I Saw a Monkey
April 24th, 2007
Yes, as ridiculous as it sounds, Bob and I took a special drive all the way to Palm Springs to meet up with a monkey on Monday, February 12. That morning we left Las Vegas after a hearty breakfast buffet at the hotel and headed back to his place in San Bernardino. On the way, we made a pit stop at Hadley’s, where he bought me my first date shake. It was much, much tastier than it sounds. After another brief stop at his house, and then running a red light and nearly getting creamed by a passing car, we headed to Palm Springs to see a monkey. Read the rest of this entry »
For some strange reason, I was hesitant to advance to a full week outdoors at Camp Woodland Altars after my years in the Junior Lodge were done. In 1984, I actually attended the junior high lodge camp…and was one of only three boys. In 1985, I found a great compromise. Eco Adventures was a camp that was based out of the new Sugar Grove Lodge, but centered around activities outdoors (ie. hiking, streaming, climbing, and caving). So this was where I went to camp from July 14-20, 1985. 
The 2000 Seattle Sons of the Desert Convention was not the first occasion I had to meet Peggy Cartwright, but it turns out that it was the last. I was previously THRILLED to meet her for the first time during my 1992 trip to California. At that time, she was somewhat of a ‘missing’ Our Gang member – and quite an important one at that. Although she only appeared in five of the early silent Our Gang comedies, she was credited for being in the very first one one simply entitled Our Gang in 1922. 
I guess if you had asked me yesterday if I had ever rode atop an elephant, I probably would have told you no – but here is the incontrovertible evidence that I did once sit astride one of our large, gray pachyderm friends. And this was just one of the fun distractions to be found in this magical land called “Busch Gardens” located in sunny Tampa, Florida. We apparently visited it during our Siesta Key stay in June of 1980.