McMinnville, Oregon UFO: Festivals and Hoaxes

Oh, many years ago. A little chapbook type thingie I put up on Lulu.com It's free. What the hell. McMinnville, Oregon UFO: Festivals and Hoaxes

More Trent Circus Theater

The blog that I won't link to but everyone knows what I mean -- you know, those verbose guys who love to perform UFO street theater (albeit on-line, and in their blogs) -- have another post on the world famous 1950 Trent UFO sighting. (Yamhill County, McMinnville, Oregon.) This time the theory is the Trent UFO photographed was not a UFO, but a side mirror from a Ford. I can't stand it. (Comments are definitely worth reading.)

Related link:
Trent Trickster Three

McMinnville And Floating Cows: When Is A School Bus Not a School Bus?

     How's that for an opening title?
     There is much that precedes this dream which I'll write about soon, involving a woman I've known for more than twenty years whose immediate family has had -- and continues to have -- UFO and alien/entity experiences. Her experiences go back to her childhood. We met yesterday to talk about these things, and more, and the visit was chock full of synchronicity, among other things.
     Last night I had the following dream:

     I'm a block or so from work; school hasn't started yet, kids are on their way, walking towards the school. I see the principal a few yards away, we say hello. I'm saying hi to the kids when suddenly, I feel ill. I am really sick! I want to go home but don't think I can because I took Friday off (my personal day) and it would look suspicious to everyone if I also took Monday off. How convenient, she's sick, humpf! kind of thing. But really, I am sick. I'm debating what to do when I see one of our substitutes. I ask her if she's able to sub for me, she says sure. I explain what others might think but it's too bad; she says "I can tell you're not feeling well, don't worry about it."

     So instead of walking home or calling my husband to pick me up, I walk over to the bus to take the bus home. Taking a bus isn't something I'd normally do. The bus is a city bus -- public transit -- but it's a yellow school bus. We all know it's not a school bus but a public bus.

    I get on, ask the female driver if the bus goes to "11th and Chambers" she says "I think so." I think to myself "You think so? What kind of bus driver are you?" but I'm feeling ill so I just get on. It's not far, how could the bus not go to there?
     I ask about the fare; she tells me it's seventy-five cents. I put a dollar in expecting change. She tells me there is no change; they're not set up for that. So my fare is a dollar. Fine, I shrug, and sit down, right by the door and behind her.
     Instead of the bus turning and going in the direction of my house,  we're going down a street I didn't know existed. Now, this is one of my dreamscapes -- an alley like place, except to the west, is the ocean! A narrow street or alley like road, small houses on one side, a low stone wall that's falling apart, and the ocean! Often times the ocean spills over and there is water on the road.
     I panic a little; where are we going?! The driver goes by a familiar corner and I assume she is going to turn down and go around, back to my house, but instead she gets on the freeway! I see a sign right away: McMinnville, and within ten minutes, we're there. In reality, McMinnville is about an hour and a half from where I live.
We drive through McMinnville. The streets are flooded, the bus can barely make it, it's floating on water like a houseboat. We pass by a street with a small bridge overhead -- lots of stone and tile, all different colors. There are huge cows floating in the water. Some cows are pink and green. They're having fun but some are a little scared. Some try to scramble up the walls but slip. There are a few people there in the water as well.
     All this water and the cows seem normal. McMinnville in the dream is quaint and full of old timey buildings and colorful lights. Lots of hills with buildings perched askew.
     While I'm fascinated that this is a short cut to McMinnville, I am also scared because of the water, the cows, and I'm still lost. All I want to do is get home.

     McMinnville of course is the home of the world famous May 11,1950 UFO sighting of Paul and Evelyn Trent. Paul Trent took two photos of the flying saucer that appeared over his farm.  To this day the sighting remains a mystery; despite the antics of UFO debunkers, it has not been proven to be a hoax. The annual McMinnville UFO Festival, held in May, is in memory of that famous sighting. (Google Trent UFO and you'll find plenty -- here's something I wrote some time ago for Tim Binnall on the attempts of some in the UFO Theater to further confuse things: The Trent Trickster Three.)

Dream Moods: Your Dream Symbol Interpretation: Bus To dream that you are waiting for a bus indicates a temporary setback in achieving your personal goals. If you miss the bus, then it indicates that an aspect of your life is out of control. You need to slow down and map out a new plan. If you get on the wrong bus, then the dream indicates your fears of making the wrong choice and going on the wrong path. You are conflicted between what you want and what others want for you. To dream that you are riding a bus implies that you are going along with the crowd. You are lacking originality and control over where your life is taking. To dream that you are in a bus accident suggests that it is time for you to move away from a group setting and venture out on your own. You need to be more independent. To dream that a bus is driven into water refers to an emotional journey that involves several people. To dream that you are paying a bus fare refers to the price you are paying in order to please others. ~ Dream Moods

______________________________

Dream: UFO on Truck, I'm a Boy

Image source: Public Domain.net

The general oddness of the subconscious mind. Here we go:

I'm eleven or twelve, and a boy. It's a different decade, maybe late nineteen fifties, early sixties. I ditch school because somehow, I know a huge truck carrying a retrieved flying saucer is going to be coming down the alley behind my house. I don't know how I know this. I just do. I also know no one else in town knows about this.

Hanging around the narrow alley, and finally, hear the rumble of the truck. This truck is very long, and everything, from cab to bed to the three flat, oval cylinders on the bed, are steel, or chrome colored. Sticking up from the middle oval is a huge round thing. Sort of like a Ferris wheel. This "wheel" is the flying saucer.

The truck is driving down the alley to avoid taking the streets where it might be seen. Yet, no effort is made to completely hide the UFO. In fact, it's a sort of "in your face" act -- any questions about this strange object, and we're told it is a Ferris wheel. Of course, it isn't, and most of us know that, including me. 

The truck barely fits into the alley. I have to flatten myself against the backs of houses and fences, and there's only about a foot between me and this fast moving truck. As it turns -- there's a curve towards the end of the alley -- the truck's back end, the third section, starts to swing out and almost crushes me. I don't care, I want to get as close as I can to this thing. I want to touch it. I figure if I have to, I can just dive down onto the ground and roll under the truck bed.

Afterwards, I get caught by the school, and the principal, a male, who is extremely authoritarian, is furious with me for skipping school. He tells me there's no point in my lying because he has me on camera, waiting and watching in the alley. Turns out this man has put up surveillance cameras all over the town and has been watching everyone for years.

As dreams do, there's more, but not sure if the rest is part of the above dream, or different dreams. Part of what came later had to do with school and a principal, but unrelated to UFOs. Interesting about the time period, and the gender change! The only thing I can relate this to is that I am  preparing a presentation to a class of sixth graders about folklore in the context of "unexplained" stories, including UFO tales, (Trent photos, McMinnville, etc.) as well as Bigfoot.

Revisiting the Tempest in a Teapot: McMinnville UFO Photos Faked. Again.

UPDATES: lots of comments at the Bragalia blog, to be expected, but one thread I find interesting concerns the boy on the ladder photo. Which, according to some, was not taken by Trent... and so, this iconic story continues as the mystery it is. Nothing proven to debunk or that shows definitively, that the Trent photos were fake.

Were the famous McMinnville UFO photos fakes after all? The iconic snapshots nothing but a hoax? Does this mean it's curtains for the annual UFO Fest in McMinnville, Oregon? Speculation from The Bragalia Files: MAKE-BELIEVE IN MCMINNVILLE: FAMOUS 1950 UFO PHOTOS FAKED? says it could be so.

After all this time, it's almost impossible to determine if the photos are of a genuine UFO, or simply fakes. The evidence presented by Bragalia is only speculation surrounding the facts: a photo of the Trent's little boy, on a ladder under the wires where the spaceship was seen, and photographed. The fact the Trents were "repeaters" -- repeat witnesses. But that last bit; the "repeater" label, doesn't prove anything either way. Many UFO witnesses (myself included) are "repeaters." Some of us have had encounters going back to childhood. Granted, Bragalia comments: "As Jerry Seinfeld might say, “not that there’s anything wrong with that” but then puts a judgement on how a witness should respond to a sighting. Referring to Mrs. Trent, Bragalia writes:

...but when you combine her prior UFO interest and prior sightings, her later sightings, her family discussions about UFOs- with the fact that Mrs. Trent reported being the first to see the photographed UFO- it is Mrs. Trent who should have been given more attention when investigating the photos. Paul finally got his wife a photograph of one of her coveted UFOs. She was certainly one darn lucky “repeat witness.”

Then there's the note, sent to Paul Trent, with Bragalia's oddly gender specific observation that it's in "male writing." This note was no doubt written by a close friend, Bragalia tells us, since said friend used his initials. From that we are to infer note writer and Trent were close friends, and the note itself? Hints that the whole thing was a hoax.

Finally, we have the over the top classist assumptions about the Trents and the community of McMinnville in Yamhill County Oregon. Phrases like "farming folks", "farm boy" and this description of "simple farm folk" pulling one over on them there city slickers:

“Fun” during those times, in that kind of place, may have encompassed playing around with a new camera, wanting to outwit the city folks, involve the family in some UFO entertainment and satisfy a wife’s saucer interests.

The Trents never were paid for their photos, or anything else concerning the UFO images. When the Trents wanted the photos returned in the 1970s, this was because, Bragalia speculates, they wanted the "accrued value" of the images.

 This is not the first time Bragalia, as well as his associates, have attempted to expose McMinnville as a hoax. I wrote about that for UFO Digest in 2007. Revealing a third, "lost" Trent photo, we were promised, sort of, a revelation. Turns out the whole thing was a hoax. Er, that is, not McMinnville, but the third lost photo. McMinnville, at the time of the Trent sighting, was an active place for UFO sightings. More than fifty years later, that area is still a little hotspot for UFO sightings. Whether or not the Trent photos were fakes, well, we still don't know to this day. This recent speculation is just that, interesting, but certainly not proof in any way that McMinnville was a hoax.

Further reading:

• The Trent Tempest
• The Trent Trickster Three
• Still a Mystery, and a Big Question: The Trent Farm/McMinnville Oregon Case
McMinnville, Oregon UFO: Festivals and Hoaxes Saucer Gossip: A Bit of History and Silliness About the Trent Case

Crop Circle Dream Memory: Beep!

A very strange dream last night, involving giant granite -- and specifically red granite -- structures, including a ten story statue, Buddha like, yet more samurai in appearance. At one point in the dream, I said to the people i was with "I could have sworn that stature moved!" and it turned out it had. The statue was living and the ruler of the realm. This realm was clean, mostly made of stone but not uninviting. Everything was large. Wide paths, high stone walls and large sprawling buildings. Everything made of stone. Not jewels, such as rubies and emeralds but granite and similar rock. Rough in appearance and even touch and yet there was a warmth to everything. Weird, strange, but a comforting feeling. It reminded me of this dream about Bigfoot. As in that dream, this dream was by water; large man made lakes and pools of beautiful water. Aside from the moving statue and so much more, there was a crop circle in this dream.

I woke up. Still in bed, I was remembering the dream. Trying to recall every detail. The dream was so ... weirdly cool. I was remembering the crop circle part of the dream. This is what I had dreamt:

There's a large, beautiful and intricate crop circle. We're all amazed and wonder at how it came to be. It literally appeared, not over night, but over a few minutes. One moment we were looking over at the large field where there was no crop circle. Turned our attention elsewhere for a few moments. Turned back, and there, was the crop circle. Huge and intricate.


Then a group of skeptics come along. They're loud and arguing and demand that we listen to them. The crop circle is a fake! They shout at us. And to prove it was a fake made by man to fool us, they throw little pods of dirt on the crop circle. These pods, the debunkers smugly tell us, contain a chemical that "exposes" the fakery, and bright yellow squares will show up within the crop circle. The yellow squares are proof the circle is a fake.  So they thrown the pods on the circle, and stand back, big stupid grins on their faces, waiting for the proof that will reveal how fake the crop circle is.

We wait and watch. At first, the yellow squares begin to pop up. The debunkers are overcome with joy. Ha! they say. But a few moments later, the yellow turns red, then other colors, then "over rides" the crop circle. In other words, the "proof" the skeptics  have shown us hasn't proved a thing. In fact, the "real" crop circle takes over, obliterating the debunker pods. 

The skeptics are mad and embarrassed. Most of all, they're baffled. Confused. They can't understand that the crop circles are real and have an as yet unexplained source that transcends prosaic explanations.

So I'm in bed, awake, savoring this dream and remembering it so I can write it in my journal. At the moment I get to the crop circle image and memory, I hear a loud, single, and very specific "beep" inside my head. It was so vivid, loud and not a "normal" sound (to be heard inside the head) that I sort of jumped. It was a definite mechanical sound.

I've had this beeping sound before, usually in the morning, when I'm awake, but still in bed. And in connection with ... anomalous things.

What this means, no idea. But as I've written before about this, and others as well, (like Daily Grail's and Dark lore journal's Greg Taylor) this beeping could be what we hear of the source of these manifestations that are of a metaphysical nature.

Previous posts:

On The Orange Orb:
• Beeping Connections
• On the Frequency: Owls, Beeping and Radio Voices
• Dark Magic and Crop Circles
• Nahua, Age, and My Green Electric Self
On my blog Frame 352: The Stranger Side of Sasquatch:
• Beeping Creatures
  Responses to Beeping Creatures
  MoMo
  More About Beeping
• Bigfoot in Australia, Kind Of. . .
On my blog Mothman Flutterings:
• Mechanical Voices, Aliens and Mothman: Shared Source?
• Mothman on the Telephone
Outside links:
• Greg Taylor: Her Sweet Murmur
• My post on UFO Mystic: Mini Report From McMinnville: Chirps, Trills and Wasps

Triangle Manipulations

This is a pic of a drawing I did a few years ago of the giant triangle UFO I saw several years ago in Dexter, Oregon. I was just having fun with some computer manipulation of images. I did the little sketch in pastel crayon, than played around with the color, etc. on the computer.

The triangle sighting I've posted about before on-line; briefly, it goes like this:
Outdoors at a large gathering in a rural area in August; about five of us standing under a small tree, something, don't know what because there was no sound, made me look up and I saw the huge triangle. No lights, but the shape was definite, and blended in with the night sky. It was still light-ish, not yet totally dark. The triangle blocked out the stars, etc. so you could see a giant triangle shape of dark blue something, not sky, and the surrounding sky was a bit lighter, with stars, etc.

I told everyone with me to look up, they did. We made silly jokes about missing time and checked our watches (there wasn't any) and we just stood there, looking at it. We even commented that we should go tell people, but we couldn't move. Also, sound seemed muffled. Cris and Mark Bales, who had an incredible triangle sighting in Idaho and gave a great presentation on their sighting at the recent McMinnville UFO Fest, said that it was as if a giant blanket had been placed above them. That explains the feeling well.

The triangle left; it just zoomed/slid off, very fast, and very silently. How something so damn big can move so fast, and so quietly, ... very weird. As soon as the thing left, that ears stuffed with cotton ball feeling was gone, and we felt our normal selves again. That sense of apathy and physical sluggishness was gone.

We told others what we'd seen. Just about everyone thought it was interesting, the owners of the property were almost jaded, saying they see stuff like that "all the time around here."

One person was very rude; off the wall rude. He actually, literally made the "you're crazy" motion with his hands; I mean, who does that, as an adult? Then he made a comment about how much beer I'd had; when I told him I hadn't had any beer, since I was the driver, he then said I was smoking too much pot, or on something, for sure. No to all that as well. So then he just said I was lying. Okay, that's when I got pissed off and called him on his calling me a liar, which made him mad, and he walked off.

Anyway. The triangle sighting was different in many ways from other reports; it really wasn't visually as dramatic. It wasn't even black. And no lights. But it was still something else, indeed.

With Help From My Friends: Bringing Down UFOlogy

I try my best to stay out of messes within the UFO field; all those who attack and insult others have no business doing so, and I've long ago decided not to address those who do so to me. It's all just non-productive flaming and very sad. (Even while Ive tried to stay out of things, it's amazing how often I get e-mails from others who want me to get involved; even though I had nothing to do with whatever thing it is they're upset about. When I decline, I'm often dragged into it anyway. Astounding.)

However, now and then something comes up that must be addressed.

The thugs at UFO Iconoclasts and their mirror blogs have decided that I, yes, simple, little ol' me, is "destroying UFOlogy." They haven't quite heaped all the credit on me however, it seems that Lesely Gunter and Alfred Lehmberg are also co-contributors to the downfall of UFOlogy.

The smug arrogance of such an idea -- that anyone or thing can "bring down" UFOlogy is so fantastically hilarious it doesn't need to be addressed.

Really, I don't care what else these bozos have to say, except for the fact they have slimed on over that line from mere opinion to slander and libel. Here's what they have to say about me, and my co-conspirators in bringing down all of UFOlogy:

They gather ideas from others, either stealing those ideas or bifurcating them with gossipy innuendo and a mental haze that puts their psychological well-being into question.

They are UFO Destroyers because they degrade the phenomenon with their ignorance and wholesale purloining of ideas that others generate about UFOs.

Specific examples of this "stealing and gathering" or "purloining" along with arguments to support their allegations are not to be found. They just state it as fact, without backing it up. This passes for UFO commentary these days?

It's amazing to me how others in this field continue to support and hobnob with these jerks. Remember, Rich Reynolds, presumably the leader of this odious pack of drooling jerk-wits, is responsible for the very illegal and heinous crime he perpetuated on Lehmberg some time ago. Reynolds is also a shrink, (he says) which is literally frightening.

Sure, they've made fun of me in the past, insulted me, -- for some reason, they can't stand me, and that's their right. No use at all in responding or defending.

This is a bit different though, since they're accusing me of stealing. Call me a woo, a kook, a fruitcake, nothing I can do about it. We're entitled to our opinions. Call me a liar or a thief, and, while I won't defend myself since there's nothing to defend, I am going to point it out to others.



I also have to wonder why they see fit to mention my name, if I'm a nobody, which I happily admit I am. (As one commentator said on their stinky little blog, he's never heard of me -- or Lesley.) I just do what I do because I really like doing it. (Oh, and there's the part about me trying to figure out what it is I've seen and experienced; missing time, UFOs, silly things like that.) So what do they care what I have to say? I see contradictions zipping about in their thesaurus loving brains. Why be bothered about me at all? Are they really so bored as well as insecure that they think for one moment I, or anyone else, can destroy UFOlogy? I don't know if I should be insulted or honored. After all, that's some awesome crown of power to wear! Just think, me, with the help of my friends, bringing down UFOlogy all by ourselves! Pretty groovy. I like it!

So watch out, I am now giddy with power. That, combined with my penchant for stealing, which clearly means I have no morals or ethics, and the fact my "psychological well-being is in question" there's no telling what I might do! I'd be very careful if I were you out there; you're dealing with a mad woman here. Any day now, I can just see it. . . UFOlogy will be brought down! Destroyed forever! Bwahahahaha!

BVM, e-books, the dangers of Bigfootry, esoteric women,

On UFO-Mary I have several new posts, including one on the Mexican edition of Playboy magazine, with it's Virgin Mary like model on the cover. Just in time for the pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

I've been experiencing a few synchroniciites related to the image of Mary, as well as Goddess energy in general. It's not surprising to find that when ones attention is really directed at something; UFOs, what have you, the synchronicities appear!

Chris Holly is a new contributor to Women Of Esoterica. Her first post is a ghost story; visit Women Of Esoterica and read Holly's, as well as entries by Kithra, Richelle Hawks, Lesley Gunter, Karyn Dolan, Farah Yurdozu, and myself.

Snarly Skepticism; also the unofficial JREF Watch, I just decided, has an entry on the dangers of Bigfoot research. Yes, dangers. The harm Bigfoot research, and just a "belief" in Bigfoot, must be told! Beware!

Usually my Trickster's Realm column for Binnall of America goes up on Monday, but recently things have been changed around a bit. So my column won't be up until Thursday. I write about the Darklore, Volume II that just came out. Speaking of, it'll make a great gift! You can find out about ordering information at Amazon.com or the Daily Grail site.

It's been snowy here, which I don't like. It's wet, it's cold, what's the point? Fortunately I don't have to go anywhere these days; I"m off for winter break for three weeks. So I'm cozy in my house, trying to work on various writing projects.

And speaking of writing projects, visit my Lulu.com storefront. I plan to have a few more things available -- some for free -- in a few days.

I was going to be on the X-Zone radio show but still sick with some cold/throat thing. I'm much better but my throat still hurts and I sound like a frog. I'm sure in a few days I'll be fine, and will post the date when I know more.

---

Read about juicy McMinnville UFO-gossip here!

Musings From The Orb

New post at Mothman Flutterings: Car Weirdness and Mothman Tuggings. It's a little strange, but then again, it is called Mothman Flutterings . . . also a new entry from me on UFO Magazine's site: Bissfull and Willfull, Apathy and Ignorance.

Jim has a new gallery/section on the Yessy site: his new Cosmic Series. Some very exciting things happening with all this activity surrounding his art, including UFO and paranormal stuff. More to come on that later . . . but I'm very excited about it!

The more I think on my own UFO experiences as well as the UFO phenomenon in general, the more I'm convinced it's all a huge mash of various things that boils down to esoterica indeed. . . and the people who are stuck on nuts and bolts or one or two cases or theories are just utterly missing so much. . . and the ones who sneer or even if politely, dismiss this side of UFOlogy for "giving UFO studies a bad name" and so on are, well, stupid but I wouldn't say that . . but so wrong ... and that sounds arrogantly self assured doesn't it?! . . . I know we're all of different temperment and come from different backgrounds and then there's our own political and relgiious biases and views that color our perceptions but if we agree that we have to go where the data takes us... dahlings! It's taking us right smack in the deep midst of some very crazy esoteric stuff! Let's get real and deal with it. . .

Still liking UFO Mary even though it's lonely there so please visit the blog. . .

Danille Lee is the newest contributor to WOE . . . Women Of Esoterica . . she's been posting very informative and detailed items on ghost hunting. . . this isn't the usual ghost hunting stuff either, her perspective is refreshing. . .

Looks like things will slow down a bit at Binnall of America while Tim is on vacation in California, so no new Trickster's Realm or any of the other great columns but be sure to take a look over there anyway so catch up on past columns and podcasts.

Loren Coleman has the IRS hasslsing him about his Crypto Musuem; they don't seem to get it... although Coleman's take on it is very polite and reasonable...you can make a contribution, no matter what amount, by clicking on the logo at the top of the blog here, or visiting his site CryptoMundo.

And while you're at it, if you're able to, donate a little something to places like The Black Vault, and The Daily Grail, or Book of Thoth, or any of the other great Fortean/paranormal and UFO sites that gives us news, articles and podcasts, for free, on a regular basis.

Visit my place on Associated Content/People's Media; this one actually pays, kind of, sort of, depending on the number of readers. I have two articles on the Trent, UFO event there. Click on the banner at the end of this post to get there.

Nick Redfern on Coast to Coast tonight! Awesome, what more can we say?

Reading Dolan

Jim on the left, Richard Dolan on the right

“What kind of crazy monkey wrench shit is going on here??!!”

Said my spouse, Jim, as he's reading Richard Dolan's UFO's and The National Security State

Jim was familiar with the book,(but hadn't read it, til now) and, as is usual, gets most of his UFO book info from me like this:

Me: (reading something or another) "Holy shit! Jim, listen to this!"
Jim: (as he's painting or watching the game) "Wow, I have to read that book when you're done!"

After our visit to McMinnville for the UFO Fest, Jim settled in to read Dolan's book for the first time. He can't put it down. I love it.

Going Under

I started a thread on the Book of Thoth forum on aliens. Specifically, “intelligent, invisible” aliens. I’m very sure about the intelligent, invisible part, not so sure they’re aliens from space. One thing I do know for certain; they’re not human.

I asked, in the thread, if anyone has had similar experiences to mine regarding these “aliens.” I described what I’ve experienced a few times: the powerful knowing that these entities (and they always “appeared” in multiples, never just one, but a small group) were present. Each time thinking I was going crazy, until others confirmed it, without me saying anything.

Interesting responses, including from Jeremy Vaeni’s comments. Jeremy has a column in UFO Magazine, and creator of the film No One’s Watching: An Alien Abductee’s Story. Jeremy interviewed me for UFO Magazine (Grilling Regan Lee, April issue) and asked me, as he did in the Book of Thoth forum, why don’t I say I’m an abductee? I responded that I can’t say I’m an abductee, since I don’t recall anything about aliens (never seen one) (well, not quite) (ah, the chimera like state of UFOlogy!) or being taken, or probed, etc. So how could I say I’ve been abducted?

In the thread, Jeremy asked me if I want to know. Why don’t I go under hypnosis, for example.

Why don’t I want to be hypnotized? Wouldn’t that be easier than going the very long and convoluted route I’m going?

Why do I read book after book after book on UFOs and related phenomena? Aside from being a flying saucer junkie, what purpose does it serve? It seems I’m doing everything but simply saying: “Hi, my name is Regan (“High, Regan”) and I’ve been abducted by aliens.”

I just can’t do it. I don’t know that I have. It seems ridiculous to say I am just because I could have been.

Dr. David Jacobs said a couple of things at the recent McMinnville UFO Festival: he said that close encounters aren’t random. And neither are repeated sightings, or even the far off sighting, sometimes. I’ve experienced all of those. That sent chills up my spine.

Maybe I live in the Nile; denying the obvious. I mean, how much does a girl have to go through before she says “I’m an alien abductee” ? Two episodes of missing time, intelligent invisible aliens dropping by, several UFO sightings, including ones involving precognition, close encounters. . .

I say I want to find out what happened to me, and yet I’m doing everything except “go under.”

Maybe I’m scared to death. (If so, why? But there you are. I’m a big chicken.) I don’t trust hypnosis, I’m not sure why. Or even what I mean by that.

And am I being a hypocrite by encouraging others to tell their stories, and urging researchers to include all the data, not just the data they like, while I sit back here and balk at “going under?” (Hmmm, maybe the phrase “going under” has a surreal-Freudian-Jungian-poetic-subconscious-don’t-go-there connotation I don’t want to deal with.)

For now, I guess I’ll stay with working my way through the piles of UFO and related material I have strewn about the house, writing about UFOs, blogging about UFOs, and dreaming about UFOs. Yes, I had a dream the other night I was abducted, but in the dream, I didn’t remember being abducted -- just the part about missing time! Even my subconscious won’t go there with me.

In the meantime, I would like to hear from others about their experiences -- or just thoughts -- on the “intelligent, invisible” aliens. If you’d like to share, go over to the Book of Thoth forum and join us.

The 8th Annual McMinnville UFO Festival Mini Report

The 8th Annual McMinnville UFO Festival in McMinnville, Oregon. The festival happens in the small town of McMinnville every year, McMinnville being the home of Paul and Evelyn Trent. Paul Trent snapped two photos of a UFO he saw flying in the sky above his farm in 1950.

Last minute cancellation had us scurrying with little time to get up to McMinnville, and we didn't bring a camera (damn!) I forgot my cell phone, and we trusted the vague directions on the web site. 1-5 indeed! For anyone leaving the Eugene area, do not take 1-5, which should seem obvious, I do know. Oh, and another obvious point: don't travel during rush hour. Nothing like being stuck -- stuck! as in dead stopped -- on the interstate! We were in Portland before we realized we were way off, but since my husband's a maniac (thank god) we took a lovely rural road through Newberg to McMinnville. Next time: take 99W. Direct, simple, there you go. Okay, you probably don't want to hear about my near panic attack stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, and how I've turned into a hick living here for 30 years and now think of po-dunk Eugene as the big city,

We get there about 6:00 pm, no time to eat, and our blood sugar is dropping by the second. Check into the delightful McMenamins Hotel Oregon and walk a short block to where the conference speakers: Peter Robbins, Peter Davenport, and David Jacobs, were speaking.

The room seemed packed. It was good to know you could order a slice of pizza and a glass of that great McMenamins brew. (My favorite is the Ruby Ale, he likes their Hammerhead.) We hadn't eaten since noon; blood sugar going down fast. The pizza helped, but we both needed real food. The constant sound of the ancient cash register clanking every few moments was a distraction though, hard to hear the speakers.

First speaker, Peter Robbins, who gave a very thorough talk on the death (murder) of James Forrestal. Robbins was articulate, his research solid. I was interested, being very familiar with the Forrstal story. But as my husband said -- who wasn't familiar with the story -- it was boring. I have to agree; unless you had some background into the topic, it would be hard to see exactly what it had to do with UFOs. For the context -- a UFO Festival -- the choice was a poor one. Even I found myself getting impatient, and I was interested. Don't misunderstand, I thought Robbins did a good job of researching his material. I just don't think it was a good fit for this particular venue.

By this time it was getting late, and, despite the slice of pizza, we were both hungry and tired. David Jacobs was next, and he was very engaging. He was funny and his overview of UFOs in pop culture, leading up to the abduction phenomeana, was an excellent choice for the festival. We left towards the end, and so I didn't get to hear the last of Jacob's presentation.

I enjoyed Jacob's but wonder at his conclusions regarding the Contactees. He dismissed them as charlatans, and while he was funny doing it, I wondered at his easy rejection. Jacob's has said in the past that, as a history professor, he approaches the UFO phenomena from that perspective. That makes a lot of sense to me. While I don't agree with Jacob's on the abduction phenomeana (because I don't know what to think) I understand where he's going. Given that approach, why doesn't Jacob's see that there's something more to the Contactees than just a bunch of kooks?

Back to the McMenamins Hotel Oregon. Most of the rooms are just a room, bathroom down the hall. There are some rooms available with bathrooms, but those were booked long ago. Thank god the bathroom (very large, with showers, etc.) was right across our room. There's free Wi Fi, always a good sign. If you sign up for the UFO Festival package, it includes dinner and breakfast (good food), tickets to the speakers, two glass tumblers with the UFO Festival logo, and silly and fun bobbing things to wear on your head (yes, of course I wore mine!) There were also book displays, including Peter Robbin's collection of vintage UFO books and comics, a masquerade ball, and the alien parade the next day.



The McMennimmin's do beautiful and charming work; they retain the original features of the places they buy, and add their own touch. If you live in Oregon, or visit, try to explore one of their places. (The McMenamins in Troutdale is amazing.) Doors and walls are painted with original paintings of local artists. Many of the paintings, quotes painted on the walls, murals, etc. have to do with the history of the place. For example, two of the paintings on two of the doors are of Mrs. Trent, surrounded by her rabbits, looking up at a UFO, and one of the reporters who first wrote about the case.

Later that night we went one of the four bars inside the Hotel Oregon. It was much quieter there and the only people there were Jacbos and Davenport and several others at a long table. The next morning at breakfast Davenport came down and sat in the booth next to ours. We hadn't signed up for the full two day package, so didn't attend the morning panel. I would have liked to have stayed for that, but being it was short notice we had to get back to Eugene.

As rushed and crazy as it was, and despite the "doh!" moments, like no camera, etc. it was well worth it. We both plan to go next year, and this time sign up for the full two night package. And sign up early!

Edited to add: We reserved a room (no bath, those are already booked for next year!) for two nights. See you there next year.

McMenimins UFO logoimage source: http://www.ufofest.com/ufofest07/

Peter Robbins:
http://www.jerrypippin.com/UFO_Files_peter_robbins.htmC

McMinnville UFO Festival:
UFO Fest.com
http://www.ufofest.com/ufofest07/

UFO Fest! McMinnville, Oregon

Summer seems to be the time for UFO Fests around the country.

The 8th annual McMinnville, Oregon UFO Fest is this weekend. (May 18-19) The festival takes place in McMinnville, home of the classic 'Trent Farm' UFO event in 1952.

I'll be able to make it this year and I'm looking forward to it. A last minute cancellation happened, so we were able to book a room, which means I'll be able to attend the talk by Dr. David Jacobs Friday night.

I'll be blogging those two days about the event, with lots of images to share.
For information on the festival, including schedule of events, visit:
http://www.ufofest.com/ufofest07/