Moon Gazing

It's been pretty clear out at night and with the almost-full moon... well... it was beary bright outside! Mama got a new star-chart app on her phone and Sandy wanted to test it out and see what stars he could see... But, while it might "look" bright out there... even a 30 second exposure (the most Mama's camera would do) wasn't enough to reveal a little bear parked out on the deck.

 Nope... no Sandy bear visible at all! Luckily, the moon was a bit more cooperative.

Sandy would like to report that he did see Orion in the sky... but no pictures... sorry!

Mail Call!

Yesterday, Sandy saw two eagles in a tree and thought... maybe... just maybe... they were carrier-eagles from Jerry & Ben!! So today he was beary excited to check the mail. But checking the mail here is different from at home. You don't just open the door and check the mail box... No... first you have to walk down the driveway and along the road...

 And up a hill... almost there!!!

 And if you're a little bear, you might get distracted by pretty bramble leaves!

 Before you reach... the Canada Post mailbox containers...

 And you need to remember to bring hte mailbox key... Sandy was on top of that!

 Ohhh... there is mail in there!!! Looks like a Safeway flyer and... and...

 And a letter!!!! Ahhhh!!!!! For Sandy... from... Jerry & Ben!!!

 Yay!!!... It was a white envelope and Sandy ripped it open with excitement...

 Inside was another envelope!!! Which Sandy also tore into...

Ohhh.... a birthday card!!! Awww... They sent Sandy a "little hug"...

 Thanks Jerry & Ben!!! The card is bigger even than Sandy's hug... beautiful self-portraits too!

Always read Signs First!

Today, Sandy found an amazing old barn complex! It looked like a great place for a little bear to explore... and maybe play hide and seek!

 Somebody had cut down a bunch of trees around the barn. It must have been pretty hidden in the trees before.

 Great view from the windows!! And a good thin there is no glass left in the window frames... otherwise a little bear might tear his pants on broken glass.

 Oooh... it is kind of dark in there... maybe it was a milk cow barn at some point??

 Oh hey... there's a ladder too... but it's missing a few rungs so Mama thinks Sandy should get his little bum back down on the ground.

 And there's even a little-bear swing to play on... wheeee!!!

Uh-oh... what's this??? Hmmm... buildings closed for restoration?? But they're open!!

 Double-uh-oh... Sandy is most definitely not "authorized" personnel... so he should scamper off pretty quick! Mind you, there were other people exploring the old barn too but... that doesn't mean anything!

 So Sandy wandered around the old farm property (which is a park)... this old gate looks like it has seen better days.

 And there is this amazing old oak tree with branches reaching almost to the ground! It would be a great place to hide out in the summer when there are leaves on the branches.

 And have you noticed how green it is here?? In most places the grass is dead and dying but there are some new shoots popping up here and there... spring in November??? Sandy is beary confused about seasons here on the coast!

And when we got home... there were two eagles in the eagle-tree!! Maybe they came from Jerry & Ben??? Maybe they delivered some mail for Sandy!!!

Into the depths of Honeycomb Rocks

A few days ago, Sandy discovered a weird type of rock weathering called "honeycomb erosion". Now, that might be the official name for it... but what Sandy really wants to know if it has anything to do with real honeycombs... like the honey ones! So... we are on a different beach, same rocks and Sandy is ready to explore.

 Yup, there are definitely some honeycomb features here... big ones and little ones!

 Let's see... so far, Sandy sees no evidence of honey or honeycombs, but the hunt is early yet.

And this is Sandy we are talking about - a whole-hearted little bear who dives into adventure with both feet. And who crawls into honeycomb holes with as much of his as will fit. No honey though.

 These ones look a bit too small - but that means that they are easy to check out. No honey at all... sigh.

Oooh!! There's another big rock with some really big honeycomb holes. Let's check it out.

Hmm... no bees going in and out, but that doesn't mean too much.

Sandy is determined to do a thorough exploration of these holes... so up he scrambles.

And there he goes... head-first into the honeycomb hole...

It's a good thing he has pants on, otherwise he would be mooning everyone!

Wow... looking at the whole from the top down... you can hardly see Sandy at all! He tucks into that hole pretty good... Any honey in there???

"Erp... no mom... erf... but... erm..squirm... Can you help me out???"

What about this one?? There is an opening connecting one big hole to another (see Sandy's nose poking through?).

Sandy put a stick through the opening... but definitely no honey. He can safely report to Jerry that there is no honey in the honeycomb rocks!

Oh all right... time to watch the sunset!

Higher Education?

Today was our last day in Vancouver (for a few  days at least) and Mama needed to visit the library up at the university.

Sandy thinks maybe he should come here and study something some day... maybe writing!

Anyhow - we are here on serious business and Sandy helps Mama find the correct newspaper microfilm for today's little expedition. Sandy has to keep remembering he is in a library (shhhh) and can't run wildly up and down the aisles going "BOO!" at people...

Oh there we go... Mama found what she needed quickly... with enough time to catch the bus back with the same transfer ticket (bonus!).

And then... Do you see it??? Next to the dental centre??? Yup... it's time for a hot chocolate break... ahhhh... civilization! (The picture is crooked because Mama was trotting and Sandy was getting jostled around as he tried to push the camera button)

One month countdown

Sandy's one-year anniversary as a little blogger bear is coming up on December 25... one month from today! That was when Sandy started his year of daily adventures.

Awww... he was such a young bear back then! Still wet behind the ears, a nameless, novice adventurer... and now... well now, Sandy is a veteran adventurer... He's been to England, Germany, Mexico and Winnipeg (many times).

He also has some ideas for the new year...

1. Get some new outfits!

2. Get a pedicure, a manicure, a facial and a haircut! Sandy has gotten kind of grizzled over the last year and feels like he needs some pampering to restore his fur.

3. Slow down on the daily adventures. Adventures every two or three or four days are just fine! (Mama had a wee bit of trouble keeping up with daily adventure postings!)

4. Sandy would like to be able to write some of the postings himself (oh boy...) - like Bob T. Bear and Beanie and Hammie and Sullivan and... quite a few other blogger pals! Maybe he should take typing lessons...

We'll see how many of these wish-items can be fulfilled by Christmas!

Mail Call!

Whoo-hoo!!! There was mail waiting for Sandy in Vancouver! Bob T. Bear sent the envelope here because we didn't know our current address yet...

 That is a beary big envelope...

 I wonder what's all in here??

 Oh, our medal for Synchronized Sitting from the August 2012 Bear Olympics! Yay!!! Bob said he made the ribbon extra long so it would fit around all of us (Sandy, Zotti & Teddy)... but they are in storage at the moment, so Sandy is happy to accept on their behalf. And... bear stickers... and a long letter!

 Sandy read the letter all by himself... Bob had a great idea of leaving notes for Mama... Sandy's notes could say things like "Take me on an adventure, please"... or "I need more honey, please"... or "I could really, really, really use an new outfit!!"

Hmmm... Sandy might be able to read the letter all by himself but looks like he needs help getting his medal off!