Strangest Christmas Display, Ever

I'm just going to guess that your town (unless you live in MY town) doesn't have this in it's annual Christmas light display. It's the Mothman! Complete with glowing red eyes.

And here is a treat: Schutzstaffel Santa, on his pirate ship The SS Santa!? (If only they had him in a plane! I could've called it Lootwaffe, har har har.) I've added Wikipedia links for those of you who slept through history class. (You're welcome.)
Here's a couple more classic holiday scenes: The Fishing Reindeer:

and Santa, watering his, uhh, ferns, yeah. (He keeps them in the closet with all those bright lights because the weather is so frosty up North Pole way. NOT because it's mari-ju-ana, okay?

Too bad my camera's batteries went dead or I could've shared the other traditional Christmas displays, such as the Santa firing a canon and other treats. Hope you had a nice holiday, kiddiewinkies!

West Virginia: Weird and Wonderful

The official state slogan was once "Wild and Wonderful," but I think it has since been changed. I would have suggested just plain "Weird." My reasons: a. It looks cool on your license plate, b. The little state I live in (no, not Paranoia. I mean the one I physically live in) has actually surpassed even Roswell, New Mexico, in the total number of reported UFO sightings.

Thankfully, the weirdness doesn't end there. We also have the Mothman. This cryptozoolgical mystery was reportedly seen hundreds of times by different people, all sightings actually originating in the Point Pleasant area- which is the town I currently live in. (I keep waiting to see him but he has yet to show.) Pictured below is an artist sketch of the odd fellow that had everyone so scared. This all happened in the late 1960s. It is speculated by many that the creature came to warn the town of the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge here in Point Pleasant that killed many people. Others say it was a large owl with his feathers ruffed, making him appear much larger. Just a thought, but if theory one is correct and he had wanted to warn people -maybe he should have said something, or at least scratched a quick note in the dirt. Some cryptids have no manners whatsoever. (Photo borrowed, without permission from http://www.taskboy.com/. Not sure who has actual copyrights.)
Next, an even older mystery, complete with spooky monster. This strange tale unfolds in Braxton County, West Virginia, where several people reported that an object had fallen from the sky in September of 1952. Upon closer investigation of the spot those same persons allegedly saw a ten-foot tall monster, with a spade-shaped head and a beet-red face. (I am only speculating, but I believe they may have run out of hyphenated descriptions.) Below is a sketch of the Flatwoods Monster, or Monster of Braxton County. (Also borrowed sans permission, this time from http://www.worldoftheunknown.com/.)

Unfortunately I have yet to run into any of these characters. I will say, however, that a trip to the local grocery store any day of the week will invariably put me face to face with creatures of the human sort that are easily just as strange and fascinating as any mentioned above.

It is a weird place.

I think I like it here.

Mothman Festival Pictures, None of Which I Am In...

Here are the pictures from Mothman Festival '08. Oh, the excitement! There were actually a good bit of people there, which was somewhat surprising. But then, what else would you be doing if you live here? Here's the Mothman (well, a guy in a costume. The real one didn't show) posing with a random kid outside the Mothman Museum. Here's a Man In Black buying some Mothman pancakes.
Here's part of the mural on the riverfront.
Here's the statue of Chief Cornstalk, who- according to legend, placed a 200 year curse on this area before he was killed. Learn more about this crazy Appalachian lore here.
Ths was a sign on someone's car.This is how Violet felt about it all.

David Horvath Writes Back!

So a couple of posts back I voiced my disappointment that David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim weren't going to be able to make it to the annual Mothman Festival this year. I decided to write him an email (couldn't find one for Sun-Min, but he'll get the message to her I'm sure) letting him know that we were sad they wouldn't be coming, but that we hoped they could make it next year. He was kind enough to write back and thank me. (And he said he wold try to make it down here, although the festival is probably out for next year as well due to business elsewhere.)

I then realized that despite the popularity of UglyDolls and their other works, most people still don't know who I'm talking about. Um, sorry about that! They are totally awesome toy designers and have put out several books between them, including David's Bossy Bear- Violet's favorite. There is a new Bossy Bear book out and we're so excited to get it.

David designed some Mothman dolls that are so cool. Check it out-

I promised him that we would buy them Mothman-shaped pancakes if they can make it. I'm not above bribery!

Violet with her Bossy Bear vinyl, looking oddly similar here:Sun-Min and David, being so adorable they should go forth and procreate immediately.

Greetings from Point Pleasant!

Violet is one year old. She now has 6 teeth. Favorite activities include sniffing her own feet then wrinkling her nose to let me know, "my feet stink!" Umm, yeah I sort of taught her that as a joke and she likes it so much she even smells other people's feet. She also lets them know that their feet stink as well. It's pretty funny.
So, we live in an even smaller town in West (by God!)Virginia now. It boasts a statue of the elusive Mothman (yes, of the "Prophecies" movie fame. No I have never seen it: the movie or the Mothman.) There is an annual festival, however, that I shall be going to this September. I learned that David Horvath, the author of Violet's favorite book, "Bossy Bear," also creator of the popular Ugly Dolls will be there. Yay! I'm definitely going to get her Bossy Bear book and vinyl doll signed, if he'd be so kind. She'll think that is cool when she's older, I think. Well, I think it's cool NOW. Plus I heard that there may be Mothman-shaped pancakes. Yum.
Here is a treat, the statue I spoke of (and know you are dying to gaze upon! haha):