Status Update: Retirement, Of Sorts

Hello friends!

Thaddeus here. I had a lovely time visiting Minnesota again. Kim and Merrian were great hosts. But now I'm back in California, enjoying the bright sunshine. Even though I'm a bear, with a furry coat, I much prefer the warm weather to the cold.

Right now, I have no new tour guides lined up, so I'm in a retirement of sorts. If you care to take me on an adventure, I'll be excited to go with you, but right now, I'm fine with a little bit of relaxation. Gives me time to catch up on my reading list, while enjoying coffee and sunshine.

My friends Darby (on the left) and Wilhelm often join me and I read out loud to them.

So, if you want to get hold of me, shoot a letter to the address on the left. But until then, I'll be soaking up the rays in sunny Cali.

Toodles!

Back to Minnesota

Tour Guide: Kim and Merrian

Location: New Brighton, MN

Date: 10-18-09 thru ?

Written in first person...uh...bear.

I arrived very worn out from being cramped in my little dark box...no self-respecting bear should ever arrive for a first time meeting looking disheveled and frowzeled! (My word for how I looked and felt!) The wise Kim recognized my distress and left me with a washcloth and a hairbrush. After a few minutes, I properly introduced myself to Merrian, Kimberly, and Watson (a most nosy dog!).

Watson and I ran out the door to drive to a fabulous place called "PETCO." My eyes were swiveling faster than the crowds at Wimbledon. Food. Treats. Jackets. Toys. FOOD. Beds. FOOD. Bunnies. FOOD. Goldfish. FOOD. And kitties. I had to go and introduce myself. Two were snooty and wouldn't even acknowledge me. One was very friendly, meowing a moving tale. The last one, a little grey tiger, tried to haul me into her cage for a good old-fashioned game of "maul-the-bear!" Thank heavens Kim and Watson pulled their mightiest and got me away from that sharp-toothed hooligan.

I then rode a "shopping cart" to this place called "Aisle 7" where I personally selected Watson's treats. I must see if I can store up a couple of those goodies for my long trip back to California.

Being a very tired bear, from my long journey, Kim tucked me into a very comfy Victorian buggy. I slept well into the next morning. I was hustled out of the my bed and out the door before I could protest that I hadn't eaten yet! And the weather! No one told me that Minnesota was that cold! I thought I was visiting the land of 10,000 lakes, not the land of 10,000 glaciers! When is the next train heading west?

I then fed the birds at Grandma Merrian's. Very grateful little chickadees...especially for such "seedy" food!

Then I went to work with Kim. She's a jeweler at JB Hudson in downtown Minneapolis. I absolutely put my foot down...I needed coffee first. So the very nice barristas at Starbucks took good care of me.

COFFEE COMA!

After reviving, I thought I'd check the place out. Hmm. A bear sized vault with little envelopes inside. Hmmm. What ever could be inside? DIAMONDS! I think I could run with this little box. Better lock up.

A microscope next caught my attention. Just how is a very small bear supposed to work this device?

Argh! There's a blinding light inside...not good for my retinas! Next, to try on the merchandise. A 5 carat diamond! Very bling-bling! And a Bell & Ross watch looks mighty good on me!

That night, with everyone being tired, we had a respite of fine cheese! A surfeit of cheese! A Comté St. Antoine from France and a Brie de Nangis! Yummies for my tummy! CHEESE COMA!

With Kim working everyday, I recovered from my travels at Grandma Merrian's house reading mysteries!

*BREAK*

Thanksgiving day. What a wonderful tradition. A day of family, food, conversation, food, football, food, and more food!! We drove out to Welch, MN, in Kim's bright red Jeep. I was buckled securely in the back, amongst all the great smelling food! Dawn and Wes Thompson have a wonderful house for this little bear. And did I tell you there were kitties? I had a wonderful nap with a young frisky one. Calico colored, I think.

I had my own wooden chair set so I could supervise all the cooking in the kitchen. Perfect!

SURPRISE! Jojo came in the door! She surprised everyone...but me. (I can keep secrets.)

I had my own little plate, name tag, and spoon. (Really didn't need the sppon!) FOOD COMA! (Hmm must do something about this health issue.) Slept well that night, dreaming of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, and more turkey.

Snow the next day. Good thing Aunt Margaret sent me home with a new plaid scarf. Unusual stuff, this snow. Crunchy. Cold. Slippery. Cold. More and more snow!

Kim gave me a silver snowflake now that I'm "snow experienced." Looks perfect on my hat. Put up a Christmas tree. Helped Uncle Mark get it straight. Well, semi-straight anyway. Prickly, fragrant tree and very pretty with all the bright lights. (I may have been a bit of a hindrance there.)

Back to California!

Status Update: Minnesota x2!

Hello Friends!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. There hasn't been much to say, since no one has wanted to take me on any adventures. This makes me beary sad.

But the break was nice and it allowed my friend Brenna to make me a hat, in preparation for future cold voyages! Do you like it?

Good thing she did too, since I'm headed off to chilly Minnesota again, to spend time with Merrian and Kim. Hopefully they have lots of grand adventures in store for me.

Hope to see you all soon!

-Thaddeus

The Nation's High Five!

Tour Guide: Anna

Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Date: 10-7-09 thru 10-15-09

Thaddy arrived in MI on a cold, rainy fall day.

I had to go to lacrosse and he thought about tagging along, but decided it was too cold.

So he took a nap instead. I managed to rouse him the next morning for a bit, but he stayed in bed all day. I finally convinced the little guy to experience Calvin College on Wednesday morning. We went to Anatomy, Anatomical Kinesiology, Developmental Psych, Historical and Sociological Foundations, Foundations of Physical Education Recreation and Sports, and Motor Learning and Performance Skills. It was a busy day!

That night was dorm worship and Thaddy sang his little heart out! After, we went to 7-11, where Donald helped Thaddeus pick out which Slurpee to get.

He settled on banana.

Then he went back to his nice warm bed until Saturday. On Saturday, we made the trip out to Lansing from Grand Rapids for a lacrosse tournament hosted by Michigan State. Despite his best cheering efforts, Calvin lost to Central Michigan University by 1. We went back to the vans where Thaddeus decided he wanted a picture with his new found friend Jenny.

While there, he ate a banana that had a sticker on it that said, "Place sticker on forehead. Smile." So naturally he obliged.

We then enjoyed a sub at Subway.

Then Thaddeus proceeded to cheer Calvin to a victory against the University of Toledo and a tie against Calvin's rival, Oakland University. >:| But he did cheer me to a goal in that game! Saturday wore Thaddeus out so he slept until Sunday afternoon when he roused himself in order to help Emily and I make 3 lasagnas, 3 types of pudding, and garlic bread for Sunday night dinner with 3rd Beets Veenstra.

It was very delicious and put Thaddy into an extended food-induced hibernation for almost a whole week! Now, it is time to bid farewell to Thaddeus, but not without a souvenir to keep him warm on his trip back to sunny, warm Southern California.

Happy travels Thaddeus and I hope you enjoyed your stay in America's high five! :)

Thaddeus Promo Video

To get some more readers, Thaddeus has a video on YouTube now! Check it out!