When I approached Travelocity about a Roaming Gnome visit I was hopeful that they would play along. Just as I have been hopeful every time I have requested participation from anybody. I am unanimously ignored most times...lol.

It took a few months of lost emails and a proposal to finally get the ok. I then had to figure out when to get things started.

When things finally started, they didn't start as planned. I hadn't received the Polaroid camera. Oh man and I had so carefully worked that in to the concept. Plan B.

Oh the plans I had. Here, there and everywhere. While I did achieve most of the here & there, everywhere is sometimes off limits and I had to start marking places like the mall off the list. No photography for security reasons. Ok then. Walk in to WalMart. You can't take pictures in here. Hmmm. Ok. Plan C.

I learned a few things about people along the way. When people are going about the daily chores of life they can't be bothered. I'm fine with that actually, I just didn't realize how much that really affected peoples attitudes.

Another is that there is always gonna be somebody somewhere that just plain acts like you're an idiot for being there with gnomes. I ran in to it at Paradise Bar & Kea'au Marketplace and many other places. They simply looked at me like I was stupid. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, but at least I am having fun. Were they?

Well then I got that off my chest. Lets talk about the positive aspects of roaming around with gnomes, of which there are many.

When people are relaxed, on vacation, kicking back or simply having a slow day at the store they are easily approachable. I'd go up to them and either get a wow or a what's this all about and I would tell them. By the time I was done giving them the run down on why Travelocity sent RG out and what Bud was all about they were usually smiling and wanted to either have a photo taken or wanted to be on the website.

I don't know if I can really express the true joy I felt resonating from the people I came in to contact with everywhere I went. Excitement that yes this is THE actual Roaming Gnome and that they got a picture with him. Ah very brilliant marketing on Travelocity's part.

I had been feeling great about cruising around with the gnomes all week. Positive energy from nearly everyone. How can that not rub off on you? It's exhilarating. It was at Capt. Chris' Paradise Bar & Grill that I felt the full impact of the joy I was bringing people.

I was apprehensive about going it alone. A guy walking in to a bar with gnomes will either be embraced or leave with his tail between his legs. My tail was ready to hide all day but I knew that this was the one experience I wanted to document on the site. No fear, no shame.

I was gonna do it and I knew that it'd work out in a positive way because I am generally a positive person. It'd been good so far.

After a luke warm reception I just started walking up to people, with Chris' blessing, and doing it. I got a lot of "How much does it cost?" I replied, "Nothing." They warmed right up. It is as if we are so use to being sold something that people can't really grasp the meaning of free anymore. In this case the word free was a breathe of fresh air.

Undeniably, RG does represent using a service that costs money but the photograph was actually free and if they take the time to check Travelocity's prices the next time they plan a trip that's a bonus.

People offered me money. In some cases I took it and contributed to the waitresses tip. Strange really since I am perpetually a self-unemployed broke person lately. A friend did comment that it would buy diapers but it just didn't feel right and it wasn't in the spirit of why I was there.

People were seeking me out. I was the Travelocity Guy. "Hey that Travelocity guy really worked this place" was overheard. It was true. Everywhere I looked there were people holding Polaroid shots of themselves with gnomes. Sharing them with each other and laughing. Can you even begin to imagine the overwhelming sense of satisfaction & achievement I felt? It is truly a powerful buzz and I don't even drink. I still feel as if I haven't expressed it with satisfaction but I will leave that alone.

As the night was winding down I received the ultimate satisfaction. "Thanks for bringing the gnomes down here tonight" said one woman I had photographed earlier. "No…thank you."

With yet another week or so left I still have several more here and theres to hit as well as some randomly found participants inviting me to come by their lives with the gnomes.

I just had to express this while the energy is still floating around.

WEEK 2

Things had to taper down. I still had a short list of places & things to do. Star wanted to participate with Shea and I wanted to make sure it happened.

It was a bizarre week. We had tied everything done and put away our few possessions in the event that the hurricane made a 90 degree right and slammed the island.

We loaded everything in to the car in the event we had to run for a shelter. In a rather sick way I thought that it'd sure be interesting content taking the gnomes to a shelter with the Polaroid. Strange indeed. Luckily nothing like that came to pass. It would've been cool though.

Of course, we had a 5.3 earthquake the evening of the hurricane's passing. I was sitting in the car/office when it hit. It felt like people were fighting and getting thrown against the car for a good 10 seconds. Major disasters may come more than one at a time.

Then of course came a potential tsunami from the quake in Peru and the surprise assault by the green harvest folks over our subdivision and the finale - the fire department thinking I was burning trash out here in the forest. (Sorry not that stupid.) The smoke was rolling from the neighbors across our lot and in to the road. The neighbor had stopped burning just in time for the smoke evidence to blow off his property.

It was a rainy, hot & humid week. I started getting paranoid about RG's thin layer of paint melting or getting scraped off. He had acquired a fair amount of dirty from all of the handling and weather. He had also received a few little paint dings by now and I was determined to avoid further damage.

It was time for RG to return home and Bud & Tiki Jr. to figure out their next destination.

As I write this I am literally exhausted from all the running and writing I have done over the past few weeks. Star pointed out that some of my entries were reflecting the fact that I was tired and had lost some of their wittiness. So be it…lol. I didn't have the spark to be witty at that time.

So let's just wrap this up cause I still have the farewell travel entry to write.

It was a strange couple weeks and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The next time will be wiser. Places targeted based upon my new found insight on people. Care in handling. A calmer pace.

Thank you Travelocity for making this possible. I feel as if Bud's adventures have reached their first milestone. After a short gnome reprieve I will figure out the next stunt to pull and maybe, just maybe, figure out how to get media attention the next time.

I would like to thank anyone that has been following Bud's adventures also. There may only be a dozen of you but an audience is an audience!

Tony

Just as an after after comment: Travelocity has allowed me to hold on to the RG they sent out to me. I am in the process of figuring out what that's gonna mean. Possible events to take him to, etc. Bud on the other hand is hitting the road again. Pretty cool eh!

Oh yeah...and I am finally emailing everyone that gave me an email and participated. Seem to have misplaced a stack. Happy hunting.