The Big Adventure Ends: Charles and Chance Fly Home to Windsor

Chance and me and Grandpa James are going home. I get to help fly the plane.

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 so newborn he doesn't have any teeth! He just drinks chocolate owls' milk from his bottle. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

It's hard to say 'good-bye- to the people we love but if we say 'au revoir' it's not so hard. So Chance and me are saying, "au revoir" to Uncle Glen and Auntie Juanita. We'll be back!

It's time for us to go home. Grandpa James says all good things must come to an end. Our trip is almost over. We have to say 'good-bye' to Uncle Glen and Auntie Juanita. Wait! We don't have to say 'good-bye.' I forgot! We can say, 'au revoir'. That's French for until we see you next time. Miss Ines taught me that when we visited her in St. Pierre and Miquelon. We got to sleep overnight at her pretty yellow house. It's called Chez Ines. I know where Saint Pierre and Miquelon are. They're islands in the Grand Banks. They're in France. Bien sur!

Know how we'll get home from St. John's? We're gonna ride in an airplane!  We're flying on Porter Airlines. We show Miss Brenna, the purser, our tickets and we climb on board. We're going to fly from St. John's to Halifax and then we go to Ottawa and then we go to Toronto and then we get to go home to Windsor. That's pretty far. I think it's farther than the moon. I can see the moon but I can't see Windsor from St. John's. Can you?

I get to wear the headphones and Captain Henry's pilot hat. Chance thinks he's helping but he's not. He's too newborn to know how to fly a jet.

 Captain Henry and First Officer Brenna will take us all the way home. They're good pilots, you know. We help them fly the jet. Captain Henry asks, "Charles, where did you learn to fly a big jet?" I tell him I'm five and I learned how to fly airplanes at the Scruffy Maple Daycare Centre on Sandwich Street. Grandpa James says that learning to fly a jet is part of the Harper government's pre-school anti-terrorism initiative. I don't know what that means but my teacher, Miss Sephorah says it's our job to stand on guard for thee, you know.

I could be a pilot when I grow up. I could be a First Officer. Those are important jobs. They help people go to Newfoundland and Labrador and they help people who are from Away, you know.  I think they help people go anywhere and everywhere. That's good 'cuz O Canada's really big! 

Miss Brenna is our Purser and Miss Laura is our Flight Attendant. They have very important jobs. Miss Brenna let me wear her hat.

Miss Brenna and Miss Laura help on the plane, too. They remind us to sit up straight and put on our seat belts when we take off and land. They make everyone feel safe and happy.

Miss Brenna and Miss Laura bring us yummy food to eat. It comes in the box They didn't have any chocolate owls' milk for Chance but Grandpa James is smart. He brought some to put in Chance's bottle to drink.

Can you see us? We're flying home today.

Know what? They have washrooms on the plane. Grandpa James says it's a good thing they're indoor washrooms. Grandpa James says silly things sometimes. 

 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.

We have to get in our seats and buckle up 'cuz we're gonna land in a couple of minutes.  Auntie Debbie will meet us at the airport. Know what? The airport has a name. It's YGQ. We can give her hugs. We got her a present, too.

Wild blueberries are yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Good Guide. Grandpa James says they're full of antioxidents but I didn't see any. Sometimes Grandpa James is full of baloney.

We got her wild blueberry jam from Bidgood's grocery store in St. John's. She has to be careful about wild blueberries. They're wild and they might jump out of the jar and try to run!

When Chance and me are in Windsor, we're not from Away anymore 'cuz Windsor is our home. In case you forgot, Windsor is in O Canada. Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit!

 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 take a trip together! We can go Away! Okay! Over and out!"

The Big Adventure Continues: Charles and Chance Explore Saint-Pierre

Charles and Chance play saute-mouton (leapfrog) on harbourfront in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.

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!

Grandpa James says Saint-Pierre is 20 kilometres from Newfoundland. We get there on a ship.

Know what? Today we're exploring Saint-Pierre. It's in France, you know. It's the part of France between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Newfoundland and Nova Scotia are in O Canada and Saint-Pierre is in France. 

The food is yummy at Restaurant Le Feu de Braise. I could eat here every day!

Chance and me are having lunch in Saint-Pierre. We're eating at Restaurant Le Feu de Braise. I'm as hungry as a bear. I am eating codfish and chorizo in tomato sauce. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide, you know. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon are islands. There is lots of seafood to eat because all the land is surrounded by the ocean. I think that's what makes them islands. I love seafood. It's good for growing bear cubs.

We made new friends in Saint-Pierre. The nice lady on the left has an important job. She's a server. She gives hungry bears their lunch. The nice lady on the right is the owner of Restaurant Le Feu de Braise. I forgot their names but they made us feel right at home.

Chance is too newborn to eat food. He doesn't have any teeth, yet. He just drinks chocolate owls' milk from his bottle. Chance tries to lick my fish, though. He puts everything in his mouth I have to watch him all the time.

After lunch we walk along the harbour and we can climb up high on the canons that used to protect the good citizens from pirates. Oh, wait! The canons protected them from the British. That's us, you know. We used to be British but now we're Canadians. Grandpa James says we don't fight anymore. Grandpa James says Canada and France have been good friends and neighbours for more than 200 years. That''s good, you know. It's not nice to fight. When we fight we have to sit on the Time Out Chair and think about what we did.

Grandpa James, Chance and me are walking along Boulevard General de Gaulle but we didn't see him anywhere.

 We walked all over Saint-Pierre all afternoon. We had lots of good food. Know what? They have Smarties in France. That's good. I l-o-v-e Smarties, don't you? We also got to eat blackcurrant ice cream. That's really yummy!

When we were tired we went back to Chez Ines. Miss Ines lives there. She's the boss of the bed and breakfast. It's a full moon, tonight. We say our bedtime prayers and fall asleep real fast. Grandpa James says we sleep like logs--even though we're bear cubs.

In the morning Miss Ines makes us a real nice breakfast with real fresh-from-the-bakery croissant. Know what we get to put on our croissants? We get to put confiture myrtilles sauvages. That's wild blueberry jam. I l-o-v-e wild blueberry jam. Je lui aime, tellement!

We got to eat pain au chocolat, too. That's chocolate croissants. They're very yummy. I could eat them all day. Grandpa James says if I did that I'd be sick as a dog. He's silly. I'm not a dog, I'm a bear cub.

Chance and me get hugs from Miss Ines. When you come to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon be sure to stay with Miss Ines. Tell her 'Charles and Chance sent you!'

After breakfast we have to get ready to go get on the ship and sail back to Newfoundland. It was hard to say good-bye but Miss Ines says, "Oh, Charles. You don't have to say 'good-bye.' You can say, au revoir. That means 'until we see each other again." So we said, "Au revoir."

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.

Fortune, Newfoundland.

We're gonna board the ship and sail to Fortune. That's in O Canada, our home and native land. Fortune is in Newfoundland. Oh, wait! It's in Labrador, too. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be on your best behaviour when you visit Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Then you can visit Miss Ines. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go to visit Miss Ines and see all of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, too! Okay! Over and out!" Oh, wait! "D'accord, A toi!"

Canada and France are neighbours and friends, you know.

The Big Adventure Continues: Charles & Chance Visit France!

Chance and me ride on the boat to go to France.

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.

Chance and me love to ride on ships. We could be sailors when we grow up. This is the MS Arethusa. It goes from Fortune, Newfoundland to Saint-Pierre.

 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.

France has a different flag from Canada. Le drapeau de la France est bleu, rouge et blanc. It has a name. It's the Tricolour. People in France call it le tricolore.

Bonjour! That's French for 'hi.' I am saying 'bonjour'  'cuz Chance and me and Grandpa James and Uncle Glen and Auntie Juanita are going to France. We're going to ride on the MS Aratheusa. 

We're going to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. I know where Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is. It's right next door to Newfoundland. They're next-door neighbours. Grandpa James says it's 20 kilometres away.

This is the flag of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Chance and me collect flags. We were sad that our little flag got lost but we will get another one.

I'm glad we get to ride in the ship. I'd be tired if I had to swim all that way. I'd be hungry, too. Oh! I hope they have Smarties in France. I'm gonna be as hungry as an ourson. That's French for bear cub, you know.

In France, bear cubs speak French. I speak French, too. We talk in French and watch TV in French at home and we have French classes at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre, too.

When we get off the boat in France we have to show our passports to the National Police.

When we get off the boat we go to Customs and Immigration. We show the National Police our passports.

Passports look like this.

 Chance and me got Pawsports, you know. I know what a Pawsport is. It's a passport for bear cubs. It's a  little book with my picture inside so the nice police know who I am. It says I am Charles the Bear Cub from Windsor, Ontario. It says I have brown fur and brown eyes. Oh! Wait! It says I was born on July 1st. That's Canada Day, you know.

The National Policeman says my passport picture makes me look like a criminal. I'm not a criminal. I'm five. I'm a bear cub.

The policeman asked me questions. He asked me if I had ever been in prison. He told me to be on my best  behaviour. He said if any Smarties went missing the National Police would find me and I might get arrested and go to prison! I don't want to go to prison. I bet they don't have Smarties in prison. I'll be very, very good in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Mais, oui!

We stay at Chez Ines. That's Miss Ines right there!

 First we go to our Bed and Breakfast. That's where we sleep. Oh. And eat breakfast, too. We get to stay at Chez Ines with Miss Ines.  I say, "Bonjour Mlle. Ines. Comment allez-vous?" I think she is surprised that Canadian bear cubs can speak French. I will tell you a secret. Miss Ines talks nice. She has a beautiful accent. I think she might be a Princess. We put our suitcases away and then we go for a walk.

Saint-Pierre is a pretty city.

 We are going to eat lunch. We want to buy Euros. That's the money people use in Saint-Pierre but it doesn't look like our money.

These are Euros. The coins are Euros, too.

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 James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

I will tell you more about our adventure next time, okay?

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be nice 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 for a boat trip and we can go to France and stay with Miss Ines! Okay! Over and out!"