to Va. that make all this happen. I appreciate the tranport team immensely and wish I could just send everyone a big hug!! Its a tough world we live in and this work just fills me with joy! Thanks again for your help. I am sure it was exciting to be able to deliver such a special package!! :) Joanne

 NOTE FROM JON AND ERIN: Thank you all so very much for helping transport our sweet Huck home.  We love him already.  He is sleeping soundly in the backseat and will be meeting his big brother in just a few short hours.  We couldn't have done it without all of you.  We promise to send updates! Cheers to all, Jon, Erin, Huck and big brother Louie

For info about Bonnie Blue Rescue, visit: Bonnie Blue Rescue

Web: www.bonniebluerescue.com

Petfinder: www.bonniebluerescue.petfinder.com

Contact: bonniebluerescue@gmail.com

Mary Ann's Visit: Part 2a: Hampton Mansion

The back of Hampton Mansion

The Hampton Mansion is a National Park Service Historic Site, located north of Baltimore, Maryland in Towson.  The mansion was built by Captain Charles Ridgely, whose father had purchased the land from a relative of Lord Baltimore. The mansion is built in the style of Georgian architecture and was completed in 1790.

Rob and Tom outside of the Hampton

MaryAnn and Tom peering in a 2nd floor room

MaryAnn, Tom and Rob looking for ghosts!

Hampton was a large plantation with a working and prosperous farm. There were numerous farm buildings and homes for the servants and slaves. Hampton thrived in the 1820s when it covered an area up to 25,000 acres. The property included croplands, orchards, livestock, stables, ironworks, and even coal mining. According to the National Park Service, Hampton was one of the largest slave-holding estates in Maryland.

Creepy doll set up on the 2nd floor

There are three floors to the mansion, and the third floor is blocked off to the general public.
The second floor contained some bedrooms, and one was decorated as a child's room with a small table and chairs with dolls. That setting was disturbing to me - maybe it was that the dolls were creepy looking!  - We also took a short video of the second floor to give you an idea of how it was set up.

The golden parlor

When we returned to the first floor the last room we walked through was a parlor that was brightly decorated and had lots of photos on the wall. We also took a short video of the room.

The dining room

New Zealand releases list of banned Baby names

 

 

 

  Baby names are something that Tom and I find ourselves talking about whenever we watch Judge Judy. Sometimes people will have the most stupid, ridiculous, made-up names. The parents who give them these names are NOT thinking. We know a number of professionals in Human Resources and Employment Recruiting who have said that resumes with strange, made-up names are usually put to the side or removed from the candidates. SO, if you want your child to have an unusual name think about how it will affect them as they grow older and try to fit into society. Think about how other children will pick on them. Think about how their chances for a good job are somewhat dependent upon a name. I'm glad to see that New Zealand (who also just passed gay marriage) has the sense enough to release a list of stupid names that you cannot name your child.   COMPROMISE:  If you really want to name something strange, get a dog, cat, horse, ferret, or fish. They don't care what you call them, as long as you love them and they don't have to worry about a resume!

 Here's the article below from CNN: 

No, you can't call your baby Lucifer: New Zealand releases list of banned names

By Lateef Mungin, CNN  Wed May 1, 2013

• New Zealand has an agency that signs off on baby names
• Some names that have been vetoed are Mafia No Fear and Messiah
• New Zealand is not the only country to edit names
• Sweden also has a naming law and has nixed Superman as a baby name!

(CNN) -- Lucifer cannot be born in New Zealand.

And there's no place for Christ or a Messiah either.

In New Zealand, parents have to run by the government any name they want to bestow on their baby.

And each year, there's a bevy of unusual ones too bizarre to pass the taste test.

The country's Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages shared that growing list with CNN on Wednesday.

Four words:  What were they thinking?

In the past 12 years, the agency had to turn down not one, not two, but six sets of parents who wanted to name their child "Lucifer."  Also shot down were parents who wanted to grace their child with the name "Messiah." That happened twice.  "Christ," too, was rejected.

Specific rules

As the agency put it, acceptable names must not cause offense to a reasonable person, not be unreasonably long and should not resemble an official title and rank. It's no surprise then that the names nixed most often since 2001 are "Justice" (62 times) and "King" (31 times).  Some of the other entries scored points in the creativity department -- but clearly didn't take into account the lifetime of pain they'd bring.  "Mafia No Fear." "4Real." "Anal."

Oh, come on!

Then there were the parents who preferred brevity through punctuation. The ones who picked '"*" (the asterisk) or '"."(period).

Slipping through

Still, some quirky names do make it through.

In 2008, the country made made international news when the naming agency allowed a set of twins to be named '

"Benson" and "Hedges" -- a popular cigarette brand -- and OK'd the names "Violence" and "Number 16 Bus Shelter."

Asked about those examples, Michael Mead of the Internal Affairs Department (under which the agency falls) said, "All names registered with the Department since 1995 have conformed to these rules."

And what happens when parents don't conform?

Four years ago, a 9-year-old girl was taken away from her parents by the state so that her name could be changed from "Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii."

Not alone

To be sure, New Zealand is not the only country to act as editor for some parent's wacky ideas.

Sweden also has a naming law and has nixed attempts to name children "Superman," "Metallica," and the oh-so-easy-to-pronounce "Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116."

In 2009, the Dominican Republic contemplated banning unusual names after a host of parents began naming their children after cars or fruit.

In the United States, however, naming fights have centered on adults.

In 2008, a judge allowed an Illinois school bus driver to legally chang e his first name to "In God" and his last name to "We Trust."But the same year, an appeals court in New Mexico ruled against a man -- named Variable -- who wanted to change his name to "F--- Censorship!"

Here is a list of some the names banned in New Zealand since 2001 -- and how many times they came up

Justice:62

King:31

Princess:28

Prince:27

Royal:25

Duke:10

Major:9

Bishop:9

Majesty:7

J:6

Lucifer:6

using brackets around middle names:4

Knight:4

Lady:3

using back slash between names:8

Judge:3

Royale:2

Messiah:2

T:2

I:2

Queen:2

II:2

Sir:2

III:2

Jr:2

E:2

V:2

Justus:2

Master:2

Constable:1

Queen Victoria:1

Regal:1

Emperor:1

Christ:1

Juztice:1

3rd:1

C J :1

G:1

Roman numerals III:1

General:1

Saint:1

Lord:1

. (full stop):1

89:1

Eminence:1

M:1

VI:1

Mafia No Fear, 2nd, Majesti, Rogue, 4real, * (star symbol), 5th, S P, C, Sargent, Honour, D, Minister, MJ, Chief, Mr, V8, President, MC, Anal (THIS IS RIDICULOUS!), A.J,  Baron, L B, H-Q, QueenV

Today is Free Comic Book Day!!!! YAY!

Free Comic Book Day is a single day - the first Saturday in May each year - when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world offer free comic books!

DC NATION SUPER SAMPLER
(W/A) Various

Free Comic book day is always a lot of fun! It's a great way to introduce comics to young readers, too. Most of today's comics are written for teens and adults- but there are a lot of comics for children, from Scooby Doo to Batman. Parents should encourage their kids to read comics- my dad did, and I learned vocabulary words, enjoyed writing my own stories, developed my abilities to draw and wound up creating my own comics. Today, I've published two books and am working on my third. Free comics day is a great opportunity to help your child develop their writing and artistic skulls, and for YOU to enjoy some great stories with awesome iconic characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, X-men, Aquaman and more. Enjoy!  Rob

From the greatest superhero fare and new kid’s stories to out-of-this-world science fiction tales, it’s a great time to discover comic books with the Gold and Silver titles available for Free Comic Book Day 2013!
  FOR A LIST OF THE FREE COMICS AVAILABLE: http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/981

another one of the comics this year -free!

The Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) Committee is pleased to announce the complete list of Gold and Silver Sponsors and their comic books available for FCBD 2013, which will be held Saturday, May 4, 2013. Complete descriptions of all fifty-three FCBD titles can be found online now at www.freecomicbookday.com and in the January issue of Diamond Comic Distributors’ PREVIEWS catalog, available on January 1st, 2013.
“There’s a character, creator and storyline for just about everyone,” said FCBD spokesperson, Leslie Bowser. “The publishers have a lot to offer comic book fans—and those new to comic books—with this year’s Free Comic Book Day titles.”

In Memory of Nanuk: Rich and Greg's Faithful Companion

Nanuk and Rich, May 3, 2013

Our friends Rich and Greg are dog lovers. They've had two dogs, one big lovable dog named Talon who passed a couple of years ago, and a second named Nanuk who was a husky. Today, May 3, 2013 was a difficult day for Rich and Greg, as their ailing, senior dog (I think he was 15!), Nanuk joined Talon in the afterlife. Nanuk loved sitting outside watching the world go by. He enjoyed the sunshine, and loved his Beggin' Strips bacon treats. This morning, Rich took a last picture with his faithful dog before going to the vet. I saw this picture and it brought tears to my eyes. Like Rich and Greg feel, our dogs are our children. Our hearts go out to them during this time of loss. We know that Nanuk is sitting on the grass, soaking in the sunshine next to his canine brother Talon. Our deepest sympathies to you both.

ICK- Cicadas Coming Back to the Mid-Atlantic!

ICK, ICK, ICK!!!!!  I (Rob) hate bugs. I seem to be the only one of us that finds an occasional stink bug in the house and has to flush or toss it outside. Now, the disgusting, large and loud cicadas are coming back to the Mid-Atlantic this summer. Hey, maybe they'll eat the stink bugs!!

Annual cicada, Tibicen linnei (or just NASTY!)

Here's some info about these nasty things (courtesy of City of Bowie, Md):  Brood II Cicadas
The Washington, D.C. area will experience another “brood” of 17-year cicadas in May and June of this year. In the summer of 2004, we experienced a huge event with the emergence of “Brood X” cicadas. This upcoming “Brood II” will not be as overwhelming as the 2004 experience but they will still definitely make their presence known starting around mid-May, with millions of cicadas in the tree tops by Memorial Day. This insect will do some damage
to twigs and smaller branches on many area trees as they cut and/or gouge into the branches to lay their eggs for the next generation.

If you want to get grossed out BEFORE the get here, check out this  video by
David Attenborough and the BBC - www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjLiWy2nT7U 

Great Book! "Grave Peril"

I (Rob)  just finished reading a great book by Jim Butcher about a modern-day wizard who lives in Chicago, and who is a paranormal investigator. I found out that the book is one in a large series, and I can't wait to get more of them. It features Harry Dresden who is assisted by his religious friend Michael Carpenter, a knight of the cross, who wields a sword supposedly with power from Heaven called Amoracchius .
  
Together, they deal with the ghost of an evil wizard that had previously caused them problems while living, was slain and has now come back with a vengeance. The ghost causes a lot of other ghostly activity around the city, and some are nasty. The characters are likeable, the story moves along quickly, and Harry and Michael get into so many jams you'd think they couldn't possibly get through them.
 For anyone into the paranormal, this is a must read. Can't wait to read the rest of them!

MaryAnn's Visit: Part 1: Baltimore's Wacky Paper Moon Diner

This mannequin sits outside Paper Moon to Welcome all

The Papermoon Diner has been a Baltimore favorite since 1994.It's located in central Baltimore City, at 227 W 29th St  Baltimore, MD 21211.

Tom and Rob enjoying the wackiness

  This is a place that any visitor to Baltimore needs to stop. The food is pretty good, and the desserts are amazing. The service has always been good, too. But the best part is the decor and the menus. The decor is something you'll never find anywhere else. It's painted in bright and neon colors, and there are literally tens of thousands of toys glued, stapled and fixed to the walls and ceilings! In fact, we saw a number of toys we had as kids in the 1960s. (ooops! Age revelation here).

  The menus are all inserted into the covers of old books, like children's storybooks or novels. 

   http://www.papermoondiner24.com/

Mary Ann laughing at all the doll heads on the wall behind her

Tom and Rob after two great sandwiches

Toys and a Paper Moon hang from the ceiling in one room

The website says: The Papermoon Diner offers an eccentric, eclectic, technicolor dining experience that might be best described as “comfort food meets Baltimore with a twist.” We're vegetarian and raging-carnivore friendly, with a jam-packed menu featuring everything from meat loaf to crab quesadillas, from vegan nachos to peanut butter and jelly French toast, from homemade chili to shrimp and grits—and so much more. (Seriously—we didn't even get started on our

Some of the toys inside: Green Lantern top right!

 dessert menu!

Huge Pez dispenser display!

The Outside of the Paper Moon!