Martini Club - Stay Classy

Tammy has been a member of the Martini Club since last November. They meet once a month. FINALLY this month she decided to take me along. And Tom. She took Tom along, too. It was his first time, too.

They meet somewhere different each month. This month they met at Bar Louie.

I enjoyed meeting so many new people. I enjoyed being exposed to a couple new drinks.

The whole atmosphere was festive and light and fun.

One of the Martini Club's mottoes is: Stay Classy.

Tammy did not.

Honest to God, why I go anywhere with that woman anymore is beyond me.

I'll only be with this family until December - it may take her that long to be able to face these people again. So I guess it's good that I was able to go this time.

She's kind of a disgrace.

To her credit, as Tom was basically carrying her out, she did make sure he'd grabbed me.

He had.

At least someone in this family has some sense.

What Would Luke Skywalker Do?

I got to go camping two weekends in a row, am I a lucky owl or what?

This time I was hootin' it up with the Bad Moms Club.

I was reunited with my valentine, the gnome.

I got to wear my own club shirt.

The Captain joined The Don for party time. The little gnome is cute, I guess, but he's not my gnomie...


I met some new friends - camping friends that live in Wendy's camper. There's little gnome again, and the hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil monkeys. You might recognize the guy right next to me.

One of our fellow campers, however, did not.

She said, upon discovering all of Wendy's little camping friends, "I see a little gnome, and some monkeys, but who's the Star Wars guy?"

Um? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died on the cross to save us from our sins? That Star Wars guy?

The funniest part was that the woman who said it is arguably the most religious of them and inarguably the most church-going of them. Didn't recognize him out of context, I guess.

That could pretty easily lead me into a whole diatribe about the huge gap between spirituality and church, but I'm gonna let it drop. 'Cause there's probably a huge gap between spirituality and Jesus action figures, too. And I need to rest up for my next vacation.

Nothing Matters in the Whole Wide World, When You're in Love With a Jersey Owl

Well folks, I was packed up in my little green box again, and this time I was unpacked in Wildwood, New Jersey.


We went to Wildwood to watch a friends daughter perform in a dance competition. When we arrived in the room, there were flowers and candy waiting there for her. She shared a few of the special M&M's with me. I thought that was kind of cool.

You can't tell from the picture, but the purple ones say: Fusion XI (her dance team) and the yellow ones say: Go For The Gold

After a quick shower we headed to the convention center to watch her preliminary competition. the weather was cold and gray and rainy, but that didn't squelch my enthusiasm one bit as we headed for the boardwalk. Even through the ugly weather, that first glimpse of the ocean made me smile.

There I am in the shower! How embarrassing!

Sitting on the boardwalk, watching the people go by.

The girls ultimately won the gold in their competition. I enjoyed watching all of the teams perform. It was so graceful and beautiful. Grace isn't something I've had a lot of exposure to this year, no offense intended to my host family.

Gillian let me pose with her medal. Her gold medal, thank you very much!

I learned pretty quickly that one of the best things about the Jersey Shore is the food.

There was good east coast pizza...

Philly Cheesesteaks

And fudge and saltwater taffy.

I made some friends on the boardwalk, as I tend to do.

Some pirate eye candy for any sexual preference

I rode the trams on the boardwalk. The quality of this picture is rather poor, because that ride was BUMPY!

I ended my day at the beach back at the Wildwood sign.

What a fun adventure! It was so much fun making new friends and spending time on another beach, even if it was a cold rainy time. It was a nice reminder that summer is just 'round the corner!

Pink's Excellent Island Adventure

When they started wrapping me up in my box, I'll admit, I was a little confused. Generally I only go in the box when it's time for me to be traded to my next family. Now I know sometimes the passage of time is difficult to judge, but I was pretty close to sure an entire year hadn't gone by already. Imagine my surprise when the box was opened and I felt warm island breezes blowing through my feathers! I had been taken on vacation!

I found myself on Goodland Island, a small island next to Marco Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Here are some photos of me on my most excellent adventure. I hope they warm you up a little bit, if it's cold where you are!

Putting on sunscreen before the boat ride to the beach. If this is my natural color, can you imagine what I'd look like with a sunburn?


Heading out of the canal and into the Gulf

Soaking up the rays


Buried in the sand


Minding my conch farm.


The full effect of the farm


Riding a golf cart around the island. Like the sign behind me says: You can't make this S$%# up.

I really like margaritaville...


Headed for home.

What an exciting adventure indeed!

It's Okay, I'm With The Band

I got to sit in with a band the other night. It turns out that most of the members of my host family play musical instruments and Tom had a gig at a bookstore with Billy Two Shoes, an "americana" band. He told my story to the other members and they insisted I sit in with them on a few songs. I don't play any instruments myself, but I can sing pretty good back-up, so I agreed.

I recognized some of the audience members as the hosts of the New Years Eve party, which made me very happy. I got to meet some other people, like the guitarist's wife and some of their friends. They were nice enough to tell the audience my story and even mentioned this blog!

Below is a video of one of the songs I sat in on. It's called Haystack and was a lot of fun to play. Lea, who took the video, even did a few close ups of me (how embarrassing). I hope you enjoy the music.

Haystack

Party Like It's 1999 - Only 10 Better

We went to a party last night to celebrate the start of a new year. It was nice to meet new people - they recognized me from my internet fame, so they were at a distinct advantage. None were shy, though, so I got to know them all pretty quickly.

They had a LOT of good food and a nice variety of beverages. Always one to savor new experiences, I had sparkling wine (3 different kinds!), mojitos, pear martinis, and a beer. Is it: beer on liquor, never sicker? Or: liquor on beer, never fear? Or is it: if you're 6 inches tall and hollow, maybe drinking is a bad plan in any combination? I think it's that one.


When I realized I needed a break, I joined the kids for some sparkling juice, toasted marshmallows, and Mamma Mia charades. Probably best if you don't ask...


Yeah, I'll need a little more practice with the marshmallow thing...


After mingling with the adults (Apparently life IS just like the movies and people DO burst into song at random and sometimes in unison. But rarely in tune. Seriously. Yikes.) and playing with the kids I was introduced to a few fellows who spoke my language. I brought in the new year with the Nutcrackers while all the folks around me kissed anything that crossed their path.

A very happy, healthy and prosperous new year to you all.