Spanky goes to the airport!

I've been dreaming of this day. Flying! I usually like to fly on the motorcycle, but when I heard Mommy was going to Las Vegas and she was going to take an airplane, I vowed not to let her sleep until she said I could go too. Luckily she was very agreeable, and I didn't have to use any of my plots or plans.

So today we got in the truck to go to the airport! I assumed my position as head navigator, and instructed daddy through the tunnel of lights. 

Moments later, the control tower was in sight! We said goodbye to Daddy in front of the terminal. I think Mommy is going to miss him.

I've been researching airports. All airports have a three letter acronym. Portland's is PDX. Portland people must really like this, because you see these letters everywhere. Airports have long runways, for planes to take off and land. We watched a show about birds the other night that had to build themselves a runway! Airports often have a control tower to prevent accidents. This sounds like a very important job to me. There are people walking and driving around on the roads near the runway, telling planes what to do and loading food and bags and things that might need to fly somewhere. Like packages! I love packages. And cows. No really! They have planes where they load up cows to bring them places. I bet the cows don't even know how lucky they are. But I do. I get to go on an airplane with seats and windows and snacks. I love snacks.  Oh, and some of the shows we watch show people loading their motorcycles on airplanes! I watched very carefully, and didn't see any of that.

Anyway, first we had to go through security. Mommy didn't take any pictures. I got to go into a tunnel ride, and when I came out, they had mommy in a round plastic phone booth (yes, I know what a phone booth is, even though I'm a young monkey. I watch Dr. Who.) They had her put her hands above her head and said they were taking her picture! I'm not sure what this has to do with security, but Mommy looked a little bit like a monkey in there!

When we were done with that, we checked out the cuckoo clock. It was cool! I ignored the no climbing sign. I don't think that had anything to do with monkeys. There were all kinds of hidden Portland symbols in the cuckoo clock like Mt. Hood, Craft beer, and Bigfoot! It was super fun to check out all the details.

Then mommy took me on a flat escalator. She called it a people mover. I thought people movers were legs, but whatever. I ran up and down the railing, having a grand old time.

We took some pictures on the new carpet. Evidently the airport carpet is very important in Portland. They even still sell little bits of it in shops! Portlanders like old things.

Suddenly, I darted away from mommy because I found a place called The Dragon Tree! I told mommy I wanted to see the Dragon, but I couldn't find it. Maybe it was hiding.

Then comes the best part. It was time to board the airplane!

I opened the window shade first thing, and watched every minute of our flight, from take off to landing.  

First, we went faster and faster and faster.... How does this big heavy thing fly anyway?

Then suddenly, we were in the air!  Flying up above the clouds.  

I watched the sun until it set... we weren't far out of Portland before the ground was bare, and there were no people, houses, cars, anything.  It was that way most of the flight.  I watched through the dark for a long time, when suddenly, a CITY appeared!

We are in Vegas!  They say New York is the city that never sleeps, but I think it's here.  How could a person sleep with ALL THE LIGHTS?!?!?

You just get off the plane, when already there are slot machines.  

Mommy says those are like reverse banks.  If you put money in the bank, it will be there for you later.  If you put money in the slot machine, it never come back to you. I think I should avoid those, but they are very colorful and noisy-ful too.  I really want to play them.  

Then we started seeing signs for ALL THE SHOWS!  Mommy took a picture of this one.

Silly mommy.  But it got me thinkin'.... I'm a monkey who wants to be famous.  Is Vegas the place for that?  

We hopped on a tram, then a shuttle, then we were at our hotel, Bally's.  It looked like a nice enough place.  It's VERY loud downstairs, but then you get into the elevator, and go up and up and up.  Our room was on the 15th floor, and Mommy says that's not very high in Vegas.  Vegas must be tall!  

I hopped outside immediately.  We must be above the resturaunt, cuz it smells like steak!  I closed the door quick. Don't want to make Mommy hungry.

Mommy and I visited for a while on the couch, but I am pretty much ready for bed.

Look at this be*yawn*d.  Good night!  More adventures to come!

Spanky goes to the Lighthouse

Sunday morning we were up bright and early.  It was warm and sunny and beautiful and we went to the store and had Popsicles for breakfast!  Now you probably haven't seen a store like this one.  There were shelves just like in our cupboards full of canned goods, and sweatshirts in the meat freezer, and not a lot else!  It was very small; maybe like the size of a kitchen.  

There was a sign on the door that said all dogs must be on leash.  It was a silly sign; none of the town dogs that came by had leashes!  

After this, we decided to go to Secret Cove.  I didn't know what was there, and while we rode, I hoped we'd never get there!  The roads were SOOOOOO curvy!  Swish swish swish, I flew and flew while Daddy rode the curves.  We even stopped to take pictures of the beautiful rolling hills. I was happy to get moving again, though, because it was hot in these mountains!

When we got to the top of the mountain, the air got cool and windy; we started down the hill with just as many curves, swish swish swish.  When we got to the bottom, we were at a beach with a lighthouse!  We got to meet a man in the lighthouse who told us all sorts of stories, and wanted to hear all about us.

We got to go inside, and even got to climb up the tiny stairs.  I decided to scamper up the railing instead.  

Upstairs we got to see a light that used to light up the skies for the sailors so they wouldn't crash into shore!  And there was a lighthouse keeper who had to mind the light and make sure it didn't go out.

There was a little door with a porthole.  I tried to open it, but it wouldn't open.  Mommy said that that was the deck for Monkey's to sleep.

When Mommy wasn't looking, I climbed up that ladder, all the way to the top of the lighthouse.  Mommy may think Monkey's have to sleep outside, but I know they would just climb up here.  I jumped from pole to pole until she looked up and told me to come back down right now.

It was almost time to go, but not before meeting the old fisherman.  I like to call him The Old Man and the Sea.

It was time to go, and so we set off to the Avenue of the Giants!  I was a little scared, but I didn't tell Mommy and Daddy.  When we got there, I found out that the Giants were Redwood Trees.  *phew*.  We rode through the most enormously tall trees, stopping for the picture.  I was having so  much fun, I didn't want to get off of Daddy's bike!

Now it was time to head to Oregon.  We rode and road, until we got to a campground called the Secret Spot.  Mommy and Daddy sure know how to pick campgrounds.  We met a pug who made the funniest piggy noises, and a border collie and two retrievers.  And they gave us strawberry shortcake while we sat around the fire!  It was an amazing night.

The next morning was our last morning to wake up camping.  We loaded the bikes for the last time.  Then we rode up to Bandon and had fish and chips again, because they were so yummy!  We spent the last day riding the country side.  We saw horses and cows and lamas and alpacas and piggies and lots and lots and lots of fruits and vegetables.  I was tired from all of this excitement, so I napped a lot on Daddy's bike.

I can't wait until Mommy and Daddy take me on another adventure.  Meanwhile, if you have any ideas on how I can get famous, I'm open for suggestions. I've got lots of spare time between these adventures!  Ba-Bye!

The Lost Coast

Do you remember last year, how we found the lost coast? This year, Mommy and Daddy knew exactly where to go. 

Man, what a bumpy ride! Daddy and I zoomed up the hills, and we found a secret road. As we went down this secret road, there were cows everywhere! I think they were attack cows, because when they heard Daddy's motorcycle, they got up and started moooooving toward us. We got out of there quick! 

We continued riding up and down and all around, until we went down down down down and got to the beach!  When we got to the beach, Daddy showed me how to dig for clams.  These were super fast clams... I dug and dug, and never got a one!

 

Mommy, Daddy, and I played in the rocks for a long time.  I told Mommy and Daddy that I was getting hungry, so we headed back to the bikes to find food!  First, though, Mommy said we needed a family picture on the found coast.  (tee hee.)

On our way to the bikes, we found this carcass.  See? I told you they were attack cows!  We probably barely escaped with our lives!  This could have been us!

We got to the lost rose, and had a super scrumptious BLT.  While we were there, we made friends with this adorable guy, Storm.  He invited us to join his family for a show later.  I asked Mommy and Daddy, and they said yes!  Then he bit my nose and slobbered on me.  I skedaddled quick out of there.

We went to another beach, and got to play in the sand.... I am MUCH faster than Mommy and Daddy at running in the sand.  They tried to catch me, but couldn't!

When we got to the campground, Daddy decided it was time for a nap.  And then he used me as a pillow!  I giggled and wiggled until he decided I wasn't a very good pillow.  

I decided to hide from Mommy, but she found me quick.

So I found a super good hiding spot.  I stayed really still for a LONG time.  Mommy finally found me!  I thought she might think I was a naughty monkey for hiding so good, but she just laughed and said "let's go climb some trees."  Trees?  My favorite! Next to Motorcycles that is.

While we played in the trees, Mommy told me stories about when she was a little girl.  Her Mommy and Daddy always knew when they couldn't find her to look up in the trees, because Mommy loved climbing trees just as much as I do!  

This tree was by the river, and I stayed up there a long time. I was thinking about my Mommy and Daddy being little. It's hard to imagine that.  They are so good at taking care all the adult things like setting up tents and riding motorcycles and cooking that I can't imagine them playing hide and seek and climbing trees all day.

After dinner, we went to the show.  They had a story teller about a Monkey God!  They also sang a long of songs about dogs.  

Before bed, I climbed up on top of the tent to watch the sun go down and count all of the stars.  There was about 1000 times more stars in this town than at home.  I wanted to climb into the sky and put them in my pockets to take with me, they were so beautiful.  Late late at night, I climbed down into my tent hammock and fell asleep.

 

More adventures tomorrow!  I hear we are going somewhere called the Secret Cove!  How do Mommy and Daddy find out about all these lost and secret things? 

Spanky rides a cat!

Today was so much fun! We started our ride with some cool morning mist. Winding down the coast, watching the beach under the clouds. 

We got to this little town called Bandon, and shared some fish and chips. Yummy. While mommy and daddy were finishing up, I went exploring. I met Biscuits the Cat, and we were instant friends!

I told him all about riding motorcycles, and he told me all about life as a restaurant cat. Then he asked if I wanted a ride! I said yes, of course, and off we went. He wasn't as fast as a motorcycle (but don't tell him) but he was a great tour guide.

He took me to meet Mr. Turtle and the old man, who were very nice, but were even slower than Biscuits.

Then I got to go to the top of the world... (This makes me think I might be getting closer to getting famous, but I'm not sure.) 

Then Mommy and Daddy found us, and said I was in for a treat. We got to go to a Fudge Factory, and first, they let me try all the flavors. 

Then they let me make some fudge! 

It was time to get back on the bikes. We stopped to take a quick picture when we got to California, and then it was ride ride ride til dinner.

We got to our campsite and set everything up. Daddy was cooking tonight. Mommy and I wanted Chili Mac, and Daddy made it. But, he first almost burned down the whole campsite. His stove didn't quite work the way he expected, and the flames went WOOSH! Way bigger than me! I jumped back and fell off the table. Mommy laughed, of course, cuz she thinks everything is funny. I found the directions and gave them to Daddy. He was so thankful, he made me Apple Crisp for desert.  

Then we all snuggled into the tent together... Mommy on her cot and Daddy on his air mattress. I bounced from one to the other until they told me to stop or I'd have to go sleep on the bike! I settled down in a little tent pocket that was a monkey sized hammock, and fell asleep. I dreamed of riding motorcycles and kitty's and kites and monster trucks, and wondered what else is out there to ride.   

More tomorrow!

On the Road Again!

I know it's been a while. See, Mommy and Daddy and I did a lot of moving and shaking, and there hasn't been much time to write. And we got a puppy named Moto, and she needed to learn to ride on the Motorcycle, and she wasn't quite the quick study that I was, so she got to do the last few trips.

But I'm back now, and because I'm a big monkey, I got to ride on Daddy's bike! And when I say ride, that's just the beginning. Don't tell Mommy, but on Daddy's motorcycle, I got to fly!!

We rode out some curvy roads, and Daddy rides fast! Zoom, zoom, zoom around the corners we went! And it was getting darker and darker, and colder and colder. We went up some mountains, and came down the other side. And then Daddy said "looks like rain, Spanky, how about you take a little nap?" So I snuggled right down in my little bed on the tank and fell asleep. 

When I woke up, we were in Newport! We were at the house of these nice people. When they weren't looking, I tried to catch their table fish. 

And when everybody went to bed, I hopped around on ALL of the motorcycles in the garage! There were 5! In the morning, Mommy couldn't find me, because I had fallen asleep on the cool old bike, with the wide yellow tank. I want to own that bike some day.

More tomorrow! I hear we are going to have lots of adventures today! 

 

Spanky goes to the movies

One night, my family asked if I wanted to go to the movies. They told me it was a story, like on TV, but on a huge screen, with big speakers, and there was popcorn and coke. I said I'd go!

The movie theater was huge!  And there were bunches of different ones all in the same building! It wasn't as big as Yosemite, but it seemed close.

We were going to see The Fault In Our Stars. Now, I'm a little monkey, but I think stars are awesome. If you go out on a really dark night, you can see bazillions of them. There are more than I can even count! I don't really see what the fault in them is. But I guessed the movie would tell me. 

Oh my, was there popcorn and coke! I guess in a ginormous building, there has to be ginormous popcorn and ginormous drinks. And the liquid gold they put on the popcorn was amazing!

Then, there were previews. Previews are lots of parts of stories. I want to see a whole story, so I thought they were kinda long and frustrating. I wanted to see the movie!!

Then it started. It was about a girl and a boy. They both had cancer, and went to a support group. They got to be really close, and really talked about what it means to be alive, and to love. We got to see some of what it was like for their moms and dads and friends. 

I think it would be hard to love someone who you know is going to die. But I guess we are all going to die someday... There's just something about this cancer business. We go into this world, assuming that everyone gets to be healthy until a ripe old age, and then after living a full life, will drift off into a permanent sleep. Just the fact that we can't live forever ought to make us treasure the moments we do have. Yet so often, we take for granted the years we will have, the people in our lives, and our bodies! I'm a monkey who hasn't really gotten hurt yet, but I've seen enough that I don't want to!

I guess the point is that we have very little  and a lot of choice in what comes our way. The universe is huge and there are infinite possibilities... I could have been an elephant or a hedgehog or a fish, but I  a monkey. That decided some things for me. But what is choose to do with my monkey body, how I spend my time, who I choose to care about, what risks I take, those choices are up to what the universe places in my path, and what I choose to see. 

"The real heroes aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people noticing things, paying attention. The guy who invented smallpox didn't actually invent anything. He just noticed that people with cowpox didn't get smallpox."

Sometimes I think I miss things. I don't notice when people are happy or sad, nice or mean. I'm just thinking about motorcycles and adventures and making mail and being famous. It's a lot of thoughts for a monkey brain. But I'm going to try. I want to be a monkey who not only does things, but notices things, and shares them with people I love.

I'm glad I saw this movie and thought about love and life and the stars, and ate the giant popcorn and spent time with my family. I hope the next adventure makes me think so much!

A Day at the Park!

One day, my mommy took me to the park. I looked around and saw so many things! There were lots of dogs, and they would smell posts, just like Roxy said, like they were reading a story. And they would smell each other's bottoms!

In the park, there was a swing! Wheeee!

Swinging is like flying way up in the trees! After swinging, I ran across a bridge. 

The bridge bounced up and down and up and down! 

Then I found a tree to play in. It was knotted and bumpy. I love old gnarled trees... They are easy to climb and so much fun!

Later, I went to I've cream! I've cream is magical. It's like pie, only colder.

Mommy had peanut butter ice cream. I thought that was silly; I thought peanut butter was for sandwiches! Until I tried it. Then I knew that peanut butter was for ice cream.

Daddy and Lissy had ice cream cones! They made one just my size!

This was Lissy's. It had decadent chocolate ice cream in it. 

I'm still thinking about how to be famous. I talked to my mommy about it, and she says most people become famous because they do something. Except the Kardashians. Mommy can't figure out why they are famous. I don't know what a Kardashians is... Maybe they are famous because they are cars that run with legs?

Anyway, I'm back to the drawing board on that one.

Speaking of drawing, Mommy helped me make mail!

I wrote to Lissy and Casi.  Then we put it in a mail box!

It was really fun! Send me your address if you want mail. I want to make mail all the time!

Bye!