Far East Fun With Seymour & Jane

When I was a wee cog in a corporate giant, I had occasion to do some business travel. Quite a bit of it, actually. Most of the 38 states I've seen or set foot in came about because of my business travel. Once, and only once, have I ventured beyond the shores and borders of what makes the USA what it is (before Congress screws things up, but I digress). So I'm hardly what one would call a world traveller.

This, however, can no longer be said about my pet rock and earette of corn.

Y'all know about Seymour and Jane: my multifaceted pet rock and purloined-from-Iowa earette of corn. Well, since the early part of April...they've been overseas. In Japan. Guests of Japan Lite writer and talented entrepreneur Amy Chavez (pictured above). At the end of March, she was in Colorado, vacationing and property prospectin'. When we scheduled to get together to meet (we'd been exchanging website visits and correspondence since '00), Amy insisted I bring along Seymour and Jane.

See, Seymour -- besides having been totally taken by Jane since her arrival in September of '05, as well as having a 'thing' with Texas-based Monica -- was equally taken by Amy, and her stories of island living on Shiraishi Island (located in the Inland Sea), and her seasonal Mooooo! Bar (pictured above).

So I brought Seymour and Jane to the Buffalo Restaurant and Bar in Idaho Springs, CO, on the last day of March, hardly prepared for Amy's suggestion: that she be allowed to take Seymour and Jane back to Japan, to spend a season at the Moooo! Bar.

Seymour and Jane were so excited, I had to quickly agree, or wind up paying for the table Seymour was putting divots in with his eager "say YES!!!!!!!!!!" jumping up and down. Thus it came to pass, that my pet rock and earette of corn are now on Shiraishi Island, Japan (see beach shot above).

According to Amy, Seymour took right to island life (more photos to come), including getting chummy with the boulder that threatens to squash her quaint island bungalow (nicknamed "Fred" by Amy, in hopes that at least in this case, familiarity doesn't breed contempt). Seymour's gone sailing, visited a religious shrine, and become quite popular around the Moooo! Bar.

Jane, on the other hand, was slow to warm to the change in venue. She did come around, according to Amy, after she (Amy) and Seymour had a 'host to pet rock' chat on the facts of life in Japan, which helped Seymour get Jane more comfy with the new environs.

Though, that 'chat' had other unintended/anticipated consequences, leading to quite a surprise.

In the next related installment (aka, Part II): "I'm Gonna Be A WHAT???!"