Desperately Seeking Antlers... In China.

Mr. P had the pleasure of joining my best pal Cortney from Septemeber 10-26 on a trip to China for some research! And boy did they research. Mr. Pickle arrived back in Michigan with a few Chinese words under his belt. Not too shabby! Now, onto the adventures:

They were in Beijing during the Moon Festival. This was left in their room with a slice of moon cake and fruit on the morning of. Mr. P is now reallllly into moon cakes.

The telephone at Red Wall Garden Inn in Beijing!

Mr. P and his reading glasses with the Shi ji (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian, China's first historian. Pickle is deeply immersed in Chinese history!

The Chinese zodiac! This shot was taken at my beautiful courtyard style hotel in Beijing.What sign is Mr. P?! I guess he's a Leo.

Yicheng Museum in Hubei Province. He's off to look at antlered motifs! Yep. FYI, the main point of the trip was to look at antlered things.

Tofu Pudding in Wuhan.

Wuhan graffiti

Dreaming of eternity in Wuhan.

Where are these red steps leading Mr. P in Wuhan?!

Here is Mr. Pickle in front Tiananmen Gate with the portrait of Mao Zedong in the background. Tiananmen Gate leads into the Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Square

Mr. P taking in some art at the National Museum, Beijing

Afternoon coffee with Cortney and Ellen at the National Museum, Beijing. The cup and saucer have cool bronze and jade motifs from Chinese art history! Eek!

Mr. Pickle with his comrades. National Museum, Beijing (near Tiananmen Square).

798 is the contemporary art district. Lots of galleries and shops in this area. There used to be more artists working here, but it has been commercialized in recent years. There is still a lot of cool contemporary Chinese art to be seen here though. Mr. Pickle found some great statue friends to hang out with!

Panda Mandy at 798 Beijing

798 Beijing. This dude with a D on his suit is super cute! 

More panda lovin' at 798 Beijing

All signs point to --> 798 Beijing

Touching. 798 Beijing.

798 Beijing

798 Beijing

And so ends another fantastic voyage for this lucky nomadic pickle. 

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He'd love to travel with you in 2014. He has a lot of states to still visit! Check out his itinerary and see if he fits in your schedule! Summer is travelin' time! 

Lake Michigan & North Carolina!

Mr. Pickle was the lucky guest of Miss April as they ventured off to Lake Michigan and then jumped down to North Carolina from August 7-12. NC is a state he hasn't visited before! His 22nd state. He's almost halfway to all 50 states! They had a good time relaxing and hitting the town.

He's a bit concerned that the seagull wanted to eat him, or at least steal his new umbrella. April and friends were good protectors and all survived.

Ah, the view. Ah, the relaxation.It was a bit chilly and windy! He had to don a snazzy red cap. He won't pass up a chance to accessorize.

Mr. P is looking very smart while driving through the mountains on the way to North Carolina.

An evening at a local bar, taking in the sights.

Mr. Pickle was super into the the music at the blues show! He's a huge fan of live music and he doesn't get enough of it. 

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Another great trip! He's still on the mission to hit all 50 states and some exotic countries in between.
Check his itinerary if you want to take him with you somewhere!

To The Lake!

This past weekend Mr. Pickle didn't have any trips planned, so I took him along on a quick trip to the lake with my family in Jackson County, MI. It was a chilly, drizzly sort of weekend, but the small relations were there, so they kept Mr. Pickle busy. In fact, the 6yr old niece had all sorts of ideas of where we should take Mr. Pickle.

To the lake! It's what we say. It's where we go. Now Mr. P knows that. 

 Golf cart rides and tasty beverages are a must at the lake. Mr. P was totally on board.

 

We cooked a tasty dinner outside in the pouring rain. Once done cooking the sun came out. Go figure. These were the best homemade french fries. The others did burgers... Mr. Pickle and I did tempeh sandwiches. 

He visited with Jagger and they took a little nap together.

Trucks galore at our campground! Plenty of them for Mr. P to hop in for rides.

 The playground was his big adventure for the weekend, and boy was he busy! The small relations had him in all sorts of situations.

A ride in a spaceship!

Let's not forget the teeter totter. Or as the 4yr old niece would say, the tater totter.  

 Time for an emergency trip! Better put on your fancy hat!

 More playground fun! Taking cover in this digger. It was a tight fit.

 After the rain the sun came out! Mr. P took a quick trip to the little beach and saw a palm tree! A Michigan palm tree. Who'd have thunk it.

 There are many little critters at the lake for Mr. P to say hello to. He said a fine QUACK to mama duck and her ducklings.

And a big moosey hello to this guy! 

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It was a quick little fun weekend and Mr. Pickle was happy to travel along and have the kids dress him up in his little accessories.

 He's headed down south soon, but is free the last few weeks of August. Check his itinerary if you'd like to take him somewhere!! He's always up for more fun.

East Coast Adventuring

From June 22 - July 1 Mr. Pickle had the privilege of visiting a few new states! He ventured off with Michael and his wife and young son to New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Knowing Michael I'm sure it was nonstop shenanigans and secret agent type mischief, easily hid with these photographs.
 

 Mr. P hanging out with this guy in Waterbury Connecticut.

Mr. P hanging out with this lady in Niagra Falls, New York.

Enjoying the seaside at Boston Harbor.

Sometimes a pickle just has to help a frog fish while visiting Boston Commons! And hope he doesn't get stuck on the end of a fishing hook!

Worms! Mr. Pickle was so not afraid of these sweet frogs.

Mr. P and crew had mad fun at the New England Aquarium in Boston. JELLYFISH!

False alarm time at the aquarium. As always, Mr. Pickle is looking quite dapper in his plaid scarf. (Made from fabric he got a Mood Fabric in NYC, thanks to Elizabeth.)

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And... another fun trip comes to an end. He had a great time with Michael and his family and he LOVED checking off two more states on his big master checklist! WOOT!

He's got a few weeks from before his next big trip. Check out his itinerary and let me know if you wish to travel with him! 

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Thank you so much for reading about Mr. Pickle's travel adventures, and a BIG thank you to those who take him along on trips. It's sweet folks like y'all that are keeping this project alive.

If you seek a pleasant peninsula...

Mr. P joined myself and four friends on a wonderful trip to northern Michigan all around the Leelanau Peninsula from May 31-June 3. We had amazing weather, delicious eats, grand outdoor adventures, a killer driving soundtrack, and plenty of laughs. Mr. Pickle was happy to hop on board as we ventured around the peninsula as we whiffed the lavender forest and stared at the stars.

Relaxing outside Michigan Artists Gallery in Suttons Bay.

Walking in Traverse City, on our way to The Cooks' House for dinner.

Before dinner we had to make a quick stop at the water and dip our toes in the freezing bay.

Mr. P was dying to see and hike some dunes. He did the Empire Bluff trail walk and this is what was at the end of it. PURE MICHIGAN!

The veg tacos at Cedar Sol hydro farm taco stand were super yum. Mr. Pickle enjoyed himself a wild ginger drink as he recooped from his afternoon hike.

 

YES! In Cedar, MI.

That same day we hiked a bit around Pyramid Point.

And more PURE MICHIGAN was waiting for us as we walked out of the forest. The aquas in the water made Mr. Pickle's heart burst out of his chest a couple of times.

Fishtown! Mr. P enjoyed walking around and shopping in the little shops.

Today! Mr. P is thinking about it.

When in Fishtown you gotta try a Chubby Mary! (Chub as in fish, as in a whole fish inside the drink glass acting as though it were a pickle or an olive.) Mr. P went with the chubless. I drank water.

VROOM VROOM! Just driving a Ferrari boat inside The Cove bar. No big deal. 

This pickle has taste.

Mr. P stayed in the most gorgeous modern farmhouse. Here he is enjoying an evening by the fire enjoying some vegan dessert, chocolate, wine, and good company.

In the Leelanau State Park we visited the Grand Traverse Lighthouse. We also visited a LEGO version of the lighthouse, which was just Mr. Pickle's size!

Mr. P wasn't creeped out by this lighthouse keeper or anything...

Mr. P met Macaulay Culkin at a creepy antique shop in Northport! They reenacted a few scenes from Home Alone, then Mr. P was on his way. (I'd like to know who is going to buy that Mac cut-out?!)

And what trip north is complete without a stop or three for some wine tastings. Mr. P indulged in some bubbly at L.Mawby, and it was goooooood. 

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It's been a while since I've taken the P man on a trip, so I was happy to finally get to do so again. 

He's got a pretty open summer schedule so far... 

Where are you taking him?! Let me know.