Mr Tiki's Wild Ride - Hosts Wanted

On 2018-05-02 20:48, Hamo wrote:

On 2018-05-02 16:20, tikiskip wrote:
All right Hamo that was.... Awesome?

Sorry; Mr. Tiki and I have been doing stuff, but I haven’t had a lot of time to put together posts yet. I think I can put a few things up tomorrow, so start holding your breath....

Can't wait to see the shenanigans you've gotten up to!

Mr. Tiki visited Colorado in 2015, so it was time for a return trip, this time to Estes Park.

(By the way, if Mr. Tiki looks blurry in the next few pictures, you've haven't had too many Zombies; I realized a little late that I needed make sure to focus on him. Or maybe you've had too many Zombies.)

We went up to an overlook to see the town and take in the views.

We were just across the road from the Stanley Hotel, but Mr. Tiki heard that the place is supposed to be haunted, and this is as close as he wanted to get.

Since he'd been in a box for a while, we went on a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park to stretch his legs.

He was a little winded, but we made it to Chasm Falls.

Okay, enough nature. Next we drink.

Very cool Hamo. Looks like Colorado is a beautiful state, hope Mr Tiki didn't wreck it! :o

Mr. Tiki and I spent a Friday evening at Hidden Idol.

And we enjoyed a few classic cocktails at The Cruise Room, the first bar to open in Denver the day after Prohibition ended and modeled after a bar on the Queen Mary.

Then it was Take Your Tiki to Work Day.

I asked for help cleaning up my desk, but Mr. Tiki was a little overwhelmed....

...and maybe also distracted by my wall calendar.

He also got to see some elk.

Then it was back to Denver for my sister's and brother-in-law's wedding. Mr. Tiki crashed the reception, which was held at Adrift.

Here we are with the manager, Zach. Mr. Tiki enlightened him about Tiki Central.

After a little May snow, Mr. Tiki left for warmer climes.

Bride and groom shot with Mr Tiki, that may be a first :lol:

Love it, Hamo! Great job showing Mr. Tiki a good time!

Nice calendar! :D

Mr. Tiki arrived today in San Diego, and though he was a little tired after his long walk from Colorado, I convinced him to go for a drive.

He asked,"Am I going to another wedding? I like weddings..."

While I told him people did get married there...

(and my own wedding rehearsal dinner did take place there)....

No one here was getting married- at least as far as I knew. The important thing, was not to act like a Goof. Since that job was already taken.

I had called a few friends to extend Mister T a warm welcome to San Diego. As you may or may not know, there's not very much to do here in America's Finest City, and since it was only 68 degrees today, my friends really needed a drink because the weather just wasn't up to par. There was even a cloud in the sky, which only made things worse. Ewww. Some asked Tommy to turn the heat up a little bit in the restaurant.

(I had thought he had been here before, but after looking back, I don't think so??)

The Bali Hai restaurant, on Shelter Island, San Diego, has been open for over 60 years, and is known for its beautiful views, its hospitality, and, of course, its mai tais. My son has learned his way around there, but he didn't come with us tonight.

On the way in, Rick & Barbara saw Mister Tiki pestering me for a photo with Mr. Bali Hali. (Photo above). Mister and Mr. had a good chat, but Mister wanted to go upstairs.

It was time for a drink. He requested a classic Bali Hai mai tai. I asked Mister Tiki if he was sure, since if you're new to the Bali Hai Mai Tai, ya might want to take it easy. He didn't flinch.

After three mai tais, Mister Tiki was kind of pushy, and introduced himself to a few of the San Diego Ohana, who were there specifically to meet this celebrity, not at all for their "First Monday" Meet Up that they do there every month on the first Monday of the month. No way.

Barry, who has lots of experience with the Bali Hai Mai Tai, asked Mister Tiki if knew what he was doing...

(insert shot, close up of Barry's shirt, bearing a terrifying resemblance to Mister Tiki- paying homage, perhaps? Man, these San Diego people are taking this "welcome event" to the extreme. Barry, along with a bunch of the "Original" SD Ohana, sported the SD Ohana pendants I made 3 or 4 years ago.

Barry gave Mr. Tiki his advice on the Bali Hai Mai Tai. He recommended to let the drink sit for a bit, allowing the crushed ice to slowly melt. Drink it slowly, and enjoy the flavor as it changes as the ice melts. We've discussed this, over mai tais, and Mr. Tiki may or may not have been paying attention. There's lots of stuff to look at at the Bali Hai.

The San Diego Ohana was excited to meet the miniature celebrity- and was passed around. He was a good sport about it with both the TC members (like Bamamamamalu here (just kidding, Amy!), and those "newer" tiki people.

Mister Tiki asked Julie why Mr. Bali Hai was on her mug...

She shrugged, and said that John had contacted some other guy named John to make mugs for us.

John took credit for it, while enjoying his beverage, while hinting at the new Ohana Bowls that are supposedly being mailed from Florida. He kept talking about Pay Pal, so I stepped away...

While normally the group takes most all of the lounge, word had spread regarding Mister Tiki's arrival, and the Bali Hai was packed. More of the Ohana sat up near the bar...

They were curious about Mister Tiki, and there may be some more traffic to TC after introducing some new folks to TC. And reminding past members to remember their log in and visit the site.

All in all, a good first night. We cruised back home, where he crashed in the van. Too many Bali Hai Mai Tais, apparently.

Hopefully he's in good spirits tomorrow, since there's more to do....

[ Edited by: TikiAno 2018-05-08 00:38 ]

Great pics TikiAno!!! Thanks for showing Mr Tiki a good time :D

Excellent! Bali Hai is on my short list of tiki Meccas to visit. And new/increased traffic to TC is always welcome! I just hope that problem with new membership registration bouncing has been solved...

What a night! It seems all of San Diego came out to bask in the presence of Mr. Tiki. There was some special magic in the air and an enchanted time was clearly had by all.

Mahalo Nui Loa Tiki Ano for escorting Mr. Tiki and allowing us our brush with our travelling Tiki ambassador (he wanted to play with me, I swear!)

It was hard to rouse Mr. Tiki up after his time at the Bali Hai, so he cruised around with me while I worked, then tagged along as I played hooky for a little bit in the afternoon and stopped at the clay studio.

Mr. Tiki said he always wanted to try pottery, and jumped onto a wheel.

He didn't quite "get" it, but enjoyed spinning around and around. His own feet couldn't reach the pedal from the stool, but he was just the right size to .... be the pedal itself.

He didn't enjoy getting stepped on, so he climbed up onto a table as we unloaded a kiln. A few pieces of mine came out of the bisque firing. While he did say he thought my stuff was "okay," he kept bringing up that "they weren't quite as Ku -ul as me." A little sassy, if you ask me, Mr. Tiki.

He tried to make some jokes while I glazed some of these, but after a while I felt it was time for him to return to his box, and get back to work.

Eventually, we made it home, and I took him into our home bar, The Forbidden Maya Tai for a beverage. He hung around for a bit...

Mr. Tiki tried to make friends with a few folks, but they were more of the "strong, silent types."

It was a long day for the little guy, so Mr. Tiki decided to kick back on a rattan chair and start working on a list of some other things he wanted to check out in San Diego.

Stay tuned....

[ Edited by: TikiAno 2018-05-08 21:46 ]

Look at all those people at Bali Hai excited to see Mr. Tiki! When I asked the bride for a picture with Mr. Tiki, my brother-in-law asked what was going on and my sister said, “Some ridiculous thing my brother wants us to do.”

:up: :lol:

Wow that was a smooth transition from Colorado to California.

Mr. tikis open box policies may just help the tiki world after all.

Great pic's all.
Good job.

UPDATE:

Mr. Tiki has locked himself in my home bar, and has barricaded the entry. I hear lots of bottles moving around, and a few loud crashes. I've been digging my way in through the concrete and hope to make it through by tomorrow. Thankfully he is mounted on a piece of wood which makes navigation a little bit more difficult.

Thankfully, there's more rum in there than Mr. Tiki can most likely handle- at least by evidenced by his time at the Bali Hai and his first visit to the home bar. FIngers/ bottles/ mugs are crossed! :wink:

The little buggar! :o

Tiki Ano you sure know how to show a guy (Mr. Tiki) a good time with lots of Ohana. I so glad that MadDogMike resurrected him. He's go more fun ahead of him I can tell. Wendy

Ano- I’m guessing he’s having fun!
Hope u hid the good rum,
But I’m guessing he will find it

I've been swamped with work, and had to bring a few friends to get Mr. Tiki out of the Forbidden Maya Tai (home bar)- he had barricaded himself inside, and was either taking selfies with the mug collection, or drinking all the rum, or both. What a sneaky tiki!

I finally got him out for a little sight seeing here in San Diego...

For some reason, he wanted to check out the wrong side of the tracks (his words, not mine)... (this view is from Barrio Logan, looking north to downtown San Diego).

Then he tagged along with me to work one day as we catered a big convention...

With a toddler at home, it's hard to take Mr. Tiki out at night to explore the town (besides, it seems he's sworn off alcohol after spending a week decimating the stock in my own bar). I dragged him down to Pacific Beach (close to home) to check out The Grass Skirt. I had hoped to take him inside, but alas, they opened at 5, a few hours away, so we hung outside...

I showed him some of OB Tiki's work that you can see from the exterior.

We then checked the surf at the Pier. Since Mr. Tiki has been cruising around, I felt a little ocean breeze from the Pacific would be important- and helpful, for his mood.

It was late in the day, and it was pretty windy. Mr. Tiki wanted to paddle out, but I didn't have a wetsuit for him, and didn't want the salt water to mess with the gadgets Mad Dog Mike has embedded in the Bionic (Mr.) Tiki! :)

He's been in San Diego a bit, so trying to show him a few groovy things and get him on his way!

Menorah?

Thanks for keeping his powder dry :lol:

Hahahaha!

Mike, one of my baristas didn't quite finish the pour perfectly- but Mr. Tiki was okay with it. Trying to give him a taste for good coffee....

A little more San Diego sight seeing (combined with a work event)... Mr. Tiki decided to check out the USS Midway. While he told me he doesn't like being in tight spaces (inferring that he wasn't too pleased with the prospect of heading back into his box to be sent off to his next stop), I told him that a giant aircraft carrier like the Midway had lots of outdoor space. His snarky reply asked if I could add a flight deck onto his shipping box. Hmmmm...

Mr. Tiki has had a hard time being focused during his visit, thus his inability to be in focus in many of these photos. :)

Great report, TikiAno! I'm sure Mr. Tiki is having a fine time, even if he doesn't act like it. Mr. Tiki is something of a volatile character!

Update - TikiAno is having trouble contacting some of the people who wanted to host Mr Tiki. I have applied for a special dispensation from the Tiki Pope Kahuna to stave of the Curse since he is TRYING to pass Mr Tiki on.

Wanted to report that Mr. Tiki arrived safe and sound. I found him a nice place to sleep for the night with his friends. Let the games begin!

DC

NICE!!!!

Mr. Tiki is hanging out recovering from his trip, meeting a few more friends around the house today.

DC

He seems relaxed.

Got Mr. Tiki out of bed this morning to see the town. First stop was the Maritime Museum in Santa Barbara.

He got to see a nice ship's masthead.

A scary robot diver

And he considered deep sea diving in a helmet.

We went upstairs to the Endless Summer, Surf's Up!

The hostess was glad to meet Mr. Tiki!

Mai Tais were ordered and the bar staff were pleased.

He met a few friends there.

And enjoyed the view of the Harbor over a Mai Tai.

Too many Mai Tais, we got booted! Off to the next stop. Met some nice ladies on the way.

The Brewhouse serves up some tasty beer.

Mr. Tiki was again greeted with high regard from behind the bar..

A quick beer

And a chat with an amigo to end the day.

Stay tuned for tomorrows adventures!.

DC

Fun, fun, fun.

Me and Mr. Tiki took a road trip down to LA this weekend. I introduced him to Googie architecture with a lunch stop at Corky's.

He liked the roof lines on the building

And the Lava rock wall

And the plexi-glass wall panels.

We had lunch in the Cork Lounge and watched some world cup soccer with our bartender Danielle.

With a good base, we headed over to Tonga Hut for the 4th of July Weekend art show and parking lot sale.

Mr. Tiki felt right at home.

We did some shopping with the all-star line-up of Tiki vendors.

Hob-knobbed with the event organizers (Tom, Sheri, Marie, Murph, and Eric).

We met some nice people at the event

Including some rock stars from the Ding Dong Devils!

Paparazzi

Got a taco at Durango's Taco Truck.

Finally made it inside to introduce Mr. Tiki To Mr. Bartender (Syd)

As well as big Moe and the Drooling Bastard.

Indoor people are fun too.

That was quite a day.

DC

From one who was out of town for the Tonga Hut event on Sunday, thanks for the incidental event photos, DC!

kevin

Mr. Tiki went to Vintiki in Venura and was again a crowd pleaser.

DC

Mr. Tiki making the rounds! Good to see him connecting with the locals!

Mr. Tiki went yachting at the Santa Barbara Harbor for the 4th of July.

DC

Mr. Tiki made a stop at the Test Pilot in the Funk Zone for some July 4th adventures.

DC

Is it wrong that I am envious of Mr Tiki? Jealousy is such an ugly thing. :)

I took Mr. Tiki fishing out of Santa Barbara this weekend and we caught 5 Halibut. The rum mysteriously disappeared however.

DC

On 2018-07-09 06:51, littlegiles wrote:
Is it wrong that I am envious of Mr Tiki? Jealousy is such an ugly thing. :)

He is living the good life isn't he!

Took Mr. Tiki on a trip to Hollywood yesterday. First stop was lunch at the Tam O'Shanter.

Next stop was the Tiki Ti where he was greeted by Mike senior, got some Ray's Mistakes and had a drink with Rasta Jim.

After the Tiki Ti we headed over to Musso and Frank, the oldest restaurant in Hollywood.

Up next we headed across the street to Grauman's Egyptian theater for the 14th annual Tiki Night to see Bosko's new movie "Bosko and the Rebirth of Tiki".

Mr. Tiki met many luminaries at the pre-event vending area.

King Kukulele was singing

Damien was slinging

Eric and Manuel were selling

Tom Laura and Susannah Mosher in attendance

Johnny Velour

Mr. Tiki met Mr. Tiki Head.

The always enchanting Naomi

Jochen Hirschfeld looking good as always

Al was happy to see Mr. Tiki

VonTiki was sporting a nice outfit.

Lovely Laura Harper

The folks at the theater greeted Mr. Tiki warmly.

After the show it was one more stop for some late night snacks Southern California style at In-N-Out Burger.

That was a busy day. Might be time for Mr. Tiki to be moving on pretty soon.

DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2018-07-17 10:41 ]

WOW DC, it's a veritable who's who of the SoCal Tiki world! You're going to have to pass Mr Tiki on just so you can get some rest!

Damm DC I missed you at Tiki Night. Actually I was there but it was sold out. So my friend and I then went to Pasadena to see the newer French version movie of Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti, so it wasn’t a lost evening.

Matt

Wow, lots of fantastic pics. Great job getting Mr Tiki out there for all to see.
:)

Awesome Scott!
Mahalo

Wowser! Mr. Tiki mixing it up with the movers and shakers of tikidom!

Mr. Tiki got to go to the annual Kaena winery Luau in Santa Ynez valley on Saturday.

He met the owners and winemakers

The food and wine were outstanding!

Lots of friendly guests

After we got back to Santa Barbara I took Mr. Tiki to Chuck's of Hawaii for his last supper. Mai Tais and steaks were in order, watch out for the Tiki torches.

And that is the end to this chapter of the Mr. Tiki story. He is packed and heading down the highway.

DC

Wow that was a busy trip!