Sunday, November 23, 2008 Bob the Grave Popper

A quick video of Bob in action. A new wiper motor prop for this year.

Monday, November 17, 2008 The Sinking Springs Cemetery

The Sinking Springs Cemetery in Abingdon Virginia has some vintage stones, with the oldest burial date being July 1776.

It is also home to the coolest earthen tomb that I have ever seen...










...and my favorite cemetery sign of all time.

This Should Explain Alot

My Dad raised birds in retirement, and that is how concerned neighbors came to bring him a large egg that mischievous boys had removed from a nest. It was 1996.

He was excited when it showed signs of life, anxious to find out what kind of bird he was incubating.

When it hatched, a turkey vulture chick popped out. Dad reared the little vulture with care in hopes of releasing him when he was grown. When that day came, the turkey vulture (now known as “Ichabod”) preferred to stay. After his “release” he continued to follow Dad around the yard and hang out around the house.

Knowing that Ichabod could not survive on his own, Dad contacted a local raptor center and they accepted Ichabod, where he is still active in school visits as part of their education program.

When Dad passed away in 2002, Mom had his gravestone engraved with his favorite photo – one of him holding Ichabod.

On a recent visit to the local school, Ichabod’s handler asked if she could visit Dad’s grave. The photo below is from that visit.

Monday, November 10, 2008 Halloween 2008

This year we took it easy and just set a few props at our friend's house. Sweet little Jewels is high tailing it away from Oliver.

This is Bob, a simple motorized grave popper we made this year from instructions on Haunt Forum.

Natalia returns for her third season as the ever popular flying crank ghost.

Lydia was excited to go trick-or-treating, but paused long enough for us to snap this shot with Oliver.

Saturday, November 8, 2008 Corpse Celebration

What is it about human remains that is so interesting? Recent remains do not hold my interest, but ancient remains can be captivating. These are a few catacomb images that I thought were compelling.

Failed Casting

We had a failure while casting some skulls in two part foam. The failure will not survive, but I thought it was cool.