It's been nice gnoming you!

For about 10 years now, our family has enjoyed watching the T.V. show "The Amazing Race". It's a a reality show that airs twice a year with teams that race around the world doing different tasks. It's sponsored by Travelocity, and during every episode there's Travelocity commercials featuring the Travelocity Gnome, and usually once a season, the competitors have to do a task with that particular gnome, too. 

Back in early 2008, while the winter episode was airing, one of our friends Ryan Hilton told Josh one day that he looks like the Travelocity Gnome. Josh wasn't sure how to take that: was it a compliment (as in: "Oh! I found your celebrity doppleganger!") or a negative remark (as in: "Man, you're aging fast, and shrinking, too")? We didn't exactly see what Ryan saw--Josh doesn't have white hair, or a long beard, or is short and pudgy, or wears tall red hats like the famous gnome:

So the whole comment became a joke between us. Since every good gardener has a gnome in it to help protect the garden at night, and since Josh and gnomes apparently look alike, I figured he was deserving to have one. So for Father's Day in 2008, he received his first yard gnome:  

Father's Day 2008 with our first yard gnome

For every Father's Day and birthday since then, Josh has received another gnome to add to the yard collection. They protect the trees, the garden, the deck, and the driveway. Our collection has grown to 22 gnomes. But in June, for the first time in 7 years, one of the gnomes passed away. He was a birthday gift to Josh in 2011, and a couple years ago, one of his legs broke (I believe in a lawn mowing accident). But one day this past June, Kanyon was angry and swung a metal bat, and accidentally broke off the gnome's scalp with the cone hat attached. I had already planned to replace this gnome with a new gnome for Father's Day, so we weren't too upset when days before Father's Day the decapitating accident occurred. Several of the gnomes in our yard now have broken pieces, but it still made me a little sad to see our first gnome officially die. The Wheelbarrow Gnome is now at his final resting place in the county landfill.

the decapitated gnome

he lost his left leg several years ago

We replaced his location under the plum tree with the much-taller, more unique gnome that Josh received for Father's Day this year:

(Which I think kind of does look like Josh in a way, what do you think?!)

So now our gnome collection is down to 21. We have a big variety: there's a Duck Dynasty gnome, a mooning gnome, a BSU fan gnome, a spy gnome, a gnome in a hammock, a set of see-no speak-no hear-no-evil gnomes, a solar gnome that glows at night, a gnome on a motorcycle with spinning tires when the wind blows, and many others. I love our collection! They truly add to the fun atmosphere in our backyard!

I think all I need to add to the collection now is a Travelocity Gnome--Josh's supposed original dwarfish twin!