It all started with the first selfie…

August 2, 2016

Hard as it is to believe, it’s been two years since my first selfie with Mom! She took this on her neighbor’s front porch when I was only five weeks old. I was a “foster kitty”,  but the instant Mom picked me up she knew she had to take me to my forever home. In case you’ve wondered, that’s how I got the name “Foster”.

Since then I have had a life of adventure (besides sleeping, playing and eating, that is). So Mom got thinking about how to catch our new readers up on all the places Panda and I have been during the past two years. We’ll post a link to each adventure, and Mom will write a short synopsis for each one. That way people can click over to any they might have missed. Just click on the links for the adventures you want to see. Ok, here goes…

A Flying Carpet Ride

In April of 2017, inspired by a comment Mom made about the area rug by the sliding door, Foster and Panda go on the computer to see if they can find a real flying carpet. Before they know it they are soaring over the Grand Canyon! But fortunately Panda brought his parachute…  Click here to read “A Flying Carpet Ride.”

Area 51

Emboldened by their (somewhat) successful trip to the Grand Canyon, Foster and Panda discover that, on the carpet in the living room, they can fly faster and higher than ever before. In a case of “deja vu”, Panda falls off the carpet and lands in the middle of Area 51. It’s up to them to find a plane, learn to fly it, and get back home. Click here to read “Area 51”.

Hide and Seek

Panda and Foster are enjoying a relaxing game of “Hide and Seek” when they discover a secret passageway in the back of Foster’s cardboard climbing structure. This leads them into an adventure in the past as they become part of Mom’s old family pictures. Click here to read “Hide and Seek”.

Back to the Drawing Pad

In this story, the two friends get bored and decide to look at Mom’s drawing books. (Without permission, that is.) Before they know it, they are literally inside the drawings. Panda has a harrowing experience with a whimsical spider web, and they get to see Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. They also attend a gingerbread rodeo before finally making it back to their den in the front living room. Click this link to read “Back to the Drawing Pad.”

Panda Abroad

Inspired by Mom’s post “Raised By Swedes”, Panda gets the idea to go to China and find his roots. Foster accompanies him somewhat unwillingly, but he feels responsible for bringing Panda back in one piece. Together they see the Great Wall, the Wolong Panda Reserve, and meet Panda’s relatives in the wild. To find out how Panda ends up in the gift shop, you’ll have to read the story. Click here to read “Panda Abroad.”

Cruising With Foster and Panda

Still grounded for going to China without permission, “the boys” are looking at pictures from a past Sunday School puppet show when Panda suggests going on a cruise. Unbeknownst to them, their white laundry basket “tunnel” flies even better than the carpet! They land at a harbor and Panda convinces Foster to get on a boat with him, insisting that it’s only going to be for three hours… Click here to read “Cruising With Foster and Panda.”

Safari!

Foster wants to see his “big cat relatives” in Africa, which Panda thinks is only fair, since he got to see his family in China. Having seen hot air balloons on their way back from their ocean cruise, they decide to try a new mode of transportation. With help from a herd of elephants, they travel to the African savannah where adventure awaits! Click here to read “Safari!”

    Copy That!

Foster was on the windowsill one night when Mom was listening to the online police scanner, and it was so interesting that he tells Panda it would be cool to fight crime. Knowing Mom would never give them permission to join the police force, they take matters into their own hands and, with the help of Pixabay.com, they are soon on their way to their first “459 in progress.” Click here to read “Copy That!”.

Beam Me Up, Panda!

When Foster finds Panda practicing his weightlessness skills in the kitty toy box, his first reaction is “Are you crazy?” Foster explains that you have to go to NASA to learn weightlessness, and Panda muses that it would be fun to go on a space ship. Foster scoffs, “The only space ship you’ll ever go on is if you get abducted by aliens!” Suddenly they see an eerie light and find themselves on their way to Houston, and then… to outer space! Click here to read “Beam Me Up, Panda!”

Shan-e-Punjab

Panda notices that Mom’s been studying her Punjabi numbers, and Foster suggests they go to India to see if they can find some information to help her. In India, the friends visit the Taj Mahal, dine on delicious Indian cuisine, and ride the famous “Shan-e-Punjab” train to Amritsar. When they get off the train, they find themselves in the middle of an exciting undercover police action! Click here to read “Shan-e-Punjab”.

A Trip To the Louvre

Foster and Panda accidentally fall asleep on their flying carpet after having a discussion about going to France. When they wake up they have been transported to Paris and their art-related adventure begins. Together they tour the Louvre, try out a French sidewalk cafe, and visit the mall, where they buy a coffee cup to bring home for Mom. Click here to read “A Trip to the Louvre”.

Ice Cream

When someone gives Mom a drawing of Foster being offered an ice cream cone, Foster suggests going to Italy. Due to a malfunction with the accelerator on their “laundry basket travel tunnel”, before they know it they are unintentionally spiraling through space. Before long they meet up with their friend Benji from Seattle, who knows how to fly by himself. Benji accompanies them to Italy, where they see Venice and look for ice cream. Click here to read “Ice Cream”.

“Wow!”

“I didn’t realize we’d had so many adventures,” Panda exclaimed. “I’m tired just thinking about them!” Foster agreed. “Now that you have your new fatigues,” he replied, “I think we should go somewhere…”