Tom, the Traveling Tile

Missing!

2008-01-09T14:56:00.000-05:00

Tom went to Australia.

This much we know.

However, Tom has not been seen since, feared to be long gone.

If you happen to be in the Sydney area and spot Tom, drop us a line. We're worried about Tom!

En Route

2007-03-26T11:53:00.000-04:00

Tom has been partially handed off, and is hopefully on his way to Australia within the next week or so. With any luck, we'll have some great stories and pictures from Down Under.

Leaving the Cold and Heading to the Bahamas

2007-02-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

It's been several months since Tom has taken a trip. Stuck in the cold New England weather, it was time to take a trip. But taking a trip wasn't all that easy.

Planes were delayed. Flight plans were diverted. Somehow we ended up traveling on a completely different airline than originally intended, and flew out of and into two cities that were not even on the itinerary. It resulted in all of us having to sleep in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. But Tom made the best of it.

With a little imagination, he even pretended like he was already on vacation.

And eventually, he even got a little sleep.

But once he got to the Bahamas, it was time to indulge in the culture. And by culture, we mean the rum. (Hey, it's legal for him to drink.) So after four buckets of something called Voodoo Juice, Tom had enough rum in his system to call this a very successful trip!

Blown Away by the Windy City

2006-07-02T15:08:00.000-04:00

So this posting's a bit belated (ok, it's a month overdue), but it's time to tell the tale of Tom in the Windy City.

Tom took a mini-holiday with the two girls who originally found him on Memorial Day weekend. And even though it was a mini-break, Tom, being a Traveling Tile and all, still likes to travel in style. He flew first class. (Or so he likes to pretend.) And he stayed at the Drake Hotel. Because honestly, if you travel to Chicago, would you want to stay anywhere else?

Here's a photo of Tom just after check-in.

Well after a long flight, what does anyone want? A drink, to calm the nerves, relax a little. So Tom took a gander at the vast minibar that the Drake provides for its guests.

But let's be real. It was the Drake, for crying out loud! Take a gander at the minibar prices.

Tom was outraged (can't you tell by the look on his face?)...

...So he grabbed his ticket to the Cubs game, headed over to Wrigley Field, and bought a pint of Bud Light for a much more reasonable price! (And for some reason, Blogger won't let me upload the picture of Tom with his Cubs ticket -- will work on fixing this at a later point!)

Stay tuned for past/future tales in the coming months, including: Tom in Washington, D.C. (if we ever get the pictures developed), Tom at Reinckepalooza (you wish you were going just cause of the name, don't you?), Tom's trip to the Shire (not just for Roaming Gnomes anymore), Tom in the boonies of New Hampshire for a little R&R, Tom in Missouri with Donny and Marie (or so I've heard they're there), and Tom's trip to Ohio for a country-style wedding.

The Hand-off

2006-04-16T23:10:00.000-04:00

As you all must realize by now, it's been quite some time since Tom's been on an adventure. Too long! Something had to be done.

So with a little help from friends, there was a hand-off done at Easter dinner tonight, so that Tom can prepare to go on a new adventure.

Jerry is headed to Washington, D.C. in a little less than two weeks, and invited Tom to come along with him quite some time ago. So Tom started packing his bags and got ready for his travels, and he'll be spending a few weeks with Jerry on the many adventures that he has planned.

Tom was clearly getting ready for D.C. by getting in a very patriotic mood, don't you think?

Clearly, Jerry's grandmother didn't quite know what to make of TTT. She'd never seen anything like it before!

And Jerry couldn't help but jot down a new place...

(Rumor has it, Jerry might take Tom somewhere other than D.C. Somewhere that involves strip mines. And possibly even Cold Stone Creamery. I don't ask questions. It's almost safer that way. So we'll just have to wait until we get pictures!)

The First Snow

2005-11-03T23:32:00.000-05:00

Just a few weeks ago, in late October, Tom took his most recent trip, to the gorgeous village of Lake Placid. A casual weekend away, to relax and relieve the stresses of a Tile's life.

Well, he certainly got some stress relief. In a quiet little village in the off-season, it's hard not to relax. Here's a shot of Tom checking out a local brochure.

It wasn't until the day we left that things got a bit more interesting. During the night it snowed--the very first snow of the season. Don't believe me? Think mid-October is too early for snow? Here's a picture from out of the car window on the drive home.

We all know how much Tom loves the snow. I mean, he played in the snow in Lake Tahoe with Chris during July (snow in July!), so why not in Lake Placid in October?

Anyway, we tried our best to take pictures of the Olympic ski jumps, cause they where so cool, but moving vehicles and stable objects hidden behind trees don't mix too well. Here's the best we could do. It's amazing how it just lurks above the treeline!

It's just a shame we didn't get a shot of the 400 Meter Speed Skating rink, which sits on the front lawn of the high school!

All in all, Tom had a great relaxing time on his trip. (How could he not? He got to relax in a resort all day!)

I guess another trip has been added to the books!

Updates on Tom's Travel Arrangements

2005-11-03T22:49:00.000-05:00

Tom just returned recently from a trip to Lake Placid, New York. Currently, he's already slated to take a trip in the spring to Washington, D.C. But other than that, his travel plans are a little limited at the present time.

Are you going anywhere? Want to take Tom along for the journey? E-mail Tom, the Traveling Tile if you'd like to take Tom on a getaway, and we'll try to arrange the trip!

After all, it's hard to be a traveling tile if you just sit at home all day.

In Case You Were Wondering...

2005-10-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's true. Tom the Traveling Tile has been to many places since he was born in June. Unfortunately, not all of his trips were photodocumented. So for anyone who's following along with Tom's travels and are wondering why you didn't see any pictures of Tom in, say, Dubuque, it's because sometimes Tom just flits and floats from place to place, too quickly for pictures to be taken.

But don't worry. We'll try to get as many of his adventures caught on film as possible.

The End of an Adventure

2005-10-19T23:27:00.000-04:00

They went on an adventure!

And as with all adventures, so must this one come to an end. (Ok, so it came to an end almost three months ago and I'm really REALLY behind on blogging about it, but pretend with me.)

On the last leg of their journey, TTT, Chris, and Stacey ended up in St. Louis. What a great city, St. Louis. Except for their cardinals.

No, not the baseball team! I mean the birds! Apparently, a suicidal cardinal crashed right into the front of Chris's car, never to be seen or heard from again.

After a moment of silence for the cardinal, the trio approached the gateway to the west. From the other side. And they headed back east.

It was time to go home.

Note: Somewhere between Tahoe and St. Louis, Chris realized that Tom had no eyebrows. So he gave him some. Now Tom has a slightly sinister look, but we all know it's the same Tom we have come to know and love.

Site Maintenance

2005-09-11T00:57:00.000-04:00

Word verification has been turned on in the comments. (Sorry to all commenters for causing you to take that small extra step in commenting, but I had to get rid of the comment SPAM as soon as I possibly could.)

A Happy Birthday in Tahoe

2005-09-05T12:28:00.000-04:00

When we last left off, Tom had just spent a few days with Chris and Stacey in Yellowstone. After a few more days of traveling, it was finally July 10th, and the couple took their traveling companion with them to Lake Tahoe. They picked Tahoe especially as the place where they would spend the evening of Stacey's birthday, and the following morning of Chris's birthday.

Tom had a great time (because who doesn't like a birthday party?!).

Chris and Tom sure look like they're having fun by the lake. And I'm sure Stacey had a great time photo-documenting the whole thing!

(Chris was so excited to see snow on his birthday, since that doesn't normally happen in July. He wrote his name in the snow, but at least there are no pictures of that!)

At Jellystone...I Mean, Yellowstone

2005-08-15T21:34:00.000-04:00

On the next leg of their journey, Chris, Stacey, and Tom ventured to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. They saw Old Faithful, and other lovely Yellowstone treasures, like the paintpots.

They were guided along on their journey with that loveable scamp Ralf, the foreign (German?) tour guide. Talking in his silly accent that made them giggle and love Ralf even more.

This was also the only place on the journey that Chris actually let Stacey take the picture with Tom.

I hope you enjoyed it, Stacey, cause Chris surely was possessive!

Tom's First Big Adventure

2005-08-04T00:42:00.000-04:00

When we last left off, Tom was beginning a cross-country trip with Chris and Stacey. Before Tom could be given over to their care, there was one major request: Tom must have a picture taken at Mount Rushmore, so he could be the fifth face on the mountain. With that understanding, Chris and Stacey were given custody of Tom and set off on their twenty-five day vacation across our great country.

The three of them left Connecticut on July 1st, and by July 4th, they all reached Mount Rushmore, in South Dakota.

Ready with water bottles and their trusty sidekick Tom, Chris and Stacey entered the National Park. From my understanding, Tom was in Chris's backpack, and when the security guard checked his bag, he asked what "that thing" was. Chris's reply was, "That's Tom the Traveling Tile." (Clearly, Tom's presence had not been made in South Dakota yet, but that has definitely changed since then.) When asked "What?", Chris casually replied, "Tom the Traveling Tile." When the security officer realized that Tom wasn't a bomb and wasn't made of anthrax, he let the three of them into the park to see the wonder that is Mount Rushmore.

Look at Tom, chilling with the presidents! It looks like they all had a pretty great time!

Also on their journey, they visited the Mitchell Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. It is indeed, just that. The only palace in the world made entirely of corn. (People in South Dakota must really love their corn!)

By July 5th, they were on their way to have more adventures in Wyoming.

Meet Tom!

2005-07-26T21:20:00.000-04:00

This is Tom, the Traveling Tile. Tom met up with a group of four friends, who were on a one-day trip to Boston, Massachusetts. The girls loved Tom so much. He carried a sign that said, "Take me with you!" so that's just what the girls did.

This is a picture of one of those girls with Tom in the T-station where Tom was found.

Tom has been on many more journeys since June, with another one of the girls' brother and sister-in-law. Soon those pictures and tales will be posted. Once they are, Tom will once more go out into the world to take on the day, wherever life may bring him!