Key West

 Who is the guy in my photo?  Ugh, tourists. I made it to Key West and yep I'm in the southernmost point in the continental US. 

Off to see the cats at the Hemingway house.  Ernest Hemingway had a house in Key West because he fell in love with the island’s laid-back lifestyle and found it an inspiring place to write (and drink). The house became home to many cats, including one with extra toes given to him by a ship’s captain. Today, the cats—many with extra toes—are famous for being descendants of Hemingway’s original feline and are a unique feature of the property.

Hemingway didn't have much money but his wife (at the time) had a rich uncle who funded the restoration of the house (including adding a swimming pool).

This the room where he wrote some of his famous works including To Have and Have Not, Snows of Kilimanjaro and a little bit of For Whom the Bell Tolls. 

More cats, so awesome.  These cats are federally protected. The gate to the house is open and the cats are free to go but the guide said they never leave.

There are a ton of chickens in Key West and they are protected by the city. Why you ask? There are so many in Key West because they are descendants of birds brought over by early settlers for food and cockfighting. When cockfighting was outlawed and people no longer needed them for food, many chickens were released and began roaming freely. With the island’s warm climate and lack of natural predators, the chicken population continued to grow and is now a well-known part of Key West’s charm.

These chickens weren't too friendly to this fox. Must keep my distance.

Drinking is a big thing in Key West (Drunk Fox used to hang out here in the 70s and he could tell you stories).  I went to a few bars, this is the Green Parrot. Good drinks, loud music. 

The Key West butterfly convservatory was amazing.  Why are there no pictures of butterflies with me?  Well, have you tried to take a photo of a stuffy and a butterfly?  Very challenging.  Flamingos were much easier to take a photo with.

There's more to come in Key West but this little fox heard the sunsets are amazing at Mallory Square.  The universe wasn't cooperating for a sunset this time but got some nice pictures none-the-less

A quick hiking adventure

 Hiya Gang,

Little Fox here.  I'm enjoying some nice time off for Memorial Day (yep, this is a tad outdated).  Oh well, I'm hoping to get some hiking taken care of. 

I love the central part of my state.  The wide open spaces, the different trees and the sun!

Speaking of sun, I need to get this hike done quickly as I am chasing sunlight.  The forecast is sunny in the morning but raining after 1pm.  

The wildflowers are small in the high desert but still pretty. 

On a clearer day one can see the mountains.  Not quite today.  

Still dry (yipee).  

My hike was great and it was a  new one for me.  Plus, an after hike drink (or two).  The humans are hinting for a sip or two but I just don't know if I have enough beer to share. 

A proper adventure part 1. Time to explore the Grit City.

 Hiya Gang,

Little Fox here. I have a good news. I am off on an adventure to the Grit City.  Which city has the nick name the Grit City, well if you guessed Tacoma Washington you win.

 Before this little fox goes on his adventure he decides to fill out on some Mexican Food.  The tacos (all gone were great), the floutas were Okay.  Luckily, this fox isn't picky about his lunch. I hope there is enough food for this fox. 

Now that I have filled up I have to decide where to go.  There is a unique hidden gem of a car museum in Tacoma called the Lemay Museum at Marymount.  Lemay made a lot of money in the garbage hauling business, real estate, and other various enterprises.  When you have that kind of money you typically collect something.  At the height of Mr. Lemay's collection he had over 3,000 classic cars.  Now, they are on display!  Let's go.

Do you think they will let me drive?

A little fox would look good in this convertible.

The cars from that time were so large.  

They had a Delorian.  Where's Marty Mcfly and Doc Brown? 

We are now on the extended tour in the Green Barn.  More cars and they are arranged in order from earliest model to latest models.   

All this adventuring is making this fox tired. I know what will perk me up.  A few craft beers.

I am at the Odd Otter Brewery in Tacoma.  I decided to take it easy with just a taster tray.

They have all of these cool famous pictures with otters as the main characters.

Does anyone recognize this famous painting?

Or this one? 

I know what this one is.

This little fox needs a nap.  More exploration tomorrow. 

Little Fox earns a day trip as a reward for his supervision skills

Greetings Blog Pals,
Little Fox here.  As you may remember I worked hard last week building some Ikea furniture.  As a reward for my supervision skills my roommates took me on a daytrip that included a nice scavenger hunt.

My adventure takes me to the Hotel Oregon in Downtown McMinnville Oregon.  As I enter the lobby I noticed this cool art deco light.  I might have keep this picture in my file archives if Sandy has another art deco contest.  This lamp came from an old church in Coos Bay, Oregon.

Here is my clue. I need to find Ruby tiptoeing south for the winter.  Ruby is one of beers that Mcmenamins brews across the Northwest (in fact they have been doing it since 1986).  It's made from raspberries and other things that go into beer (hops, yeast etc) and it's really good.  

Off to look at some art.  This picture caught my eye.  The rabbit in the far right looks really scared (probably because his pal is being abducted by a UFO). 

Onward.  I know this picture doesn't match the hunt but the squirrel wearing a hard hat mining nuts is pretty darn cool. 

On my adventure I made it to the rooftop bar.  Some rain today but looking westward the weather seems okay.   Ruby is not hanging out up here.  Time to move on. 

Onward....

This bear is really protecting his grub. 

The Hotel Oregon originally opened as the Hotel Elberton (1905) and the Elberton Grill opened in 1920.  Why is there a picture of a bear for the hotel?  Probably because bears are cool. 

Hmm, this person seems to be tiptoeing.  Could it be Ruby?

Yes, it is.  Yipee! Ruby sure seems to be tiptoeing and I made my roommates check the compass on their phones and she is facing south.

Time to celebrate my success.  Follow me gang back to that rooftop bar.

  Nope, no Ruby ale for me, instead I got the "Terminator Stout".  Terminator has been around since 1985.  

Colorado here I come

Hello Blog World,
Little Fox here.  I am back on the road, this time I am off to Colorado.  Ajdin went there a few weeks ago and it looked like an amazing place so I thought I would road trip out there.

Day 1: Drive from Portland to Boise. 
Drunk Fox has done that drive many times in his wanderings and he recommended a place in Pendleton, Oregon for lunch.

I didn't stop there even after Drunk Fox suggested it.  

A little later I arrived in Boise.  I got settled for the night and went out for dinner.  I figured I needed a drink and this beer is from Bear Island Brewing which only seems like a stuffy friendly establishment.

Yep, that beer pretty much put me out for the night.  Off to bed.

My roommate scored a great parking spot near the Idaho Capital Building.  It's about 6:30am and the capital isn't open yet but the grounds are in great shape.

Still early and time for breakfast.  This is the District Coffee House.  A coffee shop in downtown Boise that donates all of it's profit to an orphanage in India.  Seems like a good place to check out.

A nice big coffee and a warm breakfast sandwich.  Yum. 

Today I am doing a volksmarch of Boise.  It's basically a walking tour of downtown.  Volksmarching is beary popular in Germany (where it began) and some cities have awesome Volksmarch clubs and others not-so-much.

The first stop is at a local park.  It's actually a really big park along the Boise River.  Boise State University is on one side of the river and this big park is on the other side. I am enjoying the fragrant roses of the rose garden. 

No walking tour of Boise would be complete without going to the Basque District.  Don't quote me but Boise has one of the largest Basque communities in the United States. 

The district is beary nice.  Good looking restaurants and a Basque themed inn. 

Lots of history in Boise.  

The Methodist and Catholic Cathedrals are right next to each other in downtown Boise. This here is the Catholic Catherdral. They are working on the outside but it's a stately looking building. 

Speaking of stately the capital building is now open.

I thought the outside was nice but the inside is really really really nice.  It's pretty empty today as the legislature is not in session so that gives me a chance to explore.