Halloween Hodge Podge

Silver Terrace Cemetery . Virginia City , Nevada
* this photo not taken by me, found via google search 

 

Every year I try to do a Halloween themed post. I have shared all sorts of Halloween Ghost stories, legends, history and even my own experiences. After doing this for 6 years it is harder and harder to come up with new material. I had planned to go on a local ghost tour before it would come time to post this, but unfortunately that was not to happen.... maybe next year. I also had planned to get to a few of our local cemeteries and take different mini photo shoots and then tell of the lore associated with the location, but weather and my photographer ( aka my husband) having to work either at home or actually going in to his real job, also made those plans get set aside. So what is this post going to be about? Well, it is going to be a hodge podge ; a bit of everything. So up first a few fashion photos taken at the Silver Terrace Cemetery in Virginia City Nevada,  that I visited for the second time in the last 5 or so years during a recent mini getaway to Reno.

Dress is available through Le Bomb Shop , gloves are Amazon, shoes and petticoat are also Amazon, sunglasses and straw hat are vintage , pearls are Tiffanys . In the distance, you can
see the township of Virginia City a short drive from Reno Nevada.

Nestled in the hills above Virginia City, Silver Terrace is a mix of many different social levels and religious diversity and a combination of several cemeteries combined into one.

Graves like this is plentiful, but so are small wooden crosses and rustic wooden
picket fences with unmarked graves . 

You could spend an entire day exploring Silver Terrace, but if you plan to do that be sure that you
bring walking shoes, it is not heel friendly to say the least and some of the trails can be quite steep. 

The Silver Terrace is just one of many haunted locations in and around Virginia City Nevada. Explored by many a professional and novice ghost hunter ( get permission before you decide to have your own , as the cemetery closes at 8 p.m.) , and is rumored to be the home to not one but many spirits, some showing up as glowing orbs of light with no source, and the apparition of a young woman in a brown dress circa late 1800s. With so many deaths of miners, prospectors, ladies of the night, and even every day citizens from babies through adults that lead the tough lives that living in this remote western gold mining town dictated. Lives ended prematurely from disease, fire, and mining accidents to murder....perfect demises that might tie spirits to this charming western town. Read more stories here and learn more here. 

Have you ever felt like someone is watching your
every move?
* earrings are from Twinkleburst and the brooch
Housewife Chic by Ruby.... find links in the web version
of this blog in the side bars 

Next up in this Halloween themed hodge podge post, is a little spooky moment or two that I have had here at Muse Cottage. I have had many spooky experiences throughout my life, and quite a few I have shared here. I have always been very sensitive although I do not have control over it, as it is not like a light switch, I can not just turn it on and off at will. My most recent experiences began after having to put our dear Queen Bitty Kitty to sleep. I began to feel on occasion as if a cat was rubbing my ankles while at the kitchen sink, or a tiny fizzy paw touching the top of my feet when sitting on the couch and even stranger the feeling of a small animal jumping up on my bed, walking gingerly across and over my legs and finally settling down at my feet. Other times I have witnessed my grandpuppy Winston seemingly seeing something in the living room and then go looking for it under the furniture, specifically the couch Bitty used to sleep under most of each day, especially as she began to not feel so good. We see his reaction and body language change as well, much in the way that it did when Bitty was still with us and he was trying to make friends and she was having none of it. Muse Cottage before it became such, even while we were looking it over when considering purchase, had an odd feeling in parts of the property and I was not the only one who felt it...some spots, mainly our garage and storage sheds just had a foreboding feeling , they still do...and once again Winston's reactions to a few locations here make us wonder if he is not sensing something from the other side. Then there is late at night when I get up for one of many shuffles to the restroom and I feel as if someone is in the living room watching me, following me with their eyes until I close the door....I recently had a friend stay here and they too felt the feeling of not being alone and a presence or eyes upon them. It does not feel threatening, but it most definitely a regular presence that gives pause. 

Halloween is never complete without a visit to the Pumpkin patch! Here, my bestie @SweetStephStarr  on Instagram and Sweet Steph Starr on FB and myself stopped at  Boa Vista Orchards in Apple Hill area of California outside of Placerville
to take a few fun snap shots.

Sponsor mention....

Recently a lovely woman Jamie Corp aka Betties Beauty bar on Instagram and FB agreed to be one of my sponsors and also asked me to try and review products from the cosmetic company that she represents, Younique. She sent me a wonderful array of things to try, including a contouring kit, some skin care, and a great deep blue red pencil and lip stick....and later I also purchased one of the Splash liquid lipsticks also in the prefect blue red in Sizzling ( of which I am totally in love with) .... I have been doing mini reviews on Instagram and the liquid was part of the discussion on my FB fan page Live broadcast that I do each Monday afternoon. If you are interested in any Younique products visit the Betties Beauty Bar web page, and look for my mini reviews on Instagram and YouTube. 

Be sure to connect with me on my other social network homes Instagram, FB, Twitter and YouTube . Live broadcasts Mondays at 3:30 p.m. unless stated otherwise on the Ruby's Musings FB fan page and New Episodes of At Home with Ruby's Musings on YouTube every Friday. 

Heading To a Conclusion ....Blogging Tour Final Days

All good things must come to an end....

Well I am finally wrapping up my posts sharing my blogging tour with you all...sort of! What does "sort of " mean , let me tell you.... I plan here in the very near future to share a few of my purchases I made, as well as profile a few of the smaller businesses that became my sponsors for the tour so that they get a bit more of the spot light, such as Polished Raven Hats, and Lola Von Rose Lucite purses...as I feel I tagged them on Instagram, but did not really do them justice....and hopefully also will have all my final edit photos from my photo shoot with Dream Out Loud Photography to share with you. So let's see where did I leave off? Oh that's right last week I was sharing the portion of the trip where we started in Anaheim and made the trip to Solvang CA., with a partial day in Los Olivos, and then heading to San Luis Obispo for our stay at the Madonna Inn; today it will be about Santa Cruz, then on to an unplanned stop at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield Ca, then finally ending up with a bit of back tracking driving along the Delta before heading home...ending what had been a whirlwind trip. First stop, Roaring Camp Railroad in the hills above Santa Cruz.

The drive from San Luis Obispo started nearly before dawn! At least for me. I had to get up before my husband and do my hair as well as my make up and finish packing. Once we were both up and had filled both the gas tank and our grumbling bellies, we got on the road and arrived at our first destination at 10:30 a.m., right on time for our steam train ride through the redwoods. If any of you actually know me personally, you would know I adore trains, and train travel and I have shared that love here and FB in photos, and videos as well as a few blog posts from when I have visited different railway museums. I have traveled by train across country as well and tho it was never perfect, always a hiccup or two during the journey, I always could not wait to do it again. One day it will happen and I will post Youtube Videos of that time when it comes strait from the train! So all that being said when given the chance to ride a open air train pulled by an authentic steam train engine through the California redwoods I was aboard for that in a heart beat and knew it had to be included in my blogging tour. It was a very pretty drive to where the rail camp is located and I was really pleasantly surprised at seeing an entire little village set up surrounded by ponds and open green areas and of course tall redwoods. We had a delightful ride full of history and fun facts, and of course beautiful scenery and once back a very good lunch was had at their cafe where you order at a window and sit out on picnic tables with red checkered table cloths with the other visitors...lucky for us as it was warm it is under a roof top that covers the patio area. Below is a jumble of photos....I created collages and just realized that I used some photos twice within the grids and some are out of order, but all are worthy taking a gander at. If you ever find yourself able and in the general area of Roaring Camp, I highly suggest you take a little trip into history via a steam train.  

The dress for this portion of the trip was by the online company Le Bomb Shop
You can find this dress along with so many other cute, and very affordable retro clothing
on their web site, I know I have and still have a long wish list. It is a tiny, home based
business run by Melissa who is just dandy to work with. 

Yes, that is my handsome hubby there in the bottom center photo.

 

The next stop following immediately was a place I have heard about for some time and though quite "camp" or "kistch" I knew I wanted to include on our time there in the Santa Cruz area....The Mystery Spot. OHHH I bet you thought I was going to say the boardwalk, well let me tell you, it was on our list, but a wind had kicked up and the fun area of the boardwalk was not open on Fridays due to it being off season, so we decided instead to save that for another trip... The Mystery Spot would fill some time before we would want to go off and find some dinner and even give us some relaxation time in our hotel room. I will tell you this, it was everything I expected and there was no surprises, and it was as enjoyable as I thought it would be for what it is. Make sure you watch for the next YouTube episode to air where I will share a bit of footage I was able to take.

Later after having all that fun it was time to find somewhere with food. I wanted somewhere close by, we were referred to a little place down the street a couple blocks from where we were staying, in a strip mall located on Mission St. there in Santa Cruz, by the name of "Your Place", great name right? Well this little hole in the wall is a hidden gem! Owned by a lovely couple Art and Rachel, it is a farm to fork establishment decorated with bright colored walls, unique art, a mis-matched array of tables and chairs and 1940's and early 50's music in the background...I felt at home for sure. We were seated by the window in two over stuffed floral arm chairs and a table for two. It turns out it was not just the tables and chairs that were not matching, even the dishes and the glasses for wine was an eclectic collection. The food is cooked by Art with a little assistance from a co-worker and served by Rachel. We ordered a gorgeously overwhelming meat and cheese plate along with our wine that we had ordered that was generously poured, and then a Caesar salad for two....prepared table side by Art himself...quite the experience, and possibly the best Caesar salad we have ever had...served with fresh baked bread with a dipping bowl of local olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar, we were in heaven....even more so because after a long week filled with being surrounded by people, this place was pretty empty...told you hidden gem! After our fill of the before mentioned spread, I ordered the macaroni and cheese small plate, and my husband the Trout Almondene (sp?) ... scrumptious all of it! We finished off the meal with a shared piece of homemade by Art blueberry pie and vanilla bean ice cream....perfection! Worth the calories, I was like a happy little foodie as we strolled the 15 minutes back to our hotel and I settled in for a night of sleep before we would head out on our last day. 

The next morning began our last day of the blogging tour. We decided to skip Napa, which had been our original plan and take a more relaxed drive to Fairfield and the factory home of the Jelly Belly factory....turns out they have wine tasting too! The tour is free, tho the wine tasting is not. For 15.00 a person you get two souvenir glasses, five wine samples and matching chocolate ( yes the JBF has a chocolate shop too) to go with it and then once you are on the tour you get Jelly Bellies at the end too! We were there on a weekend, so the factory was no open, but we still had to put on the required paper hats and there was videos to describe the process. Not only do you get to see all that, but there is an art gallery, a gift/candy shop ( of course) , where you can sample more sweets, but then there is also a place to eat where some of the food even is jelly bean shaped! Not the best place to eat, but it was basic and filled my now grumbling tummy since I had not had quite enough at the hotel provided breakfast bar. 

So much candy ......the outfit is pretty sweet too! It is from Heart of Haute! 

Having sampled quite a few sweets, and buying some to take home and eating our fun shaped food, it was time for the final leg of travel on the way back to Muse Cottage....a drive along the Delta region here in Sacramento with a little stop off at Miner's Leap just outside of Clarksburg for some more wine of course and to do a little photo shoot of the beautiful outfit you see above provided to me by the wonderful mother - daughter owned company Heart of Haute out of the L.A. area of California.  H.O.H is one of my very favorite companies ever since discovering their clothing on my last trip ( prior to this) down to San Luis Obispo where I purchased a beautiful summer dress at HepKats, that I shared with you here a few weeks ago and then a beautiful Estelle bow blouse, identical to the one above that I purchased on my trip to Reno at Dressed Like That only in white, which I wore and shared here to Universal Studio. 

I had contacted Mandie B who is the mother portion of the team via Instagram and since I am already an affiliate of HOH she said to shoot her an email to discuss it all, and later I ended up working with Alissa and we got the ball rolling. I was so very excited, it was my first larger sponsor that I have had since starting my journey as a promotional model/blogger ....I had no doubts that whatever they sent me I would be thrilled as there is nothing I do not like from their site.The only worry was about fit. As it turns out depending on what item of clothing, and style it is I wear different sizes ( I found that out when trying on a few styles of dresses at HepKat this trip also by HOH) , but lucky for me they sent as mentioned an Estelle Bow Blouse and one of their signature circle skirts, both in size small, and both fit like a dream! I am currently 123 lbs stand at 5'2 " and am a 34b/26.5/38 , and the top is a bit snug, but as I said fits like a glove that way, well as long as I stay this size... motivation to do so is strong to be able to wear this beautiful outfit. Heart of Haute clothing is always well made, authentically designed to fit into a 1940's through early 1960's wardrobe and each season new fabrics and designs along with a few standards are released. So I promise you that even though this outfit was provided to me I am very much marking HOH Ruby's Musings approved. You can read more about this great retro clothing company HERE and from there do some shopping, and be sure to sign up for their newsletter, they often have sales and you do not want to miss a single one. 

Below are just a few of the photos that we took that day...be sure to follow me on my FB fan page and on Instagram to see more and of course there will be a little slide show attached to this Friday's YouTube video as well. And with these photos I close the book of my first ever blogging tour and one that was actually sponsored by vendors. Now don't forget that next week I will begin sharing a few of the smaller vendors including Lola Von Rose purses, Polished Raven Hats, and a peek of some of my shopping haul as well. In the coming weeks keep an eye out for a special blog about one of my fans that has become a close friend Sweet Steph Starr aka Stephanie Starr and her visit here with me this very week and all our adventures and a couple review style posts before I start my month of cookie recipes to usher in the holidays! 

A Weekend Getaway

Some days you just have to getaway 

*sorry this is a day late, had doctors appointment that lasted a lot longer than I expected.

A few months ago hubby came home and told me he bought a hotel package for The Peppermill Resort up in Reno, which is about 2.5 hours from where we live. We kept trying to figure out when we would take advantage of this, but time kept passing by, until this last weekend. we finally were able to make the trip up. The weather was scorching hot here in the valley and we had high hopes that we might escape some of it, but that was not the case, we left in triple digit heat and it was just below that when we finally arrived at our destination. 

Ready to head out for a fun weekend get away

image via destination360.com

Taken above the city of Reno

My first impressions of The Peppermill was that of just what it now claims to be, an upscale resort, quite the departure from the strip portion of S. Virginia there in Reno which is in some areas dank and dirty and unchanged in years and just what you might expect for an older casino strip that has been around forever, and in where in spots you can begin to see that they are trying to spiff it all up and add a bit of polish to it to compete with Vegas. It seems to be designed to resemble Ceasar's Palace but with it's own unique flair. As we drove in there was columns, large stone statuary and the ever present in larger resort hotels, fountains and indoor lighting used to light the valet area. As we entered the hotel check in area, marble flooring, shades of pale rose pink, terra cotta and gold and giant screens pretty much everywhere you look with high definition screens with beautiful moving scenes and photos from all over the world. That portion was a bit of a departure, in my mind to the over all theme, but still quite beautiful in comparison to the standard art work or non stop logos found in other hotels. Our check in was swift, even for a Friday night and we quickly made our way to the elevators and up to our room, the whole way glancing at these moving artworks. 

As we entered the room, it was beautiful in shades of cream, champagne and gold. The tv was on, again beautiful images playing upon it and set to a radio station playing much to my delight Frank Sinatra. Our view? Our room overlooked over the pool area, the spa, steak house and night club. It was gorgeous... busy, but gorgeous in shades of terra cotta, rich blue from the water and deep rich reds of the seating, and as the sun was setting, the lights made everything sparkle. The view expanded far past the roof tops to make it possible to gaze upon the surrounding mountain tops.

 Once we were settled and freshened up, we went down to find something to eat. There was a lot of wonderful places to eat, but we chose to go to one of the more casual bistros there at the Peppermill by the name of Biscottis. It being nearly 9 p.m we simply wanted something light to eat, so we ordered a lovely cheese plate, a salad for myself and a sandwich and salad for hubby. As Biscottis is centered around having a wood burning pizza oven, the cheese plate came with grilled bread, the bread and turkey on my hubby's sandwich, also the shrimp on my salad were all prepared in this oven creating a wonderful flavor profile. Once eating our fill of the above, we headed out to do a little bit of sight seeing of the hotel and found the non smoking slot area as well as the Fireside Lounge ( of which I shared with you from my trip to Vegas when we went to the Peppermill Fireside Lounge there) , to partake in a cocktail before returning to the slots...we did not do very well, up by 20 and then lost the 10 invested.

Settling into our comfy room, and after snacking on a cookie we bought before returning to the room, we turned in for the night. Unfortunately sleep was hard to come by since there was not as good of air movement as we are used to here at Muse Cottage ( we sleep with standing fans aimed on us) and so it got a bit stuffy. The next morning red eyed from lack of sleep and the exposure to cigarette smoke in the bulk of the casino area, we awoke to room service and a wonderful breakfast set up for us in front of the beautiful view of  the pool. My husband had the cinnamon french toast and I had the fresh apple danish.  There was fresh coffee, real cream and fresh squeezed orange juice. After a leisurely breakfast and taking my time to get ready, we headed out for a day of adventures.

First stop was to a short portion of Virginia St. just about a mile up the street was a delightful retro dress shop by the name Dressed Like That. I had been wanting to visit Cynthia's shop for at least two years now as soon as I discovered it was in the scheme of things so very close. I was not disappointed. Greeted with a warm smile and hello and hugs exchanged, I was delighted to poke around this adorable pin up clothing store. There was something new at every turn and so much eye candy. In the end, I bought three blouses, from various brands, including Heart of Haute ( see link on side bar of web version) some Suavecita grooming spray, a pair of gloves and an Elvis wallet.  After a few photos and some goody byes, we headed out for the next portion of our day....Virginia City.

We had been there about 5 years ago and really enjoyed the fun western environment, the historic buildings and general enjoyable, easy going feeling. The drive is beautiful and a quick trip from Reno. The first time we visited we knew we wanted to take the 30 minute round trip steam train trip to Gold Hill and then back, so after a yummy lunch of grilled cheese and avocado sandwich for myself, and fish and chips for hubby, at the Mustang Ranch cafe and a stroll up and down the main street we headed out to the train depot. It was such a fun and interesting little trip, filled with amusing commentary, wonderful scenery and history of the mining area we were seeing, it is worth the 10.00 per person and is truly a must for any visitor.

 Once the ride was over, it was back to Reno and our hotel. We once again freshened up, as it was only a few degrees cooler than Reno up in the mountains, a sponge bath was much needed. We made reservations and headed to supper at Romanza . A short stroll from where the elevators were located we were greeted with a mimic of the rest of the hotel, statuary, shades of pink, gold and lush greenery. As we were actually guided to our seats it unfolded to be so much more, semi secluded high back booths in a deep salmon color, drapery, columns reaching to a faux sky filled with puffy clouds and twinkling starlight and floral arrangements all glowing by the table top candlelight, it was truly one of the most romantic restaurants that I have ever been in, lending I am guessing to the name. Italian food was the theme of the food, and the menu would make a foody swoon! Fresh house made pastas, breads, risottos and polenta offerings as well as a nice selection of appetizers, seafood and meat dishes. My husband ordered crab stuffed shrimp with the house made pasta and a creamy lemon sauce, for myself I had the panceta wrapped bay sea scallops served with a lobster asparagus risotto... and as a special treat I ordered the house Bellini that was made with peach sorbet, rum, red wine and persecco....  it was AMAZING...wonderfully refreshing on a hot day! Hubby had the Chianti and it was quite yummy as well. As it had been a very long day and we were tired we retired early to our room, enjoyed the perks of room service, ordering a bottle of sparkling wine to be delivered to our room and watched the Olympics until we turned in. 

As the sun rose on another day, and it was time to check out, we headed out, and ate breakfast at Ihop, and started out on our drive home. We did make some stops at a couple local wineries on the way home, to pick up some bottles for our wine cabinet and made it back before supper.  All in all, other than the red eyes, a cold I happen to get and lack of sleep it was a pretty good weekend getaway and I hope one day to repeat it. Now to look forward to our trip in September! 

As seen from the front of Biscottis in a near by bar.

image is via google search

Day 2

*dress in first few photos Sara USA

accessories all but shoes and pearls are vintage

Second dress is Lindy Bop 

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If you are a crafter, seamstress, business owner with a retro theme interested in collaborating or sponsorship, or a local photographer interested in doing a retro theme shoot,

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