SunFlower Galería

Chapter 1
Spirits of My Ancestors

Bob Hansley Makes An Appearance

My Great Grandfather Edward Melvin Hansley or “Bob” as we affectionately called him was born on February 27, 1876 in Michigan. He and his wife Evelyn married in their 20s and moved from Whitewater, Grand Traverse, Michigan to Denver, Colorado where they lived for a few years before heading to Stockton, California with their daughter Leah.

    Between 1910 and 1912 Evelyn and Bob owned Hansley’s Crispettes in Stockton on Main Street. Hansley’s Crispettes was a soda fountain that sold popcorn, roasted peanuts and other such snacks. But this wasn’t all that they offered in their store. If you look at the below picture on the left, you will see three slot machines next to Bob! After Hansley’s Crispettes, Evelyn and Bob owned and operated the Quick Print Shop in downtown Stockton until they retired in 1940.

    In 1935, Evelyn’s Great Aunt Ellen Doyle passed away at the family home in Kansas. She was the last of a Pioneer Kansas family (Doyle) and the Heiress of the Patrick Doyle Estate. Ellen’s Father Patrick Doyle came to the Unites States from Ireland and died wealthy after the discovery of oil on his Marion County, Kansas farm.

    At the time of Ellen’s death in 1935, her personal estate was appraised at $445,015.17 and her real estate at $22,925. Ellen was the sole owner of the 160 acre homestead, 640 acres of good farm land, a 80 acre tract, rich oil returns, pumping wells and hundreds of thousands in bonds.

    After a 3-year court battle the Doyle Estate was distributed among 7 of the heirs. My Great-Grandmother Evelyn Hansley was one of the 7 lucky heirs! Life was very good for the Hansleys. They took the train to Michigan to buy a brand new car. Actually they also bought a new car for Great Uncle Clyde. They drove the cars back across the U.S. to Stockton, California.

    In Stockton, they bought 2 houses near American Legion Park. In 1941, they purchased property in the same area and built a brand new home for their daughter Leah, Jack and son William, my Father.

    A few years later, Evelyn and Bob bought a home in Santa Cruz, California in Pleasure Point on the cliffs overlooking the Monterey Bay.

Pleasure Point Home: Leah on the horse, with Evelyn and William

    The Pleasure Point residence was spectacular. The backyard had lush grassy areas, a gold fish pond and a red cement patio with a brick oven barbeque. Colorful pink Camellias, red Begonias and hanging baskets of pink and purple Fuchsias were everywhere. A dirt path on the left side of the home led to the front yard where the ground was covered with pretty ice plants. The picket fence had a gate that opened out to the cliffs just beyond. A little path led to the stone stairs that went down to the small beach below.

    The home had two spacious bedrooms and a large playroom at the back of the house. The playroom was filled with pinball machines, a pool table and numerous other fun games. This is where I, my brothers and sister hung out when we visited. Although most of the time we were at the beach or the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Such fun!

more about the home on Palisades Avenue in Santa Cruz

    On August 3rd 1960 a few weeks after my ninth birthday, my Great Grandfather Bob Hansley died of a sudden illness. It was devastating for our family and we had great difficulty accepting this reality. We all loved him so much, he and my Father had been very close.

    Being only 9 years old, I was slow to fully understand that my wonderful Great Grandfather Bob was no longer with us. Although a few nights after his death something very curious happened. In the middle of the night, I awoke to see Bob walking through the hall past my bedroom and into my parents’ bedroom. There was no sound as he passed my open door but he slightly turned his head toward me and gave me a familiar smile! I was not scared but actually felt very happy. It just seemed natural, like all of the other times he had been in our house.

    Soon after Bob’s death my parents and I were at Leah’s house for dinner one evening. I was surprised when I heard my Father tell Leah about waking up one night and seeing Bob standing in front of his bed. Bob told my Father that he loved and missed us all. Then he reminded my Father to please take good care of everyone especially Evelyn and Leah.

    My Mother heard this and started laughing hysterically. She accused my Father of being a lunatic and just plain crazy. But Hah! I knew the real truth.

    Although through the years I considered telling my Father that I also saw Bob that night. Nay, I always decided to keep this wonderfully special experience to myself. As far as I remember, this was my first experience with the Spirit of a much loved Ancestor.

       ...Or Am I Just A Lunatic?

***

I’ll Be Seeing You

In 1968, we spent most of the summer at our Family Cabin at North Shore Lake Tahoe. The Lake was crystal blue and breathtaking with the surrounding thick pine forests and beautiful beaches. Being there was very soothing to our aching hearts. Grandmother Leah, my Father’s Mother had passed away in November 1967 and we all still missed her more than ever. My life was upside down. This was the Grandmother who presented her BloodStone Ring to me when I turned 16 years old.

    One evening my Father and I drove up the hill in his groovy new blue Mercury Cougar to have dinner at the Crystal Bay Club. Halfway there he confided to me that his Mother Leah had recently appeared to him at the Tahoe Vista beach near our cabin. She didn’t speak but just smiled lovingly at him for a few moments and then she was gone. My Father was her only child. He was born after his Mother had had several heart breaking miscarriages. They had been very close. Every Tuesday morning before going to work he would stop by her house for breakfast and to read the newspaper. I know they really missed each other.

    1968 was indeed a groovy kind of summer. The Hippie counterculture movement was alive and well in San Francisco. It was an exciting time to live in the Bay Area. The People’s Park in Berkeley had free concerts with the YoungBloods and sometimes Country Joe. Santana, Latin rock bands, Jefferson Airplane and the San Francisco psychedelic bands all played at Golden Gate Park. If you were lucky you would find Tower of Power playing in the parking lot in front of Tower Records on Columbus and Bay. The Black Panthers and other black power groups were always out on the streets of Oakland and Berkeley. This was sometimes a little intimidating.

    If I had a few extra dollars in my pocket I would head over to the cool Hippie shops on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley to buy a new dress from India. If we had an extra $10 we would have dinner at the little Mexican restaurant across from the beach at the Great Highway and then walk up the block to the Family Dog. The Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons, Quicksilver and Eric Burdon were just some of the great bands we grooved to at the Family Dog.

    Some of the Hippies were starting to gather at Lake Tahoe and Virginia City. Iron Butterfly the acid rock band, played at the Kings Beach Bowling on Wednesday, July 10, 1968. The Grateful Dead was scheduled to play sometime in August. Lucky me to have a Family cabin at Lake Tahoe.

***

The BloodStone Ring

I turned 16 in July 1967, and this is when my Grandmother Leah Hansley gave me her mysteriously fascinating BloodStone Ring. The oblong shaped bloodstone was black and dark green with thin red veins. Leah’s parents Evelyn & Bob Hansley had given her the ring on her 16th birthday.

    Leah passed away in November of 1967, a few months after she gave me the BloodStone Ring on my 16th birthday. I was very close to Leah and I was devastated. But I still had my precious BloodStone Ring. I wore it every day – day and night.

    In 1969, I married my boyfriend and promptly had 2 children. After a couple years, my husband told me that he was no longer interested in being married or being a father. He then took our car and drove off to Oakland to join the John Lee Hooker Blues Band.

    Well, no problem! I decided that it would actually be better to make it on my own, even though I had no job, car or money. My family kindly agreed that I and the kids could stay in the Family Cabin in North Lake Tahoe for a few months while I figured out my next steps. Our Cabin had a small living area with a foldout sofa bed, a bathroom and a very small kitchen area. There was no heat in the Cabin. It would start snowing in early October and we would have to find another place to live.

    So, here we were in August of 1972 living at my family’s one-room cabin in North Lake Tahoe. The cabin was located in a beautiful but very secluded area. There were a few cabins and like ours they were mainly only occupied during the summer months. Our Cabin was only a few blocks up from the highway and just across the highway from the Lake. It was always pitch black at night although there were a couple of motels and a restaurant not too far away. There were no streetlights in the neighborhood at that time.

    I had to find a place to call home for me and the kids, a reliable car and a great job to pay for it all. After one particularly worrisome day, I awoke during the night as I laid in bed to see a lovely pale pink light shining on my BloodStone Ring.

    “How odd, am I dreaming?” I wondered.

    It was a moonless night and there were no visible lights outside anywhere. When I moved my hand with the ring on it the pink light followed to my delight. I sat up in bed and stared at my precious BloodStone Ring. I felt as if I was surrounded with warm feelings of love mixed with positive feelings assuring me that all would be fine. I really needed this sign. It helped me to keep moving forward and figure it all out.

***

About Great Grandmother Evelyn’s Recurring Visit

In December 2003, my husband and I treated our family to a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii to celebrate the Christmas holidays. When we got off the airplane in Honolulu the fragrant scents of lovely flowers were everywhere. We stayed in the Penthouse of a large hotel that was across the street from the main beach. The Penthouse was comfortable and very spacious and we had a 360 ocean view!

    Every few years I have a recurring dream that always stars my wonderful Great-Grandmother Evelyn Hansley. In each occurrence of the dream, I live in the charming Seabright area of Santa Cruz. Evelyn also lives in Santa Cruz in the beautiful home she owned in Pleasure Point. This is one of the homes that she and her Husband Bob bought after receiving her inheritance from the Patrick Doyle estate in Kansas. The estate she inherited was worth a little more than half a million dollars.

    Evelyn was lonely after Bob had passed away in 1960 which was quite a few years before Evelyn passed in 1976. In my dreams I frequently go to her house to visit, help clean her house and even watch the TV shows that she loved with her. TV shows from the 50s and 60s like Lawrence Welk and his orchestra Champagne Time, Gunsmoke and Perry Mason.

    In this particular dream I am riding in a big 1950s Buick car. It is a car like my Grandparents had with the thick velvety cloth rope going across the back of the front seat. We kids used it to hang on to when the car was in motion as there were no seat belts in cars in the 50s.

    The front seat of the car was one long bench seat. I sat in the middle of the bench seat. A woman sat to the left of me in the driver’s seat and she was driving the car. At first I thought this was my Grandmother Alma driving. She had passed away in 1991 and I missed her lots.

    Alma lived in Stockton. Hmmmm. Why did she drive all the way from Stockton to Santa Cruz? Perhaps she wanted to take Evelyn and me to downtown Santa Cruz to shop at Ford’s and Leask’s Department Stores. She did love to go shopping and frequently took my Cousin Jeannie and me to the Mall or to Macys in Stockton where we spent many fun hours.

    I was ecstatic to see Alma! I reached over to pull her close and give her a big hug. I could smell Chanel No. 5, her very favorite perfume. I told her how much I missed her and that it was so good to be with her again. I also wished her a happy birthday which was in a few days on December 27th.

    The car stops in front of my house in Seabright. Before I get out of the car, I reach over for another hug from Alma. At that moment I realize that she is actually Evelyn my Great-Grandmother! She smiles and hugs me tightly.

    The wonderful feeling of love from both of my missed Grandmothers stayed with me for months. Although this dream was a little confusing because my Great-Grandmother Evelyn Hansley never learned or wanted to drive a car!

    When my Father was a teen-ager in the 1950s he used to run from our home at Pleasure Point all the way to the Boardwalk by way of the beach. This was before the Santa Cruz Marina was built in 1962-1964. In my dream I can vividly see the street that I lived on in the Seabright area. However, I have discovered that the Seabright area in my dreams from the 1950s no longer exists. Even the beauty shop where Evelyn went to get beautified is no longer there.

***

A Fond Farewell Swirling in the Sea Breeze

My Grandmother Alma passed away in 1991. She was a wonderful grandmother and we had a lot of fun together. Alma worked for the Stockton Telephone Company for over 20 years and during the 50s, she and my Grandfather George who was a boat builder bought a nice home in Stockton. In 1967, they bought the cabin at Tahoe Vista in North Lake Tahoe for the family. We enjoyed many good times at the Family cabin! I and my 2 kids lived here at the cabin in 1972 when that pink light was mysteriously spotlighting my BloodStone Ring in the middle of the night.

    My Mother passed away in 2001. I was tasked with going through her houseful of belongings and sorting it all out. While clearing out the bedroom closet I found something unexpected. My Aunt told me that the box contained Alma’s ashes. They has intended to spread Alma’s ashes in the ocean but couldn’t do it.

    I already had my son Bo’s ashes and now I would have my Mother’s ashes as well as my Grandmother Alma’s ashes. My Father passed away in 2010 and of course I had his ashes as well as the ashes of a few beloved cats.

    In 2011 my husband and I decided to retire and move to Mexico. We absolutely were not taking the collection of ashes with us to Mexico! One sunny day we drove up the coast highway with all of the ashes and stopped on the cliffs at our favorite place. One by one we let the ashes fly on the breezes out to the sea.

    Something wonderful happened when I let Alma’s ashes go free. Her ashes were sparkly as they caught a breeze and swirled up in front of me. Alma greeted me lovingly and I could hear her whisper softly that she loved me. Another breeze then took her sparkly ashes and swirled out to sea. I tried really hard not to cry but I miss them all so very much.

***

Chapter 2
The Spirit of Bo

An Untimely Departure

It had been 2 months since my son Bo passed in May 1995 at the age of 25. My wonderful son gone. It was almost unbearable for me. We had always been extremely close. I could still felt his presence. It seemed like we still had chats like we once did. Only now the chats were in my head. Believe me, I was grateful for our chats but it just wasn’t enough to convince me that it was really him and not my mind playing tricks on me. I desperately wanted to believe.

    “Please please send me a sign” I desperately pleaded one afternoon!

    And then something amazing happened. All of the sudden our most favorite Ozzy Osbourne song started playing somewhere in the background. I was thrilled to hear “See You On the Other Side”. This was my SIGN!

    I do receive signs from time to time, at happy times and at troubling times. Some of the signs provide me with much needed encouragement. Some of the signs simply remind me that I am not alone. A sign could come from a loved one no longer here. While decorating in red and green for Christmas, I sometimes get a sign from my dearly departed Mother reminding me to use a splash of the peach color in the decorations, which was her favorite color.

***

Amsterdam and Paris 1995

In July 1995, my husband and I went on our first trip to Europe. We had been looking forward to visiting Amsterdam and Paris for a long time. I didn’t want to cancel the trip despite feeling immensely depressed after Bo’s death. It turned out that I was glad that we did go because Bo was right there with us at times during the trip!

***

I had heard about the Bulldog coffee shop in Amsterdam and was very curious. Before arriving in Amsterdam, I did some research about the coffee shops in Amsterdam. It sounded like heaven – a pot smokers dream! I was ready to check out these Amsterdam coffee shops.

    After the long plane ride we finally arrived in Amsterdam. We checked into our room at the luxurious Crowne Plaza Hotel and unpacked. I was ready to find the Bulldog! Geoff thought I was crazy. I knew exactly where to find the Bulldog. I insisted that he go out right then with me to the Bulldog! OK l did have some small doubts about navigating Amsterdam because I had never been there. We were ecstatic when we walked into the Bulldog for the first time!

    One day when we were hanging out in the Bulldog Coffee Shop, Geoff was at the order counter looking over the menu while I sat at a small table. All of the sudden Bo walked around the short wall in front of my table.

    He stood a few feet away from me and said “I couldn’t let you experience Amsterdam without me!”

    He stayed about a minute and then was gone. Although I wanted to cry when he left, I was startled and didn’t know what to think. Geoff was already worried about my mental state of mind so I didn’t mention Bo’s visit.

***

Paris: The Bomb!

Tuesday, July 25, 1995 we took the train from Amsterdam to Paris. We stayed at the elegant Crowne Plaza Paris – Republique in Paris. After checking into the hotel and taking a brief rest, we decided to go out and explore. I wanted to take a short guided tour in a taxi but Geoff wanted to take the metro and walk. Luckily my idea won and we flagged down a taxi waiting outside the hotel.

    We got into the taxi and found that the taxi driver was extremely agitated. He talked about the BOMB that had just exploded in the Saint-Michel metro station! At first it was thought that this attack was carried out against Yasser Arafat. Arafat’s wife Suha was pregnant and feared for the health and safety of her soon-to-be born child. She made a decision that scandalized Palestinian society. She gave give birth to the couple’s first-born in Paris rather than in the Gaza Strip, where her husband was trying to build a Palestinian state. However, the sanitary conditions there were deplorable.

    Yasser and Suha Arafat’s only child, daughter Zahwa, was born on July 24, 1995 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France and was named after Arafat's mother. As of 2011 she and her mother Zuha live in Malta.

    Yasser Arafat was appointed leader of the PLO on February 4, 1969 at the meeting of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) in Cairo. He continued to be PLO leader (sometimes called Chairman, sometimes President) for 35 years, until his death on November 11, 2004.

    It was soon discovered that this attack had killed eight people and injured over 190 people when a gas bottle exploded in the Saint-Michel Station of line B of the RER metropolitan train system in Paris. It was one of several attacks carried out that year by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA), who sought to expand the Algerian Civil War to France.

    After the bomb incident, we continued our exploration of Paris The City of Light. We walked over the Pont Alexandre III Bridge, rode up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visited the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre Museum and Musée d'Orsay. The dinner we had in Montmartre was so romantic. Paris was magical!

***

Leaving Paris on the Ghostly Train

We decided to leave Paris and took an older train back to Amsterdam. It was late at night, raining, pitch black and rather spooky and ghostly-like. We had our own compartment – which wasn’t surprising since there were hardly any other passengers in our section of the train. Geoff left our compartment and went to the smoking section in a different part of the train. I was sitting in the compartment alone when Bo came through the door. I started to cry. He told me that he couldn’t keep appearing to me in his earthly form because it took too much energy. He also said he wished I wouldn’t cry whenever we were together. And then he was gone. I kept this to myself.

***

The Kehlsteinhaus 2002 (The Eagle’s Nest)

In 2002, Geoff and I spent a few months of the summer in Germany just hanging out in this gorgeous area of the world and visiting friends. We absolutely love Bavaria with all of the beautiful Castles, Churches, Cathedrals, lakes and rivers, Alps and darling old towns. My very favorite place in the whole world is the Ettal Monastery in the Bavarian Alps.

    Before our trip to Germany, while relaxing at home in Santa Cruz one evening, I suddenly felt Bo’s presence. I quickly asked him when I would see him again? Bo had passed away on May 3, 1995 in Tucson Arizona. I was devastated but soon realized that I could still chat with him and sometimes even see him – and not just in my dreams.

    Bo said he would meet me at The Eagle’s Nest when we were in Germany during the summer. Before Bo passed he had a strong curiosity about The Eagle’s Nest and the surrounding Bavaria countryside. He could not understand how such a beautiful place could have hosted such evilness. He wanted to see this with his own eyes. I felt the same way.

    Finally we were in Bavaria. We had rented a car and were on our way to The Eagle’s Nest. We parked in the parking lot at the entrance. We then boarded one of the special busses that chauffeur visitors up the mountain on the very narrow and winding road to a viewing platform. From the viewing platform a long tunnel led to a brass elevator going 124 meters (407 feet) up into The Eagle's Nest. It was on the special bus that I spotted Bo hanging on to the steel pole that was behind the bus driver. Bo smiled at me and was then gone in a few seconds. My heart skipped a beat.

    After a strenuous hike around the summit we had a lunch of Jagerschnitzel and mushroom gravy on the outside patio. The view was spectacular and the food was delicious.

    We boarded the special bus to return down the mountain to the entrance and the parking lot where our car was. I was sitting a few rows behind the bus driver. All of the sudden Bo appeared behind the bus driver. He stayed for a few seconds and then was gone. I was left being so happy to see him but sadly wishing for more …much more.

    The bus made its way down the mountain and let us out at the parking lot. I kept looking around hoping to see Bo again. We found our car and started to slowly drive out of the parking lot. I looked back towards the parking lot and Bo was sitting on a large boulder. He waved and had a big smile on his wonderfully familiar face.

***

Amsterdam 2004

In 2004, we were in Amsterdam which was our starting point for a trip in which we would drive to Bavaria. A few weeks before we left for Amsterdam, I was driving home from my job in Santa Cruz. All of the sudden I felt Bo’s presence. I asked him if he would meet me in Amsterdam and he said yes!

    The minute before we left our house to go to the airport to leave on our European vacation, I spied two pictures of Bo and put them in my carry on and forgot about them.

    We were in Amsterdam having a great time. One afternoon we decided to walk from our hotel to The Dutch Flowers, one of our favorite coffee shops. It is a very small coffee shop with about 7 little tables. Geoff ordered sodas at the bar and returned to our table. Jazz music had been playing and now a Muddy Waters song I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man, started playing. All of the sudden, I had the strongest feeling that Bo was there with us. He would have loved being at The Dutch Flowers and hearing Muddy Waters. Bo was quite an avid Blues man and Muddy Waters was one of his favorites. It was such a wonderful feeling. I felt like I was glowing! I tried to keep what was going on to myself but finally blurted out to Geoff “Bo is here!” And then to my amazement, Geoff simply said “I know”. The song ended and we left the coffee shop but I was still glowing. I was walking on air!

    We returned to our hotel room to take a nap. I recall that I dropped off to sleep with my hands together and tucked under my chin. I had the wonderful feeling that my hands were being kissed and then I actually saw little tiny sparks – sparkling all around my hands! It was wonderful!

***

Chapter 3
Unexplained Cosmic Craziness

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, Who’s Knocking On My Door?

In July 2023, Geoff and I visited Santa Cruz for a few weeks and stayed at the home of a friend. The home was on Santa Cruz’s Westside and was built in 1927, over 100 years ago.

    At night we slept on the sofa in the living room that was under the two front windows and right next to the wooden front door. The first night was fine with no problems. The second night was a bit scary.

    Knock, Knock, Knock. Three sharp, loud Knocks on the wooden front door woke me right up. What the heck was that? This was frightening. Who In this World is knocking so loudly on the door? I was fairly certain that it was not a being from this World.

    I did not dare look out the windows or open the door. I nervously waited but there were no further knocks. Eventually I went back to sleep. Geoff did not wake up during the whole incident.

    A few days later while talking to our friend, I blurted out that I felt fairly certain that his house was haunted. He immediately agreed that his house was indeed haunted. He had experienced the late night door knocks in the past 30 years of living there. He also told me that in those years he had walked into the living room more than once to find an older gentleman sitting on the sofa. The sofa that we were sleeping on. The old gentleman just sat on the sofa smiling. Eventually the old gentleman vanishes.

***

Argonaut Street 1971

In 1971, I lived in a small duplex in Stockton on Argonaut Street. The duplex was built in 1927 in one of the nicer neighborhoods of old Stockton. I woke up late one night to see visions of a huge dark-colored horse drawn carriage in the room where I was sleeping. I could see most of the carriage and two of the horses. All of the sudden a fancy dressed coachman walked to the carriage door and opened it. He greeted the lady inside and helped her step out of the carriage. The lady wore a beautiful full length light blue satin and lace dress with a wide brimmed hat on her head that had a large white feathery plume on the top.

    There were absolutely no sounds at all. Nothing. And within a few minutes it all magically disappeared. I was in complete disbelief.

    Strange but in 1995 I had an eerie experience in Rothenburg ob der Tauber that was similar to this experience that I had in the duplex on Argonaut Street.

***

Rothenburg ob der Tauber 1995, Wow Look At All The People!

Our first visit to Rothenburg ob der Tauber was in August 1995. I was extremely curious about this old famous fairy tale town in Bavaria and really looked forward to visiting the medieval town with its mysterious ancient walls. We used our Europasses and took the train from Amsterdam to Rothenburg. The train ride lasted a little over 10 hours but was well worth the comfortable ride through the beautiful German countryside.

    We arrived at the train station in Rothenburg and decided to walk to Hotel Eisenhut where we had a reservation for $99 a night. As I recall, this hotel seemed to be a little outside of the town center and looked very old. Hotel Eisenhut was formerly a patrician house built in the 12th century.

    We checked into the hotel and went up to our room to unpack our suitcases. We then went down to the restaurant for dinner. We were so exhausted after the long train ride from Amsterdam that we were back in our room and asleep in no time.

    During the night I was awakened by weird visions of people who appeared to be in our hotel room. In the vision it was a sunny day and the people were going about their daily life while I watched. I could faintly hear them talk to each other in German. Most of the men wore long light tan pants with suspenders, long sleeved shirts and leather boots. Most of the women wore long pretty dresses with aprons. Some wore bonnets on their heads.

    I must admit that this vision was a little more than un-nerving. It seemed to last for hours. Of course I got no sleep that night. Geoff wasn't aware of the visitors and slept peacefully through it all. The room had been packed full with spirits. Who could sleep through all that? When Geoff woke up I described the crazy night. Although we had reserved this hotel for a couple more days more I told him that we needed to stay at a different hotel. He had no problem with this. We packed our suitcases and ate breakfast.

    While at the Front Desk checking out of Hotel Eisenhut, I did not say anything about the eerie experience of the night before. I did think it a bit curious but it seemed like the Hotel Manager was not surprised at our early check out.

    We walked a few blocks to the town center with our suitcases and choose another hotel to stay at. This is how we found the wonderful Tilman Riemenschneider Hotel, one of the earliest hotels in Rothenburg. The Tilman Riemenschneider Hotel was (and still is) a lovely hotel in the heart of the old town. It is a perfect location if you want to visit the very festive Christmas markets.

***

The Yellow House of Horror

In 1978, my two kids and I decided to move to Lake Tahoe. We had no problem renting a big Yellow House just off the Highway close to Lake Tahoe. The house backed up to a beautiful forest of pine trees with a little creek. Seemed perfect!

    However. pretty much right after we moved into the Yellow House my kids started voicing strong objections to living in that house. They were really scared and told me that there was a shadowy monster figure living in the house with us. They said that the shadowy monster was tall and wore a black cloak that completely covered his body. He wore a large hat that covered his face and head. His fingers were long with knifelike sharp finger nails.

    I believe that I too saw this shadowy monster figure a few times. After we moved into the house, I was looking out an upstairs window and saw it in our backyard. I wasn’t sure what the shadowy figure was up to. It saw me looking down on him and turned his face to look menacingly up at me. His face was terrifying with all the streaks of blood.

    A few days later I came face to face with the hideous shadowy monster in our living room. Fortunately, it immediately vanished.

    Enough was enough. It was too dangerous and scary to live in the Yellow House. We immediately broke the house rental lease and quickly moved into a nice condo up the hill.

    Unfortunately, this didn't turn out to be such a great idea either. We had just moved into the condo when the lady who lived next door to us was murdered. Shot dead by her boyfriend. She was a 21 card dealer at one of the clubs at Crystal Bay. We didn't hear anything out of the ordinary like loud noises but the police were at our condo quite a few times in the next weeks asking questions.

    Soon after the murder incident, we moved back to the Bay Area.

The End