Tribefan says that we’re going to a big party tomorrow and that I need a good bath. She says that I’ve been in nasty places and must get cleaned up to meet new people.
My mom used to give me a bath with her tongue, but Tribefan says that she is going to use a wash cloth instead. I feel naked without my Rachel button!
I look like a drowned panda!
Tribefan wraps me up in towels to dry me and keep me warm.
After my bath, it’s time to settle down to sleep with my new black-and-white friend, the Headache Cow. I think that’s a silly name, but Headache Cow is nice and soft and good for cuddling. Good night!
In the morning, Tribefan has to make something to take to the picnic. She says that we’re going to turn these hard white things into something good to eat. That’s hard to believe. They don’t look very tasty!
Tribefan’s friend Linda comes over and we drive to the party together. It takes us over an hour to get there. I’m so excited! I like parties!
It’s a very nice day! The sun is hot though, and I get very thirsty, so Linda gets me some water.
The water is cool, but kind of boring, so Tribefan shares her beer with me! She knows what I like!
There are a lot of people at the party, and they are all having a good time. There is a lot of good food to eat. Our host, Ray, is standing in front of a very hot box and making lots of meat for everyone.
“Someone” tells me that Ray is making panda burgers, but I think she’s teasing me…..right???
I decide that he’s NOT making panda burgers, so I decide to help.
When everyone is done eating, it’s time for karaoke! Ray’s wife Deana gets everybody started.
After listening to everyone sing (and they all sing so good!), I feel brave and decide it’s time for my show biz debut!
At first I was going to sing a song by Rachel’s favorite singer, Bono, but I really wanted to sing a love song. So I sang, “My Heart Will Go On,” since it was a song by a famous Canadian singer. I’m sure Rachel would like that!
I am very good too! At least no one booed me!
It’s such a hot day, I’m jealous of all the people swimming in the pool. They look so nice and cool!
I have a little pool at home in the Zoo, so I think that I should go swimming. I don’t care what Tribefan says. I climb out on the diving board and get ready to take the plunge!
Tribefan and Linda take me off the diving board before I can jump in, though. Tribefan says that this pool is much deeper than my pool at home and tells me again that pandas can’t swim. She doesn’t want me to have any fun!
But then she feels bad and decides that I can play in this pool instead!
This is great! Two of my favorite things in the whole wide world, beer and a tub! If this tub was in a tree, and Rachel was here to share it with me – then it would be perfect!
We stay at the party til very, very late. Everyone is having such a good time, they don’t want to go home. But I get very sleepy and Tribefan finally takes me home.
I fall asleep on Linda’s lap in the car and dream of my next adventures. Tribefan tells me that I’m going on a trip to see Steve and Dave. They live in Chicago and do something with airplanes at work. Maybe THEY will find a way to get me to Rachel!
June 24, 2006 at 7:47 pm | Travels | No Comments
Wow! We’re at this really neat place called Jacobs Field.
Tribefan says that we’re going to see a baseball game. She loves baseball. That’s how she got her name, she says. But I don’t get it. Her team is called the “Cleveland Indians,” not “Tribefan!”
We came to the game with her friends Dan and Sue. Her other friend Eric could not come, so maybe I will get a seat all to myself!
We stop for something to eat before the game starts.
Sue takes good care of me and feeds me garlic fries! Tribefan says that I can’t sleep with her now, because the fries will make me stinky.
The fries make me really thirsty, so Sue gives me something yummy to drink.
I like beer. Those people in New York gave me beer too, but they gave me too much beer, I think!
Our seats are way up high so that we can see everything. Tribefan says that the Indians are playing the Cubs! The CUBS! This is MY team! I will root for them! But Tribefan says that, if I do, she will toss me over the railing! There are Cubs fans all around us – will Tribefan throw them over the railing too? I think that I will quietly root for MY team anyway.
The sky keeps getting darker and everyone says that a big rainstorm is coming. I see lots of lightning in the sky. It’s kind of scary. Tribefan’s team is losing to MY team. She is not very happy, but I’m enjoying myself. I hope it doesn’t rain. I like baseball!
But it does start to rain after everybody sings the baseball song and the tiny little men pull a big piece of plastic over the field. Dan says that we should go home because they will probably not finish the game.
But first we go shopping.
Look at all this stuff! It looks like Tribefan’s closet in here!
The rain starts to come down really hard and we have to run to the car. Dan and Sue and Tribefan get very, very wet. This is one time I’m glad that I have to ride in Tribefan’s purse!
I wish we could have seen more of the baseball game. I was just starting to get into it. Don’t tell Tribefan, but her team isn’t very good (note from Tribefan: she knows….).
June 21, 2006 at 7:36 pm | Travels | No Comments
Phew! I’m so glad to be out of that box!
PepeNY shipped me off to Tribefan. She even sent me by Priority Mail (I must be an important bear!), and I still had to spend an extra night in the box. The lazy mail carrier did not deliver me on Monday, and Tribefan stayed home all day to wait for me. Instead, the mailman took me back to the post office, where I had to spend the night in this dark, hot box. I was so scared, and hungry! I almost ate the cookies that PepeNY sent for Tribefan. But I was a good bear and didn’t touch them.
So maybe it would be OK if I took a little nibble now?
I am now in Cleveland, which is on the Great Lakes. I know enough about geography to know that Canada is on the other side. I’m so close to Canada now….and Rachel! If only I had a boat, I could go straight to Canada and then hitchhike to Toronto. Tribefan tells me that we ARE going on a boat and we’re going very soon!
But first we stop for lunch with a friend of Tribefan’s. Jackie is the lady’s name and Tribefan used to work with her.
Tribefan doesn’t work there anymore and stays home all day doing nothing! She must be very rich! But she feels sorry for the nice lady, because Jackie still has to work at that terrible place.
I have a nice cold beverage with my lunch. The glass is bigger than I am!
And I even find a bucket to play in. It reminds me of my big tub back home at the zoo. I used to like to play in the tub, but I was just a baby then! This is a big-boy tub!
After lunch, we take Jackie back to a place called The Hell Hole and then Tribefan and her friend Marge take me to the pier. This is the big boat that, I hope, will take me to the homeland of my one true love.
It’s such a nice day, and Tribefan and Marge and I sit outside on the boat and we all enjoy the sunshine and cool breeze. The water looks deep and I wonder if I can swim.
Tribefan tells me that I can’t and she makes me wear a panda leash. At least she says it’s a panda leash. I’m not sure I believe her. She says that pinkgodzilla bought panda leashes for everybody at the TARflies luncheon. I think I look stupid, and the leash is choking me! Tribefan says that if I fall in the water I will drown, because she can’t swim either – so it’s the leash or no boat ride.
But I look across the water, knowing that Rachel is somewhere on the other side. I’m so excited that I almost forget the panda leash! I’m finally going to Canada!!
But wait! The boat is going in the wrong direction. It heads down the river, instead of going to Canada! Why are we going the wrong way? Rachel is the other way!!! Marge tells me to relax and enjoy the nice ride.
I sit back and try to relax. Maybe they’re just taking a little detour (Rachel likes Detours!) or picking up more passengers. Maybe we’ll go to Canada later. I watch all the bridges go by. There are a LOT of bridges.
Look! There’s the place where we had lunch!! I wave to all the friendly people sitting at the tables.
We listen to a man talk about all kinds of historical things. Blah, blah, blah.
When Tribefan gets tired of holding me, I ride in her purse. But this isn’t very dignified!!!
Finally we turn around and begin to leave the river. We’re going back to the lake!!! We’re going to Canada!!!
But all the boat is doing now is riding back and forth on the lake so that we can all see the city. We’re not heading to Canada! What is wrong with this boat?!! Don’t they know I need to see Rachel???
And now we are going back to the dock!
Everyone gets off the boat. No Canada for any of us today! The crew is nice to me and wants to have their picture taken with me. I try to pretend that I’m not upset that we’re back in Cleveland and not in Canada where I belong!
I convince Tribefan to let me stay by the lake a little longer. I’m so sad and I just want sit by the water for awhile.
And maybe climb a tree.
*sigh* I guess I’ll stay with Tribefan for a few days. She’s nice (except for that leash thing), and maybe if I’m nice to her she’ll help me find Rachel.
After awhile we finally go home. Tribefan has promised me that we will have some fun this week. She is taking me to a baseball game (Rachel likes sports, right?) and then, on Saturday, she’s taking me to a big party! There will be Amazing Race people there so I’ve got my claws crossed – hoping that Rachel will be there too.
June 20, 2006 at 11:57 pm | Travels | No Comments
While I was with M. Darcy, I learned of a TARfly gathering in NY to celebrate Andrew’s 25th birthday. My beloved Rachel is a TARfly, so I decided to stay with PepeNY and attend the party.
Since the party was not until Tuesday night, PepeNY invited me to go to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to see the rose garden. PepeJr came with us.
The roses were beautiful and I had a very enjoyable day.
I even found a bucket to play in and trees to climb.
Did you know they make houses up in a tree? How can I get myself one of those?
Add in a little bamboo for lunch and it was starting to feel a little bit like home.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Rachel, however. I was excited at the prospect of finally meeting her! Just a couple more days to wait! Maybe I should gather some roses to impress her.
Tuesday is finally here! PepeNY and I went to pick up Andrew’s cookie cake and then headed for Manhattan. I was one step closer to Rachel!
When we got to the restaurant, Al was there. I was happy to meet him but really just wanted to find Rachel. Turns out Al is pretty funny! What a clown!
We had some drinks and everyone talked about the Race. I wasn’t really listening; I was focused on the door waiting for Rachel to arrive.
After too many drinks we ordered dinner.
We ate dinner and still no Rachel! Would my little heart be crushed again? I put on some sunglasses to hide my tears.
And ordered a few more drinks to drown my sorrows.
Just then a pretty brunette came in and headed for our table. Alas, it was not my Rachel. It was, however, whereverthefk, whom I met before on the day of TARcon. She’s nice and did her best to cheer me up with her dimples, drinks and some cookie.
I thought about stealing her purse because it was so cute and I knew Rachel would love it, but my mommy taught me not to steal.
We had some more drinks and then participated in trivia night. The team with Al, Meredith, PepeNY and TheLastDodo beat Andrew, Kenny, Eric & Joe! Of course they had help in the final round from whereverthefk!
After that we all sang “happy birthday” to Andrew and ate the big cookie cake! It was YUMMY!
Maybe it was a bit too yummy.
The evening was winding down and still no Rachel. PepeNY took some pictures of the racers that I got to be in.
I had a great time in NY but was very upset that I still can’t find my Rachel. I think I will go to Ohio to visit Tribefan. I know she is friends with Rachel and she lives near the Great Lakes. I’ve heard that Canada is on the other side of them. She may have some ideas on how I can get to her. I wish I could take my new friends with me, but they said they didn’t want to leave their comfy home. Quests aren’t for the weak of heart, that’s for sure.
June 14, 2006 at 10:48 pm | Travels | No Comments
One of the nights I was at Daria’s home last week, M. Darcy came over. I overheard her say that she was going to NY on the 10th to see Threepenny Opera and have dinner with PepeNY. I decided to sneak in her bag and go with her. Since if you are going to break into Show Biz, NYC is the place to do it.
When I got to her home, I had a talk with the Ugly Dolls and we decided the best plan was to borrow M. Darcy’s tap shoes since how can a Broadway producer resist a singing and tap dancing panda?
June 10th and NYC! M. Darcy, Mark and LTG took the Acela Train where we sat in first class. It’s the only way to travel.
After M. Darcy and LTG saw Threepenny Opera, they met up with Mark, PepeNY and M. Darcy’s friend Peter to have dinner at John’s Pizzeria.
The pizza was delicious – I ate quite a bit.
PepeNY told me that a few TARflies were getting together next week and said that I could stay with her for a few days in case Rachel decided to show up at the gathering.
June 11, 2006 at 2:16 pm | Travels | No Comments
