My Son and the AT-AT.

So... remember how I discovered the other day that there was a vintage Star Wars AT-AT toy living in the woods out back of our house? Well... I posted this image on Instagram last night:

Because... YOU GUYS I GOT HIM TO COME INSIIIIIDE!!! And well... it didn't take long for my 5 year-old to discover him the next morning. 

Wasn't sure I wanted my son kissing the AT-AT, as he's pretty filthy... but I didn't freak out and stop him. It was funny seeing the both of them so immediately start playing. The AT-AT took to my son immediately, and vice versa.

The AT-AT kept trying to lick him. And since my son is INSANELY ticklish... this went over about as well as you'd think:

They played like this for almost an hour.

Rompin' and wrestlin'. 

I have no idea what is even happening here. But I know they were having a TON of fun. 

All I could hear was insane giggling and little metallic snuffling noises. 

The AT-AT just seemed genuinely bewildered as to where my son had disappeared off to. 

Scaled that kid like he was a mountain. 

And then, as fast as it had begun, they were asleep. 

They were seriously tuckered out. 

So... I let them sleep.

I've got a lot to think about. If we're going to keep this thing around, we're going to have to put some serious work in, let me tell you. First of all, as I mentioned, he's filthy. He stinks. My son didn't seem to mind, but he's going to need a serious bath for any long-term conditions. Probably need a visit to the vet... or the mechanic maybe.

I also need to find some way to tell my wife about it... Ahhh... heh.

STOP EVERYTHING!!! I need to tell you guys about something that happened...

Slightly off topic for me on this blog, I want to begin a story of something that happened to me this weekend. Mainly, our weekend was focused on the celebration of Father's Day... but something extraordinary happened while I was home from work on Monday... Let me tell you about it. (And don't ask me any stupid questions about how I got pictures of all this... just roll with it, right?)

There's been something moving around in the woods for weeks now out back of our house. I assumed it was a raccoon or a porcupine or the smoke monster from LOST. But I was mistaken... If you look very carefully at the picture above you can see the little fella climbing on the rock in the middle of the picture. 

Yes, that's right folks, there's a vintage Star Wars toy AT-AT walker in the woods behind our house. Just walking around like he owns the place. King of the forest.

He's got spunk, I'll give him that.

He's a nosy little bugger, that's for sure.

Sometimes that doesn't go so well for him. 

I guess this past Monday he finally decided to check out what that big white shape on the edge of the woods was. 

It was probably pretty intimidating at first. 

But like I said, nosy little bugger. 

Decided to mark his territory. 

Eventually made his way back around to the front of the house. 

Where he found our returnables barrel. 

It was at this point that I realized something was around. And from the chew-marks on those aluminum cans, I suspected I knew what it was. 

I knew just what to put out. 

I think I'm gaining his trust. More on this as events unfold. 

(And yes, I know something similar was done in a youtube video. I didn't know it until I got all these photographs though... so just let me have my fun.)