Little Bear's Adventure's
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Back in Texas I can't believe I'm home. (And writing my blog, again!) When I went on vacation with Beth and Don I thought I would be gone a week in New York. But Beth lost me and my dear friends, The Lackos found me. I stayed with them for a few weeks and we went on some exciting adventures around Lake Placid and Lansing, NY.
The Lackos introduced me to Rose so I'd have a friend, then they packaged us safely and sent us to Texas. It was hard saying good-bye. I miss playing pool and going fishing, but I promised I'd show Rose some things she's never seen. First I had her climb this! Guess where we are? Palm Tree!
This thing is not small! It took us about an hour to climb a third of the way up. Then we found the hole and rested for a long time. Then up we went... and up some more... and way up... To the Top!  Okay, this photo is really another palm tree. Very short. But we thought about climbing all the way up the tall one. Another day, maybe. Then what did we do?
We rested again. Here we are resting in a special chair! I saw a lot of these in Lake Placid. In fact I posed on one shortly before I was lost. I thought Rose would be very impressed that I have one of these, because she is from New York. Adirondack Chair!  Rose was impressed. In fact she told me the history of Adirondack chairs. (Rose seems to know a lot of stuff) She said the original design was created by Thomas Lee in 1903 when he was vacationing in the Adriondack mountains. Wide Armrests  Here's a picture of me in Lake Placid, sitting comfortably on that smooth, flat armrest. (kind of like a beaver tail, I told Rose) She told me they used to make each chair out of one piece of wood cut into 11 pieces. But I wasn't really listening because I was thinking about getting lost in Lake Placid. I'm glad that happened. I never would have met The Lackos or Rose!
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But first, this...  On Monday I received this picture in an email. The photo shows hands, belonging to the Lacko Family... gently stacked, with Little Bear resting comfortably on top. How do you read a photo like this? A Closer Look What a bittersweet photo. Obviously the Lackos have enjoyed Little Bear so much. They are a family, with kids... who found the bear after I lost him in New York. They found the "missing flyer" and contacted me, but also had a little fun!
They took L.B. on lots of adventures, from ski jumps to Chinese restaurants and then they sent this photo. With a closer look, I could see that someone repaired his torn paws! This photo reminded me that L.B. was in awfully good hands. How could I expect them to mail him home to me? Today!  In the mailbox, I found a colorful envelope, marked First Class and Fragile! My husband was standing by with the camera. He used to just play along with my bear photography, but he has actually gotten pretty hooked in these past weeks. Not Just a Box Inside the envelope was a very special box, carefully decorated with tiny jewels and marked "Little Bear" on the lid. Don and I just grinned. Someone had taken a lot of time!
Not Just Little Bear!  Inside the box was L.B., sitting snuggly in the corner, beside a folded piece of paper. Standing much taller was a stuffed beaver. Beneath the animals and note was a perfectly cut piece of white carpet...for cozy comfort! The Note  And here is the note, carefully printed to L.B.'s Mom, by one of the Lacko children. I read Hannah's note aloud to Don and we were equally touched. She explained that she was sending a friend (Rose, the Beaver) for Little Bear. "Just in case Little Bear ever gets lost again, he will not be alone." She mentioned Rose was excited about her first trip to Texas. And she added at the bottom that her mom had mended L.B's foot! Just a Bear Yes, I know he's just a bear ...a very small one. But he's obviously captured a heart or two.  I think Don and I were so moved by Hannah's sweet note, because it wasn't that long ago (well actually it was many years ago) that our daughter cared more about stuffed animals than anything. If she had found a tiny bear like this, she would have had a very hard time giving him up! Welcome Home!  Welcome home again, Little Bear! And welcome to Texas, Rose! We look forward to sharing new adventures! A Huge Thank You to the Lacko Family!  Dear Lackos, Little Bear and Rose are napping after their long journey. They will be in contact soon. Keep an eye on your mailbox, now!
Little Bear and Corn  L.B. is still with the Lackos in Lansing, NY. They rescued him a few days ago and have asked if he can stay a while longer. It's clear they are spoiling him well! Looks to me like Little Bear is on a dinner outing at a Chinese restaurant. I am so jealous! His Own Truck?  Has he learned to drive? There's so much I never thought about teaching Little Bear. Too Sweet!  So he's had some macho adventures...but what have we here!? I see a mushroom and a flower and Bear, cuddled up with a small mouse?? I need to hear more about this story! Thank you to the Lackos! You are giving L.B. a well rounded experience in New York!
The Family! What a surprise to find an email, with a photo of Little Bear and the family who found him!  In the past few days I have been greeted by wonderful photos of Little Bear, horseback riding, fishing, sitting on flowers and having wonderful adventures in the Adirondacks! But since I lost L.B. in Lake Placid, NY on August 4th, I wasn't really sure who he was with. The Lackos Now I can see the Lacko Family! They shared more photos, with captions!  "Little Bear loves driving his little AAR 'Cuda, just like his friends like driving theirs. Took him a while to get used to the 4 speed."  "Bear has shown an interest in winter sports since his Lake Placid visit. He asked us to teach him hockey."  "Learning to shoot a game of pool." Still Baffled I've been perplexed since I took this photo 10 days ago. Just minutes after took this pic, I discovered he'd fallen through a hole in my pocket. I retraced steps and found nothing. Where did he go?  The next day before leaving Lake Placid, I left 5 notes on Main Street. I knew it was ridiculous to hope that someone would find the bear and then happen to find a note. 5 days later I received an email (written by L.B.) saying he'd been found by a nice family. For the next few days I was thrilled each time I received a new photo of (slightly battered) Little Bear in the midst of adventure around Lake Placid. I was delighted that the "finders" were having some fun with the bear and camera. But who really had him? The Best Note I Could Have Hoped For!
When the email arrived with the photo of the Lackos, all I could do was grin. What a treat to see the heroes of this crazy story! They didn't just find Little Bear, they enjoyed the same silly fun that I've always had. Photographing the bear in different settings is not really what it's about. The bear is an oddly addictive tool for enjoying the world from a different perspective! But somehow you really do grow attached to this little furry guy. The family sent such a sweet email, along with all the photos. They told me how much their family had enjoyed this unexpected tangent, focusing on the simple fun of sharing Little Bear adventures. They asked if they could keep him just a while longer, before sending him back. I was giddy writing the Lackos back. Of course they could keep him longer. It's been so great sharing the fun, with another family. I asked if I could post their family photo on the blog and they said that would be fine. So happy!f our vacation More Photos Little Bear emailed 3 more pictures.  Hope some nice flower smells rubbed off on his fur. (After yesterday's photo posing with pizza) Little Bear's fur has collected lots of smells in his time...champagne, mud, shrimp, salt water... Purple & Pink & Green I think these colors are very healing! Or is it the fresh air? Little Bear's fur seems to be looking shinier.  I love these round flowers! I saw them in Lake Placid, but I didn't see a lovely forest nearby. Puffy Flowers  So,where is he? I've been a bit worried because it seems like he might be growing too attached to his new friends. But then I remind myself about all the fun he's been having...and obviously the fun they've been having,too. How incredibly lucky that he was found by people who have a playful spirit!
I will continue Bear's Blog for him!  This morning I found 3 emails with 3 photos! I guess Little Bear is too active to write me! At least I can see he's still in New York? A Reindeer?  This is more adventure than I've ever given Little Bear! Will he ever want to come home? I'm glad they've been feeding him!  I'm sure Little Bear told his new friends that he hates mushrooms. I'm just so glad they are feeding him well. Man, is he having fun. I'm feeling guilty about all the things I didn't allow him to do when I was with him in Lake Placid.
I hope he writes me another note! Surprise Email! After arriving in Houston from Lake Placid on Wednesday night, I found a wonderful surprise. I checked emails and found the photo below, with a message from Little Bear!  Impossible! What are the chances that this little guy who had fallen from my pocket would be found...by someone who also found my note announcing that he was missing! Fishing and Horseback-riding...  And then I received 3 more emails with photos of Little Bear enjoying some fishing, horseback riding and visiting the summer ski jump area in Lake Placid!  It's mind boggling to me that the person(s) who found this little bear of mine, would have the same sense of fun that I have. Not that many people seem to "get" it... that it's fun photographing this furry little guy, in the midst of different adventures! How lucky is that?
My note to Bear Took me a moment to know how to respond to this email "from Bear", but I decided to write back to the bear himself. I told him that I was glad he had been rescued by nice people I was glad that he was safe and sound, but I sure hope that his "finders" would think about sending him home. I'll let you know if I hear back! Today, I will have to write the blog for Bear.  Here he is yesterday morning sitting on the wet arm of an Adirondack chair in Lake Placid, New York.  It was 6:15 am and he was sitting beside Mirror Lake, absorbing the first rays of sun. After a few moments of peace, he was ready for a morning adventure of climbing. Rock Climbing!  Off he went, climbing up a large rock just off the shore. Luckily there was no wind. Tree Climbing!  But, Little Bear wanted more! He spotted a birch tree and wanted to climb the slippery bark. And then we headed down Main Street towards the shops and restaurants... and he saw something red. Bobsled!!  Bear always brags about his bravery. When he saw the bobsled he began imagining gold medals. He insisted on this pose. I prefer flowers and nature shots, but I went along. More Red!  And then he spotted more red. He begged for a few moments on this hydrant. He kept listening for sirens and hoping for some action. But it was pretty quiet at 7 am. I said we needed to head back and I put him in my pocket and jogged 1.5 miles back to the hotel. A Hole When I reached the hotel, I realized there was a hole in my pocket. I raced back towards the hydrant, studying the ground for the blue pouch that usually holds him in my camera bag.  What a relief to see the little pouch on the ground, not far from the hydrant. I laughed at my good luck... took a photo, then reached down to pick up the empty bag. Gone. Sidewalks were beginning to come to life. I spoke to morning walkers. No one had seen him. We left today  I left a few signs around Main Street. A photo, with a few words about his loss and a mention of Reward for Rescue and Return! Maybe if he isn't returned he can get himself to an internet cafe and continue his blog so I can know what he's up to. Hopefully the Bear's story will not be over!
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Little Bear
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