Our Visit to Pelee Island

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. I look after him.

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! 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!" Then I have to help him 'cuz he's afraid and makes little squawky noises.

Know what? We went to Pelee Island with Grandpa James and Nana Elizabeth. We get to ride on the ferry. You can't drive there 'cuz it's an island. We have to ride on the MV Jiimaan. When the captain says, "All aboard!" we cast off and away we go! I l-o-v-e to ride on the Jiimaan.

Pelee Island is a fun place to visit. Here's Chance and me at Vin Villa. It's a model. The real Vin Villa burnt down a long time ago. They used to make wine there.

We went to the Pelee Island Winery. The nice people show us how they grow grapes and make wine. Wine is for grownups. Chance tried to taste the wine but we gave him grape juice, instead. Grape juice is newborn baby wine, you know.

We had lunch at the winery. We ate yummy food. I had a licorice and peanut butter sandwich. Chance doesn't have teeth. He just drinks chocolate owls' milk. We get it at Mac's Milk.

We met some nice ladies from Children's Aid. They have a very important job. They keep children and cubs safe. I'm glad they do that. Maybe I will work for Children's Aid when I grow up.

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 get on the Jiimaan and go to Pelee Island together! Okay! Over and out!"

Ahoy! We're Off to Pelee Island!

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 doesn't even have a tail, yet! Chance doesn't have  teeth. He just drinks chocolate owls' milk out of his bottle.  I look after Chance, too. He climbs up high on things and can't get down. Then he makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's afraid. I have to help. I say, "Charles to the rescue!" Then he makes little squeaky noises. That means he's happy. Chance is  a handful!

We're off to Pelee Island today. I know where Pelee Island is. It's in Lake Erie. It's got water all around it. That's 'cuz it's an island. It's really far south. It's at the very the bottom of Canada. If we sailed any further we wouldn't be in O Canada anymore. We'd be in the Knighted States. That's a different country. They have a different boss. The boss of Canada is Queen Elizabeth. She's pretty nice, you know. She even has her own song.

We go to Pelee Island on the boat. The boat has a name. It's the Pelee Islander. It's a nice boat. James says it can hold 86 passengers and 14 cars. Wow! That's a lot! Know what? Boats have birthdays. The Pelee Islander was born in 1960. That's really old, you know. I'm wearing my life jacket in case the captain hollers, "All hands abandon ship!" I don't think he'll say that today but I'm ready. Chance is too little to wear a life jacket but he can float with me. He isn't heavy. I won't let go. Promise.

When we get to the island we go to the Pelee Island Winery. That's where they turn grape juice into wind. They have picnic tables. We bring out the cooler and set the table. Then we say grace and we get to eat lunch. Know what? All that sailing made me as hungry as a bear. I get to eat egg salad sandwiches and drink Canada Dry. I get to drink out of the can but I don't have thumbs so I have to hold it like a sippy cup. I hope I grow thumbs one day.

  Chance gets chocolate owls' milk. Oh! We get chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We made them yesterday. They're yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide.

We went on a tour. We learned all about baby grapes. Did you know that when they grow up they turn into wine? It's true. It's a good story. We met Steven and Joey. They're the bestest story tellers. They are lots of fun to hang out with. Joey tickled my nose. I love having my nose ticked, don't you?


I'm pretty sleepy. I'll tell you 'bout the rest of our adventure the next time, okay?

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 and true. Help 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 Pelee Island together! We can play with Joey and Steven! All aboard! Okay! Over and out!"

Summer is Here!

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. I help him remember. I reminded him that Summer came today.

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! 

Summer is here! Summer came at 7.25 this morning. I got up real early so I could see Summer come! I'm so glad Summer is here. We get to do lots of fun things now that Summer is here. Know what? Chance was born in October so he missed Summer last year.

Okay. Know what I'm doing? I'm making a list. This is an important list. This is a list of things Chance and James and me want to do this Summer. Ready?

1. Hunt lions in the back yard with our space ray guns.
2. Pick fruit off the trees and eat it.
3. Lay on the grass and watch the clouds go by.
4. Ride on the MV Jiimaan  to Pelee Island .

5. Swim in Lake Erie and have lots of picnics, too!
6. Climb trees with our buddy, Queen Elizabeth.
7.Go on VIA Rail to visit our friends and buddies in Quebec. 
8. Cook yummy food on the barbecue.
9. Eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Wallermellon!

10. Ride our bikes up and down Sandwich Street. Oh, and make really loud siren noises, too!

I'm sure there's lots of  other stuff we want to do with Summer but I'm tired of thinking. I want to go play. We're gonna go pick cherries! I l-o-v-e cherries. They're yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide.

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. Have lots of fun with Summer! Eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can have fun with Summer together! Okay! Over and out!"

Sleepytown Here We Come!

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. He says he is so old he remembers the first sunrise. He must be 20! That's old.  Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. I think it was an angel who put Chance there. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? It was a rainy day Chance and me played inside. We made a fort under the kitchen table with some blankets. We made mushroom soup for lunch. Chance and me help stir. I'm the MiniSTIR of Stirring. Chance is the deputy Mini-STIR. James ate lunch under the table with us. It's fun to eat in the fort. For dessert we ate gummy worms. Chance doesn't have any teeth 'cuz he's a newborn cubby. He just drinks condensed owls' milk out of his bottle. I got to drink apple juice from the McCain's Junior Juice box. I l-o-v-e apple juice. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. Then  we painted pictures of ourselves. I painted one of us in Lake Erie at Pelee Island. We go there on the big boat, you know. James says it's the southernmost part of O Canada.

We get pretty tired at the end of the day. I know 'cuz Chance gets cranky and makes little squawky noises. James says, "I see my handsome bear cubs are ready for a trip to Sleepytown!" He's right, you know. After we splash in the bathtub, James uses the big towel to dry us off. We don't wear jammies, we get to go to Sleepytown bear naked. That's a pun. I know what a pun is.

Then we say our prayers.  I want God to look after all my friends and buddies from Newfoundland to British Columbia. I ask Him to look after all our friends and buddies in the Knighted States, too. I'm glad I'm not God. He's got a big job 'cuz my friends are a handful!  I thank God for all the good food in the Canada Food Guide except broccolis and sauerkrauts. They're nasty and we shouldn't have to eat nasty food. I ask God to feed all those poor starving children in Belgium. Then I say, 'Amen.' Amen is God's code for over and out.

James tucks us into bed.  He reads us our bedtime story. He can read real good. Our story is Snow Treasure. It's very exciting. It is about very brave boys and girls who live in O Norway. That's pretty far from our house and it's not part of O Canada.

 Chance is asleep already. I'm very sleepy. My eyes won't stay open anymore. James tickles our ears and kisses our noses. He whispers, "Good night, my handsome bear cubs. Sleep tight, my Sons of Windsor. Don't let the bedbugs bite, my Princes of Ontario.  This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Good night and bon soir, good citizens.  Over and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

The Beach

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live with my buddy,  James, on Sparkle Road. I look after him 'cuz he's forgetful and old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark. He remembers the invention of dirt. Wow! He must be really old--at least 20!

Know what? We went to Pelee Island. We went there on a BIG boat named Jiimaan. The island is a fun place to play. Look at me! I'm on the beach. The water is warm. That's because it's shallow. Did you know the water has a name? It's name is Lake Erie.

James is warm. I bet it's because he's shallow, too. Everyone is wearing swim suits except me. I get to go into the water bare naked. That's a pun. I'm five. I know what puns are. Bear cubs don't need to wear clothes--except sox--I have Cat-in-the-Hat sox. They make me run faster. I'm getting lots of sunshine. Hope I turn really brown! This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Come play on the beach with us. Don't forget your towel! Okay! Bye for now! Over and out!

Riding on the Jiimaan

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live with my buddy James on Sparkle Road. I look after him and keep him out of trouble.

Know what? We went to Pelee Island. The boat is really big. It has a name. The boat's name is Jiimaan. There are lots of ladders on the boat. I could be a sailor, you know. I would be a good sailor because I already know how to climb. It's fun to be way up high and see everyone.

Michelle and Deb are nice ladies. They sell juice boxes. I got apple juice. Apple juice is yummy. Yummy is one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. There is a Canada flag on the boat. Know what? I have a Canada flag on my bicycle, too.

Oh! Wait! I can see the island. Land ahoy, citizens! I better get down from here and get ready to explore. I hope there are lions on Pelee Island. I would like to go on a lion hunt. I wanna catch a big 'ole lion. We could be friends. We could eat porridge and gummy worms for breakfast. I would share. Yeah. That's what I will do when I catch me a lion. Okay. I gotta go. I have to get in the car and fasten my seat belt!  This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens! Come hunt lions with me on Pelee Island! Over and out!"

Pelee Island

Hi! I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live with my buddy,  James, on Sparkle Road.I look after him 'cuz he's old and forgetful. He forgot what day it is!

Knows what? We're on our way to Pelee Island. Peter and Selena and Jay and D'Andre came, too. My friend Tanner couldn't come. He's a big 'ole yeller dog who lives with Cassidy the bunny. Tanner didn't feel good so he stayed home.

Pelee Island is fun. It is in the middle of Lake Erie. That's a BIG lake. Lakes have names, you know.

Okay. Before we go we have to we eat wallermelons at the Golden Griddle. Then we ride on a boat to get to the island. I helped the workers park the cars on the boat. See? I'm wearing my safety vest. The boat is really big. It has a big loud horn that makes lots of noise. When we get to Pelee Island we will go to a place where they make wine. Wine is for grownups. I'm five. I won't be a grownup for a long time. I drank grape juice. Cubs can drink grape juice. Grape juice is baby wine.

Know what? I saw baby grapes. Lots of them! They taste awful but when they grow up they turn colours and then they taste yummy. Yummy is one of the food groups in the Canada Food Guide.

Wine gets put into barrels. See, I can take them to town.

I gotta go now 'cuz we're having lunch. We're having peanut butter and licorice sandwiches. They're yummy and help you grow big and strong so you can climb things, dig holes in the back yard and ride your bike up and down Sandwich Street with me! Bye for now!

Oh. Wait! Don't ever eat sauerkrauts. They're nasty. Saurkrauts taste worse then brocollis. They don't even taste good with peanut butter or chocolate syrup on them. I would rather sit on the Time Out Chair than eat sauerkrauts. Okay. Gotta go. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Ahoy! Land ahead!  Bye for now!"