Road Trips

No more blog--see me on Facebook!

2010-07-22T10:48:00.001-04:00

Sorry to keep forgetting to do this, but I decided Facebook is better than a blog for my trips (the pictures load so much faster). If you'd like to see and read about our trip out West in the summer of 2010, look me up! SockMonkey Tucker

Asheville NC

2010-01-10T14:24:00.003-05:00

We decided to head up to Asheville at the start of Christmas break, because DJ had a few days off, it had snowed up there, and we wanted to see the Biltmore Estate. We started seeing snow around I-26 exit 14, and it increased with every mile. There was a good bit at the NC welcome center, and lots of other tourists were in the snow, taking pictures and throwing snowballs. It's funny (and sad at the same time) how Southern adults act where there's a bit of snow on the ground.

Here I am, hanging out in the snow. It was cold!

There's a neat little place in downtown Asheville called the Early Girl Eatery. It was quite tasty. So much so that we ate there twice while we were in town.

Yes, this is what you think. Ashlynn got another sock monkey. She found him in the gift shop at Biltmore, and Ashlynn had a fit! Angel gave in and forked out the cash. I have to admit he's a nice guy. We're collecting more monkeys and sock monkeys than we know what to do with!

Another Hockey Game

2009-11-19T19:01:00.002-05:00

November 6 was the weekend for our annual trip to Raleigh. On our way to see the Toronto Maple Leafs battle the Carolina Hurricanes, we had to make a stop at one of SC's most unusual places--South of the Border. Now for those of you who haven't stopped at SOB...WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! This is by far one of the coolest things along the stretch of I-95 from Florence to Harleyville. OK, so it's essentially the only thing along that route, but seriously, it's a historical landmark. (At least it should be.)

As a child, Angel used to beg and plead for her parents to stop there when they were traveling, and sometimes they would. What a bizarre place!

Look! Ashlynn and I are both wearing sombreros!

We made it to the game, and guess who was there?! SANTA!

The Canes have a great stadium, and the fans are awesome. BTW, the Leafs won! Hooray!

On the way home, we had to stop in at another of SC's treasured places...Maurice's BBQ! There's one at Exit 98 now, and the girl welcomed us by saying, "Welcome to Maruice's. Our sauce is a mustard-based sauce. Would you like to try some?" I let her know that I was no tourist and am very familiar with his sauce. In fact, is there any other type of BBQ sauce? Maurice might be a little confederate-crazy, but he makes some darn good BBQ!

Shiloh Battlefield and The Great Smoky Mountains, July 21 and 22

2009-07-22T20:39:00.005-04:00

We left Memphis and headed toward Shiloh Battlefield, site of a very bloody Civil War battle in April 1862. Angel seems to have planned this trip around "civil": Civil Rights, Civil War. Anyway, on the way, we saw something interesting in a cow pasture outside LaGrange, TN (not to be confused with LaGrange, GA).
We stopped and looked closer, and realized it was deer grazing in the field. Pretty cool!

We made it to Shiloh National Military Park, and since all the cannons and monuments start to look the same after a while, I'll just share one with you.

Ashlynn as Johnny Reb...

... and as a Yankee. She's "snacking" on hardtack. It's kind of like a big, thick, hard saltine cracker. Minus the taste.

I guess we're a house divided.

There's an "active" (is that the right word?) cemetery within the park, and this has to be the most redneck headstone I've ever seen.

More deer! These two didn't seem too bothered by us, but by the time we got up to where they were, they had made it back to the woods.

Indian mounds within the park.

After Shiloh, we drove on to Flintstone, GA, which is just outside Chattanooga, at the base of Lookout Mountain. We spent the night at Angel's cousin's house, then headed out the next morning for the Great Smoky Mountains. These turkeys were the first animals we saw in Cades Cove.

But it didn't take long for us to find deer! We ended up seeing about 6 by the time we left the park. They're redder than the deer we have in SC, and have darker places on their faces.

And then we saw what we had been hoping to see--a bear! She was walking through the woods with three cubs. Ashlynn was so excited!

Here's a picture of one of her cubs.

And here we are with Ashlynn heading out of the park. It sure was a great day! We spent a lot of time in the car driving around, but it was loads of fun!

I thought this was a neat sign. We aren't staying in Pigeon Forge though. We're in Sevierville, which is only a few miles up from PF.

Tomorrow: Dollywood!

Miles driven July 21: 360
Miles driven July 22 (including all through the GSM National Park): 210
Total miles driven: 1861 (hey--that date was the start of the Civil War!)
Total license plates seen: 31, plus Quebec and Ontario (finally saw it!)

Maybe it was Memphis... (July 20th)

2009-07-20T21:08:00.004-04:00

We headed back to downtown Memphis today. Ashlynn wanted to go watch the Peabody ducks travel from their nighttime, rooftop home to the fountain.

Not really sure, but I don't think the Peabody statue dogs really liked having me around. It would have been nice to have a plaque or sign giving some information about these guys...you know, like WHY they were there in the first place in that silly stance. You can't tell from the angle of the picture, but Ashlynn wants you to know that they are not neutered.

And here we are by Duckingham Palace, nightly home for the ducks on the rooftop of The Peabody Hotel.

Don, assistant Duckmaster, guides the ducks toward the elevator.

When he asked if we would like to ride the elevator down with the ducks, we couldn't say "Yes!" fast enough. Ashlynn was so exited!

Angel had planned to video the ducks walking from the elevator to the fountain, but wouldn't it be Murphy's Law that her batteries died before that could happen. By the time the new batteries were in the camera, the ducks had made it to the fountain.

Seen these guys on Food Network?

Angel's plate: BBQ spaghetti, baked beans (thickened with BBQ sauce and bits of pulled pork), and pulled pork smothered with Neely's sauce.

No, she did not finish it! There was definitely enough left over for supper...it was a BBQ overdose kind of day.

The Pink Palace Museum. Some really rich guy started building the house, but then ran out of money, so he gave it to the city to turn into a museum.

Seems to be a theme of this blog to take pictures of me with some skeletal cousin. We did this in Dayton last year.

And one of Angel's favorite things to do...dangle me from things. Good thing this guy's extinct; if he wasn't, I sure would be by now!

This was Johnny Holiday, the Holiday Inn mascot for many years.

This is Lorriane Motel, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. He was staying in room 306, on the corner behind the wreath. That's where he fell after he was shot by James Earl Ray.
The motel is operated as the National Civil Rights Museum.

There was an ice cream truck by the motel, of course benefitting from all the visitors, and this little puppy belonged to the ice cream man. Angel and Ashlynn immediately fell in love with her--just look at that cute pink and black nose! Angel came really close to asking if he would be willing to sell her (she was found in a park only 3 days prior), but figured that DJ wouldn't be too happy about that, so she resisted.

Well, we've enjoyed walking in Memphis, but tomorrow we head East toward Chattanooga. Back to the road!

Miles driven today: 42
Total miles driven: 1291
License plate count: 24 (almost halfway there!)

Memphis, July 18th and 19th

2009-07-19T19:27:00.005-04:00

The best free view of Graceland!

Shh! Don't tell anybody, but I wrote on Elvis' wall at Graceland! I just had to show my love for Stripes!

Here I am with Ashlynn at the Memphis visitor's center downtown. We had to stop for a map to the zoo since Angel left her's at the hotel. She could have done a better job taking the picture, seeing as how you can't see the 'I' made from a guitar and the 'S.' I guess if you want something done right, you should just do it yourself.

We made it to the zoo! I think it first opened in 1906.

I do love having my picture taken in front of monuments, especially if they have the name of where we are printed it.

Even a sock monkey needs to stop and meditate once in a while.

I've posed with many celebrities and important people on this trip. Buddha seemed only too happy to pose with me.

Yet another cut-out face board.
Just call me "Socko Polo." Or should that be "Marco Socko." Maybe "Monkeyo Polo." Ahh, nevermind.

Family reunion! Only my prehensile tail makes me a bit evolutionarily superior to my orangutan cousin.

All in all we had a great day at the zoo. Angel and Ashlynn went to The Peabody Hotel to watch the mallards walk from the fountain to their nighttime home on the rooftop, but I was pretty tired from the day's zoo adventures, so I stayed in the car. They brought me a duck pin though, that Ashlynn was given by the Duckmaster. (Did I ever mention that I got a pin in Oxford?) If they go tomorrow to watch them go from the rooftop to the lobby fountain, I'll go to watch as well.

Miles driven today: 40
Total miles driven: 1249
Total number of different license plates seen: 22 (plus Quebec, but not Ontario, which is kind of strange.)

Tupelo and Oxford, Mississippi--July 18th

2009-07-18T23:29:00.005-04:00

We made it to Mississippi!

First stop: Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis. This is his very modest, very small home.

Here's a statue of the young Elvis, which, being monkeys, we just had to climb.

The type car Elvis and his family had.

Next stop: Oxford, the home of William Faulkner. He is one of Angel's favorite authors. Here we are in front of Rowan Oak, his home for most of his adult life.

A statue of Faulkner at City Hall, which, unsurprisingly, Stripes and I had to climb. If you are surprised, then you are not paying much attention because:
1. We are monkeys. Monkeys climb on things. Hence the prehensile tails.
2. We just talked about having to climb when we saw the Elvis statue. If you missed it, scroll up and re-read.

Miles driven: 327
Total miles driven:1209

Birmingham, July 16th and 17th

2009-07-18T23:17:00.003-04:00

Angel absolutely loves this sign and wishes she knew who designed it, or who thought it was "language appropriate" for the citizens living on the fringe of Birmingham and were the type to dump their rubbish.

"They said I had to go to rehab, but I said no, no no..."

Well, Stripes and I weren't there to be admitted, but to view the unfortunate animals that had been injured and were recuperating.

The bare buttocks of Vulcan.

Ashlynn at McWane Science Center. She got all excited because this was the same dino as Fly-O, the Build A Bear Workshop dinosaur she has. I'm sure you're all wondering why I haven't complained about the BABW pests, seeing as how we've stopped at two BABW stores while in Alabama, but I guess with my new girl on the trip, I've just been distracted.

16th Street Baptist Church, which was bombed in 1963 by members of the KKK.

Miles for 7-16: 53
Miles for 7-17: 115
Total miles for trip: 882

Fitzgerald Museum and Selma, July 15th

2009-07-18T22:49:00.004-04:00

Here Stripes and I are in front of the house where F. Scott Fitzgerald lived with his wife, Zelda, and their daughter, Scottie, for a few months. Scott and Zelda both wrote several stories from here.

Here's a better picture of the house. Only the bottom right quarter of the house is the museum. The other parts are divided into apartments and rented out. Boy, Angel sure would love to rent one of those rooms! Imagine, living in the same house as the Fitzgeralds!

After the Fitzgerald museum, we drove down Highway 80 toward Selma. This was the same route the Civil Rights demonstrators marched back in March of 1963. It wasn't really too long of a drive, but it was a five-day walk for them.

Brown Chapel in Selma. This church is smack dab in the middle of Selma's government housing project.

First Baptist Church. Ashlynn, Stripes, and I are hanging out in the car while Angel takes the picture. It was blistering hot!

Pettus Bridge, where demonstrators crossed on their march. The first time they were attacked by the police, the second time they stopped at the bridge to pray and then turned around, but on the third march they crossed and went into Montgomery.

Mileage driven that day: 140 miles
Total mileage: 741 miles

Montgomery, July 14th

2009-07-14T22:05:00.005-04:00

We spent the whole day in downtown Montgomery! It wasn't anywhere near as busy as we thought it might be, considering it's the state capital. We paid $2 at the visitor's center, jumped on a trolley, and rode around, stopping at museums and monuments all over downtown.

The first White House of the Confederacy, home of Jefferson Davis and his family. It was neat to see so many of the family's personal possessions...including Jeff Davis' own chamber pot! So in the last two days, we've seen the pots where two presidents have "relieved" themselves! (remember FDR's bathroom at Warm Springs?) One of the best things about this museum was that it was FREE!

Yes, this was an actual museum...also FREE!

The three desperadoes!

Learning to be a cowboy!

This is my new friend Coco.

At Chris' Hot Dogs, where Hank Williams loved to come and eat the special chili sauce hot dogs, just like Angel ordered. The waitress was amazing...she would take your order, bring your food within minutes (literally; in fact, it only took seconds for us to get the fries, and they were still ridiculously hot after we'd eaten the hot dogs). When it was time to get your bill, she would just tell you what your total was. She didn't check her notebook, she just knew how much each meal would be, and she remembered what you had eaten.

Look at me! I'm part of the Montgomery Bus Boycott! While we were driving around on the trolley, a lady asked the driver where the original bus that Rosa Parks was arrested on was located. The conversation went just like this (I know because Angel wrote it down):

Lady: Where is the original bus?
Driver: Detroit.
Lady: Why?
Driver: She moved there.
Lady: She took the bus with her?

This was parked in the spot marked for the First Lady at the State House. Later on we saw a very official-looking guy carrying a very official-looking briefcase go over to it and open the back.

By the end of the day, the girls and I were really tuckered out. It was a great day, however. The city of Montgomery is clean, friendly, and full of great sites to visit. While the morning started off cloudy and somewhat cool, the afternoon warmed up to a typical blistering hot Southern summer day. Ashlynn was glad to get back to the hotel and into the pool!

While we only drove about 21 miles today (thanks to being able to take the trolley everywhere), we did a great deal of walking: at least 18 blocks!
Total driving miles is now at 601.
We did not see any license plates from new states. :(

Tomorrow: F. Scott and Zelda Museum (it was closed today), Selma, and Birmingham! Of course, if there's anything interesting to see along the way, we'll stop and check it out!

ANNOUNCEMENT!

2009-07-13T22:59:00.002-04:00

If any of you know me, you know that I'm just like Angel in the fact that I really hate when people type in all caps. So for me to type the title in all caps, it must be a big deal. If you read the blog last year, you know that I hung out with Angel in the front seat for most of our journey. T. Horton, the Canadian BABW moose joined me once we got to Canada, but I was alone most of our journey. This year will not be like last year. While T. Horton is still my BABW buddy (unlike those other spoiled BABW brats Ashlynn has), I will not be the only sock monkey on the trip. I would like to introduce all of you to Stripes, my new girlfriend. Ashlynn got her for Christmas, and well, we've been getting to know each other since then and have grown rather close. I'm excited to have her on the trip with us and hope you enjoy seeing her in some of my pics.

Macon, West Point, Langdale, Tuskegee, Montgomery--July 12 and 13

2009-07-13T21:47:00.013-04:00

Well, so far the trip is going well.

Sunday started off with Jansen's 3rd birthday party in Walterboro,

then off to Georgia for the six degrees of Macon. OK, I guess it was only two degrees, since we were staying with the parents of a friend of Angel's from Savannah. What a nice visit! The girls wanted to sit around and talk with the Prettyman's, but the road was calling, so we were off by 8 am on Monday.

Sunday's drive: 285 miles
State license plates spotted: 16 different states represented, plus Quebec

Monday's drive was supposed to take us straight west from Macon, via backroads, to Warm Springs, GA. Well, then Angel noticed a little, tiny dot on the map labeled "Lifsey Springs" and the route changed. And then the trip got interesting, because Angel got lost. Now, sock monkeys are not the type to stereotype, but bear with me for a minute. Like I said, Angel was lost. We were lost on roads that were not on the map, that's how 'in the country' we were. Serious boondocks. We pull into a little gas station in the middle of nowhere, and there are three people inside: white man, black man, Indian man (not the Native American kind). Guess which one was behind the counter. Guess which one was eating fried chicken with hot sauce (btw, you're wrong on that last one, it was the white guy). Angel tells them where we're trying to go, and the gas station owner starts telling me where we need to turn. She cannot understand a word. The black man seems to sense this, so he starts trying to tell her. He has a lovely, beautiful soft accent, similar to Isaac Leach (those of you familiar with Magnolia Gardens will understand this). Then the white guy jumps in, just as country as can be. You know, the kind that say "right" like "riiiiight." Angel is totally confused, but manages to get a few directions written down. We were back on the road in the right direction. Until she made another wrong turn. This time, however, it didn't take long to find another gas station, so we pulled in to ask. THEN we were headed in the right direction to Warm Springs.

If you don't know, Warm Springs was a home for FDR for over 20 years. He would come down from DC as often as possible to seek relief from polio in the warm springs of the area. In fact, he was in this house, having his portrait painted, when he died in April 1945. It's a really nice little site; you should stop by if/when you're in the area.

We drove from Warm Springs over to West Point, GA, the home of Angel's father's maternal grandparents. We crossed the Chattahoochie River (the same one we tubed down in Helen, GA last summer) and drove around the town, just checking out what it's like now, and imagining what it must have been like decades ago. We even went by the cemetery. Then we crossed the border (which is right at the edge of town) and drove to Langdale, AL to do the same for Angel's father's paternal grandparents. Are you following all that? Of course, you'd be hard pressed to find Langdale on a map, as several small towns were lumped together and renamed Valley.

Of course it would be that one of the first Alabamians we "meet" is a cashier at Wal-Mart, who not only has no bottom teeth, but also has no idea how to add money to the gas/gift card. While she taxes her brain, she's sucking her bottom lip in and opening her eyes really wide, as if these two motions will suddenly jump start her brain. Thankfully everyone else we've meet has been wonderful (and fully teethed, as far as I can tell). The man at the welcome center even gave me a new pin for my shirt. It says "Sweet Home Alabama," the new state slogan. I wonder if they had to get permission to use that, since it always makes me want to break out in song.

We then jumped on I-85 South and headed toward Montgomery. We took a pitstop at Tuskegee to check out the Tuskeegee Airmen National Historic Site, then drove over to Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site.

Airplane at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

The Oaks, home of Booker T. Washington and his family.

Statue of Booker T. Washington on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute

We finally made it to Montgomery and checked into the hotel. If you ever in town, Angel recommends the Red Roof Inn on Carmichael Road. Very clean and excellently priced.

Monday's mileage: 278 miles (total: 580)
License Plates: Only saw 3 new states (total: 19)

On the Road Again...

2009-07-09T17:10:00.004-04:00

Isn't it crazy to think that it's Summer 2009 already? Seems like just yesterday we were packing up and heading to Canada. Well friends, Angel, Ashlynn, and myself are back on the road! The summer of 2009 is dubbed "The Dixieland Whirlwind Tour." We'll be cruising through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina from July 12-31. Here's a bit of what's to come:
July 12-26: Road Trip
Georgia--Macon, Warm Springs, West Point
Alabama--Langdale, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham
Mississippi--Tupelo and Oxford
Tennessee--Memphis, Shiloh, Chattanooga, Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg
South Carolina--Spartanburg
July 27-31: Centri-Kid Camp, Anderson College

What are we going to do in all those places? Well, I guess you'll have to check the blog for updates through each place to find out!

We've already done a few fun things this summer:

We took a harbor cruise around Charleston. There's Ashlynn and me with the Yorktown behind us.

Capt. Bryan even let me steer for a bit!

And here's a few pics from our trip to Bee City with Emily, Abi, and Wyatt. Those lemurs sure are some cool cousins to have.

The girls have also made trips to the beach, gone to the movies, and spent lots of time with friends and family. They're ready to pack up and get going on our road trip though!

Helen--again!

2008-08-09T09:49:00.002-04:00

Getting some ice cream in Helen.

Our cabin was located by Duke's Creek, and Riley had a great time splashing around. Angel and Ashlynn would throw rocks for him to "fetch." He'd bound after them, but of course couldn't get them.

Our cabin. It was a little rustic.

Of course you know I jest. Duke's Creek Cabins are very nice and we loved it. We even had a hot tub on the deck!

Since Helen is only allowed to have one fast food place (Wendy's), we drove over to Cleveland for some McDonald's after our day of tubing down the Chattahoochee. And you cannot make a trip to Cleveland without going to the Cabbage Patch Hospital. You already know, dear Reader, about the first trip we made there. But DJ had never been, so the girls had to take him. It was indeed an experience for him.

I mentioned above about tubing down the Chattahoochee River. Angel, DJ, Ashlynn, and Riley spent the day doing this. I'm sorry to report that we do not have any pictures from this event, because it was really something to see Riley curled up in a tube (it had a flat bottom, not a hole in the middle) floating down the river. The family got lots of comments on it. Riley actually stayed in the tube and had a marvelous time. Many thanks to Cool River Tubing for the day's fun.

We do plan to return to Helen. There's several things we did not get to do that are a must for us--putt putt and gold/gem mining. And we'd love to go tubing again. There's only so many times you can piddle around the town. It's really just a bunch of trinket shops decorated to look like Germany, but the food in town is good and the people were all friendly. It makes for a fun family trip. And the town is quite dog-friendly as well. It was nice not to have to leave Riley behind.

August 5--Lavonia, GA (again)

2008-08-05T22:24:00.004-04:00

Yep, this is where our summer began. Lavonia, Georgia. Ever heard of it? Not unless you've been reading my blog! This is the town where we stayed back in June for the Lifsey Family Reunion. Well, we're back with two new travel companions--DJ and Riley (and Maple, that new Build a Bear Ashlynn got in Canada). DJ and Angel felt it just wasn't right not to do a family vacation, so we're on our way back to Helen. DJ's never been there, so this should be fun. We'll be staying the next two nights in a cabin. We're in Lavonia because we couldn't leave until late today, and there was no reason to drive all the way to the cabin just to sleep. So we're off in the morning to Helen!

July 23?--Charleston Harbor Boat Ride

2008-08-05T22:10:00.002-04:00

So the family went on a boat ride around the Charleston Harbor one evening after returning from the Grand Adventure of the Summer of 2008.

Gotta love the battery!

Even upside down she's the cutest thing ever!

Our favorite thing to see in the harbor--dolphins. There was a lot of them out, but it's really difficult to take pictures and watch at the same time!

A place Angel would LOVE to go and walk around--Castle Pinckney. What's stopping her? For one, it's an island, and she has yet to perfect walking on water. Two, she's been told it's a federal crime to get out there and walk around.
The fort was used during the Civil War, but has fallen in disrepair and disuse since. There's tons of birds nesting on the island, and the shore was littered with pelicans taking a break. Ever seen a pelican dive for fish? Quite impressive the way they dive bomb into the water. Angel never gets tired of watching them.

July 19--Sweet Home Carolina

2008-07-20T21:14:00.002-04:00

Ashlynn loved going through this tunnel coming out of the Scranton area heading toward Philadelphia.

The reason for our trip through Philly was to visit the Mutter Museum. The museum "was founded to educate future doctors about anatomy and human medical anomalies. Today, it serves as a valuable resource for educating and enlightening the public about our medical past and telling important stories about what it means to be human" (http://www.collphyphil.org/mutter_hist.htm). You should check out the website and take the virtual tour. Very interesting. This is Ashlynn holding her new keychain after visiting the museum. It's a nose and when you squeeze it, stuff comes out.

We were supposed to stay in DC with some friends of Angel's, but had to take a raincheck on that because they had to leave town for a funeral. We drove through Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, but didn't stop for pictures at the welcome centers because we were trying to get home before too long. We finally make it to the border of SC ! Home! We stopped at the welcome center to get a picture of the illuminated welcome sign and to use the bathrooms (they're called washrooms in Canada). Guess what we saw on the sidewalk? A palmetto bug (you may call them roaches, but here in the Palmetto State, it's a palmetto bug). How fitting.

We rolled into the drive about 1 am, and just as we did, the light came on to indicate the gas tank was almost empty!

It's been a great trip, but the girls and I are glad to be back home. Thanks to all who have kept up with our blog and especially to all of you who have taken care of us along the way. It's been a terrific and adventurous 37 days.

July 18--Niagara, NY, and PA

2008-07-20T13:11:00.004-04:00

On our way back to the States, we figured it would be ridiculous to drive right past Niagara and not stop.

After a trip to Build A Bear Workshop to find an outfit Ashlynn's been searching for (we did find the scuba suit), we spent a little time at the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum.

Then we found the falls. We visited the American side a few years ago when Angel, her parents, and Ashlynn went to Ohio to visit her Aunt Lyn. This is the part of the falls they saw from the American side.

And this is Horseshoe Falls, the best part.

Here are both falls together. Angel tends to agree, however, with Oscar Wilde's thought on the falls:

"The Niagara Falls is simply a vast amount of water going the wrong way over some unnecessary rocks; the sight of that waterfall must be one of the earliest and keenest disappointments in American married life."

And we're on the way home! The officer at the border was a bit taken back by how much stuff was packed into our car, but we did not have to unpack and go though it all. Thank goodness!

This is one sign Angel never thought she'd be so happy to see!

We made it to Pennsylvania for the night.

We were able to enjoy a Fribble from Friendly's we've heard so much about from Candy and Damon. Very tasty and highly recommended.

July 17--Last Day

2008-07-20T12:56:00.003-04:00

We saw this sign earlier in the week and thought it would make a great picture.

We had supper with Don at Samura's Japanese Restaurant.

Well, the car's all packed for the trip home. Ashlynn's showing how she's got just enough room to sit for the drive. The car did seem to tilt a little to the right.

July 16--Science Center

2008-07-20T12:38:00.002-04:00

This is the Science Center (or should I say, Centre) in Toronto.

Ashlynn raced against this boy in the wheelchair race and won (with a little help from the other boy, who helped spin the wheels faster for her). There was a large section devoted to Olympic games.

Another large section was a "Journey to Mars" exhibit. Ashlynn found that walking on Mars is not as easy as walking on Earth!

I think she and I would make a great team driving on Mars.

And aren't we both so handsome in our space suits?

July 15--Children's Museum 2

2008-07-20T12:20:00.004-04:00

Here we are at the Children's Museum in Kitchener. Ashlynn had a great time!

July 14--ROM

2008-07-18T23:09:00.003-04:00

We made a trip into Toronto to go to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). Ashlynn decided that she loves riding the subway!

Here she is all dressed up like a medieval knight in the children's discovery section of the ROM.

Hmm... we've seen a lot of monkey skeletons on this trip.

Angel, Ashlynn, and DJ made a trip to the ROM four years ago when they came to Canada. Angel has a picture of Ashlynn standing by this same mummy from that trip.

She's a butterfly!

Things you won't see down South

2008-07-15T15:53:00.005-04:00

(Poutine is french fries covered in cheese curds and gravy.)

July 13

2008-07-15T15:51:00.005-04:00

Lazy day here in Cambridge. We did a little shopping, but mostly just hung out. Candy found some of DJ’s Legos from about 30 years ago, and she has had so much fun making trucks, buildings, and other things from them.

July 12—Ontario Place and GBS

2008-07-15T15:34:00.003-04:00

We’re in Toronto for the day. If traffic is moving well, it takes about an hour to get to Toronto (or T.O. as it’s called around here). Of course, this is a tremendously huge city, so if there’s a wreck or commuter traffic, be prepared to hang out on the highway for a while.

Ashlynn fell asleep on our way into Toronto. She's been going full speed ahead for weeks now! She's just "Tuckered" out!

We spent the day in Ontario Place, which is an amusement park. Ashlynn enjoyed the water park play area the best (as usual!).

They’re setting up a new section that will have different things representing cities from all over the world. This one section from Asia is made entirely of plates, cups, and spoons. It’s really going to be something once it’s set up.

Here are the girls with T.O. in the background. That's the CN Tower sticking up like a needle.

This was very similar to the ride at Santa's Village, but had a greater fall. Ashlynn loved it!

Ashlynn’s favorite ride was the one where you’re in a “log” going down a river, then go over a waterfall and have a big drop. This drop wasn’t as big as the one at Disney or Six Flags, but it was fun. Well, Ashlynn was worried about me getting wet, so she wrapped me in her towel and tucked me in Angel’s bag. The first time they didn’t get wet much at all, so they decided to go again. The line wasn’t very long, so it didn’t take them long to get back to the front. Well, there was a group of three girls just ahead of them, and family members kept joining these girls, until there was about 10 people in total. This would not have tested my patience so much except that I was stuffed inside a towel in a bag, remember? Well, they all got to go down the ride, then the two people in front of us got in the log boat and the ride broke. Or at least jammed up somewhere. So our brave three decided to stick it out until it was working again, which only took a meager 40 minutes or so. Where did all this patience come from? Once it got working again, we were the first group to go because the two in front of us gave up waiting on the ride to be fixed and left. We got to the fall, and when we hit bottom, Angel, Ashlynn, and Damon got soaked. Drenched. Saturated. Nearly drowned. It took them all by total surprise, considering how dry they remained the first time down. It took all the rest of the afternoon to dry because it was a cloudy day and because it started raining.

That evening they went to a Great Big Sea concert. This band is from Newfoundland, and they are terrific. Ashlynn LOVES them and was so excited to get to go to their concert. This was really her first proper concert, and it was wonderful. Of course, it rained on them again, but what did that matter now? It was really a great big sea of people, as the Molson Amplitheatre was packed. It was the only time during this trip that Angel has seen such a concentration of nothing but white people in Ontario. Judging by the population in every place she’s been so far (including Wal Mart), Ontario is being taken over by Indians and Asians. Anyway, back to the concert. Great Big Sea plays Celtic-influenced rock music, sea shanties, and Newfie folk songs. There was a super couple beside us at the concert from Newfoundland.

The concert was over about 11 pm, and wouldn’t you guess—there was a wreck on the highway and only one of the three lanes on our side of the road was open. It added almost an extra hour to our trip. Ashlynn slept the whole ride home and had no trouble sleeping in the next morning!

July 11—African Lion Safari

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This is a really neat place. It’s like a zoo that you can drive through. While the animals are in separate, fenced-in enclosures, you are driving through them and therefore must keep your windows rolled up and stay in the vehicle (unless, of course, you want to be mauled by a large feline). Here are some pictures of the drive through the park:

The elephants are brought to a large lake everyday for a swim.

And here are reasons why Angel decided to take the safari bus instead of her personal car. The monkeys can be very destructive—they break antennas, windshield wipers, peel off weather stripping from front and back windshields, and have been known to poop on cars and windshields.

You know, this is not as much fun for me as it is for you.

The elephants put on a great show later in the day after their swim. They really are amazing animals.

At the birds of prey show, Ashlynn was chosen to have a falcon land on her arm. At one point the bird flapped up to reposition itself, and scratched her arm a couple of times with its talons. What a souvenir!

The elephants are brought to the pond each day to swim, then they grab each other’s tails and march in a line through the park back to their enclosure.

July 10—Port Dover

2008-07-15T14:53:00.005-04:00

Our time at Algonquin is over, and back to Cambridge we went. We spent the afternoon hanging out with DJ’s parents and then decided to go to Port Dover, a town on Lake Erie. Angel had pickerel, a fish she’d never tried before, and Ashlynn had clam strips (probably her favorite seafood).

Here's Ashlynn with her feet in Lake Erie.

We drove through Paris on our way to Port Dover, and I discovered that Canadians disdain punctuation as much as Americans.

While in Paris, our friend Don found that a lovely flower basket may make a clever hat.

Flashback to Angel’s childhood—Angel’s mom had one of these growing at the edge of the driveway in the old house in Ruffin that Angel grew up in. Well, one day, Angel was playing in the yard, all wrapped up in a make-believe world. While she cannot recall the reason, she decided that the big flower growing up from the middle of this plant needed to be cut down. So she found something and chopped it down. You can imagine how ticked off her mother was when it killed the whole plant, not just the flowering part.

Ashlynn and I were pretty tired, so we took a rest while we waited for our food to arrive.

July 9—Dorset

2008-07-15T14:41:00.002-04:00

We went to Dorset to climb the 125 steps up the old DEW line tower. There was a fire tower here, but it was torn down and the current tower moved in. While it may be that on a clear day you can see forever, the day was quite overcast and hazy, so our view was dimmed. It would be an awesome view in the fall when the leaves change colors, but I doubt we’ll make a trip up here just for that.

After the tower, we went over to Robinson’s Store. This store is a historic part of DJ’s family. He came up to this area every year as a child to go camping and fishing, and Nana still comes up to this area to stay in a relative’s cabin. She comes to Robinson’s to get the Native-made (they are NOT called Indians up here) moccasins she sends for Christmas each year.

Here's Ashlynn with Bruno Bear and Mickey Moose.

Wildlife

2008-07-09T17:47:00.004-04:00

We may not have seen moose, but we did see a few wild creatures up here.

We saw this painted turtle near the sheep pen at the B&B.

This moth is called the One-Eyed Sphinx.

I believe this is a young American Bullfrog. We saw him at the Beaver Pond.

Chipmunks are everywhere!

These loons were at the pond by the logging museum. It was difficult to get a picture of both of them, because they kept diving down into the water to feed.

Another frog, but it's a different one this time. I think it's either a leopard or pickerel frog.

July 8--Algonquin Park

2008-07-09T17:25:00.004-04:00

This is one of DJ's most favorite places in the world. Algonquin is this massive provincial park that is used primarily for hiking, camping, and canoing. We mostly drove through (it's 35 miles from the west gate to the east gate--and that's at the very narrow bottom of the park. This place is huge), but we also stopped at the visitor's center, museums, and gift shops. We were going to go canoing, but it was drizzly and windy.

I just looked it up, and it's 7,630 square kilometers big. I have no idea what that is in miles.

The museum has a section dedicated to Tom Thompson. He was one of Canada's famous painters in the early 1900s called the Group of Seven. He was found dead in the park back around 1917 and his death remains a mystery. There's monuments to him everywhere up here. It's a very interesting story--I recomed you look him up online.

We hiked the 2 km trail around Beaver Pond, and this is one of the many beaver lodges we saw. Looking through binoculars, we did see two beavers swimming way across the lake, but Angel wasn't able to zoom in close enough to get a picture.

Dam.

Dam. Again. Small, but still holds back the river.

Still at Beaver Pond.

This is Ragged Rapids, and it's so tremendous you can hear the water thundering from pretty far off.

This is Oxtongue Rapids, and it's usually calm enough to swim in. However, there's been enough rain lately to really swell the river and make it too dangerous to splash around in.

This place is so beautiful and wild. There's just mountains, trees, rivers, and lakes as far as you can see.

Here's what we were really hoping to see in the wild instead of stuffed in the museum. There were several sightings of moose, but mostly on the various hiking trails. It's not uncommon to see them as you drive on the main road however.

July 7--Morgan House B&B

2008-07-09T17:14:00.002-04:00

This is the front/side view of Morgan House Bed and Breakfast, our home for three nights. The family that lives here is super nice--Jamie and Pam, and their kids Eli and Sadie. (Angel had an aunt named Sadie. She lived to be about 105 years old. But that really doesn't have anything to do with this story.) The house is powered exclusively by wind and solar power, and Pam makes just about everything by hand. Our breakfasts so far have been INCREDIBLE. As you can guess, I'm a few days behind in writing on the blog. We got here Monday, and it's currently Wednesday. I'm in a little cafe with Angel in Huntsville while Damon and Ashlynn are at the movies seeing Wall-E. But back to Pam. For breakfasts, we've had waffles, pancakes (both with homemade maple syrup), banana nut chocolate chip muffins, strawberries with fresh whipped cream, the best vanilla yogurt ever, and homemade granola.

Pam has three sheep whose wool is sheared (shorn?), dyed, carded, spun, and made into artwork, rugs, and heaven knows what else. It's really incredible. Didn't I already use that adjective for the breakfasts? Hmm, I need a thesaurus. Anyway, this is a really neat place. The family also has three horses, a dog, chickens, two cats (only one of which I've seen inside), and a rabbit. The rabbit hops around the sunroom and is friends with the cat.

July 7--Santa's Village

2008-07-09T16:53:00.005-04:00

Ashlynn, Angel, all the other stuffies, and myself left Nana's house and traveled east to Damon and Candy's house. They're DJ's parents and our next stop on our trip. Damon took us up north to Algonquin Park for a few days. Santa's Village was our first stop along the way. It's in a little town called Bracebridge, in the Muskoka area. Ashlynn cannot seem to say Muskoka, so she calls is Novaskoka.

This is not the real Santa. This is Ricky, our boat captain. One of attractions at Santa's Village is a boat ride along the river. The boat is called "Santa's Summer Sleigh."

You know what they say--If you're not the lead reindeer, the view never changes.

Can you read the sign? It says that we're at the 45th parallel, which is halfway between the equator and the North Pole. What better place to have Santa's Village? I guess Muskoka is the big guy's summer home.

Ashlynn and Damon on the ferris wheel.

The sign says it all folks!

Yes, this is one of Santa's reindeer, but I'm not sure which one.

Roller coasters are great fun. The first time we rode, we got there just before this one was ready to take off. Guess you could say we got there just in the St. Nick of time!

I think she'd look cute with antlers.

They don't let you bear them up here either.

This is the "real" Santa. He enjoyed hearing about how I'm blogging our trip, so since I'm such a good little monkey, he let me sit on his lap for the picture.

July 6--Day 24--Observations

2008-07-06T17:47:00.003-04:00

Like Ashlynn's new hair-do? Pretty nice, huh? She and Angel have been having so much fun on their trip.

They've also been enjoying Nana's cooking, including these Yorkshire Puddings, part of today's pot roast feast. The yummy goodness has also included ginger snaps, cheese straws, strawberry-rhubarb pie (a first for Angel), tons of ice cream and ice cream bars, and chocolate pudding cake.

So here's a few things I've forgotten to report in posts past:

Deer--we saw three of them in fields on the side of road driving to the Toronto Zoo. There's so many farms in this area, and they're growing just about everything up here.

Snails--boy are they everywhere! Remember the pics of Ashlynn from the Canada Day BBQ? We've seen tons of those black and yellow snails. They were all over the trail surrounding the Museum of Archaeology (yeah, that's how they spell it up here). The ones we keep seeing are the Banded Wood Snail.

For years Angel has poked fun at DJ when he has gone off on a tirade about all the things that are better in Canada than the U.S. Well, she's finding out that there are indeed some things better up here. Those things would include:
* Packaged Chocolate Chip Cookies--a company called President's Choice makes them, and it's the Decadent version. Boy are they better than any store brand back home!
* Ketchup--don't ask me why, but it's sweeter.
* Tea selection--where else can we find Prince of Wales and full boxes of Lady Grey?

But there are some things that are not better. Such as:
*Gas prices--right now they're at 1.35 a liter, which is about $5.11 a gallon (there's 3.7854 liters in a gallon)
* Taxes--there's two different kinds. One is 5%, the other is 8%. One of them is called the GST, or goods and services tax. DJ says it's the gouge and screw tax. His is definitely more fitting. Rumor has it that Angel can fill our a certain form, submit her receipts, and get some of what she's paid in taxes back. You'd better believe she's going to do that!

So tomorrow we're off to Cambridge to stay with DJ's parents for a while. As soon as we get there, the girls and DJ's dad are going up to Algonquin Park until Wednesday. Hopefully I'll be able to get an internet connection so I can update the blog, but if not then I'll get lots updated on Wed night. Good night and good luck!

July 5--Day 23--Bridal Shower

2008-07-06T17:34:00.003-04:00

There was a bridal shower for Shanna, who's getting married in August. Usually those are girls only events, but how would I know what to report if I didn't sneak in?

It was a "Sex in the City" themed party. Ashlynn won the SITC book as a door prize, but Angel says she's too young to read it! Of course, Angel's still reading Hemingway's Green Hills of Africa, so it'll be a few weeks before she can get to reading it.

Don't worry--it's just punch. Those are pop rocks on the rim; sounds strange, but it's pretty tasty.

Summer in the pool--good stuff!

And since the water is still cold (remember, the summer's are much milder up here!), it's nice to take a dip in the hot tub as well.

Aaaahhhh, this is the life. Turns out the girls didn't mind me being here after all. It's nice to be loved!

July 4--Day 22--Pioneer Village

2008-07-04T20:04:00.004-04:00

Today's adventure was to the Fanshawe Pioneer Village. It represents early life in Ontario from about 1850. It was an absolutely glorious day! The kind of days we get down South right about the middle of spring. Clear, sunny, slightly breezy, and just warm enough not to be chilly, but not hot either. Just perfect to be outside. Ah, all is well with the world.

Hey! What's a monkey got to do to get a little privacy around here?!

I hate to admit it, but Ashlynn beat me in checkers. She's pretty good; watch out if you ever dare to take her on!

Peek a boo!

This is the earliest structure on the property. It's interesting to imagine an entire family living in this little one room house.

We were driving to the pioneer village, and I saw this and thought, "Dam."

July 3--Day 21--Archaelogy, Chicken, and Soccer

2008-07-04T19:34:00.005-04:00

Terry took us to the Museum of Archeology (you'll notice on the sign that Canadians spell it differently). She worked there years ago and had a great time showing us around.

Of course I had a great time monkeying around the museum!

The posts for the fence are in the exact spot where the original posts were when the Natives put them in hundreds of years ago. Terry explained how they saw the post holes when they excavated the area.

Hope you can read the sign. It gives a short history of the site.

After walking in the main door, you're faced with a maze in order to get inside the village. Terry explained that was a way to hold off any intruders. The Natives would have platforms above the fences, and they could shoot arrows down at anyone trying to get inside.

Here I am inside a longhouse, climbing up to where the sleeping area would have been.

After a tasty supper at Swiss Chalet--that was a quarter of rotisserie chicken on my plate--we went to another of Airy's soccer games.

Guess where the soccer game was? DJ's old elementary school! In fact, all of DJ's cousins went to school here as well. It's walking distance from Nana's house.

What a cutie! She had such a great time playing on the playground, then coming and watching the game for a while, then going back out to the playground.

You'd never believe how chilly it got while were were sitting there! As the sun went down, it got almost cold! Angel should have packed us more winter clothes!

Airy's team won the game by the way. 4-2. Everyone says I brought them good luck.

Wonder if this applies to the kangaroo at the Toronto Zoo? Haha! I know I didn't include it in the pics from the zoo due to it's animal naturalness, but if you'd like a good laugh, email Angel and she'll send it to you!

July 2--Day 20--Wally World

2008-07-02T18:45:00.002-04:00

Yes, National Lampoon fans, we made it to Wally World today. Well, Angel, Ashlynn, and Ari did. I stayed home and kept Nana company. Wally World is the name for the water park out at East Park amusement area. It was only about 80-85 degrees and breezy this afternoon, and that's just not hot enough for the Carolina girls to be at a water park! They were covered in goose bumps! It was great fun. One slide was called The Bullet, and you go almost straight down--Ashlynn was the only one of the three brave enough to try it. As the clouds rolled in, the breeze picked up and temp dropped, but Ashlynn kept on going down the slides! Angel and Ari had to go wrap up in their towels, but not Ashlynn. She's really going to sleep well tonight. In fact, she's been so worn out each night that she's been sleeping in until 9 or later each morning. And if you know what an early bird Ashlynn normally is, you'd be shocked. The morning after the Canada Day BBQ at Shanna and Nigel's, she slept in until 10:15!

The temperature has been so nice here. The first couple of days it was drizzly, but it cleared up by Sunday. It was really hot on Tuesday at the zoo, and it's going to cool down a little for the rest of the week. No wonder DJ's always fussing during the summer about how he wants to move back to Canada! Of course, he doesn't complain during our mild winters when Canada is digging itself out of several feet of snow! But it sure has been nice on this trip. And I guess it's like this most of the summer, because Chris and Terry don't even have an a/c unit in their house! Try getting away with that down South!

This has really been a great trip though. Those two girls have had so much fun. They've gone over to Chris and Terry's almost every evening for Ashlynn to watch a movie while I update the blog (with a little help from Angel, since I lack opposable thumbs). So far she's seen Jurassic Park, The Land Before Time (parts 1 and 2), Oliver and Company, and tonight is Free Willy.

June 30--Day 18--Storybook Garden

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On Monday, we went to Storybook Gardens and Wal-Mart. Can you believe Angel hasn't been to a Wal-Mart in over a week?! She couldn't hold out any longer! Storybook Gardens is a park that has play areas and is themed like a Mother Goose book. There's a number of animals as well. We saw a beaver, otter, horse, several types of birds and ducks, seals, and porcupines.

She's a pirate!

We're making a wish at the wishing well with the Chessie Cat.

Wonder if he'll turn into her prince?

Now you know the reason HD fell off that wall!

What a pretty girl. We climbed all over this large structure made of ropes. It was loads of fun!

I do pretty well on my own, you know.

It's a race, and I am winning!

July 1--Day 19--Toronto Zoo

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Happy Canada Day! The Toronto Zoo celebrated with cake! It sure was tasty!

Chris, Terry, Ari, Ashlynn, Angel, and I traveled to the big city to see the zoo. What a great place! Good thing we saw polar bears in Detroit; they've been moved from here while the new Tundra exhibit is under construction.

But the zoo still has grizzlies!

Ashlynn and Ari with an owl.

And what trip to a Canadian zoo would be complete without a moose?

We're hoping to see some of those next week in Algonquin Park.

But in case we don't, I might have to use this picture over again and claim we did!

So which monkey is Ashlynn?

Good news--the screaming kid from Detroit was no where to be heard! The only memorable stories to tell from the zoo involve a zebra and a kangaroo, both well endowed with, um, well, boy parts. The zebra was causing a loud commotion from the crowd, and Angel didn't feel like violating him by taking his picture at such a moment. And the kangaroo, well, she didn't even notice what all was in the picture until she started uploading them onto the computer. Since this is a family-friendly blog, that picture could not be posted. But here's a few that you can safely view:

Meerkats are Ashlynn's favorite (or should I say "favourite") animals, so she was excited to see them today. Pretty cool, eh?

June 29--Days 17--Canada Day BBQ

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Happy Canada Day (almost)! We went to a Canada Day BBQ at Shanna and Nigel's house on Sunday.

Just like in the states, we had tons of fireworks (many from Hobo Joe's in Walterboro, SC!) and good food.

Can you see my new blue socks? Nana made them for me! Take that all you Build A Bear stuffies (that's Canadian for stuffed animal; I'm really picking up the language, arent' I?)!

I found out how Canadians make firewood as well.

This is Ashlynn with one of her new friends.

Nana, Ashlynn, Terry, and Ari.

Let the fishing begin! Ashlynn was the first to catch one (with a little help from Chris, who cast in her line for her).

Don't worry--there's plenty of fish for everyone to catch!

Here's another of Ashlynn's friends. She did actually make friends with human children, we just don't have any pictures to prove it.

June 27 and 28--Days 15 and 16

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This was the day I'd been dreading. Ashlynn went to Build A Bear and came home with a new bear. This one is pretty neat though. She's got maple leaves printed all over her. She's actually very cute. Her name is Maple. You can't see it in this picture, but Ashlynn has Anna in her backpack sling. And of course Anna got lots of new clothes and shoes. She even got roller skates!

Even Angel got suckered into the BABW allure and came home with a moose. Jonathan (the guy helping Ashlynn stuff her bear) told her the moose was not available in the states and that they were retiring that design and that there were only three left. So Angel couldn't resist. He's ok I guess. We don't talk much. He's talks mostly to Monkey because I'm always out with the girls. His name is T. Horton. If you don't get it (his name), you're not Canadian enough. Email Angel and she'll explain it to you.

On Saturday we went to the Children's Museum in London. Ashlynn got to practice driving me around on a snowmobile. We don't have those down in S.C. She's not a bad driver!

I spent some time hanging out with the scarecrow in the farm section. Obviously we didn't do too well protecting the corn.

Ashlynn was very proud of her ears of corn. The ears can be zipped up into the husk and velcroed (I just made a new verb!) to the stalk. She was having a great time putting it all together, and as soon as she would get them stuck to the stalk, some kids would walk by and start pulling them off. She finally got them up long enough for this picture.

The Snake Lady showed up with her three socially inept helpers and boxes of reptiles. She's about to show off a baby African Bullfrog. Ashlynn is making her way to the front of the table for a better view. She had all kids of turtles, snakes, frogs, millipedes, and lizards. Good thing that boy from the zoo wasn't here. He would not have made it out alive. Angel would have fed him to one of the reptiles.

June 26th--Day 14, Part 2--To Canada!

2008-06-29T11:17:00.003-04:00

We went through the tunnel from Detroit into Windsor. It only took about 10 minutes. Luckily we were able to go across at a slow time. There weren't too many others trying to cross. I've heard going across can be mad at times!

It was about a 2 hour drive from Windsor to London where the family lives. And by the family, I'm talking about Nana (DJ's grandmother), Terry (his aunt), Chris (Terry's husband), and their kids Shanna, Kyle, and Ari. Actually, Shanna and her fiance Nigel live just outside London.

I made it just in time to catch Ari's soccer game. In fact, they were a few players short, so they put me in for the last little bit. Guess who scored the winning goal? You bet! They asked me to join the team, but I told them I had too much going on to commit to something like that.

Terry printed my adventures so Nana could read them. Kyle hadn't been keeping up with them, so I read them to him at Nana's house. Sort of a "Storytime with Sock Monkey" kind of moment.

It sure feels nice to be in Canada! We've been talking about and planning this trip for so long it felt like we would never get here!

June 26th--Day 14, Part 1--Detroit Zoo

2008-06-29T10:59:00.006-04:00

We made it to Michigan! None of us had never been there before. The thing that we noticed first was how many more Mac Trucks were on the road. And they do not look out for anyone but themselves. They'd pull right out in front of us and never look back. But we made it to Detroit without any problems, and only one missed road to the zoo.

We came to Detroit to the zoo for one reason...

... polar bears!!! The Arctic Circle is a relatively new exhibit that houses five polar bears and several seals. There's a tunnel you walk through and the bears and seals can swim over and around you. It's really amazing. Don't worry though--the bears and seals only look like they're in the same tank. The two enclosures are separated by glass.

Ashlynn thought it was really funny to come up into the groundhog enclosure and have one right next to her digging around.

And what American zoo would be complete
without a few bald eagles?

This is a great video of one of the polar bears. It's only about 10 seconds long, but really cute.

Aside from how hot it was, there was really only one problem with the zoo. The loud kid in the reptile house. Keep in mind it must have been "Day Camps Come to the Zoo Day," because there were tons of groups from various day camps. This kid was with his family; or to be more specific, ten yards ahead of his family. He would jump in between us and the camp group ahead of us, look to see what was in the exhibit, and then report back to his family. Loudly. His mom kept calling him back, but he'd show up again, look, and scream. "SNAKE!" "TURTLE!" "LIZARD!" And since that's pretty much what makes up a reptile house, that's what he kept screaming over and over. Right by us. Angel thought she was going to lose her mind! Luckily we made it out of there without any bloodshed. And the rest of the day went well.

June 25th--Day 13--AF Museum

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This is the National Museum of the United States Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton.

I jumped up in one of the bomb bays when no one was looking.

Ashlynn is pretending to walk with the AF ladies. This is the first part of the exhibit on the Disney designs for the Air Force.

The future of space exploration is in good hands!!

Even Canada's got a plane in here! This one's from the Cold War exhibit.

Yeah, there's a ton on planes in this museum. In fact, it's amazing how they all start to look alike after a while.

June 24th--Day 12--Dayton

2008-06-25T19:47:00.004-04:00

Yeah! Someone else like me! Well, sort of. Verde is more like a sweater monkey, which I think is a third cousin twice removed from sock monkeys.

We went to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, which has all kinds of fun things for kids to do.

I got lots of hugs from Jansen on this trip.

Hmmm...

Crunch is this big, ancient turtle. He's even older than Ashlynn's grandparents (but not if you put them all together).

June 23rd--Day 11--to Ohio

2008-06-25T19:12:00.006-04:00

It was a great visit in Flintsone, GA. On Sunday, we rode over to Ringgold, GA to visit Michael and Brandin Prettyman. They were in our church in Savannah, and moved here last fall. Brandin and Angel went to the Philippines together with the church summer before last.

We were up and in the car early Monday morning to make the drive to Dayton, Ohio traveling up I-75.
As we're driving through Tennessee, we notice that Solomon was right when he wrote "There is nothing new under the sun" in Ecclesiastes. Seems like every town we passed was from somewhere else--Cleveland, Dayton, Charleston, Athens, Decatur, Philadelphia, Huntsville, Oneida, etc.

It didn't get much better in Kentucky--Lexington, Richmond, Williamsburg, London, Paris, Athens (yes, another one), Georgetown. I stopped there, because I grew weary of trying to keep track. Despite the lack of originality, Kentucky sure is a beautiful state to drive through.

When we saw the sign for the Mayfield Ice Cream Factory Tour, did we stop? No. How about when we passed the Lost Sea? Nope. The Cheese Factory or birthplace of KFC? No way. Where did we stop? In Lexington to go to Build a Bear Workshop. Yeah, another trip to BABW. Did I mention we went there in Chattanooga? We keep stopping there because Ashlynn has to get Anna and Fly-o's passports stamped. When we went to the BABW in Chattanooga over the weekend, I overheard the sales lady telling them about a special, limited-edition bear in Canada that has maple leaves on it. I guess we're going to end up getting that one once we get there, because they don't sell them in the U.S. Great, just what I need. Another friend from BABW. When am I going to have a friend like me?

So we drive and drive and drive through mountains and horse farms, then go around a curve and ....

there's Cincinnati! This big city just pops up out of nowhere!

And it's way on the other side of Cincinnati that the welcome center is located.

Guess what we found outside Dayton? Hooray! I thought I was going to have to wait until we got to Canada for some Tim Horton goodness!

(You may have noticed I'm now missing my Philippines flag pin. I was flying through the air as SuperMonkey, and when I landed, my pin broke. I haven't had it fixed yet; I keep forgetting.)

June 19th--Day 7--Sonic Fun!

2008-06-22T18:52:00.004-04:00

What a great time. The SBC girls and I got to go to Sonic for a treat. Maybe it's not too bad being around all these girls. They do love me, and I am the center of attention here!

(Yeah, I know this post is out of order. I got so excited by all the great things I saw on our way to Flintstone from Toccoa that I forgot all about this. Come on, give me a break. I'm a monkey for Pete's sake!)

Errors! They're everywhere! Even PowerPoint is not exempt! That's supposed to say "Directors," which is the group name for the leaders. If only this and the green direction sign were the only errors I'd find on this trip, I'd be ok. But I'm sure there's more to come. Especially when I get to Canada. They add an unnecessary "u" to everything! And don't even get me started on "zed" for the letter "z." Hahaha!

June 20th--Day 8--Backroads

2008-06-20T22:03:00.007-04:00

It's Friday and camp is over. Our next stop is Flintstone, Georgia, which is at the base of Lookout Mountain just on the other side of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Angel's cousin Joy and her family live their (you saw pictures of her three kids in the reunion entry). Angel decided that the backroads would be more fun than the interstate, so she put me in charge of the map. GPS? We don't need no stinkin' GPS!

All goes well for a while. We pass through Cleveland again (remember the CPK hospital?) and are making pretty good time until ...

Angel though "Oh no, not a hay truck!" And she was right. It was the only thing slower than a hay truck. A tractor. And if you look close enough, you'll see that it is also carrying a bale of hay on the front. Wonderful. We finally made it to a dotted line and passed.

We finally make it to Highway 60 and are driving through the mountains. Angel can only go about 35 mph because of all the twists and turns. But it is a beautiful drive, and guess what we found? The Appalachian Trail!

Ashlynn on the AT at Woody Gap. There was a sign warning that bears were active in that area, so we did not stay long. I doubted bears have ever tasted monkey, and I didn't want them to start today!

So Angel's making her way along the mountains, winding around all those curves, and we turn a curve and this is what we are faced with:

That's right--a big mound of stones. In the middle of the road. It looked like a roundabout.

This is the sign posted beside the stones. I hope you can read it, because it's pretty interesting:

Not long after the stones, another slow-down. This time we just rolled down the windows and turned off the engine, because we were there for probably 15 or 20 minutes. Re-paving mountain roads takes a while. We finally got on our way, but a short while later...

Yep, slowed down again. This time for horses. It wasn't too bad though, since we couldn't drive very fast on the roads anyway. Keep in mind, however, that it is lunch time, and Angel and Ashlynn are starving. Angel kept asking me to look at the map and see what town was coming up next. Then she'd tell Ashlynn they would stop at that down and get something to eat. Then we'd get to the town and there would not be any place to eat. So we'd go on to the next town. I was hoping to have something nice to say about Suches or Morganton, but sadly, we just kept on going. I think Angel even sped up to get past the one store in Morganton that had a big sign advertising that it was "Confederate Owned." Seems these mountain people never got the news that the war is over.

OK, this is probably not very PC, but when has that ever concerned me anyhow? We finally made it to civilization (I think there's some irony in this situation, but will leave it to you, my reader, to interpret)! I never would have considered the town of McCaysville to be a metropolis, but considering the towns we've been passing though, this was big time! DJ and Angel came to McCaysville last summer for his birthday to go whitewater rafting. If you ever plan a trip to the Ocoee River, use Rolling Thunder. They're a great company. Anyway, lunch was at a little 50's style place. Compared to the camp food we've been eating for a week, this place was 5 star! (And I don't care what Angel says--that was raccoon they served last night.)

McCaysville is right on the border of GA and TN, as you can see by this sign we're standing under. So officially, Ashlynn is in two states at once. The town on the Tennessee side is called Coppertown. Guess what they used to mine.

We also passed through Cleveland again. But this one was in Tennessee.

And for the record, we did make it to Flintstone safely and without having to go down any dirt roads. Ha! I spit in the face of your GPS! Now go away before I taunt you a second time!

June 18--Day 6, Part 2--Observation

2008-06-18T22:50:00.003-04:00

No picture on this entry--you'll thank me later.

We were sitting in worship tonight, and I made another observation. Angel was on the far left of our row, Ashlynn was to her immediate right, and I was sitting in Ashlynn's lap. I looked down our row, and on the far seats to the right was a girl (about 8 or 9 years old) and a woman. The woman was in the aisle seat with the girl next to her.

That little girl picked her nose almost the entire worship service. I was so distracted I could hardly listen to Pastor Brandon.

Not only that, she snacked on what she found up there. Considering the worship service was nearly an hour long, she must have found enough for a meal, because she just kept on going!

The whole thing reminded me of a song Pastor Marc (our church's children's pastor and leader for camp) taught me. I don't remember all the words, but it starts out "Delta Rose, what's that hanging out your nose?"

Not really sure what the moral of the story is, but thought I'd share.

The Lads

2008-06-18T13:02:00.007-04:00

If you've been reading my blog in order, you've already seen Steve of the band "The Lads." These guys are from New Zealand and have been here for about 3 years in the states. They've had as much fun with immigration as DJ and Angel have! Mark and Bjorn are the other members of the band. Here's their link-- www.theladsband.com

Mark

Steve

Bjorn

June 18--Day 6, Part 1--Don't go chasin' waterfalls...

2008-06-18T12:59:00.005-04:00

Finally! The falls of Toccoa Falls!

Don't let the picture fool you. These falls are 186-feet high. The tourist brochure tells us (with an unnecessary comma) that "This spectacular, waterfall is one of the highest free-falling waterfalls east of the Mississippi River." Of course, the ongoing drought has reduced the amount of water going over the falls. The brochure also says that "thousands of tourists are struck by its majesty and beauty" each year. I wouldn't get that excited about it, but the falls are pretty.

Ashlynn and Pastor Marc are drinking the waterfall!!!

June 17th--Day 5, Part 2--Observations

2008-06-17T23:11:00.004-04:00

So I'm sitting in the lounge updating my blog this afternoon, and I see two girls trying to get into their room. Turns out one left the key in the room and the other locked and shut the door. They wail loudly to all who will listen about their dire circumstance, which of course brings a flock of tweens to their rescue. This observation taught me one very important lesson--no matter how many girls try to turn the knob of a locked door, it will not open without the key.

And while driving back from the store today with Angel (two girls forgot their toothbrushes and Ashlynn needed ear plugs because the group times are so loud), I noticed a sign in town. You know, one of those official, printed-by-the-state, green directional signs. Take a look and tell me what's wrong:
That's right. The waterfall is not in possession of anything, and therefore the apostrophe is totally unnecessary. Crazy thing is, the next sign closer to the red light does not have the apostrophe. Repeated mocking is now encouraged.

June 17th--Day 5 ,Part 1--Man Stuff!

2008-06-17T22:32:00.004-04:00

Just hanging out like we monkeys like to do. Our church is one of 19 here!
Oh, and for the record, unlike some monkeys, Sock Monkeys do not fling poo.

Yeah--finally something manly! I've been surrounded by girly stuff this whole trip. Here I am, beating Steve at arm wrestling. Steve is the drummer for our camp band The Lads. They're from New Zealand and they totally ROCK!!

June 16th--Day 4--To Camp!

2008-06-17T17:21:00.009-04:00

Off to camp! We made a few stops along the way, since we didn’t have to be at Toccoa Falls College until the afternoon. Downtown Toccoa has a neat museum that focuses on Camp Toccoa, where WWII paratroopers were trained. In fact, about 17,000 soldiers of the 501st, 506th, and 517th Paratrooper Infantry Regiments were trained there. These are the guys behind the stories for The Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, and The Dirty Dozen.

By the way, the word "Toccoa" means "beautiful" in Cherokee. And so far, it's aptly named.

We found this place with some small waterfalls called Henderson Falls Park. Ashlynn and I had a great time walking up and down the creek. The water was really cold!

After a tasty lunch at Zaxby’s, we headed up to TFC to meet up with our church for the Centri-Kids camp. Remember how it was all girls being born at the CPK hospital? Well, it’s all girls from our church in Summerville going to camp! Will I ever find another guy to talk about guy stuff with?

While we were checking in, this little girl grabbed me for a hug and was swinging me back and forth! I was so dizzy afterwards, but it is nice to be loved. Maybe girls aren't so bad after all! We were even stopped in a Wal-Mart earlier today and a woman was asking about me. She was hoping Angel could make one for her, but I’m the only sock monkey she’s ever made, and I hope to keep it that way—the uniqueness adds to my charm.

June 15th--Day 3, Part 3--Lost

2008-06-16T22:07:00.003-04:00

DJ offered to buy Angel a nice GPS for their anniversary (which was June 12^th, the day before The Grand Adventures of the Summer of 2008 began), but she told him she didn’t need one since she would be traveling on the interstate most of the trip. Well, guess what. We got lost going from Cleveland and Helen back to Lavonia today. That GPS sure would have been hand today. We were 9 miles NE of where we should have been before Angel was fully convinced they were traveling in the wrong direction. Papa tried telling her right when they made the wrong turn, but would that stubborn girl listen? Nope.

The wrong turn took them to Tullaluh Falls Gorge, so they decided to stop in and have a look at the overlook store. Back in 1970, one of the Flying Wallendas walked a tightrope stretched across the gorge.

There sure are some strange people up here in the mountains.

June 15th--Day 3, Part 2--Helen

2008-06-15T20:24:00.009-04:00

We traveled to Helen after the CPK hospital. What an interesting little town. It’s like a little Germany. In fact, the brochure says it is “a taste of Bavaria…in the hills of north Georgia” and that it is a “re-creation of an alpine village complete with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers.”

This is the place where we had lunch--Cafe International. It overlooks the Chattahoochee River, which runs right through the middle of town. There were tons of people tubing down the river. It looked like so much fun. We thought about going, but we all left our bathing suits at the hotel. And Mimi (Ashlynn’s grandmother) jokes that her bathing suit has a hole in the knee that hasn’t been mended yet!

We got to sample fudge and pecan brittle in several candy shops. Ashlynn even fed a carrot to Henrietta (one of the horses that pull the carriages around town). The only two downsides were the dozens of motorcycles roaring through town (along with the constant stream of cars) and all the people smoking. In fact, I think my family were the only ones not puffing away. It was a beautiful town, but pretty noisy and smelly.

There was a lady in the middle of town making balloon animals who appeared to be a gypsy. I did not buy one of her creations in case it should steal my soul. I tried to get her tears in a jar, but she refused. Do not shrink me gypsy!

Papa, Ashlynn, and yours truly!
(Am I handsome or what?!)

June 15th--Day 3, Part 1--Cleveland

2008-06-15T19:57:00.008-04:00

Today we traveled to Cleveland to visit Babyland General Hospital, where the Cabbage Patch Kids are born. I was not forgotten this time; in fact, I got to go inside the hospital while Anna and Fly-o sat in the car! Angel’s parents went with us. Ashlynn calls them Mimi and Papa. They took her to the CPK hospital twenty-something years ago when she was about Ashlynn’s age. It’s a pretty neat little place. We saw three CPK babies born while we were there. All girls, can you believe that? It was a little strange, seeing babies born from a head of cabbage. Here's pictures of the deliveries:

That's Nurse Becca and Doctor John with the first and second babies,

and Nurse Becca again with the third baby.

I couldn’t even watch the last time. There's something disturbing about dolls being pulled from a head of cabbage and grown people acting like doctors and nurses the whole time. The third baby was named after Ashlynn and another little girl named Jade. Ashlynn Jade. Sounds nice.

Here's a few more pictures from the CPK hospital:

Can you find me?

This is the baby (you're not allowed to call them
"dolls" at the CPK hospital) named after her.

June 14th--Day 2--Family Reunion

2008-06-15T19:36:00.006-04:00

Today was the day of the Lifsey Family Reunion, which happens every two years. Angel's paternal grandmother (they call her Little Mama) was a Lifesy before she got married, and the reunion is of all the children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren of Little Mama and her three sisters and one brother. Which means there's a lot of people there that Angel and Ashlynn don't really know.

Here's a riddle for you--out of Anna, Fly-o, and me, guess who was forgotten at the hotel for the reunion? Yep--me again. I'll post the picture of Ashlynn, Anna, and Fly-o anyway, but only because Ashlynn's so cute.

The day went really well though (or so I'm told). Ashlynn's got some really cute cousins she doesn't get to see very often, so she had a great time playing with them. Here they are:

Andrew and Madison

Ryan

Aunt Angie (holding Petey) and Katie

Sure hope they remember me soon--it's getting hot in this car.

June 13th--Day 1--Trip to Georgia

2008-06-15T18:54:00.002-04:00

I guess I should formally introduce myself. My name is Sock Monkey, and this is the official start of my adventures. I’ve actually already been to the Philippines (and passed through South Korea on the way), but none of the pictures from that trip back in the summer of 2005 survived. For the past three years, I’ve been hanging out in the room of a girl named Ashlynn. Her mother Angel stitched me together sometime around 2002, when Ashlynn was only 3. I’ve lived in Ruffin (SC), Savannah (GA), and now Summerville (SC).

Finally, my own adventure has begun. While I’m not Ashlynn’s favorite monkey (Monkey and Anna hold that privilege), I am the Official Travel Monkey for the Tucker family. This is going to be a grand adventure, which shall henceforth be called The Grand Adventure of the Summer of 2008. Catchy, isn’t it?

The Grand Adventure of the Summer of 2008 began today--Friday, June 13^th. We (Angel, Ashlynn, Monkey, Anna the Monkey, and Fly-o the Pteranodon) left Summerville for Lavonia, Georgia. We had a family reunion the next day at Tugaloo State Park. There are a few things you need to know about our family. First of all, the Dad (DJ) could not make this trip because he had to stay and work (yuck). Second, Monkey is mainly just for Ashlynn to snuggle with as she sleeps. Third, Anna was a Christmas gift in 2006 from Nana and Aunt Terry’s family in Canada (that would be DJ’s grandmother and aunt). She’s from Build a Bear Workshop and has lots of clothes. Fourth, Fly-o is also from Build a Bear and was a Christmas gift from DJ and Angel last year. He and Anna think they’re special just because they’re from Build a Bear and have more clothes than the rest of us. Well, I only have one red shirt, and it has flag pins from Korea and the Philippines. Anna and Fly-o don’t have flag pins, so I think that makes me special. Anyway, Anna and Fly-o get to go everywhere with Ashlynn. Not that I’m jealous or anything.

It was a long trip (about 4 hours), but we finally made it to Lavonia, which is not much of a town, even though the travel brochure says "Big time, small town." I haven't figured out what kind of big time they're talking about.

Oh yeah, and guess who didn't get to come inside the hotel room and sleep? Right--me. Of course, Anna and Fly-o got to, but I had to sleep in the car. Friday the 13th must be an unlucky day after all. This trip better get better.