BUSTER’S LIFE STORY
I came into the world the way all bears do. I grew up at the foot of Mt. Hood on the East side of Huckleberry Mountain which separated Lost Lake and Bull Run Lake. I loved my dear mama bear so much. She was always doting over me and my brother and sister and made sure we were always safe, happy and full of tasty food, like those delicious huckleberries that our home was named for. I had a happy, content childhood but as I grew from a cub into a young bear, I started to wonder what was on the other side of the forested hills and mountains that surrounded my little home above Lost Lake. As I became a big and strong, I started to get an itch to see more of the world. It was an itch that couldn’t go away with just a good old back scratching on a grand old fir tree. Now I may not have been “smarter than the average bear”, like Yogi. But I certainly I had more common sense than Fozzi Bear. And while I did not have the fighting skills of Po the Panda, I could defend myself if needed. An adventure was what I hungered for. Unlike Winnie-the-poo or Baloo the Bear, I just wasn’t content with the easy life of eating berries; digging for grubs; catching fish and taking long winter naps. Nope, not me. I knew I was meant to discover the world. That itch would just not go away! And then came that life changing moment; the day I met Smokey the Bear. He was walking through the forest right below my home, “prowlin' and a growlin' and a sniffin' the air”. I ran to catch up with him and he spent the afternoon with me telling tales of big cities and small towns and all the adventures he had teaching children throughout the world how to protect the forest from wildfires. Well, that did it! Smokey lit a fire in my bear belly for a life of adventure! So I shared a loving and tearful goodbye to my bear family and headed down the mountains towards a journey of discovery. If wish I had the time to share about my many wild experiences and mishaps along the way as I explored beautiful places like Lawrence Lake, the Pacific Crest Trail, Wahtum Lake, Eagle Creek, Bald Butte, and Mt. Defiance. I met many other critters, some nice and some not so much. I ran into a grumpy porcupine, a nosey skunk, several annoying chipmunks, a very wise old beaver, a flock of noisy ducks, and even Bigfoot himself, who is hanging out at Lost Lake these days. Perhaps when I get more time I will share more of my traveling stories. They really are quite amazing! Well, after several months of traveling more or less downslope through mountains, forests, lakes and rivers, I ended up befriending a family living in a warm, cozy house in the middle of the pear orchards above the little upper valley town of Parkdale. They were so nice and hospitable that I decided to take a break from my adventures and stayed with them for a spell. I learned so much about humans from my new friends and I realized I had a lot in common with them. So as the days, weeks and months passed my itch for more wandering adventures started to slowly fade away until I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my days with my new human family. Shortly after I made that heart-felt decision, my humans decided it was time to move down to the big, exciting city of Hood River, so I naturally came along. My human family moved into a grand old house on the corner of Ninth and State streets right in the heart of the town as it sloped down to the Columbia River. They invited me to make a nice, comfortable “den” in their actual den but I just don’t like the indoors much. I am still a bear after all. No, I became quite content under the big old fir tree on the corner of one of the busiest intersections in town. After a few days making myself comfortable there, I discovered that all my dreams for adventure were still coming true. For as I stand there under my tree day and night I am amazed, entertained and intrigued by so many unique humans going by on foot, on bikes (lots and lots of bikes), and cars and trucks of all shapes, colors and sizes. And the people inside those honking, zooming metal boxes with wheels are also made up of all shapes, colors and sizes. I love watching the unending parade of human creatures pass by me on their way to this and that place. Every day I see happy people, sad people, rude people, friendly people, bored people and lost people (tourists mostly). I found my true place in this world, right at the corner of Ninth and State Streets in Hood River, Oregon, observing and studying human behavior in all its unique and raw and honest forms. After a year of this careful, non-stop examination of human actions and interactions as they all pass me by, I decided to share some of my observations and insights with the help of some posterboard and markers my family gave me. Before long, people started to notice my words of wit and wisdom, based on all my observations of them. They actually appreciated it. I was amazed. Kids started to show me love and friendship. They smiled, laughed and waved at me as they passed in their school bus or the backset of a car. I was so humbled, and surprised, and a bit nervous about the growing attention, and I am still embarrassed by all the kind and grateful words in response to my efforts to make our world of humans and bears just a little bit better place to live in together. Please see my Top 10 List of Life Priorities for more of what I have learned from the best and worst of you humans and your behavior. We have a lot of choices in the way we live with each other here in this wonderful town, but some of those choices bring us all down, and some lift us up. I’m all into “lifting up” and I hope you are too! So for the last five years of my life that’s what I have been doing – just hanging out on the corner of “Awesome” and “Wonderful” in the town of “Marvelous”! Drop by and say hi sometime soon. I love it when you take “selfies” or group photos with me. And I really love it when you pass on some of my messages that you laugh at or learn from to your friends and family. Let’s keep spreading the message of love and laughter to the world! Thanks for allowing me to share my life story! Oh, you may have noticed my little friend, Buddy Bear, has been hanging out with me a lot lately. That sweet little cub has quite a story to tell in his own right and some day soon he will. I will share it with all of you when he is ready to tell it. For now, I will simply say that Buddy is an orphan just like Smokey the Bear. But while he has no mom or dad of his own any longer, he has a big, loving family and lots and lots of friends. He is growing up as a smart, funny, caring, loving young bear and I am so proud of him. Buddy’s personality is a bit of Boo Boo; some of Winnie-the-poo; and a lot of Po the Panda. And yet he looks a whole lot like Paddington Bear, especially when he wears his blue raincoat, and red hat and boots. I love that young cub as if he was my own little brother, and actually, that’s how he thinks of me too – as his big, loving, protective older brother. I am humbled and honored to fulfill that vital role for Buddy and I always will!
