Poco Heritage & VSPI - Mini Ghost Hunt (Oct/12)

“Did you hear that?” a young girl asked the group and looking at me with hopeful eyes.
“Yes, it sounded like a chime.” I confirmed her observations.
“I heard the same thing.” Brian, the president of Poco Heritage Society, agreed with us.
Several others nodded in confirmation.

We sat in silence waiting with wonder, hoping to hear the bell-like ringing again. It
came a little later, but this time it was two chimes in a row. Settled on the floor of the backstage hallway in the dark, the group was wide-eyed hoping to capture some evidence of the spirits from beyond. I was leading a group of teenagers and adults in a mini ghost hunt at the haunted Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre. Earlier, I had guided them through a power point session on investigating the paranormal at the Poco Heritage Society’s temporary site, and then walked the group over to the Theatre to put what I taught them into action. We were practicing using our senses, being alert and conducting an EVP session in the dark. Calling out to the spirits of the Theatre, we had hopes to make contact with the main spirit, William (or Bill as he sometimes comes through), who was been murdered in the building in the late 1990s. Wondering if this was a sign from either Bill or one of the other spirits (there’s the man who stands on the stage and appears to children and makes himself known to sensitive’s /  the woman who is seeking her red shoe we believe to be Rose Anne Lilly / and a woman we call "Maria" who died at the famous Essondale Hospital of the Mind, now known as Riverview Hospital, who is seeking someone to help her find her stolen child).  Unfortunately it was not a sign, nor was it paranormal.

Star Gazing & UFO Hunting!

Last night, Lesli & I drove up Chalk Hill Road, a windy road up the hills with wineries and ranches surrounding the area. We found the pull out where we had parked last August, for a night of star gazing and UFO hunting.The night was chilly with clear skies. The half moon bright in the sky with Jupiter shining proudly below it. We could hear the neighbourhood dogs barking, owls hooting and a few coyotes yapping off in the distance. No bears, no mountain lions. We felt safe. We had a blanket to sit on, our water bottles filled with warm tea, a bag of mixed nuts, raisins and dried fruits, Milka chocolate bars (the best chocolate ever!) and plenty of flashlights to guide our way in the dark. Our rental car (our Mustang ride) was parked facing the road, incase of the need of a quick exit. We looked up into the skies and saw a good dozen airplanes flying in the area, of which some we could not hear a sound. The stars were bright, and Lesli pointed out Orion and the Big Dipper. Lesli had found, via her cell phone, that a meteor shower would be visible (called Quadrantid meteor shower , best viewed at 3am) near the dipper.. and later on in the evening, we did see a streak appear which had us believe it was part of the shower. It was beautiful!

I had checked the forecast, clear skies after 10pm with temperatures dipping to 9C/48.2F. Perfect for sky watching. Back in August/11 we had enjoyed a clear evening as well, although with warmer temperatures. We had experienced over two dozen sightings of shooting stars, numerous airplanes flying above, and a fog rolling in after midnight. Last night a small puff of fog roll in close to 10pm. It did not encompass the area until after we left. We noticed it on our drive back down the hillside. Prior to that, we enjoyed the the chill of the evening sky-watching, while telling stories of our past experiences with the paranormal & UFOs. Our view of any shooting stars & meteor showers was not as visible due to the brightness of the half moon. Eventually the chill got the best of us, and we packed up before the sky had dropped into absolute darkness.

We wondered what we would do if an UFO had dropped by (I call it a “fly by”), or hovered above for a visit with us. Lesli called out to the sky, with one request that aliens do not visit her home. Good idea. I am not sure I could handle a visit into our home. Even though we had requested a “fly by”, we received nothing. We could account for all that we saw and experienced. Regardless, it was a beautiful night for star gazing, and a wonderful experience to hear the coyotes from one hill call to a pack on another hill. It brings me back to a time when I was outside of Edmonton (Alberta), in the rural town of Stony Plain, with a group of friends camping out, listening to a pack of coyotes calling another. We heard the replies, then witnessed one pack running across the hills, not far from us, to join the other. Nature at its best.

UFO hunting and star gazing is certainly one of my favourite things to do. It takes patience, focus, good preparation, a perfect place away from city lights, an extra layer of clothes & socks in cold weather conditions, hats, mittens, and a lot of hot tea and munchies. Don’t forget the flashlights! Best to ensure you are safe by sitting near your vehicle, keys at the ready for a quick get away, and a knowledge of what to do should you encounter a wild animal.  Do not sit there watching your cell phone.  You want your eyes to adjust to the darkness; and really, there is no need to be talking to others, texting or surfing the internet during a night of sky watching.  Is there?  Afterall, you want to be closer to the environment.

If you’ve experienced a UFO sighting, I’d love to hear about it! Tell us where you were, what you saw, and how you felt. We are always interested in your experiences!

Of course, Carl Sagan (whom I absolutely respect) and his scientific theories/explanations, has indicated he doesn't believe our earth has been visited by any extraterrestrial beings, that we should remain sceptical. I shall do so, until that day arrives when I experience what others have been talking about for years. As for UFOs, there are plenty of sightings if you take the word for what it means: “unidentified flying objects”, which can mean about anything and not necessarily aliens aboard a craft.

Talk soon, and happy UFO hunting!

kati

2011 Adventures

Hello folks,

It's been a while since I've written.. actually it's been a year. 2011 has been a busy year for me in every way. In July I married my sweetheart in Vancouver BC, and we went on a wonderful adventure in California as our "honeymoon".

We went on a day trip to Fort Ross (Jul27, 2011), on the coast northeast of where we stayed; and conducted a formal investigation of a private mansion outside of Petaluma. Both were interesting trips! We were not looking for "spirits" at the Fort, and didn't find any.. however, we discovered a voice on our digital recorder interact with our discussion at the small Russian Orthodox cemetery just south of the Fort. No one was there. We carry our recorders with us everywhere we go. Lesli & I do not expect "spirits" to be present with each and every trip, and we do not have a belief that "spirits" linger in cemeteries, but perhaps drop in on visitation when family or friends visit their grave. We simply are not expecting "spirits" to hang out where their bodies are buried, but who is to say they don't from time to time? We just don't know.. and I think that is part of the curiousity and questions we have. When I pass on, will I hang around where my ashes are spread? Will I be able to pop in and out when someone visits the spot? Would I want to? It's as simple as that. This voice we caught on our digital recorder was interesting. A man with a friendly voice, reacting to our conversation of the wonderful view of the coast for those who are buried there. (PS: you can listen to the EVPs at our website: http://www.vancouverspooks.com/findings ) It truly is a beautiful and peaceful spot. I am wondering who this man was? He spoke without an accent, but then do "spirits" speak with accents if they are not of English decent? There are so many questions I have when it comes to "spirits" and their abilities or not. It was a bit of a cloudy day when we arrived at the Fort. I love history, and felt refreshed with the park. The displays are truly wonderful, and the fort itself is a recreation as most of the buildings were destroyed. I recommend anyone in the area to check out the Fort! By the time we got to the cemetery it was late afternoon, and during our visit we noticed the fog slowly enveloping the fort (we had a good view of the fort) and rolling towards us. We left shortly after taking a number of wonderful photos. It was getting late and time to get on the road. We drove south along the coastal highway to a small cemetery outside of Bodega. We wanted to visit the gravesite of a young lad who's life was cut short (at the age of 7yrs) during a family trip to Italy. Truly a sad story.