Fantasmas

My one artsy abstract. 

"Bec come over here and check out these orbs!", said my mother to my sister.  As a curious observer of all things, I brought my camera with me out to the place where my Grandfather died over 25 years ago.  I didn't know what to expect but the homeowners of my Grandparents old house reported seeing an older man in a T-shirt walking out near where my Grandpa died. These were the clothes he wore when he passed.  Apparently, the homeowner can see "ghosts" and one night, without ever having seen my Grandfather, described him in perfect detail to a friend of a friend in the very small village of Shoto.   Word came to my family that a ghost had been visiting the house several times over the past few months during mid afternoon. 

The old shed he tried to pull down is still there.  Sadly, he had a massive heart attack at the young age of 57 in the middle of this project.  It was my first lesson about death and it changed my life forever.  I was graduating 8th grade and Grandpa planned a secret graduation party for me with my parents.  In fact, while I was at graduation, Grandpa was helping decorate the house.  When I came home, everyone said, "SURPRISE!" and I smiled because my Grandpa was a part of it all.  I loved him very much.  Little did I know, it would also be the last time I would ever see him again.  The next day, I left for Arizona for the first time in my life and stayed in Flagstaff for the summer.  These would be my first steps into the deserts, mountains and canyons.   And so 2 major events happened that summer.  In June, my aunt received a call that her father(my Grandpa) died.  I went into shock and went upstairs.  I didn't cry.  I just sat by the bed stunned.  So my aunt and everyone else packed the van and left Arizona for Wisconsin to attend my Grandfather's funeral.   Holidays would never be the same.  Today I hold his wedding ring as a reminder that he has never been forgotten.

I love this pic.  In the middle is my mother with a brother and sister on the side.

So when the word was out that Grandpa was back, many of our family members jumped in the car late at night and chased a ghost.  I'm not sure I believe in them.  I know many people who claim that they've seen them.  Part of me was scared.  Another skeptical.  And the other part of me was happy.  What if it were true?  What if Grandpa came back for Grandma(my last living Grandparent)?  What would I do if I saw an orb?  What if I saw Grandpa?  What would I do?  So we grabbed our gear out of the car and went to the site of my Grandpa's death. Some of you right now might be saying, "Creepy."  Yeah just a little:)  In the car, everyone was excited but once we got to the area, everyone was a little quiet:)  The new homeowners told us it was okay to walk around the woods and river.   I told you a story about fireflies awhile back and I wondered if they were still there. And if anything made me smile, it was the fact that "my" fireflies were still flying around the swamp area at night.  I felt like a little kid again.  I took my camera out and began shooting into the night sky....

Mosquitoes reflecting light, fireflies, or orbs?  You decide.

"Bec come over here and check out these orbs!", said my mother to my sister.  Now, I have to tell you all.  I'm not sure they were orbs at all but rather the million flying mosquitoes that wanted human flesh that night.  The bites were bad. But here is a shot(above) that didn't seem to capture all the bugs. The light on my camera probably just reflected off the particles.   However my mother claimed to capture orbs during one moment (and there were shots that did look convincing). My brother and I just joked that it was a cloud of bugs.  But Mom believed that it was him.  And who am I to say anything?  I've never lost a parent.  Wouldn't we all want to see our loved ones again?  If for just one moment?  I never saw my Grandfather that night but it doesn't mean that he isn't out there.   I don't know anything.  I'm still learning in this crazy life of ours.   

My nephew walking down the dyke to find his Great Grandpa.

My nephew really wanted to come with us but he would have been scared.  So I brought him out the next day.  He said, "Uncle Chris, you only see ghosts at night."  And I responded, "Then why has your Great Grandpa been seen in the middle of the day?"  So he took the journey for himself to see if he could see Great Grandpa. But as kids normally do, they forget what the original purpose of the walk is all about.....and he ended running from the mosquito attacks:)

My father has claimed seeing a ghost.  My brothers have claimed seeing ghosts.  I have never seen anything like this. Do they exist?  I don't know.  Maybe.  I'm cynical about everything  but I'm not closed off to the possibilities that ghosts do/can exist.  Maybe you've seen one?  Personally, I'm still searching for the Elegant Trogan:)  Well even if I didn't see my Grandfather, it was still fun being with my family and returning to the place that we used to explore as kids.  And it was wonderful seeing the young little trees turn into massive mature trees today.  Oh...and fireflies! I wish I had a million dollars to buy up these properties. They are absolutely gorgeous with the rivers, swamp, and forested areas.  But I live in Tucson:)  And that's okay.  For now, I only have the stories that a man came to visit his former house.  The person could see him and describe what he looked like.  Her dogs wouldn't go near the areas while he was "present".  And while I still didn't see him, it's still comforting to know that maybe it's true.  You never know.  And like my detective mind always says to me on my hikes, "What if?"