The next step

I'm trying to stay mentally positive as much as I can, a few days ago I had a bizarre dream about gnomes... something like I was driving with a couple friends in the car, and there was a gnome on the side of the road. I mentioned it to them and they laughed and didn't believe me, and refused to look back. Whenever I start feeling that way I just have to root myself in my activities to keep focused and not start thinking too much about things I can't control.

Today I was outside and heard like what I would call a "squeak" or some vocalization, but it struck me as being different than normal animal sounds like squirrels. I was in the driveway and heard it two or three times, and it's tough to know the direction when you can't see through the trees. It probably lasted a total of 10-15 seconds and that was the end of it. Every time I hear something like that I get shivers because I know something is there but I can't see it, and something about it is just off..that's the only way I know how to explain the feeling. Much like the old fashioned "It's quiet...yea, too quiet" sensation.

I wish I could predict this stuff each time it happened so I could be sitting there with a recording device, but obviously that's impossible. It can be frustrating nonetheless.

I'm thinking of the next most logical step to take in dealing with this, whether it's trying to collect more video and audio, or interaction again..hopefully not where my items get stolen. Next time I leave something out I'm going to be securing it somehow.

It's gone

Well, I go outside this morning to check out the clipboard and notice that it's totally missing. Along with the bench being pulled down on the far side.

I walked back a little from it and took another photo.

I've looked all around this area trying to see if it's halfway covered in the leaves, or if it's lying nearby and there's not a trace. It's surprising but not quite what I was hoping for.

The clipboard

As mentioned in a previous post I am trying something new, this evening I placed a clipboard on a bench with a simple note...in hopes that something will use it to communicate. Now my first feeling is that the chances are very slim but it's a different approach, so I'll see how it goes.

I took some photos:

(The note that will probably not be understood if something ends up finding it)

(A view of the area around the clipboard)

Also notice that it's a neon green color to make it easier to spot if it gets moved or ends up on the ground. I'm going to be checking on this in the morning, fully expecting nothing to have changed but optimistic with the possibility. I also have been debating all day in my mind whether or not to leave out a camera all night...but finally decided that in order to do that I would have to leave it out, risking it being taken. Secondly it's not great at picking things up at night (as in some of the youtube videos), and thirdly the presence of a recording device is a major deterrent to anything that is conscious of being seen. The goal in this case is to make these things comfortable enough to interact with the clipboard.

Changing of the seasons

Since my last update I've done two audio analyzations with neither of them containing anything out of the ordinary. I was very careful about not accidentally looking over any sections and was very thorough, unfortunately things like that do not happen on cue and the time I captured sounds may have been an extreme case of luck. Either way I am not deterred in my efforts to keep trying, and am planning on using new methods that I'm working on that involve coaxing interaction (like the paper/pen method).

I have taken some photos of the forest to show the seasonal change compared to the winter-like scenery before in my videos. It's really thick and the ticks are out in full force.

(This is the area right beside the gravel driveway)


(This is about the same location the whistle I heard came from, behind this treeline.)

(Downhill in the direction of the ground tunnels that I've shown in the videos.)