Joshua Dowidat

Eerie for Thoughts: Oliver Larch?

Hello Everyone,

Well like I said earlier this week that was my last vampire blog for a while unless something really cool comes up. Well here is a new subject I’m going to be focusing on for a few to ten or so blogs over the next few weeks. The subject of disappearances.

Oliver Larch:

1890 was the year and the young lads name was Oliver. He was sent to fetch water from the family well on Christmas Eve while the family was singing. It was long after his departure to the well that the family heard him yelling for help. Supposedly he was yelling, “Help, it’s got me!” Or something around those lines. It is an interesting case because certain clippings and other sources have different stories and documentation. Back to the story the weather conditions of the day were snow blanketed landscape and clear skies after an earlier Continue reading →

Eerie For Thoughts: Krampus

Hello Everyone,

Well the season is in the air. Or at least in some parts of the world. It hasn’t been very cold where I’m at. But then again it hardly ever does. Still I am reflecting on things that happen this time of year, or subjects that are relevant. So this blog will be about Krampus. Christmas’s darker side.

Krampus in History:

Krampus typically out-dates Christianity in certain Alpine traditions. This is only the description of a matching the character. But the creature we know as Krampus today was incorporated into the Christmas traditions sometime in the 17th Century.

This is when Krampus became known as one of the Companions of Saint Nicholas and originated in the regions around Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and other countries in that general region.

Appearance:

Krampus has many forms throughout history but many of them all agree that he shares the features Continue reading →

Haunted Places: Buffalo State Asylum

Hello Everyone,

Well this is the last haunted hospital or asylum for a while. Got a different list of Haunted Places to cover plus some other stuff. Still, what a better way to wrap up the segment than with talking about Buffalo State Asylum. Yes, another one located in New York.

A Little History:

The construction for Buffalo State Asylum started in 1870. The asylum is also known as, and is the official name, is the Richardson Olmsted Complex and sometimes the Henry Hobson Richardson Olmsted Hospital. To me the “Buffalo State Asylum” sounds a little more eerie so I am going to stick with that name.

Now it is considered a historical landmark where it resides in Buffalo, New York. Although it stopped housing inmates in the 1970s it was used as an office until 1994. Nowadays the building is in need of restoration and talk of turning one Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Benjamin Bathurst

Hello Everyone,

Well it’s the second to the last blog for now about the disappearing people and this one happens to be a diplomat named Benjamin Bathurst. First off, a diplomat can be one of two types of people or one in the same. A diplomat is defined as an official representing a country, or someone who can deal with an issue in a sensitive manner. So it can be two different objectives or a person representing a country in a sensitive manner. As with Benjamin Bathurst it is one in the same.

But back to the disappearance. A disappearing diplomat can be some concern especially for the country from which he was sent. An issue like this could start wars or close borders, stop trade. All kinds of things could go wrong in a situation like this. So how did it play out, well that’s what we are going Continue reading →

A Regular Blog: The Original 12 Days of Christmas

Hello Everyone,

Once again and as usual thank you for reading. I hope everyone celebrating had a splendid and very Merry Christmas. And those celebrating Chanukah, Happy Chanukah. And to the rest of you Happy Holidays. Still, this blog is going to focus on Christmas and not just Christmas day but the Original 12 Days of Christmas.

The Reason:

It’s interesting how many of us go through day-to-day activities and seldom notice the origin or understand why we do what we do. I myself am guilty of this. However with the modern day technologies at hand, smartphones, it is a lot easier to find explanations at our fingertips for many things. But what about the questions that never arise because we think we know the answer?

Besides the day-today activities and questions that arise what about those with those further underlying factors? What about Christmas and what we think we Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Blizzard

Hello Everyone,

Not too long ago I was on the topic of sandstorms or Haboobs with a few blog posts but also in conversation. Given the area that I live in these are more common than that of a blizzard. Mainly because I have never seen one here. The closest I got to see a blizzard was when I was visiting the nearby mountain ranges for work several years back. It was a different and eerily experience.

What Defines a Blizzard?

The weather phenomenon can be described as a snowstorm with high winds and low visibility. Of course where I live a regular snowstorm may seem like a blizzard to me because of the lack of snow my area receives every year.

What Many People Think Of?

Most people who are not accustomed to blizzards think automatically to The Donner Party, or movies like The Shining when they think blizzard. Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Jack Frost

Hello Everyone,

Many of us know about Jack Frost. The folklore behind the winter-being most likely comes from older Norse beliefs. However, he is more commonly believed to derive from the winter-being Old Man Winter. Regardless of where he came from one thing is certain. Jack Frost has been part of our upbringing for many years now.

Modern Jack Frost:

Modern day depictions create him to be one of two things. Either a wispy, chilly, obnoxious character with an excitable outlook on life or a coldblooded killer.

Yes, in case some of you are not aware, Jack Frost is also in horror movies that exist today. And he has also starred in kid’s cartoons and Pixar style films. Or regular films as a lovely little snowman.

Beliefs:

It is believed in all the tales, (books, films, etc.) that Jack Frost comes with the winter weather. Or that he creates winter. Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Rasputin

Hello Everyone,

I decided to take a little break from the normal topic of Haunted Places in Arizona this week and focus on a particular character in history that many of us have heard of. This Russian man was famous both in his life and of course after death. Which makes Rasputin an eerie character in my view. But perhaps it’s just the rumors.

Rasputin:

Born in 1869 in Siberia of the Russian Empire, Rasputin was brought up as a mere peasant in his youth. After journeying to a monastery he later started gaining some influential aspects among the people. Perhaps this is where we got the nicknames like, “The Mad Monk,” and other similar names. Of course the ‘mad’ part would come later in life.

Although many people are not aware, he had a family. Daughters grew to very old ages and even migrated to the United States and Continue reading →

Eerie for Thought: Rat King

Hello Everyone,

First off I want to point out that “Rat King” is not a character from a cartoon many of us watched when we were younger. It is in fact a phenomenon that occurs with real rats when they are seeking warmth. I call it a phenomenon because of the resulting end of the manifestation, so to speak.

What is Rat King?

Well the translation from ancient times is how the part about the “king” comes into play and the “rat” part is kind of obvious. It is rats.

The phenomenon, Rat King, is when several to many rats or other small rodents get together, maybe for heat or comfort, and die in that formation. This can be caused my sticky substances that trap them or perhaps the exposure to the elements themselves.

When the rats die and the carcasses mummify they form a cluster of dead rats, they Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Hans Schmidt

Hello everyone,

To kind of deviate from the regular blog segment of haunted places in Arizona I thought I would talk about a person who was perhaps haunted within himself. That person is Hans Schmidt. A Roman Catholic priest of German Descent who was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death.

Hans Schmidt:

Born in a Bavarian City he immigrated to the United States of America in 1909. His first job as  a priest in the United States did not go smoothly, however. He was then transferred to New York City. This is where is priesthood turned sour.

He met a young women by the name of Anna Aumuller. They formed a secret relationship that was later to go as far as marriage in a private ceremony.

Seems almost romantic when you hear that part of the story. How he fell in love with another emigrant from Europe, Continue reading →