Plans?

Look what GAB found in Hardin, Montana.

The Essence of GAB

Where to go?

Life at the Castle

We moved from the Chateau to the Castle.

Beautiful snow, so lucky to visit in the winter.

Since we were not invited to any of the many Christmas parties taking place, we spent part of the evening practicing Nanie's sport of lobby people watching. (cut my teeth with her at the Waldorf in New York City)

We agreed that castle living was not for us; take us back to the Chateau, please.

In the thirties, the hotel was the height of sophistication and respectability with the creme of high society.  Even the Royal family, King George VI and the late Queen Mother visited with her daughter, Princess Margaret who returned a few decades later.

Missed the 3P.M. castle tour, but there was a small museum with many historical pictures.

 Fashionable tea time. Notice the snow in the background. This was a time when people would arrive at the hotel with letters of credit worth and stay for months.

 The blonde bombshell swinger spent some time on the Fairways.

Braver we were at the "haunted" castle than our opting out at the Bates Motel.

The Banff Springs Hotel is also an alleged paranormal site. An anonymous young bride who died of a broken neck on her wedding day in 1932, has reportedly been seen by hotel patrons. Dressed in her wedding gown, she was descending a staircase, tripped on her gown and fell down the stairs. Her ghost can reportedly be seen dancing alone in the dining room, only to burst into flames. 

Another apparitional resident is reportedly a former employee of the hotel. A bellhop who died after announcing his retirement in 1976, Sam Macauley, has been seen by guests and hotel staff members who claim to have seen the man in full uniform, helping out guests just as if he had never left. 

There have also been sightings of a bartender's ghost telling customers that they have had enough to drink and need to go to bed. The bartenders last night at the Chateau should have taken a lesson from this man, right GAB? The great big pool man from Edmonton sitting next to me at the bar actually passed out on his bar stool.

On the Way to the Airport

 The Coeur d' Alene motel (for real) we opted to pass on.

As GAB was driving me to the Seatac airport for a 3:15 flight back home, she asked, "would you like me to drive you home?" It sounded like a great way to decompress after a rather trying few weeks, so I said: "yes."

GAB  turned the car around and drove back up to the Queen Anne Casa de Griggs to tell Betsy of our Change of Plans. It was priceless watching Betsy's face as she opened the door and did a double take, followed by her feigning a floor dropping faint. As her usual gracious self, Betsy invited us to spend the night with her and have one last girl's night.  Master O begged me to stay and babysit so he could watch a movie while his Mom and Dad have another date night.

Finally Master O told us we were running out of daylight and should start our travels. (Earlier that afternoon at Nature Kids, folks were calling him Mini-Kyle.)

So, off we went and ended up in Coeur d' Alene where all restaurants close at 9PM.

Deciding to pass on spending the night at the Bates Motel was a no brainer as we both needed to take showers.  FYI, if showers were not necessary, that motel is a haunted one and would have been a challenging stop in another sense. It has been reported ghostly activity happens in rooms 1 and 3.  Many guests continue to get creepy feelings in rooms 1 and 3, which include being watched, sudden cold sensations, strange noises and the like. They have also reported lights flickering on and off by themselves; ashtrays falling off the table and items changing positions by themselves without anybody touching them.

 

Bye, bye Nature Kids. I miss you all so much!

Happy Birthday GAB

Celebrate way up high in the sky at the Seattle Westin.

"GAB likes wine."

Tim added the party balloons.

Oliver brought his own food to the pre-party. Bedtime called him away before dark.

Way up high.