Ring His Bell

Foo just loves bells because they go ding... dong... ding... dong... which then reminds him of HOstess treats... mmmmm... But this one was special because it was an Illinois bell, or part of a ship that had been named Illinois.... whatever.

State Flag Swag

Just to prove to some of his nay-saying Texas friends that Illinois does, in fact, have a state flag, he just had to get this picture. The more famous flag of the state (Chicago), however, insisted on being in the picture as well and "that guyed" the photo in the background.

Foo for Governor?

Although they asked Foo to be the new governor of Illinois, he couldn't stay very long to help fix Illinois' laws. Besides, he was a little worried about staying too long. He's heard that the Illinois governors always go bad... like fruit left out in the sun. Foo didn't want to be spoiled rotten fruit that is squishy.

Luck of the Lincoln

Foo wanted to say goodbye to Illinois the right way by stopping in the state capital of Springfield to say adieu to Abe and rub his nose for good luck!

After that, he explored the rest of the gravesite and tomb to make sure Abraham Lincoln wasn't a zombie.

Different Kind of Road Trip

As dawn was breaking on the eastern horizon, Foo began his long journey from Illinois to Texas. He sat a while and contemplated his past and his future while the road sailed under the wheels. True, he hadn't been living in Illinois for quite some time, but this morning he realized this was the final closing of that book. Settling in for the long ride, Foo wondered what adventures the future would hold.

Chillin' at Chelio's

Foo chills for a bit at Chelio's pub on his visit back to Illinois as he tosses back this great big beer and hangs with friends while watching hockey and hitting the karaoke stage.

Quilty Goodness

Foo gets ready to snuggle up for the night on a family quilt during his visit to Lake Zurich, Illinois, for the night. Home sweet family home.

Show Me a Sign

Foo really needed directions so he stopped at this tourist information location for some help. Sadly, it just confused him more. After taking a few minutes to assess the situation, he had no idea which way to go!

Riding High

Foo felt high and mighty on top of this really big wheelie machine. He wanted to ride it, but he just couldn't seem to reach the pedals.

On the Pot

Foo needed to s**t or get off the pot, so he chose the former. The owner of this potwasn't really pleased, but ah well... what's a little Foo poo between friends?

Ready Aim Fire!

Foo was ready to aim and fire, but he couldn't quite get this crank powered machine gun cannon working. It's probably a good thing. After all, who needs Foo to be on a shooting rampage?

Many to Meet and Greet

In Pollard's Collection in Salem, Illinois, Foo met a menagerie of interesting creature. Some were friendly, some not so much.

Foo got a ride from his new dinosaur friend... 

...but he was too scared of the gigantic VW bug spider to go any closer. He liked it from this distance just fine.

Crashes and Contraptions

Foo found some very cool vehicles in Pollard's Collection in Salem, Illinois. First Foo was drawn in by the crashed plane in the background, then hopped aboard this rip-roaring double-seater tricycle.

Foo Dog Phone Home

Foo was fascinated to find an old phone booth in Salem, Illinois, so he decided to phone a friend and tell them about it. Sadly, he didn't have any change....

Through Hell and High Water

Foo was concerned about this weird looking bird, but he then realized it was only a jetski stuck at the top of the tree, which wasn't any less weird. He later discovered that it had gotten up there not by flying, but in the great flood of 1993. It's been there ever since. Wow, that was high water!

Pick a Shoe

Foo discovered at Pollard's Collection in Salem, Illinois, that shoes really do grow on trees. He ran up there to pick off a pair, but sadly there were no Foo-sized shoes made just for him.

Two to Poo

An architectural oddity, this two-story outhouse was found in the small (very small) town of Gays, IL. Foo realized very quickly he would NOT want to be on the bottom of that if somebody was on top. 

Luckily for him, he also found a Foo-sized model of it so he could do his business without worrying about that.

Training Ground

Foo was not amused when his path to their first roadtrip location was halted by a very slow moving freight train... but he did get to count all the cars so it wasn't a complete loss. Oh, and there were 135 of them...

Hail to the Orange, Hail to the Foo...

Hail Fooma Mater... Ever so true, so true. We love no other, so let our Foo Dog be.... Vic-tor-y Foo-Dog-Nois, Arf-si-ty.

Foo just had to visit the Alma Mater at the University of Illinois at Champaign. He really wanted it to sit down, but he hears that's not exactly likely...

The Origins of Foo...

There are many stories and legends about how the Foo of the famed "foodogblog" came into existence. Although some are based in fact, no one, before this moment, has really known the true story.

Several years ago, at Allerton Park in Central Illinois, two young and unsuspecting adventurers stumbled upon the mythic garden of the dogs of Fu.

The Foo were many and varied and caught the fancy of the adventurers, and thus Foo Dog of the blog was born.

But overall, Foo was just happy to return to his roots to catch up with his family all at once...

... and also pay homage to the shrine of his ancestors that came before him.