Memento Vivere.

A haunted hello from Mile 14,078...

...where a good-leg day meets a pain in the neck. 

(That's a vampire joke!)

Remember Rainbow?  

Well, she's 16 now, and while she's darkened her outerwear, she's still as colorful as ever on the inside.  

She's also old enough to do her own “Googling," and she’s been obsessed with visiting Vampa, the Vampire and Paranomal Museum in Doylestown, about an hour north of Philly.

I’d been dragging my feet -- prosthetic & real -- because of the hassle of getting there.  

But at Mile 14,078 we make the trip.  And it's quite a collection!

There are hand-carved stakes and mallets, ouija boards, skeletons, crosses, and (probably) haunted dolls.

News to me: Vampire hunting was all the rage in 19th century France.  (Who knew?)

News to Rainbow: Even Michael Jackson owned a vampire hunting kit.  (Yep, it's on display!)

I like the hourglass exhibit best. 

My grandparents used to have one -- and I'd completely forgotten about it until now.  

I picture myself, maybe 8 years old -- two feet in socks -- on the flat carpeting of their home, gripping the hourglass in my hand.  

Inverting it.  
Watching its sand rain down.  
Turning it again.

Was it real?  Or just a toy?

My grandfather pretends to be Béla Lugosi.  Love at first bite.

Just like the hourglass, we have the power to turn our hardships around.  A sign on the exhibit bridges the gap between then and now.

This time of year, my emotions run as thick as witches' brew.  

For a taste, visit Mile 143 or 2,127 or 6,825.

November is coming, and with it, the anniversary of my accident.  

Memento Mori. 
Remember that you have to die.

Memento Vivere.
Remember to live.

Thanks Vampa.

This strange little museum captures those feelings -- especially that last part.

Memento Vivere.

Mile 14,078 sparkles like a vampire in the sun.

(Or is that only from Twilight?)

Either way, it's definitely worth the trip.

Happy haunting,

Rebecca