Imitations: Ana

Ana's an actress, so it's no surprise that she can do a mean--even hypnotic--imitation of Mr. Hunter.

October 2003

A Brief Reunion with Space Shuttle Endeavour

You can bet Mr. Hunter made sure to be there when Space Shuttle Endeavour flew overhead on its farewell flyover tour of California.  

Mr. Hunter and some of the many people who waited at Moffett.
That's the skeleton of Hangar One in the background.

Our first glimpses as Endeavour arrived.

Endeavour and its 747 (SCA905NA) flew about 800 feet above us at Moffett Field. 

As we recounted in this June 2011 post, Mr. Hunter and his keeper had the thrill of seeing Space Shuttle Endeavour launch on June 5, 2002.

Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-111.

Two delighted shuttle launch spectators.
That's smoke from the STS-111 launch in the background.

A few years later, Mr. Hunter got to tour
one of NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
Here's a Wikipedia article about these special 747s.

A bittersweet sight.  

Endeavour flies away to finish its farewell tour. 

Moffett Field

Mountain View, California

September 2012

Hall of Fame: Bill Clinton

Here's one of the all-time best Mr. Hunter moments.  

Then-Governor Bill Clinton came to our school while he was running for President in 1992, and Mr. Hunter, my best friend, and I were close to the front of the crowd when Clinton arrived.

The one thing that would have made this photo perfect would be if I'd captured the moment when Bill Clinton was shaking my friend's hand.  She was off to my right and did get to shake his hand, but she wasn't wearing bright red nail polish, so we know that's somebody else.

When we got this photo developed over at a one-hour processing place,

we laughed so hard at how it had all come together.  And then we spent a bit of time studying all the faces and patterns in the background and finding all these goofy connections.

Sublime!

October 1992

Mr. Hunter and an Apollo Command Module

Mr. Hunter pretended he was an Apollo astronaut -- and maybe a little bit of a Major Tom, as well -- when he peeked through the window of this Apollo command module door.  

Mr. Hunter's floating in a most peculiar way.

This particular Apollo command module was on display at the astonishing and highly recommended Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center.  The spacecraft was originally intended for NASA's Apollo 18 mission, but instead flew on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, which was the first joint mission of the United States and the Soviet Union.

The John Weeks site gives more details about this Apollo spacecraft, which has since been moved from Kennedy Space Center to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Apollo/Saturn V Center

Kennedy Space Center

Merritt Island, Florida

May 2002

Hall of Fame: Mr. Hunter and the Queen's Guard

One bonus feature of the Buckingham Palace State Rooms tour: 

a pair of Queen's Guardsmen who stood at the ready to pose for friendly photos with us tourists.  The guard I met was curious to hear Mr. Hunter's story.  And Mr. Hunter was so tickled to have a Queen's Guard photo-op.

This particular guard is a member of the Coldstream Guards,
as identified by the grouping of his buttons and the garter star badge on his collar.
See more about the Queen's Guards on the British Monarchy site.

Two young women try on the Queen's Guard hats.

Another tourist holds the hat.

Buckingham Palace

London, England

September 2011

Mr. Hunter and the Ocicat

What happens when a cat who likes to play meets a wooden tiki doll who likes to pose?  A festival of photos!

Rufus is an ocicat, and while he lives in the same house as Mr. Hunter, the two of them haven't really spent much time together.  But the other day, when Rufus got into his classic "seal" position, I grabbed my camera and then thought, Why not get Mr. Hunter involved in this?  I was just looking for a quick, cute photo.  

Who knew that Rufus would take Mr. Hunter for a new toy?

Rufus the Seal with Mr. Hunter the Soon-to-be Toy

Rufus springs into action

Timber!

The two friends sit still for more formal portrait.

Meow!

March 2012

Hall of Fame: Mr. Hunter Gets a Scolding

...maybe it's because he likes to break the rules sometimes.

Can't say that Mr. Hunter looks particularly perturbed here.

Seems to me that Mr. Hunter has a defiant look on his face now.
I don't think the exterminator guy is going to get anywhere with him.

I was actually so excited when I came across this truck and realized that Mr. Hunter had an opportunity to make friends with the Western Exterminator Company mascot.

Hollister, California

July 2005

Mr. Hunter Gets Curious

Mr. Hunter found himself in the paws of Curious George when he attended a booksellers convention.  Misadventures did NOT ensue, which is kind of surprising, considering how things go when Curious George is around.

Have you ever watched the Curious George TV show on PBS?  

He is adorable.

October 2005

Where in the world is Mr. Hunter? The answer (Haunted edition)

Where was Mr. Hunter when he nestled in the crook of this lantern's arm?

He was visiting a friend at Southern Vermont College

 in Bennington, Vermont.

This particular architectural detail can be found and admired at Everett Mansion, a lovely old building that houses many of the college's classrooms, as well as a cafe and the library.

The Cascade at Everett Mansion

Hmm, a little bit of searching online reveals that the Everett Mansion and Southern Vermont College are rumored to be haunted by at least three ghosts, according to this blog post: the ghosts of Edward and Grace Everett, and a notable figure called "the Black-Hooded Monk."  Mr. Hunter didn't notice any of these spirits while he walked the college grounds.  Or, if he did, he hasn't told me about it yet!  

But I guess if ghosts are looking for a place to haunt, then a mansion where lanterns are held aloft by arms that stick out of stone walls is a perfect location.

The Orchards

Everett Mansion

Southern Vermont College

Bennington, Vermont

October 2011

Where in the world is Mr. Hunter? - Haunted Edition

Sometimes Mr. Hunter comes across the perfect perch.

For instance, he couldn't resist climbing onto this lantern-bearing arm.

Any idea where Mr. Hunter found this well-lit place to rest?

Hint: he was visiting a small college in New England, where many of the classes now meet in a converted mansion that was built in 1911.  Not only did this mansion just celebrate its centennial... it's also reputed to be a haunted mansion!

See the answer here.

Hall of Fame: A Deer Makes a Snack Out of Ghetto Mr. Hunter

One of my all-time favorite Mr. Hunter-themed photo sets!  

It's Ghetto Mr. Hunter meeting some sika deer at Nara Park in Kyoto.

He was there with Teresa and Karen.

Nara Park sign.
What are the deer saying?

Love this shot of a lady who's selling snacks for the deer.

Karen and the deer.

Teresa and a new friend.

Here's some video of the scene at Nara Park that day.

Teresa and Karen, thank you so much for bringing Ghetto Mr. Hunter to Nara Park.  The real Mr. Hunter wants to go meet these critters himself.  Who wouldn't?

Nara Park

Nara, Japan

September 2008

Three Faces in Singapore

I'm a big fan of this photo that Steve took when he brought 

his Flat Mr. Hunter to the National Orchid Garden in Singapore.

The Mist House

National Orchid Garden

Singapore

November 2008

The Million Moustache March

Krumbs and Erik grew moustaches in honor of... Pat O'Brien?

No moustache for David, but Mr. Hunter doesn't discriminate on the basis of facial hair.

2005

Hall of Fame: Mr. Hunter's Seaweed Dreadlocks

How do you like Mr. Hunter's wig?

He found it while strolling along Goose Rocks Beach in Maine.

This is one of my all-time favorite Mr. Hunter photos.

Goose Rocks Beach

Bonus moment: a certain delicate chihuahua sneaks into the photo shoot!

Hi, Grendel!

Goose Rocks Beach

Kennebunkport, Maine

October 2006

Choosing a pumpkin...

We found a sea of pumpkins in Vermont.

September 2008

Easter Island via London, England

Mr. Hunter always thought that he'd have to trek all the way to Easter Island in order to see and pose with those famous stone figures (moai).  

But we were in London recently and making a quick visit to the British Museum, and who should we encounter but one of the genuine Easter Island statues!  This particular moai is called Hoa Hakananai'a, which, according to the museum, means "stolen or hidden friend."

Hoa Hakanania'a's driver's license photo.

From the side, these guys do have a lot in common!

The room where Hoa Hakananai now lives.

A moment of destiny for Mr. Hunter.

I wonder if one day Mr. Hunter will get to Easter Island...

Certainly he'd feel right at home among all those other carved heads and torsos!

This first taste of true Rapa Nui has been a good start.

Room 24 at the British Museum

London, England

September 2011