Halloween Tinkering

Crazy Diamond

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:03:00 +0000

We've driven by this amazing shrine on our way to the Outer Banks, and finally had to stop. Though there are several graves, it appears to be in memory of Raymond Grady, lost to drowning in 1915, his eighteenth year.
The rainbow with a pot of gold, small church and other careful details are the relics of a family's grief. A sad celebration of a young life.

Shadow Farm in a Box!

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 22:45:00 +0000

In the deepest recesses of the mailbox today stood a small box. The shadows and cobwebs made it difficult to be sure, but I thought for a second that it moved...
It was the prize delivered from Dave the Dead's Shadow Farms Easter Giveaway!!
From the moment you open the box you know it's gonna be good!

After you tear away the roaches, flies, spiders, bats and mice you get to the meat of the matter.

What a great lift for the day! The characters are exactly as I imagined and the care in packaging really made it like Christmas morning. Thanks a million Dave!!
Check out Dave's Shadow Farm on Etsy!

The Shadow Farm II: Dave the Dead

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 15:10:00 +0000

One last artery gush for Dave the Dead, before I tourniquet this series.
Sure, check out his sculptures and props; but do yourself a favor and read some of his short stories as well. Like everything else, they are twitchy, in a casually desperate voice.
I recommend warming up with I died yesterday.

I can't close a Dave post without featuring an image of one of his old-school characters: Frau Trauermarsch

The Shadow Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 03:12:00 +0000

My vow to quietly resent truly talented people has been suspended for this post.
Not very long ago I stumbled upon and was blown away by several yard haunt pieces made by Dave the Dead. While most of us were making props Dave was making art. Since then he has developed the Shadow Farm blog and Etsy shop to showcase a greater variety of his work.

Dave is featuring these beautiful Easter Eggs for his Shadow Farm Easter 2010 Giveaway.

Treat yourself to original art in the spirit of the haunt and visit his blog and shop.

Revenge of Old House at Kents Store

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:17:00 +0000

Fate once again brought us to the Old House at Kents Store. Sadly it remains for sale and its condition worsens. As I walked behind the kitchen (a detached building to the rear of the house) I heard something rustling inside. As if the place wasn't scary enough, a large vulture jumped from inside and perched in the second floor window! I couldn't get a picture before he made his way into a tree.

If you look closely you can see his silhouette crouched in the middle of the photo.

Some shots of a few of the other outbuildings.

The Coolest Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:03:00 +0000

A friend forwarded an email with these photos. This may be the product of the Tombstone Hearse Company, but that's just a guess to try to give some credit.

Sadly I don't know the details of the service pictured, but a name is not required to appreciate our military.

Bloody Head Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:05:00 +0000

A good friend showed me this specimen before soaking. It's a meaty and bloody skull but its tone and texture is compelling.

New Year Looming

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:04:00 +0000

My grandmother used to say "the days drag on and the years fly by". Each year seems to bring a deeper understanding of the meaning.
It has been a year of tribulation, with many facing true hardship. I have been blessed with another year in a happy home, and hope that you are able to reflect on the same.
Raising a glass for prosperity in the New Year, that the able have work and the hungry have food.

Tradegy in US History Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:05:00 +0000

It was the late 80's when I stumbled upon the "Tragedy in US History Museum" in St. Augustine, Florida. It was a roadside attraction built on sheer vision, spliced seamlessly into the home of Buddy Hough and his wife. Buddy was the kind of genius who somehow knew to buy the entire contents of Lee Harvey Oswald's boarding room and recreate it in his home. He had the instinct to acquire the ambulance that carted Oswald after Ruby shot him, plus a Lincoln Continental that Kennedy was in 'hours before he was shot'. Buddy also possessed the commitment to reinforce the floor in his home so he could park them in his living room, and a dream was born.

In the backyard he built sheds with plexi walls to house the death cars of Jayne Mansfield and Bonnie & Clyde. Never mind that Jayne's death car was a different make and model than the newspaper clipping about the accident, or that Bonnie & Clyde's might have been a movie prop. Besides, there is a fiberglass cow and Spanish prison with real skeletons to look at.

The Tragedy museum closed in the late 90's after Buddy passed away. His collection was sold off to the relief of the St. Augustine Tourist Board.
The displays weren't always what they claimed to be, but walking through their kitchen looking at shrunken heads and murder weapons while Buddy and his wife watched TV was a genuine experience.

Bride of Old House at Kents Store

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:26:00 +0000

A haunted friend recognized the old house from our previous post and sent us a few of their photos of the place. Thanks!!

This shot really shows off the house. Its straight roof line is amazing given the apparent condition of the foundation

Interior shot of a first floor room. The piano is the perfect touch, isn't it?

This shot of a second floor bedroom with one of the collapsed chimneys is distressing. Without intervention this gem will be down soon.

And finally, it is time to play what do you see in the window? Look closely!

Happy Halloween!!

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:13:00 +0000

The Haunter's Wiper Motor

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:37:00 +0000

There have been several posts about using the park switch in the Valeo 15094704 wiper motor (sold by All Electronics but currently out of stock) on the haunt forums lately. Below is the document that is included with the motor from All Electronics.

One source identifies this as the motor used in several 2002-05 GM SUVs.
I don't have any of these motors but located a wiper schematic for a 2002 Envoy and thought they might be helpful if the cross-reference is accurate.

This is a diagram of the wiper motor:

This diagram shows the wiper control switch. It is interesting that the intermittent function is just a matter of varying resistance.

And here is the face of the connector that plugs into the wiper motor. Note that this would be the mirror of the motor pins as they are pictured on the sheet above that comes from All Electronics.

Saturday Morning Casket Gazing

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:42:00 +0000

It always makes me wonder when a friend calls because they saw a casket at a sale and knew I would want to look at it. But of course he was right and it was worth it to see this unusual little gem. The people selling it estimated it at about 125 years old.

The casket is unusually small (at around 5 feet) but larger than a child's coffin. The seller claimed that a small woman had it made for herself but then moved "out west" and did not take it with her.
The details make this specimen special. The removable viewing panel for the head always creeps me out. All of the original coffin screws are present, complete with decorative hardware.

There is some damage but nothing to indicate any serious structural problem. I haven't seen pin striping on a coffin before, and it adds a bizarre flair.

The sticker said $350, and it is probably worth it. When you already have two in storage, you aren't willing to spend that much for the privilege of storing a third. Sure is pretty though.

Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House!!

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:21:00 +0000

In 1962 Disney released "Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House" in glorious Monophonic. Sickie Ickie over at HauntForum had this LP for sale and I had to get it. Way too many hours of my youth were spent listening to this record on an old blue plastic clam-shell record player. In fact I hold this record responsible for my lifelong "Halloween kick" (as my family calls it).

It is cool to see that many folks hold an unhealthy fascination for this record. Check out the 3-D recreation of the album cover by Ray Keim over at Haunted Dimensions.

To listen to the tracks check out DavesWorld56 site.

There is something about listening to raw vinyl. The pops and clicks are something I have sorely missed.

Maplewood Cemetery

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:32:00 +0000

We visited beautiful Maplewood Cemetery in nearby Gordonsville Virginia this weekend.

We visited this beautiful and peaceful place several times while we were dating.
This bench is where I proposed to my dear wife (and she accepted!).

Rey...a drop of golden sun

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:23:00 +0000

It was late and I was corpsing (applying construction adhesive and stain) the deer with bat wings project, when there was a whisper. In an almost imperceptible, sandy voice she said "They call me Rey and I have come to shine darkness across the land." Her talons clicked on the concrete as she hopped to the floor and she was clear of the garage door with just two beats of her wings.
Caroline came running with the camera just in time to get a few shots before Rey disappeared into the night sky.

Up, Up and Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:17:00 +0000

Let me open with an apology to say that the delay in posting these awards is no reflection of my appreciation for receiving them.

First I received the THE GOURDQUEENS SCREAM AWARD from the inimitable Crow (Michelle) at the Studio at Crow Haven Farm. I have always loved her stuff so give her a visit.

Those of you who know the Gourdqueen know that when she sees something incredible or something that excites her, she shows her enthusiasm by typing "SCREAM". This award is to be shared with anyone whose blog you just love. Whether it's their art, their interests, the things they share, you just simply love to visit their blog!

This is what you do:
1. Accept the award then post it on your blog with the name and link of the person's blog who shared this award with you.
2. Explain the award.
3. Then share the award with with blogs that make you SCREAM! Please tell what makes their blog so special to you. Be sure to let them know they have received the award.

Also you can share this award again if you run across more bloggers that make you SCREAM!
2 out of 3 ain't a bad start, is it?

Next I was given the UBER AWARD from Jeanne over at Candy Corn Chronicles. I enjoy Jeanne's blog for her art, variety and beautiful pix.
Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:

~ inspires you
~ makes you smile and laugh
~ or maybe gives amazing information
~ a great read
~ has an amazing design
~ and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!

The rules of this award are:
* Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Thanks to both Crow and Jeanne!! I am a bad blogger for skipping the nominations but I have a winged deer corpse to work on.

Old House at Kents Store

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:12:00 +0000

This beautiful old house is located at Kents Store Virginia. We wanted to share them with you but only had the cell for pictures.

There is a hole at the base of this old tree. A dark something darted into it as we approached. It appeared to be the size of a small child.

We could hear a faint wail if we pressed our ear right up to the opening and stayed very still.

Deer Corpse In Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:59:00 +0000

We FINALLY have some progress to report on our deer corpse.
Two yards of bathing suit liner proved to be a good wing membrane, and the corpsing of the head and body have begun. Much left to do.

Monster Kiddie Car

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:59:00 +0000

This thing is just too much and I had to post it. From a friend who spotted it on boingboing.

Deer Wing Test

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sun, 17 May 2009 21:39:00 +0000

We decided that the deer corpse needed wings. After some consideration we settled on bat wings, and even found a bat wing calculator (you gotta love the internet) from the good people at Zombietronix.
PVC seemed logical and aluminum worked well for the hinge joints. Though it won't be animated we did want to be able to change wing position to fit her mood. As pictured the elbow and finger joints can be individually actuated. Bruin (Boo) thought he could bring some scale to the photo - he's 70 pounds. He even busted out his psychological thriller expression to add depth.

There is much finish work to be done to turn the PVC to bone and we are still debating the best material to use for the membrane.

A Bone and his Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sun, 03 May 2009 15:46:00 +0000

This little ditty from the Post (full article here) was too good to pass up. Professor Gordon S. "Grover" Krantz with his beloved Irish Wolfhound Clyde.

Krantz was a teacher of osteology at Washington State University and dreamed of donating his bones to the Smithsonian. Indeed, other corpses must view him with envy. First his decomposition enthralls the faculty at the Tennessee Body Farm, and now school kids snicker at his bones.

More Cool Bones

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Another gift from a friend - this monster is large enough to encompass your head. It is the pelvis from a cow. It is heavy and the form, texture and scale is difficult to convey with little pictures.

Deer In Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:36:00 +0000

The skeletal deer transforms at a snail's pace. Cleaning every bit of tissue from the spine proved time consuming, but the stench of death no longer clings to the bones.
At this stage the spine is reassembled and structurally sound and the PVC fittings to attach arms and legs are in place. The skull is sporting new blank eyes and fangs - all ready for detailing.

He is whispering in my ear that he wants wings. More to come.

On a Hill Far Away

noreply@blogger.com (Phil) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:56:00 +0000

These deer crucifixion images were submitted by a friend. It was apparently strung up near where we live, so I like to imagine the person who did it as a young aspiring artist rather than a deranged nut-job.