Riding on VIA Rail

It's fun to ride on VIA Rail. The train goes to lots of places.

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He's too newborn to eat food. He just drinks chocolate owls' milk from his bottle. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! Oh! Wait Frankie lives with us, too. He's four, you know.

Sometimes we go to Toronto on VIA Rail. Last summer we went all the way to Halifax. That's pretty far from our house in Windsor, you know. I know where Halifax is. It's in Farewell Nova Scotia. We learn all about geography at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre.

Our buddies Yannick and his friend make our train trip lots of fun!

The trains sleep under the CN Tower in Toronto.

We got VIA Rail pins. They're pretty nice but Chance tried to eat his. We don't eat VIA Rail pins.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! Grandpa James hollers, "Where is Frankie? Where is my Knight of Knewfoundland and my Lord of Labrador? That's Frankie! He's a Knight of Knewfoundland and the Lord of Labrador. We gotta go find  Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

We have a brand new train station in Windsor. It's very nice.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Use your inside voices on the train. Be polite. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come and play with us! We can ride home from Toronto together! Okay! Over and out!"

Windsor is the bestest place to live. Grandpa James says Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. Windsor is in O Canada.

Dim Sum at Sky Dragon

Our buddy, Mr. Sunny helps Frankie, Chance and me choose what we eat when we have Dim Sum at Sky Dragon. It's yummy!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.  Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! Oh. Wait! Our cousin Frankie lives with us, too! We're the three bears, you know.

Know what? We're in Chinatown in Toronto. It's a very busy place. We like to come here to shop and to eat.

If you're as hungry as a bear, then come to Sky Dragon!

We like to eat Dim Sum at Sky Dragon. The nice ladies bring our food on a cart. We choose what we want to eat. All the food is yummy. Dim Sum means 'choose to your heart's content' in Cantonese. I want to choose everything!

This is our buddy, Mr.  Sunny. He works at Sky Dragon. He's very lucky, you know. He can eat Dim Sum every day!

I want to eat spring rolls and crispy fried chicken. I want some squid and sticky rice. I know why it's called sticky rice--that's 'cuz it sticks to you. Chance get sticky rice all over him when he tries to eat. He's too newborn to use chopsticks. I can use them and I don't even have thumbs! Frankie is a very tidy eater but he's four and he has good table manners.

Sky Dragon is on the corner of Dundas and Spadina, you know.

 Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? Where is my Knight of Knewfoundland and Lord of Labrador? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! That's Frankie! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! Frankie is the Knight of Knewfoundland and the Lord of Labrador! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to friends and neighbours. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go to Sky Dragon and eat Dim Sum together! Okay! Over and out!"

Play Me, I'm Yours!

Charles and Chance with Sebastian in front of Union Station in T.O.

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road in Olde Sandwich Towne with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. Chance is so newborn he doesn't even have a tail or any teeth! He just drinks chocolate owls' milk. We get it at Mac's. I look after Chance. He's a handful!

I'm five, you know. I go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre on Sandwich Street.

Know what? Sometimes we go to Tranna. We ride on VIA Rail to get there.  It's pretty far from our house. The train stops at Union Station. That's under the CN Tower, you know. When we got off the train, there was a pretty blue piano on Front Street right in front of Union Station.

Play Me, I'm Yours

 Sebastian  plays the blue piano. He knows lots of songs. He lets Chance and me sit on top and listen to him play. He's pretty good you know. Lots of people come to listen. I'll tell you a secret. I think Sebastian is a prince.

Sebastian is a very good piano player. I bet he knows all my favourites.

Sebastian lets me and Chance play the piano with him. Sebastian has an important job. When he plays music, people feel good. I could be a pianist when I grow up. Music makes everyone happy.

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to friends and neighbours. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go to Union Station and play the piano with our buddy Sebastian! Okay! Over and out!"

Lunch at Sky Dragon and the Scarlet Ibis

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He climbs way high and then he can't get down. Chance makes little squawky noises when he's afraid. I have to help him get down. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

When we go to Toronto, we get to eat at the Scarlet Ibis. It's one of our favouritest places to eat. The Pink Ibis has West Indian food. When we go there I'm as hungry as a bear. Know what? I l-o-v-e to eat roti. It's yum-O-liscious, you know. I like to drink mango juice, too. Chance likes sorel juice. He's so newborn he isn't very good at drinking juice with a straw. He really needs his bottle.

 Another yummy place to eat is the Sky Dragon. Sky Dragon in Chinatown. Here we are with Nana Lizbeth. Nana Lizbeth is very smart. She knows how to eat with chopsticks. She taught me how to eat with chopsticks instead of a fork. Know what? Chance is too little to eat food 'cuz he doesn't have any teeth, yet. He just drinks green tea.

Chinese food tastes better when you eat it with chopsticks. We get to eat Dim Sum. I like the dumplings and pot stickers best of all.

Dim Sum is yummy. It works like this. The ladies come around with food on little carts and announce the food. We get to choose what we want to eat. Some of the nice ladies tweak our ears and kiss our noses, too.

Oh! We get to drink green tea, too. Green tea is good for you. It's important to drink green tea when you go to Sky Dragon for Dim Sum. Green tea is in Canada's Food Guide.

James says, "Now boys, Mind your manners. Don't eat like pigs." We're not pigs! We're bear cubs. He says, "Don't wolf your food." James is very silly. Anyone can see we're bear cubs, not wolves.



Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to neighbours and friends. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go to the Pink Ibis and Sky Dragon together! Okay! Over and out!"

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He was wrapped in a green blankie. There was a note that said, "Please look after me." I think the angels brought him 'cuz I prayed for a baby brother. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're at Double Take. It's a store in Toronto. It's a very nice store. We're here with our buddy Kathy Webster. She's a big boss, you know. Kathy has a big job. She's in charge of the store. Double Take is a special place to buy things. It's a second-hand store. People give nice things to Kathy and her friends instead of throwing them away. Good citizens give things to Double Take. Good citizens have a job to do. Good citizens help people who need help. James says that makes us good Canadians.

 James says second-hand  means the things we buy are 'gently used.' Good citizens buy things at Double Take. When we buy toys and games and books and clothes at Double Take the money helps feed all the hungry people who come to the Yonge Street Mission and gives the homeless people someplace warm to sleep at night.

Wee little Chance was hungry and homeless before he came to live with us. He was cold and sick, too. Now he sleeps in a nice warm bed with Thomas the Tank Engine sheets. Chance has all the chocolate owls' milk he can drink. When he gets teeth I'll share my Smarties with him. Oh! I'll share my gummy worms and my Kinder Eggs and I'll share my porridge with him, too!

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Give nice things to Kathy and her friends at Double Take. It's at 310 Gerrard Street. Oh! Wait! Don't forget to bring your money and buy nice things, too. Good citizens make the neighbourhood a better place to live. Good citizens get to eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house! We can ride our bikes and go to Double Take together! Okay! Over and out!"

Dim Sum is Yum, Yum, Yummy!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He doesn't have any teeth. He just drinks chocolate owls' milk from his bottle. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? Chance and me are in Chinatown today. That's in Toronto the Good. We go to Toronto on VIA Rail. When we are in Toronto the Good we get to eat Dim Sum. Dim Sum is really fun. James says that Dim Sum means 'little bites of heaven.'  The ladies bring food on carts. We choose what we want to eat. I l-o-v-e the chiu-chao dumplings and the pot stickers and the sticky buns and the tofu and everything! Good thing I'm as hungry as a bear!

Chance tried to climb into the hot and sour soup. I had to pull him off the table. The soup is hot and he might get hurt!

By the time we're all done eating, I'm really stuffed! Then we go to shop in Chinatown. It's fun to go to the stores and see what they have. In Chinatown, they have everything!

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to Chinatown and shop with us! We can eat Dim Sum together! Okay! Over and out!"

Eating at Mr. Greek

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James.  He is really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He must be really old!

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep last year. He's a wee little thing. He doesn't have any teeth. doesn't even have a tail, yet!  

I look after Chance, too. He's always in trouble. He climbs way high on things and then he can't get down. I have to say, "My son! Come down from there this instant!" But he can't 'cuz he's afraid. Chance makes little squawky noises when he's afraid. I have to help him get down. Looking after Chance is a full time job. Chance is a handful! 

Guess what! Chance and me are dining out on the Danforth. We're in Greektown. We l-o-v-e to eat Greek food. When we're in Toronto our favouritest Greek restaurant is Mr Greek. It's a nice place to eat.

We get to share a lime margeurita. They're very tasty. It's a virgin margeurita. That means there's no alcohol in it. Bear cubs don't drink alcohol.

 We're hungry as bears. James says we'll eat like pigs. That's not funny. We're NOT pigs. We're bear cubs. James can be very silly sometimes.The nice server brings us a menu. That's a list of all the good foods we can eat. I want to eat them all.

I know the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. They're yummy, sweet, sticky and nasty. I don't like nasty foods. I try not to eat them.

There are lots of yummy things in the menu but I have a favouritest food at Mr Greek. I'm going to order moussaka. I l-o-v-e moussaka. It's full of eggplant. It's kind of like shepherd's pie. Know what? There really aren't any shepherds in shepherd's pie. That's good 'cuz we shouldn't eat people. People aren't in Canada's Food Guide, you know. 

Oh, wait! Know what? Before I eat my moussaka, I want something else. I want to eat the flaming cheese. I l-o-v-e flaming cheese. It's almost as exciting as Canada Day fireworks. The nice server shouts 'Opa!' and sets the cheese on fire! The cheese goes "WHOOSH!" Then she stops the fire with a lemon. I'm pretty sure she is a fire fighter, too. 

Then we're going to have baklava for dessert. I l-o-v-e baklava. It's the yummiest dessert. I pour honey on top of it and I say, "Over the lips and past the gums, Look out, tummy, here it comes!" The baklava slides right down to my tummy. It's yummy and sweet and sticky! Good thing we're wearing our serviettes around our necks so we don't get all sticky and have to take a bath!

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to friends and neighbours. Then you can come with us to the Danforth  and eat Greek food in Greektown with us.

 Come over to our house and play with us! We can walk up to the Danforth to Mr. Greek. We can holler "Opa!" and eat moussaka together! Okay! Over and out!"

Toronto Police: To Serve & Protect

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!



Know what? Chance and me are in Toronto. We're sitting on a police cruiser. Cruiser is another word for car.

The police in Toronto have really big cars and they have some wee little newborn cars, too. I'm too little to drive now but I will drive one day. I would drive really fast and make the siren go and flash the red and blue lights. "Look out, good citizens!" I'd holler real loud. "Look out! Constable Charles and Constable Chance comin' through!"

I know what police do. They serve and protect. They have an important job. Their job is to make Toronto a safe for boys and girls to live. Grownups, too. Oh, wait! Police constables make Toronto safe for bear cubs, too.  The constables stop bad people from doing bad things. People who do bad things get arrested. They go to the Don Jail. They have to go to court. The judge decides if they're guilty or innocent. People who do bad things aren't good citizens, you know. Good citizens obey the rules.

I could be a constable when I grow up, you know. I could help make Toronto a safe place to live. People who live in Toronto are called Torontonians.  Toronto is pretty big. Six million people live in T.O. It's Canada's biggest city. It's way bigger than Windsor. That's where me and Chance live. Windsor is the centre of the universe and the nicest part of Detroit. That's what I learned at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre.

I

We have police in Windsor. Know what? There weren't any murders in Windsor last year. That's 'cuz the police serve and protect.

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be nice to friends and neighbours. Good citizens get to eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play police. We can serve and protect! Okay! Over and out!"

Our Trip on VIA Rail

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! Hi climbs way up high on things and then he can't get down. He makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's afraid.

Know what? I'm at VIA Rail. I'm helping Grandpa James buy a ticket. We're going to Toronto. Grandpa James says six million people live in T.O. That's a lot of people, you know. I wonder why they live so far away from Windsor. Windsor is the bestest city. It's the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit.

 I know that Toronto is the capital of Ontario. I know where Ontario is. It's in O Canada, our home and native land.

We're waiting to get on board. When we ride on the train, we are on our best behaviour. We use our inside voices and we say 'please' and 'thank you' to the nice people with the beverage and food cart. Know what? We always get chocolate milk to drink. I know where chocolate milk comes from. It comes from the dairy case at Sobey's. Grandpa James says it comes from chocolate cows but sometimes he makes up stuff, you know.

I l-o-v-e to ride on VIA Rail. Trains are lots of fun to ride.We can look out the windows and see everything. Trains go fast, you know.  Chance likes to ride on the train, too. Chance doesn't talk 'cuz he's so newborn but he makes squeaky noises when he's happy. Whenever I say, "Train!" Chance makes squeaky noises and runs to get his suitcase.

The seats on the train are very comfy. They have little dinner tables. Chance is so little he has to sit on the table to drink his chocolate milk. Know what? We get bendy straws for our chocolate milk. Bendy straws are special. I think they make chocolate milk taste even better!

Sometimes we climb up high and look at the other people on the train.  Grandpa James says it's not polite to stare at them. Chance stares at me. I stare right back at him. We stare and stare and stare. I make faces at him. If he laughs first, I win. If I laugh first, he wins.  I almost always win that game. Oh. Chance thinks he's invisible when he closes his eyes. He's not. I can still see him. Newborn baby cubs don't know any better.

When the train stops at Union Station we're in Toronto. Grandpa James says all roads lead to Toronto. Even railroads. I know when we're in Toronto 'cuz we can see the CN Tower. It's really tall. I bet Chance would try to climb up to the top of it if he could. I don't know how I would get him down. It's so tall it touches the sky! That's way taller than me. I'm one metre and 41 centimetres tall. That's pretty tall, you know.

We learned about the CN Tower at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. Miss Jackie is my teacher. I will tell you a secret. I think Miss Jackie is a princess. She's pretty. The CN Tower has a restaurant at the top. We can ride up to the top on the glass elevator. It goes really fast and makes my tummy feel funny. The top is 533 metres up in the air. Miss Jackie says it has 181 storeys and is the third tallest building in the whole wide world! When we get to the top I would ask the nice people for chocolate milk with a bendy straw.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be on your bestest behaviour when you ride VIA Rail. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer on the way to Toronto. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can ride on VIA Rail together! Okay! Over and out!"

Family Day

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? Today is Family Day. Family Day is a holiday for everybody who lives in Ontario. That includes Chance and me. We live in Ontario. I know where Ontario is. Ontario is in O Canada, our home and native land. Know what? Chance and me are Princes of Ontario. James always reminds us when he wakes us up every morning. He says we're sons of Windsor, too.

I know what a family is. Families live together in a home. Families love each other. I love Chance and I love James, too. They're my family. They love me. We look after each other and help. That's what families do. Know what James tells us? Home is where they have to let you in. He thinks that's funny but it's true, you know. I'm sure glad we have a home. James says, "Houses are made of brick and stone but homes are made of love alone." He's pretty smart, you know.

Love is lots and lots of things. James always says he loves us 44 litres. That's a bushel and a peck. I know how much that is. It's baskets and baskets of love. Know what? That's a lot of love!

Love is when we cook peanut butter and licorice sandwiches together  in the kitchen. Love is when we help make chocolate pudding and get to lick the spoon. Oh! Wait! Love is bath time when we splash and make bubbles with our purple bubble bath soap and drive our fire trucks in the tub, too! Love is bendy straws for our Canada Dry when we're sick. Love is  bedtime stories, and bedtime prayers and hugs and kisses and Smarties and good-night dreams. Best of all, love is surprises. As long as there are surprises there will always be love.

Love is even when I have to sit on the Time Out Chair and think about what I did. I hate the Time Out Chair. I hate to think. Thinking hurts. I don't go there very often but when I do, I know James wants me to be a better cub.

Love is when we all curl up together in the comfy green chair and sing silly songs and say silly poems. Love is when we watch Caillou on Radio-Canada. Oh! Wait! Love is playing Hide and Seek and riding our bicycles up and down Sparkle Road. Love is cocoa with newborn baby marshmallows in it. Love is laughing when we're happy and great big hugs when we're sad and our hearts hurt real bad. 

Know what? We're really lucky. We got more family. We got Uncle D and Auntie A and Lulu and Lily. They're all part of our family even though they live far away. We take VIA Rail to visit them.

They live way past Toronto. That's really far. Their house is farther away than the moon. I can see the moon when I look out the window at night but I can't look out the window and see Toronto.


Good thing we can love near AND far! We love them all a lot. Love is hugs and tea parties, you know. It's when we paint pictures together and make tattoos with Smarties. Love is when we ice skate together on the lake.  I'm glad I got a family to love. I'd be a really lonely bear cub if I didn't have a family. Then I'd be sad.

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Love your family. Share your Smarties and your root beer.  Okay! Over and out!"

Home, Home on the Train--VIA Rail Train 79

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. I look after James. James was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Sparkle Road is next to Sandwich Street. That's in Olde Sandwich Towne. I ride my blue bike up and down Sandwich Street and ring the bell. I holler, "Look out! Blue bike coming through!"

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He can't talk, yet. He doesn't even have any teeth or a tail. He  drinks condensed owls' milk. Chance makes little squeaky noises when he's happy and little squawky noises when he's hungry or his diaper is full of poo. Chance climbs way up high on things and can't get down. I have to get him down. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? Chance and me are at Union Station. That's a really big building in TO. Trains live at Union Station.  Toronto is a really big city. James says it's the biggest city in the country!

There's a sign that says Union Station is 100 years old. Wow! That's older than me and Chance put together and I'm five! I bet James is older than Union Station. He is so old he remembers the invention of Saran Wrap. That is really old.

We had fun in Toronto. We did all kinds of fun things. We went to Chinatown. We went to Kensington Market. We went to Jane and Finch. Jane and Finch are streets, not people. James got some T-shirts. Bear cubs don't need T-shirts. We get to run around bear naked. That's a pun, you know.

We rode the Rocket in TO. That's the subway's name.  James says all good things must come to and end and now it's time for us to go home. We go home on the train. We get to ride on VIA Rail, today. Chance and me  l-o-v-e VIA Rail. know where VIA Rail goes. It goes all over Canada. VIA Rail goes to Windsor. That's where we live! Windsor is our home! Know what? Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit, you know.

We wait for the train in the Panorama Lounge. It's a very nice place to wait. It's for business class.  Miss Kim is the boss of the Panorama Lounge. We like her a lot. She always scoops us up and holds us. She kisses our noses and tickles our tummies and says, "Hello my handsome bear cubs! How are my sons of Windsor? How are my Princes of Ontario?" Miss Kim always gives us apple juice to drink. I drink mine right out of the box. I have to use both hands 'cuz I don't have thumbs--yet. Chance has to have his apple juice put in his bottle. We l-o-v-e Miss Kim. She has a very important job, you know. Miss Kim's job is to make travelling more fun, you know.

When I grow up I could work for VIA Rail. Chance would be my helper.  We are a good team. I  would stand at the counter. I know what to say to the travellers. I would use my best VIA Rail voice and I would smile and say, "Bonjour, Good morning. May I help you? Est-ce que je peut vous-aidez?" Then I would help passengers get to the right trains. I would give all the boys and girls apple juice. If they got too loud I would politely remind them to use their inside voices.

We get on the train when Miss Kim says, "All Aboard! Tout a bord!" We ride on Train 79. Train 79 stops in Oakville, Aldershot, Brantford, Woodstock, Ingersoll, London, Glencoe, Chatham and then we stop in Windsor. That's the end of the line. That's our house.

We put our suitcases away on the shelf and then we sit down in our seats. I like to sit by the window. When the nice conductor comes we give him our tickets. We play Snakes and Ladders while we wait for our dinner. Snakes and Ladders is my favouritest game in the whole wide world, you know.

When we're done playing Snakes and Ladders we get ready to eat. The food on Train 79 is yummy. We get hot towels for our faces and then we eat. We're getting pretty hungry, now. I'm as hungry as a bear! The food comes on real china and we eat with real silverware, too. After we eat our food we get Belgian chocolates for dessert. Then it's time for us to take a nap. I curl up on James' lap but Chance always climbs inside the paper bag for his nap. He's just a wee little cubby. He doesn't know any better.


Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Wake up my handsome bear cubs? Wake up my Sons of Windsor? Wake up my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. I'm a pretty tired bear cub. I'm all tuckered out. I want to get tucked into my own little bed with my Bob the Easter Moose sheets and sleep all night. I bet I dream about Miss Kim and riding on Train 79!


This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Pick up trash and garbage. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can ride on Train 79 together! Okay! Over and out!"