10-03-2008 De plane! De plane!

Sadly it is now time to leave the ship which has been our home for the past 13 days. I have truly grown to like the ship and everyone I met aboard. But now, it is time to bid farewell. As is the traditional Gnomistani custom, I performed a farewell dance which consists of nine hours of ritual chanting and dancing naked around a tower of empty liquor bottles and bar receipts. It dates back to the early 1700s when a group of the original Gnomistani colonists celebrated their arrival in the new world by getting very intoxicated and running out on their large bar tab. I do love traditions. Mr. and Mrs. S were NOT happy about the chanting as we all had to get up early to leave the ship and get to the airport. They were particularly disturbed by the naked portion of the ritual. For some unknown reason Mr. S kept screaming “My eyes! My eyes!” Some times I don't understand Americans.

At the airport, we had a four hour wait before our flight departed so I decided to explore LAX. This is a very busy place! I have seen people from all corners of the globe, including my native Gnomistan. We chatted for hours about the homeland, local Gnomistani politics, and of course, the national pastime, poodle bowling. Finally it was time to board our flight. I was not nearly as frightened as I was two weeks ago. Mr. and Mrs. S were asleep shortly after we took off but I stayed awake the entire time. I started chatting with one of the stewardesses and we sort of hit it off. She seemed to have a thing for ruggedly handsome, foot tall world travelers. Coincidentally, she was working the charter flight three months ago that transported the Gnomistani poodle bowling team to the semifinals. She said the team's rowdiness is still talked about within flight attendant circles. They are even still trying to get the poodle fur out of the bathroom sinks. Once we landed, I said my farewells to the flight attendant and headed off for home, ending an amazing odyssey.

Well, that is all for now. Thank you all for following my adventures. I am going to take a day or two off to help Mr. and Mrs. S with their laundry but I will get many more pictures posted soon. Until then, Cheery O!