New Release

 The Masked Rider and The Hidden Hollow Hotel

What started as an innocent errand turns into a zany adventure for the Westins as they travel to the little town of Hidden Hollow. Bad weather and a wagon accident plague them before they even reach their destination. When they finally arrive in the drenched town, they’re greeted by a handful of people who begin acting strangely.

Holly faces uncooperative hotel staff, misplaced brothers, and murder. Can she keep her sanity while she cares for waylaid family members? Can she figure out why there’s a Hawaiian god in town throwing out curses that stick? What this place needs is a visit from the Masked Rider, but how can the Masked Rider hope to protect the Westin party from malicious forces before another of their group is targeted?

Buy Hidden Hollow Hotel

 

SIMS 3

 

For all you SIMS 3 fans...check out the fun challenges & playthroughs from LADY ASTRID.

 

Wells Family Legacy

She played 20 generations before she started recording,  so there's an entire episode of backstory explaining what previously happened with the characters. It's a matriarchy (until it's not!).  The unpredictable chaos is a hoot to watch unfold.

 

Ghoul School Challenge

This is a Halloween challenge created by another Simmer (CONCAT_PLAYS). It's a 30-day challenge set in a spooky gothic house. I did this challenge last year (twice) and it was so much fun (although not easy). The player chooses a supernatural character who shares the boarding school with 6 other supernatural students and a headmistress. Then your student has specified tasks to complete in order to graduate.

Lady Astrid's character in her Ghoul School is Dagger Malone, a werewolf. The trouble that boy gets into day by day is a riot!

 

Cozy Episodes

Then there's the Cozy Royals. These episodes follow the everyday lives of Leela Wells (who was a spare heir down the matriarchal line in Lady Astrid's Wells Family Legacy). Leela's grandchild is Brook who's married to Eliot Wells. It seemed like Lady Astrid's intention was to have a cozy, calm atmosphere but we all know what happens to the best-laid plans!

 

Another fun challenge is the Stepford Challenge.

iKaySims posted a fun play on this challenge -

very creative and well worth watching.

 

Halloween Month

October has arrived and Halloween is just around the corner. Due to the unseasonably warm Midwest weather, we were able to wrap our balcony lights in comfort this year.

Pictures to follow in the next few days!

A – Z Cities with Mysteries – Real & Fictional

 

Zurich, Switzerland

Queen of the Night Cactus

 

The Swiss botanic center in Zurich showcases one of the world's largest and most important collections of succulents.

During the summer, visitors are treated to a special nocturnal event: the rare bloom of a cactus dubbed the "Queen of the Night". Each flower blossoms for just one night per year and is withered the next morning.

The Queen of the Night is a spineless cactus with aerial roots and large fragrant flowers. The large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers have a heady, sweet fragrance (think chocolate & vanilla scents) and are pollinated by hawk moths.

A – Z Cities with Mysteries – Real & Fictional

 Yamagata, Japan

 

Snow Monsters

The juhyo effect is a sustained cycle of ice accumulation that changes the scrubby fir trees into towering surreal oddities of snow and ice.

This unusual natural phenomenon occurs on the tip of Mount Zao every winter from late December to the middle of March. Harsh Siberian winds travel across the North Japan sea and the western plains of Yamagata. They batter the wooded mountainside. The freezing winds drop two to three meters of snow on the ground and glaze the fir trees with freezing condensation.

Zao Onsen ski resort is one of the few places where spooky snow monsters appear mid-February.

Alpine trees bombarded with heavy snowfalls and icy winds grow into tall, monster-like creatures.

 

 

 

A – Z Cities with Mysteries – Real & Fictional

 

Xi’an, China

Xi’an Confronts an Unusual Challenge: a Surfeit of Ancient Tombs

China wants to protect its historical relics from new urban development projects. But that’s no simple task in Xi’an — a city where imperial tombs are seemingly everywhere.

In 2013, archaeologists in the city of Xi’an made an incredible discovery while conducting surveys for a new road-building project: a 1,300-year-old tomb belonging to one of the most powerful female politicians in Chinese history, Shangguan Wan’er.

Shangguan had served as the de facto prime minister to Wu Zetian, China’s sole female emperor. But after Wu’s death, she was killed in a bloody coup, and her final resting place had remained a mystery for centuries.

Despite decades of research, archaeologists in Xi’an still haven’t located the tombs of several emperors, let alone those of many other historical figures who lived in the city.

 

Follow the story 

A – Z Cities with Mysteries – Real & Fictional

 

Wiltshire, England

The home of Stonehenge. Archaeologists believe it was constructed from around 3000 BC to 2000 BC. One of the most famous landmarks in the United Kingdom, it is owned by the Crown.

 

This prehistoric monument was built by a culture that left no written records.

Several scholars’ theories about its function:

A burial site

A ceremonial site

A religious pilgrimage destination

An astronomical calculator to mark the seasons

A place of healing

A final resting place for royalty

 

 There is no absolute evidence revealing the construction techniques used by the Stonehenge builders.