Porkarito Pirate

Once upon a time a girl of about 4 years of age went on a trip, and for a souvenir she brought home a pirate treasure map along with a pirate and his chest. Since this girl was only 4 she had trouble pronouncing certain words. When the girl named her pirate she mispronounced Puerto Rico (from whence she decided pirates came) and called him Porkarito Pirate. Thus began the illustrious adventures of Porkarito Pirate and his multitude of pirate friends, sailing ships and other piratey playthings.

That 4 year old girl is now 12 and not too long ago, on a boring summer day, she came across a bunch of magnets and got busy. The air-conditioner intake is in our hallway and provides a nice flat, metal surface that was perfect for her creative inspiration. What she created was something akin to a village of cliff-dwelling pirates, which is what you see here on this series of platforms supported by magnets. Moving from top to bottom (along the 'stepping stone' magnets) we have:

A pirate roasting a fish over a campfire; a viking pirate and his keg with a tropical drink on it; a pirate with a carafe and some potted flowers;(who knew pirates are into flowers?) a platform piled with booty; and a tiki statue with a dog sitting next to it - this is the 'grand entry'. Apparently cliff dwelling pirates like a grand entry.

What you don't see is the series of ships and pirates down on the hallway floor. Many an ocean full of island villages have been built here, complete with markets for food and animals in pens. Porkarito Pirate has been a great creative inspiration. Which leads us to this monkey.

So what has this monkey got to do with anything? Well, a couple years ago I redecorated the girls bathroom. The shower curtain has a rich, maroon/gold paisley pattern, the towels are in maroon and gold and the wall decor includes a carved wooden panel - sort of a Morrocan feeling. My daughter's describe the style as Porkaritan Splendor. But our splendorous bathroom was lacking for something and one day I found just the thing: this monkey. I brought him home, put him on this shelf, and he became known as The Porkaritan Splendor Monkey. Ever since then the entire bathroom is now referred to as The Porkaritan Splendor Bath. Who would have thought that a few dollars worth of plastic pirate stuff would create such a lasting legacy?

By the way, the boob word of the day is: headlights. Are yours high beams or low beams? I wonder what it means to have halogen? And what about fog lights? Are foglights an extra, smaller set?