Meet Charlie

I’ve wanted to do this post forever (seriously, for like 6 months now), but have been unable to attain the appropriate collection of photos. Finally I bit the bullet and got it done – partially by tracking them down through friends, and partially by taking pictures of pictures (nice technique in a pinch!). So you may notice that some of the shots are actually pics of pics hanging on a wall. Just go with it

This is Charlie.

Charlie is a coconut from Dominica. One of my lab-mates brought him back after a research trip to the country to present as a gift to our boss.

Our boss didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the present and he said that the coconut could “live” in our shared lab space, where we hold all of our meetings. At first my lab-mate was sad and felt like his present had been rejected. But the rest of us saw Charlie’s inner beauty and from there, he was adopted as our lab mascot.

Charlie started coming with us everywhere.

To dinner parties at friends’ houses

To meet new furry friends

To nights out at fancy restaurants

Even making appearances at Halloween festivities (though there were no togas available in his size)

He also likes to swim

and to enjoy the occasional adult beverage

and to sight-see in foreign lands (in Montreal, above).

He became a full-on bonefide  traveling gnome.

Eventually we found Charlie a girlfriend…a rotting pumpkin (it only seemed fitting)

But, alas, Charlie was meant to be FREE! His girlfriend was too clingy to allow him to do the traveling he desired (well….that, and she started to stink and attract knats).

Charlie has been to 3 countries (United States, Canada, and Dominica) and who knows how many more he’ll see in his days.

Have you ever had a traveling gnome (or anything else similar?)

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