Lost Jack Russell Terrier

Trying to locate a lost Jack Russell Terrier for a friend who is out of town. R.J. is my Lucy’s brother and we are all very worried for him. R.J. was left with family and we think he wandered off looking for his owner. R.J. is much loved and missed. He is just over one year old. White long hair with light brown ears and eye patches. Went missing on or about Tuesday, May 6th in the Marshall/Orlean area of Northern Virginia. If you have seen or found R.J. please respond to this post.

W.E.E. Ghosties

W.E.E. GHOSTIES (Winchester Entity Experts) is a non-profit team of paranormal investigators based in Winchester, VA. We cover the Frederick, Clarke and Warren counties of Virginia as well as the Martinsburg/ Berkley Springs, WV areas.

We explore paranormal activity in historic places, public venues as well as private homes. During each investigation we use scientific methods to collect evidence of the phenomena you are experiencing. We use audio, video and photographic equipment as well as other devices to varying degrees based on the reports. We use the data we collect to help determine whether the paranormal activity can be proven or disproved.

Our team members take your concerns about unexplained phenomena seriously and approach each investigation accordingly. We conduct ourselves discretely, professionally and most important of all, respectfully.

If you have experienced instances of unexplained activity in your home or business and would like our team to help you in determining the possible origins of that activity we are available for investigations.

Visit W.E.E. Ghosties
Contact W.E.E. Ghosties

All My Cousins: A Family History Project

Last week I created All My Cousins: A Family History Project. This blog is intended to be used as a tool to research, record and preserve the history of our family.

My inspiration to start this blog was born from a recent visit with my grandmother Margret Westphalen. I am currently working on a biographical novel of her life. I thought that inviting our family and friends and all who know and love her to visit this blog and share their stories and memories would be a great way to gather the information I need to continue working on this project.

My hope is that All My Cousins will go beyond my latest writing project. Not only would I like share information on the lives our loved ones who are no longer with us but I would like to work on building stronger relationships among the living generations of our family. I would like to invite the Warrens, the Mannings, the Lauberts, the Angermeiers, the Golliglees and all my relations to contribute to this site. Share a memory, plan a reunion or just drop in to say hello.

In the coming months you will find more features and organization to the site. For now leave a message and come back soon to All My Cousins: A Family History Project.

Walking Tour of Historic Haunted Winchester

The other night WEE Ghosties joined Mac Rutherford for a walking tour of historic haunted Winchester, Virginia. Mac is the author of several books including Historic Haunts of Winchester and Luckee’s Elbow Room. We met up at the Cork Street Tavern and made a loop through old town. In hopes that you book your own tour with Mac I will not reveal too much about the tour other than to say Mac knows his history and we had several opportunities to experience something paranormal. His knowledge of Winchester’s role in the Civil War provided a good foundation for future investigations in Winchester. We are planning another trip to the downtown area at a later date.

Writing Family Biographies

One of my current projects is to tell the story of my grandmother’s life and I am struggling with how to go about it. First and foremost I write fiction. Most of my completed works are short stories. I have completed one novel and have another in progress. I have tried to stay away from articles and books that deal with writing your family history because this is not simply Uncle Joe and Aunt May got married and had Cousin Sally. This story is about a young German woman during World War II who met a handsome young man who became the father of her three children and led a double life as a very well connected spy who made an attempt to assassinate Hitler and was eventually kidnapped and murdered. It is a very important story that the family would like to have written down so I am looking for suggestions on how to go about it. Should it read like a novel or a biography? If a novel, how does one go about creating and developing characters based on real people that you have never met? Suggestions?

I suppose it might be time to reread another family autobiography. My father’s second cousin Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale and his wife Sybil wrote the story of his capture and imprisonment during Vietnam. The book is titled In Love and War: the Story of a Family’s Ordeal and Sacrifice During the Vietnam War and was later made into a television movie.

I am open to your comments and suggestions as I research this project. Please chime in!