Ambush Makeovers' Aftermath

Here's the wretched aftermath of G's and my makeover. It looks like a bloody sheep for crying out loud! The red bits are my small contribution. The rest of the sheep's wool belonged to G. The morals of this story are 1) not all socks are created equally and 2) if your sock monkey is hiding in a laundry basket, just let him be.

What Happens at the Hard Rock, Stays at the Hard Rock - Part 1

Vegas style gambling is alive and well in the Tampa Bay area via the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Laura and I decided to try it out for the first time this past weekend. This awesome giant guitar sign beckons you to come inside.

We took a tour of the grounds and shot some nice photos. Oops! Humans are waiting behind us for pictures so I must continue with my exploration.


This quote from ELP says it all. We are ready to experience "the show that never ends." Somehow I think it does end when you lose all your money.

What a pretty little garden. Those flowers look good enough to eat, but I'm saving myself for a big lunch!

The big lunch has come to fruition. Cuban food with my favorite plantains... yummo!

Now it's time to get my gambling on!

What Happens at the Hard Rock, Stays at the Hard Rock - Part 2

Slot machines are my weakness at the casino. Laura used to love the "Triple Stars" out in Vegas. This particular one just took our money, so we moved on.

Can you believe that ebay has their own slot machines?

Laura bought most of my friends on ebay, so I thought the big jackpot might be 10,000 sock monkeys! No such luck :(

This machine's got my name all over it - "Monkeys in the Middle"! Yeah, I'm going to win some big bananas playing this one!

This place is full of apes. Even King Kong has his own slot machine!

What Happens at the Hard Rock, Stays at the Hard Rock - Part 3

Isn't this the most perfect musical quote for a casino hotel? Such a lovely place...

Check out this guitar! It's called "Bad Ass". I think it lives up to it's name.

Here's some cool paintings of rock 'n roll legends. I liked the display. I played in the plant.

These are ceramic banks made to look like each of the Beatles. Somehow I don't think these banks accommodated all of their savings.

This fountain was really neat. I had to keep my distance so I didn't get splashed.

Gunther's Ambush Makeover - Part 1

Laura received a present / torture device in her Easter basket. A fabric shaver can be used to remove pills on sweaters or socks... OR sock monkeys. She had Gunther in her sights shortly after opening the box. When her back was turned, Gunther went into hiding.

After searching all the rooms in the house, Laura opened the laundry closet. "Hmm... I don't remember this monkey towel on top of the dirty laundry. That's odd." Laura thought this looked mighty suspicious.

She removed the towel and found Gunther curled up inside the laundry basket. "Nice try G, but you're getting ambushed!" Laura declared. Every Friday, the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda feature two ladies who will receive ambush makeovers. The only difference is that the ladies are willing and eager participants. Gunther is neither of the two.

The following closeup of G's hands and feet indicate why he's been selected for an ambush makeover. Laura is hoping to smooth out his skin via the shaver. Let's see what happens in Part 2.

Gunther's Ambush Makeover - Part 2

I'm here with Gunther for moral support. As you can see, he is terrified of the shaver!

"Ouch! My feet are sensitive!," Gunther cried out. There, there Gunther. It will be over soon.

He survived the "pedicure", so now Gunther watches tentatively as he receives his "manicure."

Unfortunately, to all of our collective dismay, the shaver was not effective on Gunther's rough spots. Laura plans to trim his threads with scissors gently. Gunther says he's all done, and no one is touching his paws again!

Gunther's ambush makeover was not very successful, but there will be another candidate for the shaver according to Laura. Should I be worried?

Good Friday at the Bank

Sock Monkey Friday is a special one this week because it's Good Friday. That means Easter is almost here! Let the festivities begin. My pal Walbit (you'll learn more about him soon) and I are posing with our pal, Mr. Purple Peep. He looks good enough to eat, but alas, he's just a stuffed animal like us.

Mr. Monkey and I donned rabbit ears and posed with our lamb buddies, Clarice and Hannibal. I am riding on Clarice's back, and Mr. Monkey is hugging Hannibal the black sheep. Spring bunnies, eggs and candy surround us. This day should be called GREAT Friday!

Time to Hide the Eggs!

Let me introduce you to our Easter Egg Hunt "elves" if you will. Both of them are hybrid animals. That doesn't mean they drive gas/electric cars either. Bunkey (left) is a bunny / monkey hybrid. He is specially equipped with a magic blue jelly bean carrot which tells him where the best places to hide eggs are. Walbit (right) is a walrus / rabbit genetic mutant who is an Easter veteran. He and Bunkey are a dynamic duo when it comes to egg hunts.

The eggs in this basket will soon be dispersed throughout the yard for the delight of all sock monkeys in Crystal Beach. The eggsploration will begin soon!

Bunkey and Walbit have a secret helper, Scarlet, who is donning her festive rabbit ears. She will hide all the above ground eggs, since she has eggscellent climbing skills.

Let the hunt begin!

Easter Egg Hunt - Part 1

I can't believe I found the first egg! Now watch my friends undercover more hidden treasures!

Nimble Farcus scaled to the top of this skinny tree to find the first green egg, which just happens to match his John Deere cap.

Although Festus looks mad, he was actually eggcited to find this pretty blue egg.

My pal Henly will bend over sideways just to snag this orange egg.

Officer Po Po was real proud when Po Junior found an egg during his very first Easter egg hunt. Good job little feller!

Easter Egg Hunt - Part 2

Mr. Monkey eggsclaimed, "I found a blue one!" Come look!

Arthur Chimparelli couldn't be any cooler. He saved this egg from being devoured by a pelican.

Miss Pearl, wearing her fine Easter bonnet, eggsposed a green speckled egg camouflaged by the plant it was hidden within.
My Australian mate Herbert is eggcited about his first Easter egg hunt in America.

Princess Monkitha jumped on this sundial for a quick break. Low and behold, there was a pretty blue egg waiting for her!

Easter Egg Hunt - Part 3

Eggscellent find, my friend Rooster! Who would have thought to look in the gutter downspout?

Good job detecting that egg on the roof Little Big Monkey, but make sure no one is inhabiting the birdhouse before you stick your hand in there.

Socks and Sockette spotted a speckled egg up high in this tree. Great work little ones!

All this egg hunting has made me pretty hungry. It's time to enjoy my favorite Easter treat - Peeps! I hope you had an eggscellent Easter full of fun like mine.

Here's your chance to join the Big Monkey Fan Club!

Most of you know that I have my own profile on Facebook under Velike Ludorije, which is Big Monkey translated into my native Croation. If you aren't already a Facebook user, here's an incentive to get started. I now have a Big Monkey Fan Club which is open to anyone who wants to join. So far, we are 30 members strong! Besides the blog, it's an even better way to keep tabs on my zany adventures. I send special messages to my fans every week as well, so you don't want to be left out of the loop. Join Facebook and be my friend and fan!

Saturday Night Out at Juan's Black Bean Cafe - A Taste of Cuban Cuisine

We went to a new restaurant last night called Juan's Black Bean Cafe because I was yearning for some Cuban food. Juan just opened a new location near my home, but he's had an established one in a nearby county for many years.

The platter in front of me is Laura's dinner (unless I demolish it first). She ordered grilled chicken marinated in mojo sauce, topped with grilled onions and peppers. Mojo is a citrus and garlic marinade which can be used with chicken, fish and pork. On the side, there's yellow rice and black beans (in the cup). The black bean mixture is actually soup which can be poured directly on top of the rice. Last, but certainly not least, are two plantains. The plantains are sweet banana cousins which are nicely fried and delectable to the discerning diner.

I know what you're thinking. Laura doesn't have a chance of eating those plantains with me around. Well, she was smart enough to order my own plantain platter. I was in sweet fried banana heaven!

If you've never sampled Cuban food, I highly recommend it.

Your Sock Monkey Food Critic,
Big Monkey

Big Monkey... That Crafty Monkey!

Sock Monkey Friday at the bank proved to be a lucrative day. Cynthia gave me some really cool craft kits to keep me occupied. I spent the day and part of the night at home coloring in this wooden monkey using magic markers. I was extra careful to color in between the lines with no mistakes.

Here's my completed work of art . Gunther supervised while I created my masterpiece. I think I'll name this new friend Woodrow. He's a friendly monkey who likes to wave to everyone.

You probably noticed the fine bling around my neck. This was my other Friday craft project from Cynthia. I planned the placement of each bead with much thought.

To top off my day, another one of Laura's co-workers (Chrissy) gave me a banana. She said I was cute! Do you blame her? Here's to Sock Monkey Fridays! They are my favorite day of the week.