When My Beloved and I went on our honeymoon we were young and on a fairly tight budget. We drove to various places. During the trip we took a detour to the Oregon Caves. On our way to them, on a little two-lane road, we drove by a home whose yard was absolutely covered in Gnomes. Intrigued, we turned around and went back to look at the Gnome Home.

It turned out that is exactly what the homeowners hoped drivers would do, as they “sold” Gnomes. The inside of their home/store was covered in Gnomes too. Perhaps it was due to the magic of being on our honeymoon, or perhaps it was the magic of the Gnomes themselves, but whatever the reason, Gnomes have always had a special place in our hearts and homes, and they are always welcome.

Due to our financial situation at the time, we left that little store with only a little round pin and a calendar, but both had special meaning for us–and still do. The pin says, “To Gnome me is to love me” and depicts a young gnome couple sitting on the long neck of a goose as they fly off on their honeymoon. The calendar has a large version of that photo and 11 other large illustrations of Gnomes.

I just remembered that about 25 or more years after visiting that Gnome Home I actually began “selling” Gnomes on the internet. I called the “business” “Rusty’s Gnomes”. Of course, Gnomes aren’t really bought and sold.

They are adopted. And I’ve heard that if they don’t like who adopts them they get up and leave.

Fortunately, my adoptions must have all gone well because I never heard complaints about misbehaving Gnomes or unkind adopting families.

It was fun. I sent Gnomes to some amazing places and sometimes the kind folk would tell me stories about their Gnomes. One of the major libraries on the East Coast has one of my Gnomes proudly displayed as their mascot. Local Gnome does good!

Anyway, I say all that to explain why this post has photos of Gnomes. When I began taking photos of the Camelia, I thought it might be fun to include a Gnome couple looking at it. As you can see in the photos that accompany this post, once I was done with the flower, I decided to photograph some of my little friends who keep me and my dog Duke company in my office while I do the sometimes dry work of investment management.

You’ll probably notice in this post that the couple who starred in the first Camelia shot in the earlier post were actually looking down at their own little grandchild. As a fairly new grandfather, whenever I see those proud Gnome Grandparents they bring a smile to my face.

And then there is Bubba. He’s trying hard to stay in shape by lifting weights made out of Tinker Toys. I played with Tinker Toys as a kid and that brings back fond memories too.

I hope these photos bring a smile to your face when you see them.

Love,
Russ