Sock Monkey See, Sock Monkey Do

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Meet Home Sweet Home

Here's a couple of shots from early October 2009: previews of what is to come over the next couple of posts.

Nelson was just learning about life in central Pennsylvania, but he took it all very nicely. He saw there is a lot of beauty here with just enough room to be a good monkey and at times a bad monkey. Just depends upon his mood...

This is the local school district.

Sock Monkeys do not need to attend classes

but Nelson will be joining in on some

of the events that are open to the community.

More to come...

Even closer to home.

Nelson wants to learn more about these

mills, especially the hosiery one that used to

be pretty active but is now gone.

What could be more interesting to a sock monkey

than a place that used to make socks?

Nelson's new home is pretty rural

but it has progressive ideas.

For instance, people have been recycling

here long before it was "fashionable."

But sometimes I wonder if Nelson

is interested just because the sign

has his favorite colors...

And then there's the whole corn thing.

There sure is a lot of corn in Penns Valley.

While it may be grown for feed or fuel,

a pretty controversial topic here,

Nelson really just seems to be

interested in how he can get through

all of those stalks without getting lost...

Now that Nelson is a bit settled into his new home, he will have some fun events to share with you. But just like people, sock monkeys needed to get his bearings first. Nelson seems pretty cool about what he has found thus far: farm land with interesting people who have a long history, but all the while ones who like to eat and play. And best of all: even though the school (and nearby colleges) boast colors of blue and white, there sure seems to be a lot of signs here in Nelson's favorite colors. Not a bad start...

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Sock Monkey Invasion at Fort Roberdeau

Posted by Cyndy at 9:24 PM 0 comments

Nelson and Metoo had the opportunity to go on a school field trip!

They visited Fort Roberdeau in Altoona, PA, on September 30, 2009. This historic site depicts a fort that was built during the American Revolution, a place to mine lead to manufacture ammunition. The fort also helped stabilize Pennsylvania's frontier.

Here are some of the things that Nelson and Metoo saw and learned:

Shhh! It's time to listen and learn...

So this is the story behind the colors

and design of the American flag!

White for purity, Red for valor ~

Yup! That's us!

Wow! Pottery and glass

from the late 1700's...

This was a really cool model.

Did you know that they had dogs back then, too?

This is how all of the buildings were

built ~ with dovetailed logs, making

them strong and sturdy ~

and perfect seats for sock monkeys!

Nelson: I may be made in China,

but my heart is true American...

People used to sleep on beds made with straw.

They covered it with cotton to keep it from

being so itchy, but you can imagine that

the straw always found a way to poke through...

Dinner time!

Using plates and mugs made from pewter,

a soldier at Roberdeau often enjoyed

oven baked bread and stews and soups.

The meat often came from the game in the woods

and the vegetables from their gardens.

All this, right outside their back door.

Besides writing letters to family

and sending reports to the front lines,

the soldiers of Roberdeau also mapped out

the local area, providing valuable information

for future generations to explore Pennsylvania...

There were no grocery stores in

the wilderness of Penns Woods.

Instead, shipments of meat, packed in salt

and stored in a barrel were delivered

to the fort, their purchases expected to last for months...

What's in here?

The entire fort area was surrounded by a tall fence

to protect the soldiers. Small holes were cut into

the walls for visibility and to be able to

shoot at unwelcome visitors.

We have to go where to get our water?

Why not just turn on the faucet?

No faucets?!?!

Keeping the daily essentials stocked

was a full time job all by itself...

Work, work, work.

Keeping our noses to the grindstone...

Of course the day would not be complete

without Nelson getting into some kind of mischief.

Today he decided that he would try on

some of the clothes that people of

Fort Roberdeau wore. At least he did not

try on the hoop skirts and tight corsets

that were worn by the ladies!

Field trip all done!

Nelson and Metoo really got an education

while having a lot of fun! Not only did they get to see, touch

and hear about many things of the past, but they also

learned how and where the American dream of freedom began...

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Posted by Cyndy at 9:49 AM 0 comments

Get ready for a barrage of pictures to come. These sock monkeys have been busy and just have not had enough time to stop by here to say hello. Sometimes you get so far behind and just don't know where to start.

Today the best place to start is at the end. On September 29, 2009, Sarah and Sir Shamokin left Pennsylvania to go home to Vancouver, BC. We met as strangers, parted as friends. The Sock Monkeys bound us together during the visit and ever since then.

Here is our time at the Harrisburg Airport...

Nelson and MeToo behaving themselves

(for once!) while we waited for VEG to check in.

Just two weeks before Sarah and Cyndy had met

for the first time at this exact place...

Koko is ready to go!

Sorry, Koko, you have to stay here

to share the Pennsylvania story...

Koko was consoled by the prospect of

a happy meal, complete with

french fries and a toy!

The Sock Monkey Crew:

Cyndy on left holding Nelson and Metoo;

Sarah on the right holding Koko and Shamokin...

Nelson thinking,

"That's Shamokin's plane. If I could just

slip down these slides at the right speed I bet I could

get on that plane. It has my colors, after all..."

Three peas in a pod.

Sitting still and behaving

while waiting for the plane to take off...

Koko could not sit still very long, though.

These structural beams looked like

one big set of monkey bars to him!

Awww...

Goodbye Sarah and Shamokin!

Nelson! Do not touch that button!

Okay, Nelson. Yes, you can push this button.

This sign just cracked Nelson up.

You can tell that he has a very warped sense of humor.

Koko likes this sign!

Koko and Chocolate go hand in hand...

Koko loved the moving floor and

the shiny windows and beams!

Nelson liked them, too, but he was looking

for the button on how to make the floor stop moving.

It was definitely time to go...

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Meet Our Newest Member Reilly

Posted by Sarah at 5:17 PM 1 comments

Reilly is a sweet little girl who simply loves Christmas, so she is sure to wear her Christmas hat every day! She arrived at her sock-Mom VEG`s house from the wilds of Calgary and has made herself at home getting to know her sock-brother Shamokin. And, as luck would have it, yesterday was Take-Your-Reilly-To-Work-Day!