True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen.

~~Francois de La Rochefoucauld

I’m not sure why it is that every year when the leaves turn crimson and yellow and deep scarlet, and the clouds linger over Cemetery Hill, and the Susquehanna River turns a particular shade of olive, and the winds begin to feel cold against my neck, at these times I find myself thinking serious thoughts about graveyards and specters. It’s an October state of mind. I surf the few TV channels on the SONY and try to find something to watch that is scary and darkly moody.

I sit and the memories come easily to me. The evenings of treat-or-treating on Front and Main Street in Owego. As a boy, I kicked the leaves and inhaled the chilly air. As a parent, I kicked the leaves while taking my son, Brian and my daughter, Erin to go from house to house with a paper grocery bag.

It’s no big secret to my family and friends that I take comfort in my memories, reveling in the things I did back in the day.

But, I digress.

For my loyal and faithful followers who read these posts, I can only say that some of what I am writing about today will seem familiar.

I’ve long been fascinated by the Victorian Spirit photos that were once the hot topic of many conversations. There are the famous images that have been debunked long ago. I’m thinking of Lincoln standing behind his wife, Mary, his hand on her shoulder. Or the many photos taken during séances showing the ectoplasm erupting out of the mouth of the subject. (Spoiler: It was a white towel.)

So, having to set the stage, here are just a few of my favorite spirit photos, both Victorian and modern:

[1940s. From Queensland, Australia. A woman took this at the grave of her 17-year-old daughter. She was puzzled about the child until she noticed two infant graves nearby.]

[A woman named Denise Russell snapped this photo of her grandmother. Perhaps the grandfather?]

[A famous Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery Girl. Photo taken by Judy Huff.]

[North Yorkshire, England. A Reverend took a photo in a church. Later, he noticed a figure on the steps to the right.]

[In the world of spirit photography this photo is, arguably, the most famous. Taken in 1936 at Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England. This is the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall. I read an account how the picture was analyzed by experts. To my knowledge, it was never proven to be an altered photo.]

[This disturbing photo was taken by an expert authority on Owego’s Spooky places. Research has shown that it was seen and photographed on or near Ross Street in the Village. The photographer reported that as he snapped the picture, the ground began to move and the bones of the fore finger made a motion to approach closer. The expert fled the scene and was never seen again anywhere in the Southern Tier. Source: Unknown.]

I hope everyone of my readers will enjoy a happy Halloween. Remember…keep looking over your shoulder.