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March 3, 2007
toby's travels: tucson, los angeles
by sven at 11:59 pm
Fair warning:
For those of you averse to hyperbolic cuteness -- lookawaylookawaylookawaylookawaylookaway...
Toby had never even left Portland before -- so he leapt (literally) at the opportunity to accompany me on my road trip to Tucson.
On the way down, we slept in the back of the Svan at rest stops.
The first night out, Toby was so excited, he kept bouncing all around the car... Taking photos of him was the only thing I could think of to try to wear him out.
It's curious to me, the number of gas stations that have dinosaurs in front of them -- but aren't actually Sinclair. ...Do Sinclair gas stations actually even exist anymore?
Toby's a little unclear on the distinction between animate and inanimate objects.
My mom was charmed to meet Tobias. He seemed to have a lot of fun in her arts/crafts space.
Encountering mom's yarn collection, I finally had to explain to Toby where babies come from. "Well, you see Tobes, when an artist loves her old socks very much..."
Toby's favorite game is "hide and peep."
Mom spoiled the boy... She let him into her beading materials and helped dress him up.
After a couple days of visiting family, we got back on the road.
...And, yes, Toby does always wear his seat belt when we travel.
On the way back, the Svan was loaded down with boxes, so we stopped for the night at a hotel. (Note that by this time I'd gotten wise to wearing earplugs at night.)
Ah, but before going straight home -- a stop to visit Shelley in Los Angeles!
When Shelley and I were animating, Toby got really interested.
He really wanted to be a part of the show. (Much to Dad's exasperation.) But there's just a certain something that he lacks. Talent? ...No.
A skeleton.
We mollified the boy by giving him a "director's chair" from which to shout.
Toby did make himself useful, though. With all those arms, he was a demon with the broom.
We believe in "leave no trace" camping.
965 miles and a blizzard later, we found ourselves sitting in the driveway back home -- and paused for one last photo. A little travel weary and more than a little crazed... But glad for the adventure, and happy to come back to Gretchin.
posted by sven | March 3, 2007 11:59 PM | comments (7) | categories: miscellany, toby
Comments
oh, my! i knew toby had fun, but i didn't know he had this much fun! i'm surprised they didn't stop you at the oregon border for such criminal cuteness! :)
Posted by: gl. at March 4, 2007 1:11 AM
Ad-dor-a-bllle! My favorite bit was when you explained to Toby where babies come from. What a sweet riot this photo journal is!!
Posted by: shelley Noble at March 4, 2007 10:43 AM
um, does your mom have a blog?! She looks like my kinda gal!
Posted by: shelley Noble at March 4, 2007 10:45 AM
@ gl.: What's the opposite of a terrorist?
A comforter? An encourager? A joy bringer? Whatever the opposite is, that's what Toby is.
He's delighted by the world around him with a raucous ferocity that rivals any suicidal political/religious fervor.
In today's news, 73 people in SE Portland were cheered up by a roadside "da bomb" dance. Known sock creature Tobias Star-Eye has claimed responsibility.
Posted by: sven at March 4, 2007 2:03 PM
@Shells: Heh! The photo of Toby with the "babies" is my absolute favorite... That's the one that tipped me over the edge, deciding to do a post for Toby.
But, now that he's had one travel post, I can see that this could be an ongoing thing. I mean, this is an art blog -- and Toby's art. ...So why not?
My mom doesn't have a blog at this point. I know she's thought about it -- but I think her sticking point is that she can't imagine who'd read it.
She's big on fiber arts. In the past, she made dozens of quilts. These days her main outlet is knitting -- mostly socks, which are a good lap-sized project when you're traveling. Recently she's also taken up beading. ...Very talented!
Posted by: sven at March 4, 2007 2:10 PM
Al the shots of Tobias are squeelisious! I'd read a good fiber blog!
Posted by: shelley Noble at March 5, 2007 10:21 AM
ROAD TRIP!! Ive been dying, literally aching for a road trip, think we might make one to San Diego for comic con this summer....
Great post, I laughed out loud when Toby learned about yarn-babies :)
Posted by: ubatuber at March 6, 2007 1:36 PM