>>Cross-Country Kitties

WANTED: Aji the new itty bitty kitty on the block

2010-06-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

Name: Aji
Age: 9 wks. 2 days
Weight: 0.9 kilograms
Sex: Spayed Female
Color: Blue Tabby
Breed: Domestic Medium Hair
Wanted for: Attention Theft
Reward: Mackerel Sashimi

- Laksa Hahn Darlin, a.k.a. KingLaksa, a.k.a. Major Sourpuss, http://twitter.com/kinglaksa

>Welcome to the Oyster Capital of the World

2009-07-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

I've done this before.

Back in Wyoming. Sugar beets, remember?

But these are oyster shells.

Welcome to the Oyster Capital of the World.

They package them like this. For what? You tell me.

Oregon's picturesque coastal oyster towns...
Laksa's been here before. It's my first time.

These are a kitty's idea of heaven. Big stacked boxes.

Laksa wants to smuggle himself aboard a ship. To a foreign country.
(To be continued... maybe.)

>Mole gets a job as a forklift operator

2009-07-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Listen, little brother Mole. I have been around a little longer than you have. Believe me, I've been there.

Sauntering around a logging mill brings back memories of...

...pondering if I could be a UPS driver...

... or a firefighter...

... a light rail operator...

... a streetcar driver...

...a truck driver. Heck, yeah!

Now we find you, my little brother Mole, in a body shop.
What were you doing there exactly?

Learning to drive a Plymouth Barracuda??

Without a permit no less. Gotcha!

But you say you got the green light.

To operate a forklift?!!

What, you didn't think I could do it?

Checking my brakes...

Checking for traffic...

Thank you, Laksa, for worrying about me.
I have a feeling we'll all be fine.

>wolves and puppies

2009-07-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

We're here in Washington state to see wolves, I think. Gotta act tough.

Excuse me, may I be scared...?

There's a caged wolf!

They look like dogs. Their legs look different, though.

They walk differently.

I know what you're thinking, but I'm not pooping in public.

He is!

That's it. I'm done with wolves...

Hello, civilized Seattle doggy.

...riding his "dawg sled."

Healdsburg puppy and kitty, happy together. Yeah, right.

Portland Hyena. Boo!

>Tillamook Naval Air Station

2009-07-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Cheese... I mean Douglas A-4E Skyhawk.

Aero Spacelines 377MG Mini Guppy.
That's gotta be the ugliest airplane in the world, mommy.

US Naval Air Station's Dirigible Hangar B is possibly the largest wooden structure in the world. (Not that building behind the sign. The humongous hangar is behind me.)

Air Museum housed in that hangar was closed when we visited.
You may not realize it, but it is seen from miles away.
This is my dream sequence. Can I fly with that wing over there?
(Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. The structure is designed by Eero Saarinen.)

>Bound For Glory

2009-07-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

Freedom...?

See ya.

This train will follow Laksa.

This train really scares me. But I... must... follow... my... brother.

Holy Mole.

That's not my train.

I'll wait for my next one here.

Should I take this one?

>off to see the wizard...

2009-07-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

>Laksa the Merlion

2009-07-08T23:36:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Seattle. Lots of water.

Beautiful Seattle. Lots of water. A ferry.

Beautiful Seattle. Lots of water. A ferry. People.

Beautiful Seattle. Lots of water... a cat! Moi, KingLaksa.

Alert! alert! A kitty is on board!

So? (Yawn.)

Yes, I am cruising. Do you have any problem with that?

Nothing terribly unusual, really. Seattle Ferry Terminal.

I board a car ferry. Headed to Bainbridge.

Turn the engine off, and relax.

No one hangs out here.

Bicycles and motorcycles hang out here.

I liked it enough, I did it twice. This is from Bremerton.

"Engine control room. Crew only. No admittance. Caution. Ear protection required beyond this point. Foam nozzle inside. Restricted area. Authorized personnel ONLY." Gee, do I feel welcome. I didn't bring my ear protection gear anyway.

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Bye for now. Love, Merlion.

>Now where are we, what are we doing?

2009-07-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

Mole, where are we?
This is Laksa speaking.
We find ourselves one morning in strange places indeed.
Are we dreaming?

>Two cats. One car. America, here we come. California to New York and back!

2007-11-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

A reprint of the extraordinary cross-county kitty trip, chapter 1. When you are done reading this entry, I suggest you start here and flip the pages by clicking "newer post". Please feel free to suggest where we should go next!

***
Hey.

I have been looking forward to this trip. Oh, meow!
What trip, you ask?

See me smiling? This is an old picture. Taken in Vancouver.

Well, you see, my daddy is now in New York, and I am stuck in Berkeley with my little brother.

There's nothing I love more than travel in the car.
(Why are you laughing?)

My last cross-country vacation was too long ago!
San Francisco to Vancouver, and back. My brother wasn't even born. I am almost five now, ready for a bigger trip.

Yup, that's me, in Willapa Bay, Washington, the Oyster Capital of the World!

I even wear my seatbelt in the car. See?

My clumsy brother Mole (a dumb name, if you ask me, it's pronounced mo lay... he is 3 years old) is not so happy on the road, but since he always follows me around, he has no choice but to come with me. Actually he becomes playful in the car once we get going. I think he just wants attention, if you ask me.

I'll go study a good map now. (Miss Teen USA 2007 South Carolina declared that "some... PEOPLE out there in our nation don't have maps..." Well. Now you know, missy... because kitties stole them all. Tee hee.)

(Click here for the next page.)

>Outtakes

2007-10-29T10:47:00.001-07:00

Channeling Christina.

Mole the secret agent... at your service.

A good vantage point.

Hurry, Mole, they are coming!

Look to your right, look to your left.

Is this the bad guy?

Ah, I finally located the Grand Tetons, Mole.

Meet me at the Smugglers' Wharf, Laksa, for some John Dory.

>California

2007-10-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hmm... something smells familiar.

Wait a minute, could it be.....?

No way!!!

We are home!

Look at these wild turkeys strolling through Claremont Court. They look like the ones I saw in Custer State Park.

Mole, you are a good sport.

Thank you, Laksa, for being a good brother. (I mean it!)

>Oregon

2007-10-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, very pretty - but I am looking for some dry moss up there. I don't like my paws getting wet, you know?
(Union Creek, Rogue River National Forest)

Ooh, shiny black rocks. Mole is hiding here somewhere. He blends in!
(Big Obsidian Flow, Newberry Volcanic National Monument)

I guess we can't go any further.

>Wyoming

2007-10-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Moléhill? These are... sugar beets!

Who was this Buffalo Bill Cody?
And will you look at that beautiful cat? He is "5 years old and still wild". So am I! (Actually, I turned 6 this month.)

The very first National Park in America

A dormant geyser

Vocanic basalt rocks

Yellowstone's mystery animal #1.

Yellowstone's mystery animal #2. Mule deer?

That's a coyote. Eh, he looks like a dog. Boring.

Just a large mountain range.

I stayed awake in Jackson Hole, all the way to rainy Jackson, looking for les tétons, if you know what I mean.

May I close this report with a regal pose, not a yawn?

>South Dakota II

2007-10-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

Where am I? Who are you? Are you my toy?

Laksa is hyperventilating. Why?

Custer State Park. A close encounter of the asinine kinds...

Hey, burro boy, don't come close, or else!

I am not scared of any of you, I am telling you...

I am telling you.
(Mommy!!!)

A log cabin. I will take this bed, away from the fireplace.

Posing with my trophy. (Yeah, yeah.)

Dear Mr. Presidents - Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Lincoln. Here comes Mole!

Access denied to "pets" on the Grand View Terrace. That's cool. From this parking lot, my head looks bigger than theirs anyway. (Pet discrimination!)

>South Dakota I

2007-10-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

Fighting Stallions Memorial, Pierre, South Dakota. (We never fight, do we?)

South Dakota State Capitol. Why am I showing my pink tongue?

I can't get enough of hay. (My tongue is longer than Mole's.)

A little chuck wagon. This is Laura Ingalls Wilder territory, after all.

Ah, to be a farm cat...

Corn Palace, Mitchell

This is what the Corn Palace once looked like.

Yes, finally! Yum!

Badlands National Park

I like lichen-covered rocks. Have you noticed the color of my eyes?

>Minnesota

2007-10-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Jolly Green Giant is big. But I am long. L-o-n-g.

My hair is standing on end. Little Green Sprout scared me.

But I am not afraid of buffalo - I shall eat you.

I saw this river back in St. Louis. It travels a long way, too.

We spend waaaay too much time in the car, but never complain. (What do you mean, I look fat?)

>Wisconsin

2007-10-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Can you see me, the circus cat?

I am here! We are in Baraboo.

International Crane Foundation, also in Baraboo

Some endangered whooping cranes will learn to fly to Florida, following an ultralight aircraft!

La Crosse

The State Capitol, Madison

>Illinois

2007-10-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

Chicago!

More cats...

"Indiana Jones museum", a.k.a. the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago.

Mole?

Picasso's cat?

>Ohio

2007-10-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's only rock & roll... but I like it, yes I do...

This guitar is a weettle too grand for moi...

...but at least I don't look like dopey Mole.
(At the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum)

>New York III

2007-10-07T21:09:00.001-07:00

Where am I? This was mommy's dorm at Cornell.

She used to tray-sled on this slope.

She spent a LOT of time in that building up there.

I am here, too!

...and here.

Uh-oh.

That's me!

>New York II

2007-10-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

I am looking for other cats in New York.

There's one.

There is another one.

I think this one kinda looks like me.

No?

>New York

2007-10-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, we arrived in New York a couple of days ago... mom has locked us up somewhere and abandoned us since.

In New York, even the dogs like having meetings.

See what I mean?

I do *heart* New York.

Mom did drive us around for a short while... this is the tourist central.

>Maryland and Pennsylvania

2007-10-04T05:01:00.000-07:00

Way past my bedtime

Baltimore water taxi

Power Plant Complex, Baltimore Inner Harbor

Waiting in line for the Liberty Bell. I am not allowed out. Let the cat out of the bag!

Access denied!

The Independence Hall. It's a tall building. I can do tall.

Don't take a picture without me, mommy.

>Washington D.C. area

2007-10-01T23:51:00.000-07:00

We made it to the the United States Capitol!

What a confusing day it was. Mommy is still reading A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace and is mumbling something about the Midwest wind... but suddenly I find myself on this foggy morning in an area where the states get all mixed up. I thought we were in Ohio, but we are already in West Virginia! No, we're in Pennsylvania? What the... we're back in West Virginia? No, we're in Maryland? Whaaat thhhhhe?

I really thought I had gone nuts. Even the freeway traffic looked all wrong. I am not kidding. Mole, wake up!!!

(The truck is not really coming our way - it's a two-headed truck.)

Mommy says she used to live in this house. Cambridge Place, in Georgetown.

Where was I when mommy lived here???

Daddy, I wish you were here.
We both posed here for you. You're welcome.

Laksa, you slept through this one.

Ah...

>Ohio

2007-09-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Do I really look like a Scottish Terrier here?

Don't mind me, I am just relaxing... downtown Cincinnati is alive, sort of like San Francisco.

Photos of tall buildings, again.

More buildings, people, carriages...

Boats are always nice.

Then we go to Columbus - mommy is so disappointed.

Yes, a ghost town.

Cities need people. And kitties, too.

>Indiana

2007-09-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

Must... hold... on...

Another State Capitol!

This is a really nice city, Indianapolis.

We still see plenty of cornfields.

>Illinois

2007-09-29T23:46:00.001-07:00

I blend in with the cornfields, too.

We weren't too interested in the Route 66 Car Show going on in Springfield.

So we shared some quality time, away from mommy.

I didn't miss the Illinois State Capitol!

But I did miss the game night in Champaign-Urbana.

>Missouri

2007-09-29T00:26:00.000-07:00

Aren't we pretty? (Vanity, thy name is Laksa.)

We didn't make it to the mountains, but this will do.

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis

A nice bridge over the M i s... s i s... s i p p i..... river.

Poor horsies.
I guess Laksa and I have a better life!

>Kansas

2007-09-28T09:39:00.001-07:00

Lebold Mansion, Abilene, Kansas

Kansas State Capitol, Topeka

Then onto Kansas City. Mom says this city feels depressing despite...

...its unique buildings.

So... I sleep away.

Don't worry - I'm very comfortable, thankyouverymuch.

>Colorado Part II

2007-09-27T00:49:00.001-07:00

The Hill, in Boulder.

Colorado State Capitol. (Mommy's gotta clean the windshield...)

Busy downtown Denver.

Then, rather suddenly, we arrive in the flatlands! Now I can start counting hay rolls... 1001, 1003, I mean 1002, zzz. zzz, zzz.

My hair didn't turn gray.
What can I say,
I... love mud, sprinkled with hay.

Wheee! This is the most fun thing I've ever played with.

>Colorado Part I

2007-09-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

This evening, mom went and bought a new laptop (we are in Denver now) because her old one is getting very very old. She says this one is a different brand... apparently she can do her work 10 times faster now. Good, she won't forget to feed me now that she's happy.

Could you meow?

It's still warm in Aspen

Colorado is my favorite state - after California, of course.

So much light today. I blend in with the rocks.

I've made it to Independence Pass! I AM a pro traveler.

I could live here...

I can't find Laksa.

Laksa, yes, I am in love with Colorado.

>Utah

2007-09-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

Would Africa feel this good?

Laksa is trying to look like the cheetah he saw on TV.

Salt flats

I don't like wide open spaces. I'm outta here.

This little guy must be Utah's mascot or something.

No, no, no, no. It does NOT mean you can just put your hand on my head. It means this is a place where I get to hang out. Geez.

Aha! UTA TRAX light rail system...
Laksa slept through downtown Salt Lake City and missed the whole thing.

Utah State Capitol, sitting high up on a hill.

A quick turn to say cheese.

Thanks for visiting us.
Bye, Utah!

>Nevada photo essay

2007-09-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

>On the road

2007-09-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Catmobile

Yes, it's scary. This is what happens to you when you stay up too late.
You will eventually turn into a pumpkin!

>No more baby pics!

2007-09-21T23:54:00.000-07:00

Mommy lied.
She says there's nothing wrong with having been a cute boy kitten.

>When I missed my real mommy

2007-09-21T16:29:00.001-07:00

>It's a bird...

2007-09-19T23:13:00.001-07:00

It's a plane...

It's a spider!

>The Amazing Adventures of Laksa & Mole

2007-09-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

We have nothing in common with Kavalier and Clay.
Heck, we may make it to Hollywood first.

"To pack" list for our grand cross-country trip which starts in a couple of days:

1) twist-ems
2) shirt stays
3) Christmas balls (I, Laksa, am very particular about my balls. When you strip the threads off of a tiny Christmas ornament, it becomes an ideal ball to hold in my mouth... only the bouncy plastic kind, not the styrofoam kind! That is Mole's...)
4) hair-thingies (Mom claims she doesn't use them. But believe me, they are around)

This was before mommy actually believed I wanted to travel. I had to sneak into bags to prove my point. "Bag the cat" sounded... magical!

Dreaming of Picasso's Figures on a Beach...

>This #@%&* cramps my style... but hey.

2007-09-16T02:55:00.000-07:00

And don't call me a girl!!!
You, too, were a baby once, weren't you?

Mom is right... I, Laksa, was a TAD too sexy (and bug-bitten)

>Lemme show you our wild side

2007-09-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ah, I just remembered a fairly recent trip.
I think we were up in Tahoe. See how I, Laksa, am in my element?

This was Mole's first "major" road trip, and he was wondering if he was being abandoned.

See him hunkering down? Actually, it makes him look like a cool black leopard!

>Deux chats lunatiques

2007-09-13T13:17:00.001-07:00

Hello. I am Mole. Yes... mo... lay...

I am a bit worried about the upcoming trip. My big brother Laksa is so excited about it.

I don't do tricks in the car, and I love doing tricks. Mommy videotaped me jumping through hoops, fetching balls... She says she will upload them one of these days. I want to show off! I am impatient!

I still remember the day I came to live with Laksa, even though I was tiny. You know something? Laksa was afraid of me! Yes, he backed away and hissed, but I loved him from the first minute. I was so happy to be here. I ran around, checked out all the corners. It was MY HOUSE!!!

On my way home on the train, um, I had to go. You know, when you've gotta go, ya gotta go, litter box or no litter box. So, I did. The BART passengers gave me and my daddy a w-i-d-e berth. So then we came home, and mommy wasn't too happy. I think she called me "a soiled scrawny little thing"! Well, she didn't say "send him back" as daddy claims she did. She washed me, fed me, and voila! I turned out to be quite a cutie, you know...

Laksa bonks me on the head now and then. I bonk him back, of course. Now we are the same size, more or less... We are both rather big.

I do love my brother, so I will travel with him. Even if it means, sigh, Berkeley to New York and back!

>I am Laksa, hear me meowr!

2007-09-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hey.

I have been looking forward to this trip. Oh, meow!

What trip, you ask?

See me smiling? This is an old picture. Taken in Vancouver.

Well, you see, my daddy is now in New York, and I am stuck in Berkeley with my little brother.

There's nothing I love more than travel in the car.
(Why are you laughing?)

My last cross-country vacation was too long ago!
San Francisco to Vancouver, and back. My brother wasn't even born. I am almost five now, ready for a bigger trip.

Yup, that's me, in Willapa Bay, Washington, the Oyster Capital of the World!

I even wear my seatbelt in the car. See?

My clumsy brother Mole (a dumb name, if you ask me, it's pronounced mo lay... he is 3 years old) is not so happy on the road, but since he always follows me around, he has no choice but to come with me. Actually he becomes playful in the car once we get going. I think he just wants attention, if you ask me.

I'll go study a good map now. (Miss Teen USA 2007 South Carolina declared that "some... PEOPLE out there in our nation don't have maps..." Well. Now you know, missy... because kitties stole them all. Tee hee.)