Getting there is half the battle

At first, Harvey shunned the GPS. Then he learned that it could tell him where the nearest Taco Bell is.

Blue Plate Special, Hold the Slaw

Harvey recently visited Walt's Diner in Old Forge, NY. While there, he heard a waitress actually tell a customer that the split pea soup was "nasty stuff".

Harvey wonders if this was the best tack to take in the name of customer service.

Well played, Englishman.

Seamus and Harvey would like to congratulate their fellow gnome, Murphy, on his return from walkabout. They would also like to tell Murphy's kidnapper to rock on.

Forest gnome

"Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world." ~John Muir

But where are the nymphs??

Seamus gazes out over Nymph Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. He was quite put out not to find any nymphs there.

The Gnome with One Red Shoe

In the movie adaptation, the part of Harvey Arbuckle will be played by Tom Hanks.

Eat Your Heart Out, Morgan Freeman

Just what, exactly, would penguins find worthy of protest, anyway?

Vinegar, horseshoe nails, a yard of gingham...

Someday, Harvey will visit Croghan to investigate.

North Country Public Radio did a story about Marilley & Co back in 2007.

It's 4 o'clock somewhere

I always fear that creation will expire before teatime. ~Sydney Smith

Amidst the fluff

Seamus gathered much cottonwood fluff in Provo and made himself a nice cushy bed out of it.

Aquaphobic

Gnomes are known for their love of nature, but Harvey's love does not extend to the water. Here, he prepares for a kayaking adventure.

photo by j. norfleet

Up close with John Muir

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. " John Muir

And the bout goes to...

Seamus discovered that not all of the wildlife at Yosemite was friendly towards gnomes as this ringtail pins him down to investigate further. Luckily, it lost interest quickly and let him go.

Ya'll Come Back Now

One does wonder who might find themselves dropping by the island unannounced with the need to leave a note.

Beware of bears

Seamus checks out the bear lockers at Wawona campground. He was very disappointed not to see any bears while there.

Me Too, Hank

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

Henry David Thoreau, Where I Lived, and What I Lived For

The ET Stratagem

Having heard there were any number of large predators in the mountains, Harvey adopted a time-tested ruse to assure his safety.

Ambrosia

Harvey's first trip to the Adirondacks started off with a hearty dose of caffiene and artificial sweeteners.

Abducted by aliens

Seamus checks out the crash site of the "Roswell Incident".

While in Roswell, Seamus also made some new friends.

A Visit to the King

Normally, I try to do one picture at a time but Seamus was getting impatient for these pictures to get posted. He was *very* excited about his trip to Graceland.

Here, Seamus poses with his tour ticket. He had already used the mansion and audio equipment portion. The Sincerely Elvis exhibit, with all the costumes, was his favorite part.

Seamus was thrilled to be able to pick up his very own pink Cadillac while in Memphis. He says it makes him feel closer to Elvis when he drives it.

Not one to forget about his friends, Seamus picked up this souvenir t-shirt for Harvey at one of the Graceland shops.

Down at the end of Lonely Street

A longtime fan of Elvis, Seamus was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit Graceland while on a recent trip to Memphis.

Back to nature

Seamus had the opportunity to do a little hiking while in Tennessee. This was on the hiking trail to Grotto Falls in Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Encounters with wildlife

Shortly after his arrival in Pigeon Forge, Seamus had a close encounter with a black bear. Luckily, gnomes and bears have long been in accord and the meeting was peaceful.

Paddle faster, I hear banjo music!

Preparing to go white water rafting on the Pigeon River, Seamus experienced a wee bit of trouble finding equipment to fit him. He prevailed, however, and braved the rapids.

[AWOL Adventures] Traveling In Style

Once free from the confines of his home in upstate NY, Harvey commandeered a small personal craft.


He is, however, always safety conscious--even though FAA Regulations do not apply to gnomes.


Like their dwarf cousins, gnomes are known to have a heightened interest in all things shiny. Here, Harvey receives a stern lecture after being found working the slots in the Las Vegas airport.

AWOL

Bored with life in Ithaca, Harvey hopped a ride to the west coast last week. Stay tuned.

Running Gnome

Seamus competed in his first marathon, the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon, on June 1. Although he required a wee bit of assistance towards the end (as shown here), he was quite pleased to finish with a time of 5:21:14. That's quite impressive for someone with legs as short as his.

Splash down

In San Diego for his recent marathon, Seamus prepares to go for a nice dip in the pool the day before the race.

Mechanical Koalas for Everyone!

Always an avid reader, Harvey was thrilled to complete The Stars Down Under by long-time friend Sandra McDonald.

In fact, elephants often consult me.*

Harvey was disappointed by the elephants at the National Zoo, who seemed uninterested in his thoughts on politics. This one was more to his liking.

*Excerpted from "I have a memory like an elephant. In fact, elephants often consult me."- Noel Coward

Here, Sir, the People NOM

Harvey was actually in DC to attend a graduation at Georgetown. He much preferred this chocolate replica of the Capital building to the real thing.

So, Mr. Frog, I See the Tables Are Turned

Disapproving frog...disapproves.

Perhaps he read the earlier entry wherein Harvey mentioned a certain French delicacy?

The Cricket's Wicket

After completing his tour of Washington, Harvey settled into his hosts' back garden. Here, he discusses the upcoming elections with a lucky cricket.

Zhongguo Cheng*

Just around the corner from where Harvey stayed in DC is the world's longest single-span Chinese arch, marking the entrance to Chinatown. He would dearly love to some day see The Great Wall.

*The Chinese characters visible over Harvey's shoulder translate to the above, which means "Chinese City" in English.

For Score and Seven Gnomes Ago...

While it's true that Harvey appreciates all that presidents like Washington and Lincoln have done for our great nation, he does wonder why Herbert Hoover lacks a monument.

Plants for the Planet!

It's a well-known fact that gnomes are born with a green thumb. Here, Harvey takes a moment out of his tour of the US Botanic Gardens Conservatory to tend a small plant in need of cheering up.

Here, sir, the people govern.*

Congress was no longer in session by the time Harvey made it to the Capital Building, so he settled for writing a letter to his senator suggesting that the gas tax be repealed as part of the economic stimulus package.

*the above quote is by Alexander Hamilton and is carved into the stone of the Cox Corridors in the capital complex. Harvey believes that every American should know the origins of our country's political system.

Seamus does Big Bear

This past weekend, Seamus was pleased to have the opportunity to get back to nature in Big Bear Lake, CA. This also allowed him to knock off one of the destinations on the list he and Harvey had put together of places to go.

This stump reminded Seamus of a tragic event in his past. In case you haven't noticed, Seamus always insists on being photographed from the left, due to a large burn scar on the right side of his head. He was out walking in the woods when he noticed a fire in a hollow tree. He could hear shouts coming from within so he rushed in and saved the local elves, who appeared to have set up a bake shop of some type for cookies in the tree. Sadly, he did not escape unharmed although rumor has it that the elves have set up shop in yet another hollow tree and are still baking away.

Seamus feels very much at home perched on an outcropping of bark on this Jeffrey pine.

Seamus partakes of a lovely apple as a mid-afternoon snack.

When he said he was up for a game of badminton, this wasn't quite what Seamus had in mind...

Seamus was most excited to be able to go horseback riding on this adventure. Although the horse was quite gentle, Seamus did have some difficulty in remaining mounted.

While riding, Seamus encountered more of the local wildlife, this time in the form of a moose. He was able to approach quite close, due to the rapport most gnomes have with all forms of wildlife.

Seamus quite enjoyed being in the outdoors and having a chance to reconnect with his gnomish roots.


Seamus got in a bit of rock climbing during the trip. He actually encountered a lizard sunning on these rocks but it eluded being photographed.

Here, Seamus checks out the tracks that beetles have made in a fallen log. They look like little miniature roadways.