Seattle's Best Everything

Mr. Pickle loves librarians, and he loves tagging along with them on conferences. True facts. He headed over to Chicago and then spent January 21-25 in Seattle, Washington (a state he's never been) with Karla. In addition to library business they drank yummy drinks, went on adventures all over the place, and Mr. P even met some pickle friends!

The ALISE conference ponders... 

Always the beautiful question.

 

Mr. P met some Britt's Pickles! FREE SAMPLES. Live cultured foods are his best friends; they're smart.

They visited the EMP Museum, which was AMAZING! Hey Doctor Who fans, check out that Dalek! Mr. Pickle was all over the music installations and pop-culture fun.

Hello tasty brew at the Gordon Biersch Brewery.

Time for Mr. P and his friends to enjoy more tasty eats. Pike Place Chowder hit the spot. Apparently there's a legacy behind this place.

Market time, market time.

No loitering? Yeah, right.

SHOWGIRLS! What? Mr. P, I hope you were covering your eyes. Only $1 for video peeps though.

No trip to Seattle is complete without some Pearl Garden & Sound Garden in your ears. Mr. P forgot to pack his flannel shirt. D'oh!

Where are we?

Mr. Pickle is a BIG fan  of public transporation. (Here's a secret: Mr. P doesn't pay anything on his travels. He has special privileges anywhere he goes. But he doesn't let it go to his head. He's very grateful.)

He sure celebrates libraries and librarians! He travels with them to lovely places.

Mr. P's still not sure if this really is Seattle's Best Coffee.

The needle points upward! Seattle's famous needle. It's not for sewing, silly Mr. Pickle.

Hot Mama! Many Hot Mamas. Oh my, Mr. P was a bit overwhelmed with all of the attention they gave him. They were a little to sassy for him though.

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And so ends another STELLAR trip with lovely folks. Thanks, Karla for all the fun!

Next up he's headed back to Cali! 

He's got some free time coming up after that. Where will YOU take him?! 

Skating to Venice

Mr. Pickle had the honor of joining Susie and Jeff on a quick weekend trip to Venice Beach, California from January 5-7. It was a mix of business and pleasure. There was a beach, some relaxing, some skating, some fun.

Check out these stylish looking lads at In n Out Burger at LAX. First up double double fries and a shake. Then a 10 mile skate to Venice.

Mr. P was tightly packed, ready to roll. Literally.

Brunch at Rose Cafe in Venice was sweeeeet. This pickle really needs some sunglasses.

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Oh, what a lovely little getaway! Mr. P sure digs California. In fact, he's probably going again in a few weeks. But! Next up is a state he's never been to: Washington!

What did Delaware for Christmas?

Mr. Pickle had a wonderful Christmas with my pals Ryan and Alaina and their beautiful dog Cody on a trip east to the tiny state of Delaware from December 22-30. (A state he has never been.) They are ALL champion runners, and Mr. P was trying his best to keep up with those three. They are the fastest people I know. There were plenty of road stops, family times, running, chilling, snowball throwing, and doggy petting on this trip. Here we go:

Mr. Pickle rode in Ryan's hydration pack while running in White Clay Creek Park and Middle Run Valley Park. Mr. P's favorite part was the break they took on the Mountain Goat Trail when he looked out from the tree. Ryan reports that they ran 7 minutes per mile on trails! 

 

They saw an old fieldstone structure that Mr. Pickle was very interested in.What's inside, dude?

Playing dead?

Trails. To run. Or being carried in.

Pickle loves signs. He respects other trail users. 

Take it to the bridge, y'all.

On another day, Mr. P also went for a run with Ryan, Alaina, AND Cody! This time it snowed; the first snow of the season there. Mr. P was almost more excited than Cody to run in the snow. This time they ran 6.5 miles on the trails in White Clay Creek Park.

And... They're off. Hang on, Mr. P!

Mr. P joined Ryan's entire family for a trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Such greens!! That waterfall sure was pretty.

Hey, symmetry.

Such a pretty greenhouse, so full! Mr. P could totally get lost in this place. Literally.

But not here! Mr. P enjoys the colors.

Oooooh magical. Mr. P is pretty entranced.

He was SO excited to see Thomas the Tank Engine! Chugga chugga woooo woooooooo!

Behind the scenes of Pickle photo action. There are TWO pickles! 

Mr. P and Alaina spy on a fancy dinner garden set-up.

How beautiful is this? Mr. P wondered if they were serving pickles at this function.

 

Christmas! Presents! Wrapping paper! Cody! Holy moly! 

Mr. P was quite amused and happy to join in on the holiday festivities with Ryan's clan. He helped open presents and joined in a family sing-a-long of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Ryan reports Mr. Pickle-face has perfect pitch. Who knew!

Ah, time to put the feet up and relax by a toasty fire. He enjoyed reading books at watching TV. Apparently his new favorite TV show is Homeland, and he really enjoy the book Sorta Like a Rockstar.

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What a fantastic trip! Mr. P was glad to be back in the running game, and glad to spend the holidays with a great family.  He was also THRILLED to have a week with Cody Bear and to visit at state he'd never been to before. 

Where are you taking him next?! He's ready for a beach. Actually, I am too,

The San Francisco Treat

Mr. Pickle stayed on with Miss Elizabeth after their recent east coast trip and then headed off to sunnier pastures: San Francisco, CA from November 29- December 3. It was a short trip but was full of many treats and thrills. Here we go:

 A visit to Makeshift Society brought Mr. Pickle in contact with his future home: A mini camper. I mean, really, look at him, it's too great.

More tiny things at Makeshift Society. HELLO HAT!

The visit to Rainbow Grocery in search of treats not available in New Zealand was endless. Erin and Mr. P were super hunters.

GASP! Look closely at that bucket. MR. PICKLE brand pickles?? And the pickle on the bucket is wearing a tiny hat! The real Mr. Pickle and his travel mates were in awe of this.

Mr. Pickle has chocolate covered. Fine, delicious, dark chocolate. Mmmmm.

Midway Airport brought many adventures for Mr. P, including controlling the Jetway.

Mr. P and Miss E learned that Midway Airport was named after the Battle of Midway.

Mr. P looks terrified as he ponders what statues eating live pickles have to do with the Battle of Midway!

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And so ends another trip. Mr. P sure has been many places this year. He's going to spend the holiday in Delaware- a state he's never been.

Where are YOU taking him next??



East Coast Fall Explorations

Mr. Pickle spent the last half of October with his pal Elizabeth. They  left Chicago and headed off to Charlottesville, Virginia and Washinton DC. There was a work conference, a race, a lot of biking, an alligator attack, a bit of presidential mischief, and he went postal.

Mr. P and Louisa stopped by Fibre Space in historic Old Town in Alexandria, VA. This was near the election, so Elect Wool is present in the window.

While on a Mount Vernon Trail bike trip Mr. P and E stop for a break mid-ride to watch planes take off at National Airport.

Mr. P finds himself in some cozy spots while visiting the National Postal Museum in DC. It's perfect that E took him here, for two reasons: 1.) Mr. P travels by post as often as he travels by plane or bike. 2.) Elizabeth loves mail!

No matter if it rains or snows pickles, the mail must go through.

I guess if given the choice, Mr. Pickle decides that he is a letter.

How cool are these old mailboxes?!

Mr Pickle and Elizabeth rode bikes to Barack and Michelle Obama's house, AKA The White House! Unfortunately, Sasha and Malia couldn't come out to play. (This was just before the election.)

Thanks to some Capital Bikeshare wheels, they were able to trek about Washington DC.

Cheap champagne coctails at Blue Nile in Harrisburg, Virginia! I swear this pickle is not a lush.

Delicious Ethiopian cuisine for this pickle. He has no hands, so how does he eat it?

A little Halloween time in Charlottesville. Mr. Pickle's not quite sure what to think of this freaky mess.

Here he meets Thomas Jefferson!

Mr. P throws on a scholarly look for a visit to the University of Virginia. Such class, this one.

More gators! Aaaaah! Whey do they always find him?! This time at an antique shop. See here and here for his past encounters.

He should probably be more concerned with the giant starfish behind him.

Mr. P and E squeeze in some apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard!

Tis gourd season after all. Well played with the hat here.

A monster encounter for Mr. P on Halloween. Someone knew he was coming and drew him.

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More good times with Elizabeth were had. He's headed back to Michigan now. And he has NO TRIPS planned for the rest of 2012. Will you take him somewhere with you? He gets bored easily.