Author, Author!

I love to read, so I was thrilled when I heard that Lorna Barrett was having a book signing for her latest book in the Booktown Mystery series, Chapter and Hearse. I love this series-books, food, and murder in New England-what's not to love?!? Actually, Lorna Barrett is Lorraine Bartlett. Lorraine writes a few series. She writes the Booktown Mysteries as Lorna Barrett. She writes the Jeff Resnick Series under the name L.L. Bartlett and the upcoming Victoria Square Mysteries as Lorraine Bartlett. Lorraine, or Lorna, was kind enough to have her picture taken with me-look, she's even letting me help her sign!

Design a Tea

Today I went to the Brockport Summer Arts Festival and met Jen and Brian, the wonderful folks behind Design a Tea. I adore tea (remember I was born in the UK!) and these folks let you create your own blends! First you pick a tea base-Black, Oolong, Rooibos, or Green. Then comes the hard part-choosing one or two flavors. Oh the choices! They have fruity flavors (apple, apricot, passion fruit and more), nutty flavors (almond, pecan, and more), spicy flavors (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and more), and other fantastic flavors (chocolate, caramel, maple, and more). Notice the theme with "and more"! I decided to use a black base with caramel and pecan! You can also choose some custom blends that they've created themselves such as Tropical Holiday Snowflake (coconut and rum with a Black or Rooibos base) or China Seduction (chocolate and rose). While it's great to meet and talk with Jen & Brain at summer festivals, don't worry if you're not in the area...or it's winter...you can order online! I'm home now and sipping my custom blend, which I made into iced tea. It's delicious! Thanks for the wonderful brew!

Jason & Grant

Look! It's me with Grant and Jason from The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) and the TV show Ghost Hunters. Yes, these are the 2 special guests I met at Lily Dale. They gave a fun and informative talk.




My first glimpse of Jason & Grant.











Inside the Lily Dale Auditorium.












Patiently waiting my turn.

The wait was well worth it. Grant and Jason were really nice and I'm so glad I got to meet them. I look forward to watching their next season of Ghost Hunters on TV-they promised some more investigations in New York, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they discovered in my neck of the woods!

Lily Dale

The Lily Dale Assembly is the world's largest center for the religion of Spiritualism. A few years ago I went and explored this community. You can see those pictures in my section of the Traveling Rats website. I returned to Lily Dale this past week.The Marion Skidmore Library contains the largest collection of rare Spiritualist and metaphysical books in the world. This building was built in 1923, however, Lily Dale has had a library since 1886. At first the library was a tent! In 1888 construction began for Library Hall, a library and lecture room. This building still exists and is now called Assembly Hall.
Lakeside Assembly Hall is currently the home of the Church of the Living Spirit and hosts many workshops during the summer season.
The Lily Dale Auditorium is the center of activities during the summer season, and has been since 1883. While I was here I met two special guests. Can you guess who?

The University of Texas at Austin

My hostess took me to the University Of Texas at Austin. What a magnificent campus! Founded in 1883 the main campus sits on 350 acres in downtown Austin.

Here I am in front of the Main Building which opened in 1937. The UT Tower lights up orange for their various wins, both academic and athletic.

I'm with Cesar Chaves on the UT Campus. Cesar Chaves Estrada (March 31, 1927-April 23, 1993) was a Mexican American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers.

Me with Barbara Jordan on the UT Campus - Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936-January 17, 1996) was a politician from Texas. She served as a congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives from 1973-1979. She was the first African-American female from a southern state to serve in the House.

This gorgeous house is The Littlefield Home. Built in 1893 for $50,000, it stands on the west side of The University of Texas at Austin campus. It's said to be haunted - read more at http://www.utexas.edu/features/archive/2002/littlefield.html

Austin, Texas

Welcome to Austin, Texas! This state capitol is a lovely town with much to see and do.Here I am in front of the Texas State Capitol - located in Austin, TX. It is the largest, but not the tallest, state capitol building in the United States. They do say everything is bigger in Texas ;)

I'm in front of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. It is owned by the State of Texas dedicated to telling "The Story of Texas." It is named after former Texas Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock.

Me on 6th Street!! Likely Texas' best known street - 6th Street is the heart of Austin's live entertainment scene and the capital of third coast music. Read more at http://www.6street.com/6s_pg_about.htm

Corn Hill Arts Festival

Today I went to the Corn Hill Arts Festival. Corn Hill is Rochester, New York's oldest residential neighborhood. I love just looking at the houses. What wonderful architectural gems. Of course, the shopping was fun too! In its 42nd year, there's something for everyone.