Gerard,

How fabulous! That sounds like the trip of a lifetime. Enjoy!

Vlad, that's a very good question. Although I will be traveling to Rome this November with two good friends, so that's pretty exciting too. It seems we'll be staying near the Trevi Fountain within coin tossing distance.   Hope you're well - gotta write you of these days!

A good source of information regarding manly scents that would have been available to Barnabas, Joshua & Jeremiah had they so chosen, was Caswell & Massey, an apothecary that's been in existence since 1752 and located in Newport, RI.  I believe that Washington wore a scent from Caswell & Massey to his inauguration in 1793. I can imagine that the wealthy, younger Collins men could have used scents since they appeared to be rather modern and fashionable as opposed to Joshua who seemed to dress in a more subdued manner.

Scents - now that is another very interesting topic, Miss Winthrop.  Back in the days when people bathed more infrequently or even rarely, sweet scents from perfumers such as C&M must have been necessary! I wonder what kind of scents younger gents such as Barnabas would have used and if there were scent fashions changing over the years?  There must be a book about that somewhere.  Thanks for the information on C&M; I never realized that they have been in existence quite that long.  I love their soaps and toilet water!

Patti,

With respect to costume on DS, one odd thing about the original 1795 storyline stands out: many of the fashions seemed to be a few years ahead of their time!

I have always been fascinated by the history of fashion and know that for women, 1795 was a very transitional period from the tight-laced gowns we think of as typical of the 18th century and the high-waisted, flowing gowns of the Regency era.  This is why I am always surprised to see so many of the younger actresses already wearing Regency period gowns.  Considering the fact that Collinwood is in Maine and no where near fashion capitals such as Paris and London, these ladies show a sense of fashion that is a bit too "au courant" to be believed!

However, Naomi's 18th century frock is entirely believable on a mature woman of that era as are the gowns and curly hairstyle (fashionable in the 1780s and early 90s) worn by the Countess Du Pres.  But - where have all the wigs gone?  I would expect at least Joshua to be either earing a wig or to have a little ponytail.  Older men often wore their wigs well into the 19th century.  Or maybe the Collins family were too Puritanical to put up with such fripperies?

My vote for most accurately costumed DS storyline goes to the 1840 and 1841 ones.  For a daytime soap, they really do an excellent job here, especially with the male fashions and hair.

Looks like you touched upon a favorite subject of mine, Patti!

The all-time most intelligent and riveting show in this category is certainly the original Twilight Zone. The acting and scripts are top notch, and I agree that few shows today can even approach TZ in quality.  A few years ago I also discovered Outer Limits, which is also very good although perhaps less cerebral and philosophical than TZ.

Of more recent shows, I used to love the X Files until Duchovny left (that is probably true for many of us!) and even watched Buffy a few times although I never really became hooked.

There are a few shows that I've seen little of but enjoyed and that is Quantum Leap and Kolchak, which I hope will be out on DVD one day.  (Will have to check Netflix!)

On occasion I do get drawn in by the childlike charm of the Munsters, but often wonder if they'll ever air reruns of the Adams Family. It is a childhood favorite of mine. 

Just when I needed a break from cataloging a bunch of rotting, old books-  Thanks!!

What fun!  I love Barnabas' expression; he's really in touch with his inner vampire.  I also agree that Angelique is way too homely, although they did capture something of Quentin.

In a strange way, I found these figurines inspiring as I make miniature dolls myself and have even created one of our favorite vampire, although am none too happy with him.  Maybe I should give it another go one of these days!

Thanks for the fascinating links, Lorraine.  I think it is important to have a look at the evidence of the skeptics, as much of what they say does make a lot of sense.  There is a romance about ghosts and psychic phenomenon that is at once comforting ("evidence" that there is life after death) and intriguing as anything inexplicable will always be to people.  I believe that those two factors tend to make people ignore or dismiss any logical arguments that might explain away such phenomenon.  That is a pity.

Perhaps after investing some 40 years of their lives to investigating and believing in ghosts and demons, it would be too difficult for the Warrens to admit to themselves or to others that they may be wrong.  That may be a shame, although I can certainly understand why.

The article about Dudleytown was very interesting.  My college friend and I actually visited Dudleytown and Mt. Riga, CT, another alleged site of paranormal activity, back in 1982 on a beautiful summer day.  Mt. Riga had its share of houses but there seemed to be no one there and, oddly, no bird song of any kind.  In short, the place seemed rather creepy although that may have been due as much to the power of suggestion as to anything else.  After both seeing an odd reflection in the window of a "haunted" house, we decided to leave in a hurry!  Dudleytown was a wooded area with some old foundations.  We saw nothing, but again, what we read about this place lent it a tragic, abandoned quality.  Yes, we were probably very gullible but I had to admit that our ghost hunting excursions were also a lot of fun! So, I agree with you too, Gerard. 

P.S. The writer of the first article you list does make a mistake of his own: Henry VII was Henry VIII's father, not his brother, who I believe, died very young. 

A creepy story, Connie!  Yes, I have heard that Ouija boards might even open the door to demonic presences and you definitely don't want THAT.  Back in college a friend and I read many of demonologists Ed and Larraine Warren's books and they were interesting but also very frightening.  In fact, I suggested to my spirit-infested friends that they contact the Warrens, which they did.

Speaking of ghosts, what do you all think of the recent Hampton Court ghost sighting?

Please see:

OT - If this IS a fake...

(by following the above link) on the Calendar Events / Announcements '03 II board in the Members' Mausoleum Archive

Apparently, there is some doubt now as to its authenticity, although I don't think they have proven that it is a hoax.  Fascinating!   


[Edited by Midnite]