'Kidnapped' gnome returned home to Canada after eight-month trip around the US and Mexico

Beautiful photos of a motor-home vacation down south showed up at Bev York’s home last week. That’s because they’re of Leopold: a bearded, white-haired, football-playing lawn gnome that went missing from the front yard of York’s home in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, last year.
“Near the end of the year I noticed it was missing from the end of the driveway, but I didn’t think anything of it. I thought somebody stole it,” she said. But last week, York spotted something in the exact same spot her gnome had gone missing from. It was Leopold, wrapped up in plastic, and he wasn’t alone.
“I opened up the bag and it had a beautiful book and story, and it just brought a smile to my face,” she said. “I walked back and I was reading it. It was so cute.” Whoever took the little lawn ornament put together a photo album of his months-long adventure, posing him for pictures in places such as Route 66, the Grand Canyon and as far away as San Ignacio in Mexico. “Hi, my name is Leopold the traveling gnome,” the book says.

YouTube link.

“One morning back on December 15, I saw a motor-home and I thought to myself, there’s got to be more to life than standing here knee-deep in rainwater being peed on by the neighborhood dogs and staring at the same view every single day.” York said she has “no idea” who pulled the elaborate prank. The only hint is a a toddler seen cuddling with the gnome in a few of the photos, who is unknown to York. But she’s the furthest thing from upset, even though Leopold came back with a little more wear-and-tear than when he left. “He had, it looks like, a big margarita, so he might’ve been damaged after that,” she said, laughing.