Field Trip: Art Exhibit

Mrs. Spot, the Woodpile school teacher, told her class they would be going on a field trip. One of  her students asked if they would be going to the ice cream factory? “No”, Mrs. Spot said. A second student inquired if they would be going to the Hershey candy factory. Mrs. Spot clarified, “We are going to an art exhibit.” One could hear the collective sigh of disappointment from the whole class. “We will see the work of world famous sculptors” Mrs. Spot continued. The students were whispering amongst themselves trying to come up with the perfect excuse they could use to be out sick that day. “Did I mention the art exhibit is at Hampton Beach right on the ocean.” All of a sudden, the students stop whispering and looked to Mrs. Spot. “These sculptors make their art out of sand! After the exhibit we spent the rest of the day on the beach making our own sand sculptures!” The class erupted in loud cheers.

Mrs. Spot needed a chaperone for the trip which I eagerly volunteered for. (Any excuse to get a day off from work.) I took some photos to share with my fans. It was a really cool exhibit

 Art Exhibit on the beach, don't see that everyday.

 

 

 

The detail was amazing.

 

 

Not everything was serious, the sculptors had a bit of fun.

 

 

This is what happens when you read too many books.

Most dragons live in caves but this one burrows under the sand.

 

 

Lucky for us, this super-hero tamed the dragon.

Imagine trying to balance a ball on your nose for an entire week.

By an unanimous class vote this received the "Most Terrifying Award"

Wave Simulator Amusement Ride

Since the daily free handout of sunflowers has stopped, we Woodpilers have had to earn our meals. My ever resourceful cousin Vinnie, realized ‘munks would be wanting some amusement and entertainment after a hard week’s work. Vinnie had his wave simulator packed up on Paradise Island shipped to the Woodpile. He had originally used the wave simulator to test his raft designs. Now, he was going to turn it into an amusement ride. ‘Munks would be able test their strength and endurance on a simulated crossing of the Pacific ocean.

Just about everyone was excited about the new wave simulator. Everyone except the competition. Mrs. Mallard runs “duck boat” tours on the pond. Critters take a ride on her back around the pond. Her special high adventure tours are run on stormy days when there a lot of waves on the pond.

Mrs. Mallard checks out the new wave simulator and realizes this is going to cut into her duck boat tour business. This requires bold action.

Vinnie insists he has a right to his amusement ride business. Mrs. Mallard sits down and threatens to picket his new ride and keep customers away.

Mrs. Mallard and Vinnie do some haggling. Vinnie suggests that wave simulator customers get a 20% discount coupon for a duck boat tour. In turn any duck boat customers will get a 20% discount on a wave simulator ticket. This way they both get business from the same customer, a win-win.

Vinnie makes final adjusts to the simulator. He adds some free snacks to encourage customers to try the ride.

 Just in time! The first paying customer has arrived. It's Freddie a seed accountant.

Freddie looks a bit nervous as Vinnie counts down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Even on the lowest setting, Freddie struggles to hold on.

As the settings are increased in strength, Freddie is tossed in the air and just barely grabs the top of a couple of “waves” while screaming the whole time.

The next customer, known by the nickname “Lady Surfer” sizes up Vinnie’s wave simulator. “A wave simulator, well, let’s see just how good it really is.”

 
Lady Surfer puts on quite the show as she expertly handles the waves.

I tried to talk my good friend Bushy the Squirrel into trying the wave simulator. He took one very frightened look at it, and said “Chippy why don’t you try it first?”

 
Well, that sorta back fired on me. Now what do I do?

Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

We received a bunch of photos from our distant relatives at Buckingham Palace in England. They live in what they affectionately call the Castle Woodpile, a vestige from the days when the royal residence was heated by wood. Chipmunks were originally hired in the 1500s to protect the royal family from rats trained by the French as spies. These chipmunk families have continuously served the royal family in many capacities ever since. Today, they enjoy the same high status as other important critters like the royal horses and the Queen's corgis. One of their official duties to is to keep the grounds free of seeds. They also receive and entertain VIP critters from other countries.

In celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, they held high tea on the lawn in front of the Castle Woodpile for  visiting chipmunk dignitaries from around the world. Apparently, there is a lot preparation that goes into holding such an event. There are hours of debate over what tea set to use, the color of the mat, and which tea to serve. So, what tea do they serve - Earle Grey? No, they decided on Windsor sunflower tea!

Preparations begin by giving the Castle Woodpile a good dusting. The proper way to dust is to use one's tail. (Personally, I prefer using a leaf blower to dust.)

The entire venue gets a careful inspection from highly trained security 'munks who can sniff out all sorts of trouble including hidden cameras from the tabloid newspapers.

Security keeps a sharp eye out for party crashers.

All guests must wash their paws. No exceptions.

The head butler makes a final check.

Windsor Sunflower Tea served with the traditional garnish of floating sunflower seeds.

The Prince of Denmark sips some tea.

Tea is served with a plate of sunflower seeds from the royal garden.

After a few cups of tea, the guests forgot their proper manners and
turned into a bunch of party animals! They left quite a mess to cleanup.

 

One of the servants inspects the royal china for chips and cracks.

One perk of cleaning up is eating the leftovers.

A member of the serving staff pauses during the cleanup to watch the Queen's parade from the Woodpile.