Monday, March 30, 2009

Hawaiian Luau / Pot Luck Dinner - 3/28/09

When invited to a luau, one must dress the part. That's why I donned a coconut bra, grass skirt and leis for the evening's festivities.

Bartender, where's my fruity umbrella drink?

No luau is complete without a roasted suckling pig. Doesn't he look luscious?

Aloha! This pretty chickadee sure can dance the hula.

Check out this gigantic banana I found! I think he's coming home with me.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Crystal Beach and Tarpon Springs Art Shows 3/28/09

While my humans browsed the art show, I took the opportunity to enjoy nature. It didn't help that there were 30 mph winds at Crystal Beach, but I sought refuge in the live oak trees covered with Spanish moss. They create a nice canopy over the beachfront park.

Ahhh... if only the wind weren't blowing so hard, I could have fallen asleep in this tree hammock.

So many trees in the park, and yet so little time. I quickly swung from tree to tree while my humans checked out "Art in the Park."

I could stay here all day, but it's time to visit the next art show in Tarpon Springs.

The Tarpon Springs art show is located in a beautiful park along the bayou. There were thousands of people viewing all the skilled craftsmen's works of art. I sought refuge from the crowds by taking a break on this bench by the water. The view was beautiful, but within seconds of sitting down I was hounded by paparazzi! Two other photographers (besides Laura) started snapping pictures of me. They, and other bystanders, all wanted to know if I'm one of those traveling monkeys. It was rather amusing, and I invited them to check out my blog for more entertaining adventures.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Karl's 11th Birthday Party - 3/27/09

Yesterday was Karl's 11th birthday. It's a yearly tradition that the birthday boy has to wear a cone shaped hat. What a party animal!

Oh boy! Karl can hardly wait to dig into this cat sized scoop of vanilla ice cream (with real vanilla bean specks).

Gunther and I were given a more decadent treat - chocolate brownie with aforementioned vanilla ice cream served on monkey face plates.

All the birthday festivities tired out our party animal. He sure enjoyed wearing that hat though.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

And they call it Monkey Love... First Date - Part 1

I'm sure you'll remember my new four foot friend Gunther (or G for short) who arrived a few weeks ago. G is quite the sly fox. Can you believe he's already found himself a girl? What a smooth operator! G took his new gal pal Scarlet on their first date yesterday. They went down to Crystal Beach to enjoy the fabulous weather and scenic view. Here they are sitting on a bench at the Crystal Beach pier.

Scarlet is a bit of a showboat. She impressed G with her climbing abilities on the pier. He thought that she's as agile as a spider monkey!

There's some nice big rocks down by the beach where you can sit, chill out and watch the sunset in the evenings. The pier is in the background along with one of the many palm trees that scatter the shoreline.

The pair decided to catch a few rays during their date by laying out on this rock. They didn't stay long because Scarlet was turning bright red.

Scarlet was anxious to investigate the live oak trees in the park right next to the beach. They call it Live Oak Park for a reason. Check out Part 2 for their tree climbing adventures.

And they call it Monkey Love... First Date - Part 2

There's lots of live oak trees down by the beach, so Gunther and Scarlet took full advantage of them. G preferred to lounge while Scarlet put her climbing skills to work.

What a silly monkey! Here's Scarlet showing off for the camera again.

After all that climbing and swinging, she took a lounge break like G.

I think we can all agree that G and Scarlet had a very successful first date. Maybe monkey love is in the air...

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Naner D. Pus versus Big Monkey

Many of you were introduced to Nanerpus during a Denny's Superbowl commercial this year. He has a less famous cousin whose name is Naner D. Pus. You'll find out what the "D" stands for at the end of this story. Naner D. Pus, just like his cousin, has an insatiable appetite for pancakes. This morning when Laura made a delicious pancake breakfast, Naner D. Pus sniffed it out from miles away. When no one was looking, he jumped right on top of this stack. "Mmm... I love pancakes!," Naner D. Pus said to himself.

Naner D. Pus let his appetite come before his rationalization skills. He should have done some detective work before breaking and entering into a house filled with sock monkeys (whose favorite food just happens to be bananas). You may have noticed that Naner D. Pus doesn't have any ears, so he didn't even hear me sneak up behind him in the kitchen. Ha ha... I'm going to get YOU, Naner D. Pus!

Just as swiftly as I could, I wrestled him to the counter. Alas, he didn't even get a chance to savor one bite of his beloved pancakes. His eight sticky tentacles, although quite menacing, were no match for my massive Popeye sized guns. I overtook him within seconds. As you can see, he is tapping out on one of my guns for mercy.

Naner D. Pus became a peel of the character he once was after I devoured his innards.

Naner D. Pus, I admire you for your spirit and unabashed love of pancakes, but my desire for bananas got the best of you. Here's some advice for the other relatives of Nanerpus out there. Next time you smell the aroma of pancakes, make sure that you're not entering the home of Big Monkey.

If you can't guess what the "D" stands for in his name, it's Dunderhead!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patty's Day from Big O' Monkey

Top o' the morning to you from my leprechaun alter ego Big O' Monkey. I'm here to bring you good luck and merriment for the day!

Me leprechaun friend Farcus (left) is a true Irishman with his shock of red curls. Officer Po Po (right) has taken the day off to participate in some leprechaun antics with us. Can you see our Irish eyes are smiling?

Celebration at Peggy O'Neill's Irish Pub

Me leprechaun friends Farcus and Officer Po Po visited Peggy O'Neill's Irish Pub and Eatery last night with me. A fun time was had by all.

This is the biggest shamrock I could find in the pub.

The Irish sure do know how to have fun and bring good luck to all.

Erin Go Bragh means "Ireland Forever."

A leprechaun gets hungry after a fun filled day. Me belly is craving this hearty Irish stew with Guinness gravy.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Gunther's Arrival - Part 1 - Meet G

I am proud to introduce you to the newest member of my family. I named him Gunther, but I call him G for short. G arrived on Saturday after traveling all the way from Texas. I am posing by him for scale, but if you can't tell G is 4 feet tall!

G brought a friend from Texas to keep him company on the long journey. I'm not sure what to name her. Any suggestions?

As soon as G arrived, I noticed the uncanny resemblance between him and my friends the Monkey Brothers. I need to trace their family lineage. They must be related.

G was hungry when he came out of his box. He said he hadn't eaten all week. G polished off this quartet of bananas in no time flat.

After the bananas, he spotted some Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies that Laura had just purchased. When she wasn't looking, he busted into the box and ate them all! Boy, is Laura going to be mad when she finds out!

Gunther's Arrival - Part 2 - Driving Big Monkey

I may have had an ulterior motive when I told Laura to adopt G. Some wonder how I could allow a "bigger" monkey into my family. Four feet tall... hmm... that's big enough to... DRIVE! Yeah! I have my own chauffeur now. G is big enough to drive Laura's car! When she left for a walk yesterday, G and I took Blueberry for a test drive. I know the practical minded among you are questioning G's ability to drive. He does have a license. They issue one to just about anyone in Florida, which you can plainly see from the quality of drivers on the road these days.

Here's G giving his best impression of a punk teenage driver - sideways hat, arm out the window. G is quite the comedian.

Here we go! We better get out of here before Laura comes back!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Fleece Monkey Blanket

On Friday I received this awesome fleece monkey blanket from Laura's friend Cynthia. It's not even a holiday! I think it was custom made just for me. It's perfect for keeping warm on the couch while I'm channel surfing.

I wrote Cynthia a thank you note this weekend. The pen that I'm using was also a gift from Amy.

Amy went to Hawaii in January and brought back this cool pen for me. Can you see the monkey wearing a coconut bra and grass skirt? It looks just like the outfit my friend Mr. Monkey has been wearing lately. He appeared in the beach photos with me a few weeks ago.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

3/3/9 was Square Root Day

This posting is a couple of days late, since my humans have been ill this week. Tuesday was "Square Root Day", which was brought to my attention by the Today Show's Matt Lauer. 3/3/9 was the date, and 3 x 3 = 9. Hence, 3 is the square root of 9 for those of you that are mathematically challenged. Some of my buddies and I are here to demonstrate the concept to you.

(Ben Socklisberger + Herbert + Me) x (Billy + Arthur Chimparelli + Cyn Cyn) = (Farcus + Billy Ground Hog + Rooster + Officer Po Po + Miss Pearl + Mr. Monkey + George + Blue + Henly)

The next Square Root Day won't happen for more than 7 years - 4/4/16, so let's enjoy it while we can.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Part 1 - New Trike

I was so excited to get my brand new "hog" this weekend. It's a Roadmaster red tricycle, fully loaded. I decided to give it a test drive on the Pinellas Trail near my home, which is a 34 mile former railroad track turned bicycle / walking path.

I'm being followed by a shadow sock monkey. I must pedal faster!

I have a custom designed plate in the back. It says "I Brake 4 Sock Monkeys."

I was happy to let my buddies Little Big Monkey and Socks hitch a ride on my hog.

Along the way, we picked up Kathie Lee and Hoda from the Today show. See Part 2 for pictures of our cruise.