Happy Birthday Mr. Shanley!

October 28th brought me back to Napanock for another Truth Traveler hosted event celebrating the 137th birthday of James Shanley.
The Shanley Hotel has become a home-away-from-home for me this year. I can't help but to feel at ease here. Yes, there is some anger, sadness and frustration felt here, but I have never felt fear or threatened.

This time I was joined by my beloved. It was his second time there and after "sleeping with a non-fleshie" he decided that we are not staying in the bordello overnight again. After poking around a bit, he decided on the Blue Room. According to the Shanley Hotel website. "The Blue Room, also known as the Eleanor suite, it is spacious and sunny with four windows and beautifully hand stenciled floors. It is furnished with a queen size canopy bed." Yes, I felt like a pretty-pretty para-princess! Tell me you wouldn't if you slept in this room. Go ahead! He had a great nights sleep.

I opted out of investigating the hotel as a whole this time, I focused more on the Gentleman's Quarters. 

At one point of the evening, I did pop out to investigate the old post office located across the street behind the building I refer to as "Creepy Palace". 

I took many photos but few were worth posting because there are so many windows making for a lot of reflections. 

I did get a LOT of feelings around the property. For me, it was anything but a pleasant stroll in the moonlight. The best way for me to describe it is it was like walking in to an emotional mine-field.  Sadness. Fear. Depression. Panic. Oppression. Secrets. Hardly the words one would normally associate with a post office is it? I think there is a story embedded within (and under) those walls.

My beloved left at 3am to beat the blizzard. Yes, what happened the next morning was not just some freak snow, it was an all out blizzard! It took him nearly 9 hours to complete what normally takes just over 4 hours. I was worried about him and was relieved to hear he made it home safely. I had my OWN journey to make... from Napanoch, NY to Gettysburg, PA!

Wish me luck that I don't freeze to death. I packed a sweatshirt for an autumn evening... not a snowsuit for an Alaskan Adventure!