Now the Internet is chugging along nicely and I can finally do a bit of research I've been meaning to do for a while now, but got sidetracked and instead I wasted nearly 3 hours reading someone's blog. Fascinating to say the least!
While waiting on that, I decided to pull out those four posters I was working on before I began working on this freelance job and happily did pencils for one of the posters. Very, very happy listening to a book on tape about Resurrectionist, Medical Students, Dissections and other morbid medical horror stories from the early 18th century. I was riveted to my drawing desk all night last night, which is the whole point of a good book on tape, or else I tend to wander the house in the middle of the night as a way of procrastinating.
One of the stories about this house (long before we moved in) was the previous owner (who turned this house into a Bed and Breakfast) said that old-timey metal bobby pins would show up in strange places all around the house. Like the time the carpet people laid down brand new carpet, and when they left, the previous owner walked through the door and sitting right there in the middle of this brand spanking new carpet, was one of those bobby pins.
Another story regarding the previous owner: Both her and her husband were asleep (in the very same room where another owner of this house had died at the age of 106) and she said that someone or something woke her up by shaking her foot quite rudely. I believe that the "ghost" was pissed off at what this lady was doing to her beloved house, which later caused a bit of a local scandal.
So after the previous owner moves out, the house was vacant for nearly half a year, with lots of folks wanting to get inside and take a look at it (judging by the incredibly huge stack of Realtor cards that were left on the dining room table). We find out that no one wanted to buy a "haunted house" which is why it sat on the market for so long. There was absolutely nothing was wrong with it, just the dreaded stigma of a possible haunting. "Pshaw" we said, and we bought it and moved right in.
Immediately, we could sense that the house was checking us out, an eerie feeling to say the least. It was like something was bearing down on the back of ones neck, constantly watching and waiting.
Well! Not two months later I was in the kitchen cooking when I happened to glance at my wooden spice cabinet (which my Dad made for me and stands from floor to a bit over my head) and noticed that something had been wedged between the glass and the wood trim. It was an old-timey metal bobby pin!!!
About a week after I found the bobby pin, I was downstairs in the main computer room (the one where the owner had died after living here for nearly 60 years) working late when the sun was just starting to come up. I decided to check the Internet one last time before shutting down, and then, quite slowly, the window shade began to move up. Very, very slowly. Like it was telling me it was time to shut it down and get to bed. Which I did. In all the years of owning many, many window shades, I have never seen a window shade go up slowly. They usually always unexpectedly start with a loud clattering whirring noise before snapping shut, making me nearly soil my britches, but this was just the total opposite. It slowly came to a stop nearly at the top.
Another time, we had guests staying in what used to be the guest room (with two large beds and a bedside table between the beds) and is now my studio, when in the middle of the night they both awoke to a loud rapping outside their window. That window is two stories waaaaaay up, and they thought is was either me or the husband playing tricks. Then the wrapping went from that window to the other window, and then the wrapping came inside the room where it wrapped loudly on the bedside table between their beds. And they still thought that we were somehow involved playing some sort of elaborate trick on them!
The husband mentioned that often he would walk into the main living room and see someone standing there and then they would just fade into a mist. My main sighting has always been more auditory, and always late at night.
I would hear voices coming from downstairs, happy talking voices and the sound of silverware and glasses clinking. And every single time I would start to go down the stairs, everything would get all quite. Later we found out that the 106 year-old lady who lived here once ran a boarding house for many years here and that folks would pay dearly for a chance to sit at her table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Apparently, she was quite the incredible cook and cooked meals for the prisoners ensconced in the jailhouse. One story we heard was the once a prisoner was released, they would always come by the back door begging for just one more meal, and to thank her for making their stay at the jail such an enjoyable one.
She did not allow women to live upstairs (fearing that folks might get the wrong idea) and instead, she only allowed men to sleep in the rooms upstairs. Another story we heard, was one time one of the men had a visitor, a man who was deep in his cups and had problems navigating the stairs (which I even am a bit intimidated by as they seem to be endless) and ended up tumbling down the entire flight! He picked himself up, brushed himself off and went his merry way - I can't even imagine surviving such a tumble!
After about a year, the house backed down and we all came to an understanding, that we weren't going to destroy the integrity of the house (as so many folks often do, which breaks my heart) and "remuddle" the hell out of it. Instead, we have done almost nothing. We found Victorian wallpaper underneath the more modern wallpaper, and the original wood, hardware, doors, just about everything is what is was when it was built.
Even the glass in the windows are the original glass from 140 years ago! So of course, I imagine how many eyes have looked out these windows and wonder what they saw way back then. My view right now is pretty much the same as it was many years ago, a Victorian church and a hillside full of Victoria houses. Even on the sidewalks you can still find the iron rings that were used to tie up the horses!
A Realtor called us last week and wanted to know if we would be willing to sell the house to some folks from California who wanted to turn the house into some sort of spa/retreat thing and of course, we were quite aghast at the mere thought of a bunch of investor types coming in and ripping out the soul and integrity of the house in order to make it look like a damned spa. We of course said no.
With the hammering and painting going on outside, the voices have come back, the dinner time noises from downstairs. And it only makes me happy, because I sense that the house approves of what we are doing, especially hearing our resounding no to the spa people.
Top part, left hand side
Middle part, left hand side
Bottom part, left hand side
I usually freehand one side, then do the mirror image of it on the right hand side so it balances out nicely. It actually went pretty fast, I was able to get the left hand side done in one night. I should be able to finish the other side tonight.
I usually freehand one side, then do the mirror image of it on the right hand side so it balances out nicely. It actually went pretty fast, I was able to get the left hand side done in one night. I should be able to finish the other side tonight.
And here is the new half skull I just got in the post. I think I am going to keep this one:
The front, and it is only missing just five teeth!
Here is a view of the side-
And here is the incredible thing about it,
take a look at what is going on in the back!
take a look at what is going on in the back!
This is all one piece, attached to the skull!
Whoever thought to craft out this skull
the way they did really knew their osteology.
Whoever thought to craft out this skull
the way they did really knew their osteology.
And here is the other side.
What is amazing to me is how nicely it sits on its own "hind feet" much like a picture frame would sit on a mantle. I would put this skull in the "Extreme Crafting" category because of the beauty of the skull, how it was well thought out and the lovely patina. It has aged very nicely without becoming porous. Beware of overly white-bleached skulls and bones, as they tend to become porous and brittle over time and my own personal opinion, they just don't look all that natural all gleaming white.
What is amazing to me is how nicely it sits on its own "hind feet" much like a picture frame would sit on a mantle. I would put this skull in the "Extreme Crafting" category because of the beauty of the skull, how it was well thought out and the lovely patina. It has aged very nicely without becoming porous. Beware of overly white-bleached skulls and bones, as they tend to become porous and brittle over time and my own personal opinion, they just don't look all that natural all gleaming white.
I am going to start some framed curios this week because it is driving me nuts having all this stuff here and not having the time to do it. I have just one more freelance bit to do (which I have to say is my very favorite of all types of illustration and my absolute favorite client) so this is not a bad thing, just pinched on time is all. The rainy season will soon be upon us and I need to get all this stuff done by October and November.
So, time to get on it.
