I realize that this is only July, but… have you sent out your Halloween invitations yet? Seriously, I found out YEARS ago that if you expect grave and ghost hunters to attend your Halloween gatherings, you had better get them confirmed on your guest list EARLY. People with portfolios of pictures showing graves or ghostly locations are in high demand at those, and by the time October rolls around, they are all booked up. Better get a move on!

This one is for the grave hunters out there. (I ought to add a category on here labeled “advice.) Going after pictures of celebrity graves is one thing, but if you are a true hunter, you are looking for not only the famous, but the interesting as well, and may very well find yourself clawing your way through vines and thorn bushes to get to one of the many completely neglected graveyards this country has to offer. Scissors are good for vines, but for thorn bushes, be sure to have… believe it or not… a really good box cutter. They work incredibly well on them, and help you get where you are going with a minimum of fuss. Just be sure you have permission from the owner or caretaker to remove the vegetation!

If you ARE going to be traveling this season, you probably don’t need anyone telling you about what is essential to take with you. However, a lot of brand new grave hunters don’t realize that, in addition to a really good digital camera, you pretty much need to take a portable home office with you when you go… a laptop to download the pictures, pens and notebooks to log where and when you went… and that is even more essential for ghost hunters. In short, just be prepared, and have a great time!

Well, it’s still July, but autumn is coming soon, and an awful lot of hunters do their traveling in the autumn. I just wanted to add a friendly note of caution, based on a few recent events that appear to have been caused by this depression that they won’t even admit is a recession… be sure you keep safe and buy travel insurance before you go. There are folks out there that target out of area vehicles and people, and those folks are needing more income these days just like everyone else. Out of town folks are less likely to follow through with court appearances, and thieves have a better shot of walking free… so YOU, as the out of town traveler, are the one they will target. Be safe, and get the insurance, so your hunting experience won’t turn into a memory that you don’t want!

Wesley Joseph Berggren, guitarist and keyboardist for the Dallas based rock band “Tripping Daisy”, died of a heavy drug overdose, and we aren’t talking generic Phentermine here. Autopsy revealed that death was caused by a combination of cocaine and a handful of prescription drugs. Typical of the “flash in the pan” rock musicians that burn themselves out, fans who DO remember him can’t even visit his grave to pay their respects… he was creamated, and the location of his ashes is unknown.

Hal Rothman was a prominent modern historian and a best selling, world famous author. His specialty was history surrounding the flashy city of Las Vegas, Nevada. As his “day job”, he was a well respected professor of history at the University of Nevada. He was featured with regularity on many national television stations as well as several prominent newspapers and magazines. Travel agencies used his writings to promote Vegas vacations. He died of Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2007, and is buried at the King David Memorial Chapel and Cemetery in Las Vegas, in Gates of Truth, space 135.

Helen Keller was a classic example of someone who became famous through someone else’s dedication to fixing a problem. Both blind and deaf, she was taught to communicate through a then revolutionary method administered by Anne Sullivan. The story was made into film in the famous “The Miracle Worker”. There is actually some speculation that the modern Lasik technology might have partially returned her sight, had she been born at a later time. As an adult, she became a social activist, with many causes to discuss, some, like the veterans organizations, were very popular, and others, like her support of pseudo communist ideals, rather unpopular. She is interred at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Former Yankee All Star and broadcaster Bobby Murcer has died at age 62. He passed away Saturday in his Oklahoma City home after an extended battle with brain cancer. Murcer spent seventeen seasons playing outfield major league ball, and followed that up with twenty three years broadcasting games for the Yankees, a career that ended shortly into this last season due to health issues. You have to wonder what kind of strength equipment and exercise routines a guy comes up with to maintain such a high energy career for so long! A true favorite of Yankee fans (including me), he will be missed.