What a birthday! Three days later and I haven’t totally recovered. Add to that both Steve and myself still have lingering effects from that cold we shared last week, and I could be in for a rough remainder of the week – but it will have been so worth it.

Sunday was my 39th birthday and that’s a pretty big deal. Jeez…39…hard to type it even now. Not so much because of the age itself, those are just numbers after all, right? But I never thought I’d be on the cusp of a new decade, technically en route to “middle aged” without Nick by my side. By now we were meant to be married and, though we didn’t discuss it much, have several little Hardaway kids running amok reading each other’s minds and cracking jokes in posh British accents. Well…maybe simply have kids, period.

Instead I’m heading into that gray time of life when having kids is more difficult and more risky. If I can’t find a way to Nick soon I may never have them. But this is precisely the kind of thinking I wanted to avoid this year, so I decided to surround myself with people who were friends not only to me, but to Nick.

The Rose Red survivors see each other one-on-one or in small groups on occasion, but rarely get together for a full “reunion”. Thanks to Steve that’s precisely what happened Sunday night. It was my idea that we should all spend some time together, but he found the venue(s) and threw the bash.

In attendance were Steve, Emery and his lovely fiancée Mary, Rachel and her husband Brian, Annie, and Cathy and her husband Clark. That’s all the Rose Red survivors, their spouses/significant others (except Steve, who’s single), and me.

ABOVE: Somewhat awkwardly standing on an uneven surface, L to R top: Emery, Steve. L to R bottom: Mary, Rachel, Annie, me. This photo was taken by Rachel’s husband Brian. This was prior to our sitting at the Herbfarm – continue reading for more about that. Cathy & Clark hadn’t arrived yet. (Continue reading…)

The “Haunted America Tours” web site has some rather dubious content sometimes (their recent article about ghost hunting & sex is a hoot – not for those who don’t enjoy frank sexual content, but for those who do, get a good giggle here). But there was a bit of synchronicity today, as they published an article about “Decoding Paranormal Charged Objects: The Crystal Skull”, and a phenomenal package arrived on my doorstep early this morning.

Perhaps you recall I posted some time ago about Cora Frye & the Skull of Doom. To recap, Cora’s granddaughter Janet Ross (from Los Angeles) contacted me with information that Cora owned a “Skull of Doom”, a supposedly charmed crystal skull that she’d bring with her to séances to try to lure spirits, or more aptly, to spook her “clients”. She believes Cora’s crystal skull was present with Cora’s other accoutrement at Ellen’s famed séance. I expressed interest in seeing the skull in person.

Well my wish has come true, far beyond my broadest imaginings! Inside the parcel was a neatly wrapped present, and a gift card that reads “For your birthday: a gift from Rose Red’s past. With warm regards, Janet Ross and Cora Frye.”

My birthday is April 5th, so it arrived just in time. But I couldn’t wait until then to open it! I was absolutely tingling with excitement and couldn’t tear into the present fast enough. Inside the box I found a bundle of beautiful blue silk, and inside the bundle none other than Cora Frye’s “Skull of Doom”!

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This site, by the very nature of its subject matter, is no laughing matter. But even the most terrible tragedy has some comic relief. Nick has a wicked, dry wit, and can crack jokes even under the greatest pressure. So he’d appreciate me giving a little “time out” to show you something that, now that I look back on it, is absolutely hilarious.

You may remember the publication Weekly World Digest, which was sold mostly at supermarket check-out lines and newspaper stands. It was a black and white rag that was even worse than a tabloid, because tabloids at least attempt to convey something like the truth (they have to, it’s illegal not to…). Weekly World Digest preferred to tell tales of babies born with bat wings, demons possessing ball machines at church bingo nights, vampires feeding off the First Lady, etc. All of these stories were accompanied by usually terribly unconvincing photoshopped pictures – ringing any bells now? Unfortunately, Weekly World Digest went out of business, so I can’t link you to a web site with samples. But I’m sure it’s well logged in the annals of most people’s memories.

Well, Weekly World Digest got wind of the aftermath of the Memorial Day Rose Red trip and printed what may have been the only WWD feature ever to have some basis in reality, even if the details in their version are – to say the least – highly inventive.

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A new exhibit in Edinburgh, Scotland displays the first of many “Skulls of Doom” (crystal skull) being displayed around the world, emerging from private collections (article here). I’ve been in contact with a relative of Cora Frye, the “psychic” whose seance at Rose Red changed Ellen’s life (she told her that Ellen would never die as long as she kept building the house). The relative is Cora’s granddaughter; before fleeing Los Angeles she abandoned her baby girl and husband. The baby girl was my contact’s mother. My contact’s name is Janet Ross.

Janet told me that Cora had a “Skull of Doom” which she purchased for show at her seances and private readings. While people in New Age circles take them seriously as a source of mysterious power, Cora never seemed to have a drop of psychic talent until that fateful night in Rose Red. Janet said she believes the “Skull of Doom” was with Cora during Ellen’s seance, because Cora made a habit of bringing her crystal skull with her to all her events.

Janet knows this because after the Rose Red seance Cora was so shaken by the turn of things that she returned to her native Los Angeles and turned herself in to police there. She was charged with numerous counts of fraud in her confidence scams, but before she met with police, she gave all her worldly possessions back to her husband and young daughter. These consisted mainly of the paraphernalia you’d expect - her crystal ball, tarot cards, veils and shawls, and Skull of Doom.

After seeing the news of this display in Edinburgh I’m very curious to see Cora’s Skull of Doom, and of course the crystal ball used in Ellen’s seance. Maybe I’ll make a trip to Los Angeles when next I have free time.