Ghost tour of the French Quarter New Orleans & The Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, LA

I have been wanting to tour the Myrtles, an historic and allegedly haunted plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana for years, and we finally did so recently.
Unfortunately, the current owners only allow photographs to be taken in the foyer at the beginning of the tour, but fortunately for us, my family caught several very interesting photographs there in the middle of the afternoon.
I don't know if I will ever have the guts to stay the night in the main house B&B, so this may be as close as I ever get to witnessing the hauntings at The Myrtles.
Below are 3 photos I took that show what seems to be an apparition appearing right in front of me.  I quickly snapped, for no reason I was aware of, 3 photos of the same doorway.
In the first photo, you see the door, and to the right of it there is a buffet table with a statue on it and a gold framed mirror above it. I believe the dark blur to the left of the doorway is the camera belonging to the person standing to my left.

Then in the second photo I took, you start to see an orange light appearing on the right side, in front of the buffet table.

Then in this 3rd photo, you clearly see the door and the buffet table, with just a hint of the black statue on it. What can't be explained, is the flesh toned apparition to the left of that, at about eye level to me, as well as the dark area behind and to the right of it. Everything is clear except for the apparition and the area around it. The edge of the mirror would have been on the top right of my photo and can't be seen. I can't tell if I'm seeing the profile of someone, a man maybe? with a beard? and his shoulder/chest area...?

What do you think?

Below, is a photo my son, Shaun, took of an orb coming down the stairs. If you zoom in, it's blurry around the orb and clear everywhere else, except in the foyer where it looks like there's sunlight kind of blurring things. But the stairs were clear, except around the orb. I don't want to claim ectoplasm in the foyer since it could be sunlight.

We also took the Haunted History Ghost Tour of the French Quarter in New Orleans one evening.
The most interesting photo was taken by my son, Ryan. He took a picture at the infamous LaLaurie house, of a window through the arch above the courtyard door.

At first glance you don't really see anything, but when you crop the photo, you can see a light apparition looking out of the window. First we made out the tuxedo jacket, and then we looked closer and noticed that the head was a skull. When my son Shaun googled "LaLaurie mansion skeleton butler", we found out that it is a known legend, and many people have taken photos of this apparition. This was the first time either of us had ever taken photos of an apparition. Usually I get orbs, mostly at night time and usually at Christmas family get-togethers. I caught strange light anomalies, ectoplasm? at the St. Louis cemetery No. 1 in the daytime, which was a first for me.

Here's a cool photo my son Shaun took in Jackson Square. On the right side you see a planter with an orb in front of it. Look at the lady to the left of it. Her arm and purse are blurred. The rest of the photo is clear.

This was a fun, exciting trip. We enjoyed the tours and would love to do it again. New Orleans is always a great place to visit, and we never get to stay long enough, which gives us an excuse to return - especially for the beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde!!

The History Of Mothers' Day

The Untold History of Mother’s Day

Story by lbutterworth

Published on May 12, 2012 in Read

Photo by Cerrito Rose

Greeting card commercials and overpriced bouquets may be the hallmarks of Mother’s Day, but this American tradition was actually launched by the feminist and pacifist ideologies of two determined women.

The idea originated with activist Julia Ward Howe (you may know her as the poet who wrote the famous “Battle Hymn of the Republic”). After witnessing the destruction of the Civil War, Howe, a staunch suffragist and pacifist, wrote theMother’s Day Proclamation in 1870, calling women to come together to rally for peace. “Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and patience,” she wrote. “As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.”

Despite Howe’s persuasive prose, Mother’s Day didn’t take root until more than three decades later, after a long and tireless campaign led by Anna Jarvis. Jarvis grew up watching her mother, Ann Marie Jarvis, a pacifist activist, hold Mother’s Day Work Clubs on sanitation in the hopes of lowering the infant mortality rate, and Mother’s Friendship Day events to unite sparring Civil War loyalists after the war. When Ann Marie Jarvis died in May 1905, her daughter vowed to create a day of recognition. Anna’s efforts started in earnest in 1908, and in 1912, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution declaring Mother’s Day the second Sunday in May.

It didn’t take long for corporations to realize what a cash cow this new holiday was, and cardmakers, chocolatiers, and florists quickly capitalized on Mother’s Day sentiments. Anna was appalled by the corporatization of her beloved cause, and spent the rest of her life fighting it, to no avail. “A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world,” Jarvis said, according to the book Women Who Made A Difference. “And candy! You take a box to Mother — and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment.”

As you celebrate your mother this weekend, take to heart the origin of the holiday and pay tribute with a heartfelt gift that’s more than just lip service.

Lisa Butterworth is a writer and editor soaking up the eternal sunshine in Los Angeles. When she's not on the hunt for the latest and greatest in girl culture as the West Coast editor of BUST magazine, she's flea marketing, taco trucking, and generally raising a ruckus.

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/the-secret-history-of-mothers-day/?ref=fp_blog_title