Blood before beauty

What in the world was my Great Aunt up to?

This mansion is so vast and there are so many rooms to explore, but something just seems different in them.  I keep getting glimpses from my childhood, as if I remember being here.  Then I swear there are little tricks in each of these main rooms.  Almost like, puzzles?

I found two lovely cats while walking about trying to discover what I could about Lady Lenore.  I always love running in to cats; it makes me miss my furball at home.  The pair seemed mischievous and seem to like hiding things.

Apparently my Great Aunt must have known me more than I know, because she obviously understands how much I enjoy mysteries.  These almost felt like they had been crafted just for me.  In the end I had to decide, do I accept the inheritance or do I walk away?

Long may I reign!

Full picture at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasrinnejem/52164635420/in/dateposted-public/

I have a Great Aunt?

The past few days have been a blur.  When I first got the call from a law firm that I may be heir to a large estate I thought they were crazy.  The things they were saying simply didn't register as being possible.  I have, or should I say had, an estranged Great Aunt, who met an untimely demise.  Not only was she just some estranged relative, she was the great Lady Lenore Lockhart, the genius behind the Eternal Youth brand.

Could all of this actually be true or is this just some elaborate ruse?  I am so intrigued, yet so very anxious.  I managed to run out to get some fashion help before the car arrived...a limousine, for me...can you believe it?!  (I just hope I look like someone that should fit in here.)

What a day...what a place...now to see what is really going on here.

Full picture at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasrinnejem/52141559106/in/dateposted-public/

When at the coast

...one should try their hand at fishing.

Growing up in the desert, I didn't often get to visit the coast.  My father and brothers did teach me how to fish at the watering holes we would travel around.  Stepping out into the wet sand this morning reminded me of those times as a young girl.  I salvaged the pole from this wrecked boat and gazed out onto my memories and the lovely sunrise.

Full picture at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasrinnejem/52075159617/in/dateposted-public/

A Fine Day for a Dive

I've heard about the great Captain Burbridge again.  Everyone thought his treasure had been recovered, but there are rumors that there are still some pieces stashed out in the ocean.  I am going to have to find my way beneath the waves in order to investigate this time, so this morning seemed like a good day to head down to where all the stories are leading.

There is a strange entrance to the water here, in amongst all the rubble, but what about all these warning signs of sea creatures and...wait, did that say mines?!  Well, my tank is full, and I didn't get up this early not to check things out.  Now to see if there is anything to these old pirate tales.

Full pictures at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasrinnejem/52058149948/in/dateposted-public/ and https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasrinnejem/52058165298/in/dateposted-public/

Twilight omelette prep

As twilight falls on the farm, my last chance at smashing eggs has come.  This is what an intense prize hunter looks like *chuckles*

I had a great time this year hunting eggs and keys on the farm.  I wonder what things will look like here next Spring!

Another door opened

My persistence paid off (and all of my bribes to the guards)!  You never know if following age old rumors and stories will lead to an actual find, but this time they did.  The Laird definitely was successful on the High Seas.  Now to see if I can convince the estate to let me keep some of this, or at least donate it to the people that work in the castle.

This looks interesting

I love books; they are truly one of my greatest loves.  Perhaps Molly was the same way.  It also appears she liked puzzles too.  I know all of my MadPea adventures have surely prepared me for this.

Uh, this feels unsteady

I am still not sure how I did it, but I made my way down to the dungeon.  Surely Mary put the key right out here.

Wait, did the floor just move?!

Am I...am I falling?!

Well that didn't go as planned...

I was sure the key was right around that corner.  I really hope I'm not down here as long as the last guy.

Doors and Hedges Galore!

I can't believe how many doors there are in this place.  I was so thankful when I finally found my way into the garden.  Now to see if I can figure out where Morag hid this key...

Off to...Scotland?

Is there any truth to this tale of the treasure of the privateer Fergus MacNaish?  I am off to Scotland to see what adventures may, or may not, await me while tracking the footsteps of the Laird of the MacArthur clan and his brood.

What a surprise!

Everything in that basement was just odd and off-putting.  I had to keep my wits about me though, and unravel the mysteries that would get me home.  Maybe I've been in one too many mystery situations, but somehow I was able to make my way out of that basement, only to be met with a blinding light and lots of loud voices and noise.

Had I died?  No, thankfully.  I was greeted with the shouts and cheers friends.  This had all just been a ruse for a birthday party!  They were so proud of themselves for surprising me, and I was just in shock.  I know I like mysteries folks, but maybe next year we can just go to a restaurant?

As always, you can find the bigger picture on my Flickr.

Where am I?

 I went back home feeling a bit better after I talked to my friend about the letters I had received.  She said it was nothing to worry about.  And then the doorbell rang...

I don't remember much after that except waking up in this cage.  I managed to figure out the lock, but now looking out more clearly at the scene before me...who has done this to me?  What is going on?!

As always, you can find the bigger picture on my Flickr.

Winter's Delight

 ...or is it despair?

I've started receiving letters from a secret admirer.  Who are they, and how did they figure out who I am, much less where I live to deliver letters to me?  I'm feeling a bit jumpy as I walk toward shadows now, wondering what may be in them or right behind closed doors.

Another Day, Another Missing

 

I sat in the lobby of The Silent Peacock Hotel as the rain poured down outside.  Guests usually came and went despite the weather, some trying to shield themselves from the damp with newspapers held overhead.  But now the hotel was closed, and here I sat.  It was the stories in that same newspaper that led me here, on yet another case to discover why people had gone missing.  The key in my hand may have been shiny, but the outcome of investigations like these were rarely bright.

Go, do

I have spent the day traversing the grid hunting down odd creatures who are trying to wreak havoc on the lovely places the Moles have built for us.  But how do I get to this adventure?  I thought perhaps I could sit down, kick up my feet, and simply enjoy the silence of a break from adventuring; but that just isn't me.  I can't just sit idly by and do nothing for very long, so I found some new adventuring clothes, strapped on a pair of boots and set out.  I don't want my life to pass me by; my paradise is out adventuring, and so I set out, lantern in hand, ready for my next challenge!

Where will your adventures take you?

I went in search of adventure, but I wasn't sure where it would take me.  The land and trees and flowers were lovely, but they just didn't seem like the right thing for me today; and then I stopped here.  I paused to look ahead, hoping I could see my next adventure in front of me, but when I turned around, I had to consider, was my next adventure behind me?  Should I take to the air, or perhaps a sail on the sea?  Was the dolphin beckoning me to the waves, or the wings of the birds pointing to a cloud I should see?

Small adventures

I have been having a bit of fun today with all kinds of little adventures here and there.  I got trapped in a bunker and thought I might end up like the resident I found inside, but luckily made my way out with some cleverness.  I also got trapped in a cabin, which seemed much more cozy than that awful bunker, but it had all sorts of hidden surprises too.  At some point today I also pretended I was a secret agent on a special mission that ended in a transportation hub.

I've spent the rest of the day lounging about trying to discover what I can about some secret game.  Part of the fun has involved me listening to some tunes on my CD player and feeling a bit like a kid again with my big pink headphones and lounging clothes.

And the winner is...

Awards season is in full swing, and it is up to my company to deliver the envelopes for the big winner of the night.  It's important for members of the security staff to blend in for the event, so a change of wardrobe was in order for the night.

I had to be extra careful not to muss my gown as I visited each sponsor to pick up the envelopes and learn the nominees.  I better hurry, the clock is ticking!

I've heard that the night will be full of wonderful sights of celebrities and flashing lights, but look at all of the beautiful things I saw on my trip today.

 

 

 

 

In the end, with all of the nominees revealed and the envelopes in the briefcase, I arrived just in time for the ceremony.  I've never seen so many cameras!  I couldn't help stopping in the midst of all the flash bulbs.

I may have looked pretty and unassuming in my gown, but even when a twist occurred at the last minute, the ceremony was amazing, and the winner looked so thrilled.  It was an amazing night!

That voodoo that you do

The diary mentioned a Voodoo Queen, perhaps I should go to her for help?  After my long day in the bayou, I headed back to Cole's to clean up, rest, and get a fresh change of clothes.  It wasn't hard to find the Queen's house, but would she be willing to talk to me?  All of this voodoo stuff has been difficult to fathom, and I'm not sure what meeting some sort of high priestess will entail or expose me to.

As impress as her house was, the woman was even more so.  Luckily for me, she had knowledge of some of what was going on, and was willing to help me, but it meant that I would have to delve into voodoo myself.  That part was worrisome enough, but what would happen to me summoning a loa?  I didn't have time to think, I had to find my brother and save him.

Nothing could prepare me for what I would witness today.  My brother possessed, his captor in grave danger, and those creatures from the shadows I had seen in the bayou were all around us.  I've seen so much since I arrived in New Orleans.  So many odd things.  And yet, I have made it this far.  I won't let this scare me, I will save Cole, and perhaps Ada too!