bye-bye sue, bye-bye whidbey island

That's me on the ferry from Whidbey to Mukilteo. I was with Sue on one final adventure: a float plane from Seattle's Lake Union to Victoria, British Columbia in Canada.



That's me with Craig the Kenmore Air pilot. He was really nice and held me tight.



I was so excited when Sue pointed out Whidbey Island from the air. What a strange feeling to fly over the place where I've lived all these months!



It was drizzly and grey when we landed in Victoria Harbour. Sue and I will be staying all night at Fairholme Manor. It's a beautiful inn and Sue edited the inn's new cookbook so she's attending a book launch party hosted by author Sylvia Main. Sylvia owns the inn with her husband Ross and their two teen-age daughters. Sylvia and Sue are going to the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany in October.



There were at least 100 people at the party but I was so tuckered out from getting up at 5:30 AM and flying on the float plane that I took a nap in Sue's room, the Olympic Grand Suite. It was heavenly!



Plus, it gave me time to think about all the nice people I met on the float plane. That's a couple from Honolulu who were on their honeymoon -- a cruise to Alaska! Meet Mr. and Mrs. Sean Pond, aren't they cute? Sue was a little concerned since Sean was wearing flip-flops. You're not in Hawaii anymore, Sean!





These guys were really funny. They work for Microsoft in Copenhagen, Denmark and were in Redmond, Washington at Microsoft headquarters. Since it was Sunday, they had the day off, so they decided to go to Victoria and do some whale watching. I hope they saw some orca!

I'm sad to leave Sue and Bob. And I know's Sue's mom Jean is going to miss me, too! But I'm off to meet all the school children in California who have been following my travels all year.

Bye-bye Sue! Bye-bye Whidbey Island!



It's been a beary good adventure, indeed. I'll miss you!

home alone teddy style

That's sort of how I felt when Sue went to New York City.

Sue accidentally left me behind. She didn't realize it until she was halfway to Sea-Tac Airport and said to her friend Leslie, "Oh, no! I left Teddy at home!"

Well, I was OK. It was nice and dark and cozy in the back seat of Sue's car. She puts it in the garage and I had plenty of clothes on to keep me warm. Plus there were newspapers to read, a bottle of water and a few leftover snacks I found on the floor.

But like her other friends, I had to hear about her adventures in New York through her words and photos. She promised me when she and Bob visit Max in June -- I will definitely be on board. I certainly hope so!

Here are some pictures Sue took during her NYC visit.


This is Sue's room at The Pierre, located on Fifth Avenue across from Central Park. They even have elevator operators! Pretty swank, huh?




Eloise lived at The Plaza, down the street from The Pierre. It's being remodeled. I love Eloise!



Times Square is always filled with honking taxi cabs and lots of music from around the world.



It's hard to watch where you're walking with all the huge, colorful signs in Times Square. Sue says Ruby Foo's is a fun place to eat before a show.




Sue likes to window shop. This is Tiffany on Fifth Avenue. Look closely and you can see Sue's reflection in the window as she takes the photo.




Starbucks in Trump Tower is glitzy!




Max and Sue after dining at The Burger Joint.



It was 12 degrees and snowing in Newark, New Jersey the morning Sue flew home. I'm glad I was Home Alone!

bad news bears?

Here's a piece of not so beary good news I gleaned from The Globe & Mail while in Vancouver, BC last week:

Build-A-Bear Workshop

At Build-A-Bear, kids can make their own stuffed animals in a fun, safe environment that encourages creativity.

Shareholders, on the other hand, felt like ripping the stuffing out of the stupid little bears after same-store sales in North America plunged 10 per cent in the fourth quarter.

I have yet to break the news to Teddy.

He's a Build-A-Bear alumni.

el teddy va a méxico

¡Tenía una tan gran hora en México!

[I had such a great time in Mexico!]

Fui con Bob y Sue a un recurso maravilloso llamó Verana, situado en Yelapa, México cerca de Puerto Vallarta. Ése es un cuadro de mí arriba en nuestro Casa Chica en Verana.

[I went with Bob and Sue to a wonderful resort called Verana, located in Yelapa, Mexico near Puerto Vallarta. That's a picture of me above at our Casa Chica in Verana.]

Tuvimos que tomar un barco para conseguir allí, y después vamos de excursión adentro por 30 minutos. Las mulas llevaron todo nuestro equipaje a través de la selva y suben una colina escarpada, escarpada.

[We had to take a boat to get there, and then hike in for 30 minutes. The mules carried all our luggage through the jungle and up a steep, steep hill.]

Aquí está un cuadro de mí que toma un resto muy necesario poco después nuestra alza.

[Here is a picture of me taking a much needed rest shortly after our hike.]

Hay solamente ocho bungalows en Verana, y satisficimos a tal gente agradable de Seattle, de Victoria, de San Francisco, de Los Ángeles, de Atlanta y de la isla del San Juan. El personal de la diversión era de Canadá, de los E.E.U.U., de Suecia, de Bélgica y de México.

[There are only eight bungalows at Verana, and we met such nice people from Seattle, Victoria, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and San Juan Island. The fun staff were from Canada, the US, Sweden, Belgium and Mexico. That's Alvaro, from LA, whose family is originally from Colombia, South America.]

Pasamos cuatro noches en Verana, y después almorzábamos rápido en Puerto Vallarta antes de volar de nuevo a Seattle. Era un pedacito ruidoso y ocupado para mí, aunque el anfitrión en el restaurante era realmente dulce. Aquí estoy con él en el almuerzo.

[We spent four nights in Verana, and then had a quick lunch in Puerto Vallarta. It was a bit noisy and busy for me, although the host in the restaurant was really sweet. Here I am with him a few hours before flying back to Seattle.]

¡Adiós y muchos abrazos!

NOTE: Translation courtesy of Google Language Tools

sleigh bells ring ...

I had such a fun time in Leavenworth.

The best part was when we went for a sleigh ride with Icicle Outfitters. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were all snuggled into the sleigh with blankets.



That's me with Bob. Notice that he has a Swiss Army hat on and that my cap is a Swiss sock. It's one of a pair that Sue received from her friends Stoeff and Monica in Switzerland.

Oh, I was the only bear on board.



Here are two of the cowboys at Icicle Outfitters. That's George Ulin on the left and owner Bruce Wick on the right.



Sue took a picture of our two horses, Hank and Sis.



Bernita, Bob, Sue and Bob are ready to ride.


Bruce put me atop Hank. Ride 'em, cowboy!



After the ride, we went into a big tent for cocoa and homemade chocolate chip cookies. That's Wendell rustlin' up the grub.


I can't wait for my next sleigh ride!

XO TEDDY

i've been snowed in!

Leavenworth in the winter. Photo by Sue Frause.


We have had such a wild winter, that Sue has not been traveling much.

So I guess my name this winter should be Non-Traveling Teddy!

But it finally looks like the wind, rain, snow, ice and power outages are going to be a thing of the past.

In fact, the past week or so I've been out at Sue's mom's house at Useless Bay, hanging out with all of her other stuffed animals.

It's been fun and I was glad I could keep "Grandma Bjorn" company.

But good news --- Sue and I are back on the road.

We're off to the Bavarian village of Leavenworth, Washington tomorrow. It's located in the Cascade Mountains and we will take a two-hour bus trip from Everett to Leavenworth.

Sue's husband is going to drive over Friday afternoon, so it would be silly for Sue to take her car, also.

We will spend the first night at a very nice little inn called Solstice Spa & Suites. You know how Sue loves her spa treatments, especially after this cold winter.

Then we'll join Bob at one of their favorite places in the Pacific Northwest, Run of the River. They have a brand new "lodge within a lodge" where we'll stay Friday night.

The next day we'll go for a sleigh-ride (whoopee!), snow shoeing with friends Bob and Bernita, and spend the night in Wenatchee.

There's a cool old restaurant there called the Windmill -- I hope they take me along!

I'll try and send you notes from the road.

In the meantime, stay warm and hug a friend.

XO TEDDY

postcards from the couch

Maienfeld in Switzerland is where you'll find Heidiland. Photo by Sue Frause.


Even though I'm a Traveling Teddy, sometimes bears have to rest up!

Well, that's what I've been doing during the Christmas and New Year's holiday.

In fact, I've been out at Sue's mom's house since Christmas Day. She has a lot of other bears and animals, so it's really quite fun.

I also have been looking through Sue's postcards from places she's been ... and places I'd like to go.

So come along with me on a postcard journey. It's free!

Plus, there are no long lines at the airport.

Molokai Mule Ride: Sue rode a mule name Buster Brown on the Kalaupapa Trail on the island of Moloka'i in Hawaii. She said it's the scariest thing she's ever done. The trail has a 1,786 ft. decline with 26 switchbacks, and a lot of the time Sue kept her eyes squeezed tight. At the end of the ride was the famous leper colony founded by Father Damien.

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: This postcard has a beautiful reproduction of Ms. O'Keeffe's Black Door With Snow, 1955. Sue saw it while visiting the famous museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico several years ago.

Tigh-Na-Mara: Sue loves Vancouver Island and she's been to this family resort in Parksville several times. The last time she stayed in one of the cabins with a friend, which was within walking distance to the beach and a wonderful spa.

R.C.M.P. Museum: I bet you didn't know that the RCMP's (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) have a museum in Regina, Saskatchewan. Sue was lucky to go there a couple of summers ago, and she even met some of those handsome RCMP's! They have a very nice museum, although it is currently being moved to another locale. It will move to the new Heritage Centre and re-open on May 23, 2007.

Hotel Le Germain: This is one of Sue's favorite hotels in Montreal. I was lucky to go to Montreal with her, but we didn't stay here. I just love Quebec!

One&Only Palmilla: I'm not sure if this is really a place for little bears. The resort looks quite exotic and romantic and Sue and Bob had a wonderful three-night stay here. It's located in San Jose Del Cabo in Baja, Mexico. Sue said John Travolta had his 50th birthday here and even Oprah showed up!

Hotel Tamina, Bad Ragaz: Sue and her friend Monica stayed in this spa town in Switzerland. They had a great time, and it was close to Maienfeld, where Heidiland is located. I just love the Heidi stories by Johanna Spyri!

The St. Regis New York: This is the prettiest post card and features Maxfield Parrish's amusing mural in the hotel's King Cole Bar and Lounge. Sue said that this is the bar that created the Bloody Mary, originally known as the Red Snapper cocktail. I definitely need to be older to go here!

merry christmas to you!

Imagine my surprise when Alexis and Dylan Blair brought me a Christmas present yesterday!

This was my first gift and you can see what was inside the box in the photo above.

More new clothes (that's me next to the Frause family Christmas tree)!

As much as I really like the Harley-Davidison biker jacket and boots, I really didn't have anything to lounge around the house in.

Everybody needs a new pair of jammies for Christmas.

Not only did I get red plaid shorts and a white tee-shirt, they also gave me a matching robe and red, fuzzy slippers.

Plus, it all looks great with my little Santa cap.

Now I'm all set for Christmas.

So here's hoping you have a wonderful Christmas ... and may all your clothes fit JUST right!

XO

TEDDY

walkin' in my winter-wonder clothes!

Come on, you can be honest with me.

I've got to be one of the best dressed bears in the Pacific Northwest.

Doncha think?

XO

Teddy

my new clothes have arrived!

I am soooo excited.

The FedEx guy just dropped a big rectangular box off at our house and guess what was inside?

My new clothes!

I watched Sue open the box and inside was ANOTHER box in the shape of a little cardboard closet. Complete with a hanger for my new jacket.

Inside the mock-closet was my cool, black Harley-Davidson jacket; my shiny, black boots; and a soft red and white Santa cap with little hooks that go around my small ears.

I can't wait for Sue to help me get dressed.

I'll make sure she takes photos of me. Tomorrow we are going on a ferry ride to Port Townsend, so that will be a good time to take pictures.

In the meantime, it's Friday and it's been a beary long week.

Have a nice weekend!

XO

new duds for teddy

I'm so excited!

Sue has ordered me a Harley-Davidson biker coat AND some cool black rubber boots from Build-A-Bear Workshop.

She just forwarded me the e-mail so it looks like I'll be stylin' real soon:

Thank you beary much for being our Guest at Build-A-Bear Workshop online.

Your order has shipped.

We want to let you know how much it means to us that you choose Build-A-Bear Workshop to send smiles and hugs when you need a gift. Making sure you have the pawfect personalized gift with heart for the special people in your life is why we are here for you. We strive to have fresh unique furry friends and fashions to fulfill your gift giving needs for every occasion. Thank you beary much for your purchase!

Hopefully it will arrive by this weekend as we are going to get the Frause Family Christmas Tree at Bayview Farm & Garden. And next week I'm going to Seattle!

I just love Christmas.

:-)

hibernation, anyone?

It's been too long since I've been a blogging bear, but I've been home with Sue while she gets caught up on all her work.

In addition to her travel articles in newspapers and magazines, she writes a blog, too. And you can read all about our big snowstorm in her Whidbey Island Life blog in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Speaking of snowstorms, that's me pictured above in the snow. Sue hasn't gotten around to ordering me any winter wear, so she rigged up this old (clean) sock and put it on me so I could go outside.

Pretty cute, huh?

And below is a picture of me on Sue's back porch in Langley, next to Bob's snow shovel. I told him I'd help shovel the walks, but guess what? Most of it is melting!

Yes, we had a real doozy of a snow and ice storm here in the Pacific Northwest this week. Bob measured 9" in the Frause's back yard and we were without power for 52.5 hours! Luckily, I'm a bear, and this time of year I sleep quite a bit, so I'm in the dark most of the time anyway.

The kids in the neighborhood were really happy, as they have been out of school all week. Yippee!

Last night Bob and Sue and neighbors Rich and Gabe went snow shoeing and cross-country skiing in the Frause Field of Dreams. The moon was tucked behind big clouds, so they wore headlamps to navigate in the snow.

But before I venture out again with Sue on one of her trips, I do need to get some winter wear. My khaki outfit was fine for springtime in Africa, but with Christmas coming, I definitely need some new clothes.

Gee, maybe Santa will bring me some fun things to wear!