News from the Western Toy and Hobby Show

Hi Toy Garden Fans,

I am tagging along this week with Fairhaven Toy Garden owners Robin Bigelow and
Tina Schwindt and employees Robin and Erin Schwindt. I have a handy device on my
hat called a carabiner which allows me to sneak onto Tina's laptop case when she travels to toy shows. This year's show is in Long Beach, California and the weather here is warm and sunny compared to the rain we left in Bellingham on Thursday. The show starts on Saturday, so we spent Friday exploring the attractions of the Long Beach area. We went for a walk on the boardwalk at The Pike and I narrowly escaped being kidnapped by a pirate who wanted me to replace his long lost shoulder riding parrot. He was threatening us with his gun and then Erin quickly snapped a picture with her magic camera and he turned into a statue! Then we went to Seal Beach south of Long Beach which was rather windy, but we did briefly test the waters of the Pacific Ocean and rested in the sand. Now we are ready for a full day at the Western Toy and Hobby Show at the Long Beach Convention Center. We are hoping to find some new and exciting toys to add to the shelves of the Fairhaven Toy Garden. If only my pals Trixie, Tuck and Toggin could have made the trip with us - it would be nice to have someone to hang out with that was more my size!

Toby the Blue Sock Monkey