July 21 - Playing around and around

JULY 21

We packed up to head back to Detroit, and before we left Beulah, we went to the playground! I had so much fun! There were a few kids around, but mostly it was just Wendy, Ken and me. And I got to do whatever I wanted!

I slid down this curvy slide, and that was almost fun. I went down on my tummy and I was yelling, “WHEEEEE!” until I saw the puddle of water at the bottom of the slide! My “WHEEEEE!” turned into “YIKES!” – fortunately, Ol’ Wen was right there to grab me so only my hand got a little wet.

Next I went on this spring-looking thing. I started out great at the top, and I was yelling, “KEN! KEN! I’m as big as you are!” and I was laughing and having fun, until I stretched my two hands up to be as big as I could be. Then I fell down the middle of the spring! It was so scary! Ken caught me before I hit the ground, and he had to kind of pull me out of the spring, and I didn’t like it. I was crying because, well, it’s pretty scary to be on top of the world one moment and then next you are being pulled through some giant metal spring! Wendy was able to comfort me, and I stopped crying when I saw something that looked like Monkey Bars! That was fun, until I got my head caught in the bars when I was pretending to be a prisoner in jail!

 

 

After I was sprung from my self-imposed prison, I had a chance to slide down a normal slide. At first, the going was slow, which was okay by me. I had had enough adventure on this playground! Then Ken thought I might like a faster trip down the slide, so he threw a little sand on it, and SWOOOOP! there I went down the slide! That was it for me. I was done.

We walked over to an art fair, and Ken and his buddies Gary and Charlie posed for a picture with me. It was great fun goofing around with the guys!

On the way to the car, I saw something very upsetting. There was a big sign up at that beach. A really bossy sign. No feeding the waterfowl, no animals or alcohol, no lifeguard, no boats and so on. Very bossy. But what really got me mad – and I don’t get mad very often (unless somebody yells at me when I am just trying to get a snack in the back seat of the car, and I’m bored, and I just want to know if we are there yet…). For some mean reason, they singled out animals as the category to be the biggest NO! At first I thought this was something to do with a human’s health, like the ordinary 98.6 temperature. But, NOOOOOO! It’s a special ORDINANCE Ken told me specifically aimed at animals! Just to show them, I had my picture taken ON that stupid sign! I’m thinking about sending it to Poopyheads who run that city just to show them that I don’t care about their poopyhead ordinances! 

July 20 - My Date with Wendy

JULY 20

Day Two of Beulah started with a trip to the Phoenix Café to meet up with Ken’s friends for coffee. It was a beautiful day, so we all sat outside. I had an iced coffee and chatted with Gary and his sons, Jeff and Dan. I also visited with Gary’s sister – Jane, and my two new kid friends Harris and Nina. Harris was very happy to hold me up so I could get my picture taken with the café sign!

 

It was so exciting! There was a group of motorcycle riders at the café! They were really very friendly and not at all like Marlon Brando in The Wild One (I love black and white movies and method actors!). The Smith Family Robinson, a.k.a. “The Outlaws,” are from Kalamazoo and were actually lovely humans. They let me sit on one of the Harleys! I think I want to be a biker monkey and get me a cool helmet and some goggles to keep the wind out of my eyes!

When I got back to the table, the announcement was made that we were going to Lake Michigan! WOOO HOOO! I was very excited to go see the big lake! Wendy said she wasn’t going to go, as she had things to do, and she asked me if I wanted to go with her for hot dogs. I’m always hungry and ever since Ken had that coney dog at Leo’s the other day, I have had a hankering for a frankfurter. So I said good-bye to the group and hello to Wendy and off we went.

Boy, was I disappointed. Wendy took me to the town of FRANKFORT, not to get a frankfurter. Wendy was very sorry to see me pouting again, after all the problems we had yesterday. As it turned out, she really wanted to make the day be just about ME! I felt a lot better when she told me that, and off we went on our Frankfort Adventure!

It was SO exciting! I DID get to see the big lake after all! In fact, Wendy pushed me high up on a kiddie-swing to get a better view of it and the lighthouse. There are lots of lighthouses in Michigan, and this was the first one I ever saw up close and personal! As I was swinging and having a grand old time, a daddy and his two sons came up to the swing set. Daddy Carlson (I think he said Carlson) put the little baby in the swing right next to me! It was SO COOL! The baby could not take his eyes off me, and I could not take my eyes off of him! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a real baby. I think Jesse was the last one, come to think about it. The baby in the swing was waving “hi” and I was saying “hi” and he was laughing, and I was laughing! And Wendy and the daddy were laughing, and all was right with the world!

 

Then it got even better! Wendy took me to a little sand dune! I was able to hide among the green plants and scamper around, playing hide and seek with Wendy. After that, she took me to a bigger dune. I decided to do what I saw the big kids doing – I’d run down the sand! Unfortunately, I started sliding right away, so that didn’t turn out like I planned it. It was hard to keep my balance, and the sand was hot, but it was still very fun and I felt like Indiana Jones, doing something very exciting!

Right in the middle of this little yard on the way back into town, there is a cannon! Not a working cannon, I don’t think. Maybe it’s a lawn ornament. Wendy couldn’t find out any information about why there was a cannon in the middle of town, and I was wondering if they kept candy in it, so I hopped up and tried to scoot inside it. It was very very dark in there, and I got a little bit scared, so I asked Wendy if she could help me get out. I was glad to get out of there, but I really do think it was a great hiding place for candy – and maybe I just didn’t go in far enough!

We found this guy riding a bike, and he gave me a little ride. At first I thought he was family, because he said his name was Uncle Sam. I had a lot of fun – but all we did was spin a circle on a stick. He didn’t say a lot, but he seemed happy with that nice smile.

Right on the main street, there is a book store called “The Book Store.” I had thought when Frannie named me Monkey it was kind of an obvious choice, but this store name really showed a very straightforward approach to marketing. A big brown bear let me sit on his lap in the children’s section. I asked him to read me my favorite Michigan book – M is for Mitten. I love that book! I had a great time, and he was very very snuggly. After the book, we took a walk around the children’s department. I was looking for Curious George, but instead I found a really friendly monkey puppet! What a great smile HE had! And a really nice turtle puppet moseyed over to let me sit on him while me and Monkey Puppet told some jokes. I totally LOVED the bookstore!

I saw a lot of people walking around with ice cream cones. That made me think about the hot dog I wanted, and since Frankfort didn’t seem to have any hot dog stands, I ran up to an ice cream shop window. Wendy did have a point when she said it was really too hot for a sock monkey to eat ice cream and that it would probably melt and get me pretty messy. So I just watched them make ice cream cones for people, who are easier to clean than are sock monkeys. Humans really do have that logic thing working pretty well for them…

There was a toy store across the street, so we moved in that direction. It was amazing! Remember Uncle Sam? Well, his good friend Bike Monkey was just outside of the store! He asked me if I wanted a little ride, and I said, “Why of course!” It was very much like the other bike ride, spinning around and all. Bike Monkey and I had a conversation about how we had a lot in common. We are both monkeys, we both like bananas, and I want to be a Biker Monkey and he IS a Bike Monkey!

The toy store was okay, but I didn’t see anything I wanted. Wendy looked at her watch and realized we had to get going back to Beulah. As we passed a store named “Momentum,” a very cute young lady came out and said, “I love your sock monkey!” That’s all we needed to here! This is the store where we’d find a souvenir T-shirt for me! Marissa was very helpful and held a shirt up to see if it would be the right size for me. Unfortunately it was too big. But she was a cutie-pie, and I liked it when she was holding me!

The last stop was in Elberta, at a store called Trick Dog. Wendy’s sister-in-law Peggy told her to check it out, so she did! Very cool shop, but nothing for little sock monkeys. And there were many breakable things there, so we cut that visit short. Out in the back, however, there were these wood sculptures along a fence. All sorts of very cool people and animals… and a set of picture frames – with one empty one on the bottom! I looked at Wendy, she looked and me, we both said, “YESSSSSSS!”  and I scampered into a frame... and I became ART!

The ride back to Beulah was extra special because Wendy let me not only sit in the front seat, but she let me be the Co-pilot and the Navigator, too! Since Ken had shown me how to read maps, I did a much better job of it this time!

At the end of this very fun day, Wendy and I had a snack. Mmmmmmm – how I love chocolate chip cookies with a side of banana! It was the perfect ending to a really great day. Before I fell asleep, I was thinking about all the people I met, and I was hoping that the Smith Family Robinson bikers had as nice a ride as I had a day with Wendy! I think we are back to being good buddies again...

July 19 - Are we there yet?

JULY 19

Well, today was the drive up to Beulah. I was really looking forward to the excitement of another 4 hour trip. It HAD to be more fun than the 4 hours on the plane to Detroit. At least that is what I thought. Yes, it was a lovely day, there was no traffic, and the companions were delightful, but honestly... 4 hours in a car? A sock monkey... 4 hours in a car? I loved looking out the windows for a while, but 4 hours?

Wendy did the driving, and Ken did try to entertain me. But all I could think was, "ARE WE THERE YET????" Here's how it went down...

It was really fun looking out the window and asking Wendy to read me the signs. I was so excited because I thought when we saw the Cracker Barrel billboard, we would go there! They have GREAT toys and sometimes sock monkeys... but we didn't go. To be honest, I was a little upset, because I really have not asked for too much on this trip. I have been patient when shlepped to family gatherings, and I thought it would be okay to ask if we could go to Cracker Barrel. I’m just saying…

I asked Ken if I could look out his window for a while. Mostly, I saw a lot of stuff going by really fast, and sometimes drivers who were talking on the phone or singing with the radio. I didn't see any other sock monkeys. Eventually, I got a little tired and decided to just stretch out on the dashboard. 

While looking out the window, I looked up for a second and saw… MONKEY BARS! Well, one monkey bar. Okay. It was not a monkey bar, but that’s what I saw! How fun to swing in the car... well at least up to the point where your head hurts from being upside down, and maybe you are a little carsick! 

Then Wendy asked me if I wanted to “drive” the car! WOO HOOO! That was FUN! After that, I needed something else to do. Ken tried to get me to play with Baby or Puppy or some of my toys, but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to explore. I found a latch, pulled on it, and part of the car completely OPENED UP! I LOVE the glovebox! How cool is that? Something that is called something that it absolutely is not! It wasn’t a box, and I didn’t see any gloves.

 

In answer to my question “Are we there yet?”, Ken suggested that I get the TourGuide book out of the back pack. I didn’t find it in my backpack and then I realized that he’s such a joker! It was in the BIG backpack! I started reading up on Grand Rapids because Ken told me his friend Charlie was going to be in Beulah and he lives in Grand Rapids, and I wanted to have a frame of reference when I met him so I could say something more intelligent than, “Charlie, did you know that my Girl Frannie was born in East Grand Rapids?”

 

I found some paper and a pen and did a lovely drawing. I call it: Self-Portrait with Still Life.

Then I explored the folder where Ken is keeping the trip information. I figured there might be some candy in there. I was wrong.

 

I liked driving, so I asked Wendy if I could drive again. This time I wanted to drive backward and talk to Ken. She let me. I love driving, but I wish Wendy wouldn't force me to put my hands at 10 and 2 - I'd like to have one hand free to wave to people as they go by. Driving got boring so I decided to check and see if she was speeding (she assured me she was not, but sometimes she does get a lead foot…). I had spent a lot of time looking out Ken’s window, so I decided to get another viewpoint by looking out Wendy’s window for a bit, which required me to jump off the dashboard and down onto Wendy's lap - because how else could I see out the driver's side window?

  

Wendy called me "Please-settle-down-Ernie" too many times, so I went back to Ken, and he let me look at the big map. That might have been a good idea if I were not a sock monkey and if I could read maps…

I was really completely bored, and I really DID want to know if we were there yet. The options for interesting things to do were pretty much exhausted in the front seat, so I snuck into the back seat. I simply could not resist pulling a little joke on Ol’ Kenny, since he’s such a card! I snuck up into his shirt that was hanging there, and yelled, “YO! KEN! CHECK IT OUT!” and then I tried to be very very still, and it was SO hard to not giggle! He looked back and he DIDN’T EVEN SEE ME! I mean, he was saying, "Where's Ernie? I could have SWORN I heard Ernie calling me!" When he turned back to face the front, I yelled, “HEY, COUSIN! LOOKEE HERE!” and then I fixed my eyes in a stare (I’m good at that) and froze! He whipped his head back and still didn’t see me! He was looking, and I guess I was pretty invisible! Oh, it was knee-slappin’ fun! Well, at least a few times. Then that got old.

I hopped down on the seat and decided to see if they had another banana back there somewhere for me. I looked in the snack bag, and I couldn’t find it, so I threw open the cooler and started taking things out. You would have thought that I broke some kind of federal law or something from Wendy’s reaction! There was positively no need for her to shout, “ERNIE! You need to settle DOWN!” Apparently she gets weirded out by the sound of Styrofoam squeaking. Or she’s just edgy. 

In any case, it was very, very upsetting to me. I’m just a little sock monkey. Yes, I'm a primate, but I’m not human. I don’t know how to do “car trip” very well, at least not without a little kid cuddling me! Car trips are stupid. It wasn't nice of her, and I'm not used to hearing her talk to me anything but nice ways, and nice does matter, and she wasn't being nice to me, and I just wanted a snack and to know if we were there yet! 

I started crying and saying it wasn’t fair and were we there yet and that I wanted to go home and my eyes got all wide… Ken saw that I was upset, and he tried to cuddle and comfort me. I think maybe he was stifling a giggle himself a little bit, but it felt good to be cuddled. And I fell asleep for a while. I like Ken much more than I like Wendy right now.

When I woke up and asked Ken, “Are we there yet?” he said, “Almost, Ernie!!!” and then – wouldn’t you just know it? – there was a traffic jam on this 2 lane road, and we came to a complete stop for a while. Oh, it was just too much! Ken helped me play a little at the open window, and then when he was changing the song on the radio, I snuck out and peeked through the windshield, saying, “YO! KEN!”  Well, he didn’t find it as entertaining as I did, and he brought me back in the car. I took a look in the side mirror to see all the cars lined up behind us. It was almost like a parade! And I do so love a good parade!

 

Wendy asked me if I wanted to dance with her to "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 while we were still stuck in traffic. I was not done being mad at her, but after a few minutes of dancing to that and "I'm A Believer" by the Monkees (really!), we were best buddies again. It's hard to be mad at a good dancer for very long. 

Eventually, we did get to Beulah, and I was exhausted from the ride. I decided to meet Charlie and Gary and the rest of the people tomorrow, as it was actually pretty nice to be out of the car and not moving anymore!

It was nice to get there yet. And I’m going to make sure to bring more to do for the ride back to Detroit!

July 18 - More Food and Family!

JULY 18 

Yesterday I was reunited with Jesse, my Boy. Today I was reunited with Frannie, my Girl! I could not help but think, “Oh, how she has grown!” She’s not that much different from that 2 year old I first met, however. We went to Niki’s in Royal Oak for breakfast and to get caught up. I sure do miss her playing! I understand that now she makes a living out of make-believe play… Humans call it “theatre work.”

After that meal, it was time to go immediately to lunch. Ken’s family reunion was a riot, and I was happy when I was got a chance to eat! I waited until all of the humans were just about done with their brunch, and I snuck up on this bowl of amazing fruit! Then, when nobody was looking, I snuck a plate of cookies to my end of the table… I don’t think anyone saw. I tried to eat them quickly and quietly! 

Just as I got the last crumb wiped off my face, Ken grabbed me up to be in a family photo! Marcy, Jenn and Gary humored Ken. They had no idea how special it felt to be in a family picture. Yesterday I had the picture with Jesse, John, Jen, and Wendy… WAIT! I’m in pictures with TWO JENS! And BOTH of them were in from out of town on an adventure! And NEITHER of them have blogs! Well, I’m glad to share my little corner of the blogosphere with them!

Oh, Ken has this cousin Melissa who was there. All I can say is that that KIA sock monkey with the puny little MOM tattoo on his arm ain’t no competition for Melissa! Her tattoos are beautiful and a-plenty! So take a look-see here, Mr. KIA Sock Monkey (who I actually believe is really a human in a costume!)… THIS is some REAL ink!

Our last stop turned out to be a dinner stop. We went to see Wendy’s Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Bob. Well, how lucky was I? Two MORE girl cousins to play with, and these were KIDS! Anna gave me some loving noogies, and Amanda showed me the boats on the lake behind the house. 

Cousin Marc had a great idea that maybe I would like to go swimming. We thought about it, and realized that was probably not a great idea. He and ANOTHER cousin Jason figured out how I could so some major chillaxin’ on a sort of raft! It was late enough in the day that it didn't matter that I forgot to put on my sunblock. Floatin' in the pool, on a July afternoon, with two lovely girls at my beck and call. NICE!

 

It was a beautiful end to another hectic day – I can’t WAIT for the road trip to Beulah tomorrow! Ken, Wendy and me in a car together for over 4 hours! I am going to have SO much fun! It will be SO exciting to see Michigan this way!