my first attendance at a wedding

w00t!!! the day finally arrived when Kaos & Southn_Comfort got married (12.12.08)

One thing I have learnt in my short life so far, is that when females have a few drinks, they like to put me in their cleavage - not that I'm complaining!!!! Here I am with Kaos, just before we went for a ride in a stretch limo.

I was so excited when Kaos asked me to walk her down the aisle with her Dad....I'm near the ribbon of the flowers

At the reception I got to sit with some other Toggers!!! I got to catch up with Wayfarer again - it's been a long time since I stayed him & his family!!! I also got to meet Bugsquash & Fox.
Here I am with the rest of the people at our table (Kaos & Southn's neighbours)
Here are all the Toggers that were there: (Back) Fids, Corpse, Wayfarer, Bugs, Fox (front) Kaos, Me (Haggis) & Southn

Under the BAD influence of my fellow toggers, I used the salt & pepper shakers to get into the red wine....hmmmm yummy

with the red wine in my stomach (hehehe pun intended), I got a little cheeky - I wanted to give Southn a surprise!!!

I crawled up Kaos' leg to hide in the garter (that was really a hair scrunchie, complete with a flashing Xmas tree, as they had misplaced the original garter)
I got to ride home with Southn & Kaos in a super stretch limo, that had to do an 18 point turn at the end of their street to turn around!!! hehehe it was quite funny.

I then saw more than I really wanted to as Kaos forgot that she had put me on the bedside table when they got home......I really didn't need to witness the marriage being consummated.

Southn & Kaos then had another 2 BBQ's, the day after the wedding so I could see Way & Bugs again. I got to meet Bugs' children, I also got to meet Tiger74. At the 2nd BBQ I got to meet Raven, Mettleking & Mettlequeen & Mettlekids, MoC, Ebola, Resonic, Torty & wife. I was glad that they put me on the "bbq'd bbq" after the flames had gone out.
(these photos courtesy of Ebola)


extinguisher/smoke haze reflecting off light after the flames had been put out (photo courtesy of MoC)
So after an action packed & eventful 3 weeks with Kaos & Southn, it is now time for me to get back into my sleeping bag & be on my merry way again. My next stop is to the Australian Capital Territory, to visit with Snagrom & Melski.

Stay tuned for more Haggis adventures. GAME ON!!!

Brisbane, Australia - again!!

As soon as I got my very first invitation to a TOG Wedding, I was on my way again. I made sure I travelled first class so to get to my next destination on time. I found myself back in Sunny Brisbane, but this time it was not so sunny - I dont like thunderstorms or blackouts, but Southn_ Comfort reassured me that all would be ok.

For my first outing I sneaked into Kaos' bag when she went to the Brisbane Law Courts (I thought she was going to try & get me permanent residency, but apparently I have a few more years of travel left in me)


Here I am with Southn_Comfort outside court 6A


Southn & Kaos then took me on a boat ride across the Brisbane River - they told me I had to stay in Southn's pocket so that I didnt become bull shark bait.

My next big outing was to Kaos' Hens Night (bachelorette party). I felt so privileged to be the only token male allowed to attend this 'Secret Women's Business'....but I think I may need therapy now!!!

I was a little worried when Kaos came out with pink hair



Halfway through the night they changed Kaos' crown.....I had to get a closer look...OMG I think I blushed a little when I realised what they were, but it's too rude to put a photo up.

I thought you had to be in the water to go surfing....but Kaos introduced me to something called trolley surfing
I thought Kaos was so nice when she said that she would give me the house someone had given her.....I thought "finally a home of my own", then I found out that it was a gingerbread house.....in the gutter!!!!

I think I need some time to recover from that night!!!!!

We then travelled to Alma Park Zoo....We went with some of Kaos' friend who were visiting from Chicago - I told them I had stayed with MotherFlanker there - they live about 30mins from my TOG buddy.

I had my photo taken with a lot a strange animals
Peacock:
Koala:
some strange bird that is a relative to the emu:
Then I met Shrek's friend - Donkey:
Kaos held onto me real tight, as Bambi gave me a kiss:
Kaos said I was a real heart breaker, as all the animals loved me & either wanted to run away with me or give me a kiss:
but I didnt want to get too close to the mouths of some of them:
this zookeeper had to save me from the BIG olive python
& Kaos had her thumb on the crocodiles head while I went in for a closer look:

When I heard someone yell out "A dingo ate my baby", I got a little worried & asked Southn if he could take me home:
It has been an actioned packed few days & I'm exhausted, but the excitement is building in the Southn/Kaos house, as there is only 4 more sleeps to the BIG event, & I'll even get see a few more of my fellow Toggers.

Until next time....GAME ON!!!!
TOG|Haggis

Tulsa, Oklahoma USA part two

Another lovely Saturday we went to tour Tulsa a bit more. Celeste wanted me to know that Williams isn't the only big name in Tulsa (she thinks it's not a one-horse town but I have heard it's the smallest "big" city in America). The public golf course at LaFortune Park was hosting a flock of visiting Canadian geese. I would have gotten closer, but they started looking at me like I was a piece of bread. Run away!






After safely escaping the geese, we went back to the downtown side of town. Downtown is seated right next to the Arkansas River. About 2 miles south of downtown, there is a pedestrian bridge crossing the river (that's downtown behind my chubby little rear end).

To the left of that view, on the west bank of the river, there are many oil tanks (again, what's with my rear end? I swear I have not been sneaking extra helpings of Celeste's homemade breads and sweets and dumplings - really!).

The Pedestrian Bridge is actually a converted railroad bridge. The rails are still on top (but not in use). Pedestrians and bicyclists traverse through underneath, and it connects to the biking/walking trails that encircle the entire city. Nifty. It's very near the founding spot of Tulsa, the Council Oak and the trading post from 1868.

Now this park (below), Woodward Park, got its name from the Creek Indian who once owned it. Although it's only 2 miles from downtown, this was once considered "too far out in the country" in 1909. This area is called "midtown" now. This little bench is a popular place for people to get their pictures professionally done, and also on the bridge below, as the hill climbing to the left is covered with azalea blooms in springtime. Celeste lived across the street from here till she was four, when her folks moved 40 miles out - now that's really far out into the country.

I got to sniff a lovely pink bloom that was as big as me! But then a giant caterpillar caught my attention instead. Maybe when he grows up he will be a sandworm of Dune. Err then again, maybe not.

After my exciting tour was over, Celeste said she would ship me onward, but I ended up spending a lot of time playing with her desk toys instead. I even solved her Rubiks Cube for her.

In just another week, Halloween was here. I tried on some costumes. The Harry Potter look may be old, but there's just something about those glasses - they really work for me.

Then I got invited to some Halloween ritual. I know Snoopy is an imaginative fellow but this séance stuff is kinda creepy (plus I was getting splashed).

I decided to hide in the candy bowl.

Soon after the Halloween party, this trebuchet kit was delivered. It took awhile to build. I helped put it together because I figured it was going to be my only way out of here!

All finished. And I got a wedding invitation! I really must be going now. Now which way to Australia? And are you sure that counterweight is going to be enough to fling me all the way across the globe?

Wheeeeeee - I am on my way!

Tulsa, Oklahoma USA part one

I have been back and forth across the ocean a couple times and most recently found myself smack dab in the middle of a giant hunk of land, with nary a drop of ocean in site. Unk, Insomniac and Conspiracy were kind enough to put me up a few nights before this land-locked visit where I landed in the house of TwystTye aka Celeste. It's been so long that I began to wonder if she planned to hold me for ransom!

When I first arrived on a rainy September evening, everyone wanted to be the first to see me (I felt so adored! Except this one adult guy that wouldn't have anything to do with me - something about the principle of the thing - I didn't get it). And I got to see what happens when you break your wrist, too - you get to wear a funny brace for a long time - that was Celeste's daughter. I met the little blue fellow there - his name is Moo and he is also a travel buddy, but Oklahoma USA is his permanent home - he's retired from traveling and belongs to Celeste's son. Moo threatened to beat me up at first but I think that was just jealousy since he never went to Australia. Turned out to be a nice guy. Talks a lot. He told me he's been to England, France and Japan, plus a 12-state car ride in the USA all the way to the Atlantic Ocean and back, so I don't know what he's got to be jealous about.

Both of DS and Celeste's kids wanted to have me stay in their room, and made two mini-rooms and beds up for me. I was pretty tired and spent my first night in the girl's room (she won the coin toss).

I spent every other night in a more masculine room furnished in navy and brown (I gotta say, even though it's hot pink, that bed the girl let me use is pretty darn comfy). My first full day in Oklahoma I went to school to see what middle school is all about. I found out that eighth-graders talk a lot.

When I got home I found out I was done for - the girl wanted help with graphing linear equations (but if you ask me she was spending most of her time on those cartoon drawings under her paper - she's pretty good with art)!

The next day I went to school with the boy; he has a cool lunch sack. I didn't think he'd really try to eat me.

Over the weekend the rain kept pouring, so we didn't do much except stay inside and play video games. Oh wait, Yes! I live to play! Celeste let me hang out and watch her "farm" all day for Charr carvings. With Halloween approaching, which means special events in Guild Wars, she wanted to be prepared for getting a ton of in-game beverages. Celeste waxed nostalgic and told me about some guy named Halc that introduced her to this farming spot way back in the day a few years ago (I think I nodded off somewhere and missed the rest of the tale). It was a lot more entertaining when she played some PvP in the arena. I woke up again then and watched her bash in a few heads (just an FYI - she gets kinda violent there!).

Finally by the first weekend of October the rain cleared off and I got the grand tour of Tulsa, Oklahoma USA. First I started in the back yard of TwystTye's house, where all the rain had gotten the giant mushrooms to sprouting - I tried out a new house in a pretty fairy ring, but decided it wasn't sturdy enough for long-term residence.

We started the adventures with a tour of downtown, and as the kids are big fans of books just like their momma, they first took me to the main library. This is the fountain "wishing well" that TwystTye has been visiting since she was just a baby and learning to walk. Here I am with the shiny new penny she gave me for my wish. No, I can't tell you what I wished for - that would be bad luck!

The view outside the library really shows the contrast of the old ornate buildings in Tulsa and the newer sleeker designs. The boring plain looking building on the left is the Williams Tower, and the black mirrored-glass shorter buildings belong to the Williams group, too. The building on the right with all the ornate stonework is just one of many that were built in the heyday of the oil days in Tulsa back in the early 1900's.

They have some really fancy churches here, too. This one of the downtown Baptist churches.

This one (below) is the Boston Avenue Methodist church. I had to get far away to get the whole thing in the picture with me. Boy, those oil barons sure spent a lot of money on these churches (but they sure are pretty).

We looked around at some other buildings, too. This is the south side of the old passenger train depot, right across the street from that plain-looking Williams Tower building. TwystTye's mom and family used to ride the train into Tulsa from the country back in the 1930's. Now it's just a 20 minute ride on the highway by car to their old childhood town and passenger trains don't run anymore. When Twyst worked nights for WilCom (one of the Williams companies), she liked to park here.

The train depot has been converted into a concert hall now - the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame - that's what the purple banner there on the right says.

It gets kinda dark and spooky down on the street in between all these tall buildings. In one of these old stone-carved buildings (the picture didn't turn out), Celeste's mom worked as a telephone switchboard operator in the 1940's - yes, those old plug-in type switchboards.

We had parked near yet another church downtown, and this one had an inviting alcove right off the street where we parked. It looks almost like something right out of Guild Wars.

The week after my downtown tour, I went along with TwystTye on some errands. She stopped by this nice lake and took my picture (what does "water treatment plant" mean?). The Cherokee Casino was just up the road, but she wouldn't stop to let me go gambling. Spoil sport. Hmph.

On the way back home, we stopped at a real pond where we could see those downtown buildings, just pale lavender shadows in the distance.

Right behind me on the same stone bench, there was a wide field with giant round bales of hay. Celeste showed me horses and cows just a couple miles from here. Tulsa sure is a mixed-up city.

The sunset was pretty, and she assured me we would see a few more sites before she shipped me off, so we went home to rest up again.

(to be continued)