The Red Series
When I traveled to New Zealand in 2012, I found this cheeky little monkey in a souvenir store at JFK airport in NYC, and took him with me as a mascot that I called Red. Little did I know that he would take on a whole personality of his own and I would end up being his traveling companion, accompanying him on his various adventures all around the world. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you (because he insisted I add this page to my website), The Red Series!
Red taking a break on a beach near Kaikoura, using his favorite paua pillow.
Red is ready for action on one of the famous Moeraki boulders, or as he likes to call it, his own personal Deathstar!
Red finds it's not the Dawson he hoped he'd see falling at Dawson Falls.
Red hanging out at Bag End in Hobbiton, waiting for Bilbo or Frodo to come home.
The mighty Red lifts a huge sulphur rock on White Island, an active volcano!
Red is protecting his food in a traditional Maori storage house.
Red laughs in the face of danger at Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch!
Red made a new friend who will spit at anyone who doesn't feed him.
Red hung with the giraffes until they became unhappy with him using their neck as a fire pole.
Red enjoyed some local cold brews, but when they are bigger than him, things can get messy quickly.
Red gets drunk again and wanders into a tattoo parlor for yet another tattoo - all of which are in red ink so they aren't visible.
Happy New Year! Red has a lie down after a crazy night of celebration. These New Zealand brews put (more) hair on his chest!
The perfect morning after drink. Plus Red is a milkshake connoisseur and judges places solely on the quality of their shakes.
Red tries his hand at panning for gold near Cromwell and has some success, but keeps falling into the pan when looking for that precious gold.
Red hoping they won't notice him sitting there as they weigh the gold flecks he successfully panned for pricing. He is worth his weight in gold after all!
Red staked claim to his chosen piece of the wedding cake. What was leftover was for the guests. He loves his desserts!
Red enjoys a good ol' Kiwi dinner - fush & chups with tomato sauce, and New Zealand vodka! Cue another tattoo and morning after milkshake.
Red's first ever snow angel, after he sees his first snow. Winter jacket - who needs it. Red doesn't even need pants, he's that tough!
This shot inevitably had to happen, although they would not let Red actually scale the side of the Empire State Building so he had to settle for this.
Red enjoys the view in Central Park. He was hanging out by the Bethesda Fountain, but was asked to leave when they caught him drinking the water.
Red waiting for his train at Grand Central Station, or at least waiting for a bag he can sneak in to so he can get on a train.
Red finally decided to see what all the hype was about with this Broadway thing and checked out one of the famous ones. Now he wants to wear a mask all day and swing from the chandelier!
Red had to sit on the top of his chair so he could see the stage, after his cheap companion bought back row seats.
Red had his crazy eyes primed and ready for anyone who tried to bother him while riding the NYC subway late at night.
Red took in some culture at the Museum of Modern Art, enjoying a quiet moment with one of his all-time favorite pieces of art - Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night.
Red decided to check out all the flashing lights in Times Square, but didn't stay too long as he got tired of screaming at tourists!
Another of Red's favorites at MoMA - Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory. He was finally escorted off the premises when he started licking the painting. Getting cultured is hungry work!
Where do you go to wind down after living in NYC? Las Vegas of course! Red's first stop? The biggest slot machine he could find. And in New York New York of all places!
Red couldn't decide which hotel to sneak in to for the rest of his stay in sin city. He liked the idea of being able to say he had been to Paris.
But in the end he was won over by the fancy fountain display outside at the Bellagio. Not to mention the chocolate fountain inside, which also led to his removal from the hotel.
Red tried hailing a cab as his little legs were getting tired from all the walking, and in true Caesars style, this arrived instead.
After being all sinned out, where else would Red go but the Burning Man Festival in Black Rock City, Nevada for some innocent exploits in the desert. Here he meets the Man and almost gets swallowed up in the process
Red made some new friends at Burning Man, although their insistence on always playing the cymbals did start to wear a little thin!
Red took a break from the dust storms at one of the art installations at Burning Man - the Totem of Confessions.
Red also watched over everyone on the playa from the eye of the Serpent Mother!
And now Red is living in Seattle, where he gets to see concerts held at a local zoo, so he doesn't look out of place. The blurry pink figure onstage in the background is Blondie!
Red with his trusty steed, Sir Crabalot, protecting the waters in the Pacific Northwest area from any invaders.
Red tried his hand at fishing. The moment he touched the pole a fish grabbed on the other end of the line.
Not many people are aware that Red is actually the little known fourth wise monkey in the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" proverb. He was "do no evil", however he was kicked out for not heeding his own advice!
