He started by accompanying me to the Kirkwood Ski Resort at Tahoe in February 2005. I put him in my pocket of my ski jacket and thought he’d like the ride. Or something. Carrying a wee brown bear in your pocket is always a good conversation starter.

I’d bought him and a larger brown bear at IKEA that year–when I’d bought some book cases. I saw them there in the bin and thought…well…I just thought he’d make a good bed partner. Soft. Furry. Dedicated. Undemanding. Basically, a pretty low-maintenance relationship (which is something I needed at the time).

Here’s a pic of my friend Carol, me, and GB jr.

That day was a pretty eventful day. Right after we took this picture, Carol took off on her skis down the hill on our way to lunch. I followed on my board. We were just taking our time, enjoying the day, and the views, and the sun, and everything.

Then. Then. I saw a cloud of snow in front of me. I saw two skiis go in two different directions. I made my way over. Carol lay on the snow. She wasn’t moving. She wasn’t breathing. She was just still.

Carol? Carol? Are you OK? I struggle out of my board.

She moans.

Carol! I say louder. Can you hear me? Hey. I shout up to the people in the ski lift. HEY. We need a toboggan. Carol? Can you breathe?

She moans and says. Yes.

Can you move?

I can move everything buy my leg. I can’t move my leg.

Ok. Stay still. I say. Stay right there. I grab her skiis and dig them into the snow in a barrier just uphill of where she lay. HEY. I shout at the people in the ski lift again. Can you make sure there’s a ski patroller on their way down. We need a toboggan.

I make my way back to Carol. The ski patrollers arrive quickly and do their stuff.

Do you want me to call Jimmy? Her husband was skiing tougher runs on the other side of the mountain with Sean and Katie.

No. She says. I don’t want to ruin his day. Lets just get me back down hill and we’ll see what happens.

I watch as the patrollers lift her into the toboggan. She passes out from the pain. The patrollers give her oxygen to help keep her awake.

Where’s your phone? I ask. I pat her pockets until I find her phone and start looking in her address book for Jimmy’s number.

No. She protests. Don’t call him. I don’t want to ruin his ski day.

I call him anyway. I think she’s delirious from the pain and high on the oxygen.

Hi. Jimmy. It’s Jennifer. He questions why I’m calling on Carol’s phone. Yeah. Uh…Carol’s on her way down to the medical facility…in a toboggan. I just wanted to let you know–although she didn’t want to ruin your ski day. But, I called anyway.

He starts to ask questions. I tell him she fell and the ski patrollers are taking her to the main medical facility. He should probably meet us there.

I look back at Carol and tell her Jimmy and her son Matt will meet us at the facility. She’s tucked into the toboggan. She looks a bit forlorn all bundled up and I decide to tuck GB jr into her jacket–to keep her company going down the hill. The patrollers tell me I need to be careful and make my own way down the hill.

I realize I’m a bit shaken. I carefully pick my way down the hill and meet everybody at the medical facility. Jimmy’s now in charge. He talks to Carol. He talks to me. I hang around for moral support.

She has x-rays taken and they splint her leg. We don’t know everything that happened, but we know it’s bad. Jimmy and Carol decide to go back to Healdsburg that evening. The rest of us on the trip are a subdued, but we stay in Tahoe for the rest of the weekend. We call Carol for updates.

Turned out–she’d shattered her tibula (the top of her shin bone–the part that connects to the knee). She needed a pin in her leg with twelve screws connecting it to her bone. I have way more to say on this story…after the fall–but I’ll put it in another entry.

The point of this story was supposed to be how GB jr started traveling with people on his world-wide adventures….

After I posted a brief update of GB jr, Ronn Sarosiak (whose family is currently travelling with GB) wrote to send me some pics of GB jr from Greece.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello Jennifer;

we lose everything on this trip. I am terrified of losing him. That said he
is safe and sleeping now. In my backpack. On the floor. In the closet. In
the dark.

We don’t have a blog. We have two children instead that eat up our time.

I have attached a few photos from Greece.

Sarosiak

In case he does get lost, we decided to put a tag or a collar on him. Something small. Something sophisticated. Something that says:

If you find me, please take pictures of me and send them to jen@yukonjen.com.
To follow my travels around the world, visit yukonjen.com .

Hopefully he won’t get lost though. His travel schedule is really exciting. To top it off, Ronn sent me another email saying:

“I hope to take GB to the opera in Vienna tonight. I don’t think they charge for bears.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GB jr is one lucky bear.

It’s been a while since I posted anything on the whereabouts of GB jr. I sent him to Fiji last summer after a bit of a false promise to send him to Hawaii.

My sister and her friend the MadHatter had him in Fiji, New Zealand, Los Angeles (for a brief-less-than-24-hour-stopover). They took him to South America, Bolivia, Machu Pitchu, Peru, and even Easter Island! Anyway, that was all before Christmas.

I know GB jr spent Christmas in the Yukon, because I was there too and if I dig around on my computer a bit, I’ll find some weird snapshots of him celebrating the holidays with some smurfs: “Beer. Beer. Smurfing beer. We don’t get drunk ’cause it isn’t beer!” On a bit of a ramble–Father Abraham in Smurfland is our family’s traditional Christmas album. My sister Redd has a bit of a fetish for it because she seems to play it year round. In fact, a few years ago, MadHatter managed to find a digital version of that album now whenever a few of us get together somewhere, we get drunk on non-smurf beer and play that album and phone the family members who aren’t there. The original LP is still at my parents house though. This Christmas,we found some wee, stuffed blue smurfs. We put GB jr in the mix, mixed up some non-smurfing beer and called family members who weren’t there. So, I do know if I dig into my pictures on my computer, I’ll find one or two photos from that evening.

The other day, MadHatter sent me this picture of GB in the spring snow in Ontario.

Now, my sister has informed me they sent him off to an island of Greece. He’s joining a family who are travelling around the world this year. I would love a link to their site. I’ve never met these travel buddies, but I’m expecting some photos and reports about what he’s doing. Ronn and family, click here for the reporting guidelines (scroll to the bottom).

GB jr has a busy schedule. He’s booked up with this family in Greece. After that, MadHatter is travelling over Christmas 2008 and after that I have a friend in Guam who wants to host him for a while. I wonder where he’ll get to after that!

I haven’t heard from my sister or her friend Catherine lately. I can only assume they are in the crux of the movie and everything is positively hellacious for them. Or–they are just so completely pissed that I didn’t post their pics of GB when I got them.

Today, I shall post what I have. I’ve asked them to resend some, but I haven’t heard anything back–not one little peep. I hope that everything is OK over there guys.

Giant hamster ball	Like statues
Sittin’ on a post of the bay…	Where’s GB??
Packing for New Zealand	Tickets for New Zealand

I can’t believe GB jr got to go to New Zealand. I was supposed to go to New Zealand next February. My friend KatieBird and her husband are renewing their vows on Stuart Island on 05 Feb 2007. I really wanted to go. As I am currently in the no-cash-flow zone, I couldn’t make the plans. I am sorry KatieBird, but I just couldn’t work at Turin any longer. It was a chapter of my life that needed to be done. Someday, maybe I’ll visit you in New Zealand at your winery and vet clinic!!!

Redd and Catherine are holding GB jr hostage until I post their more recent pics!!! Ahhh…. They don’t know I’ve been living in SAD(slow-ass-dialup) hell for the last month. I feel like I’ve been off the grid. Oh–woe is me. I can’t complain too much though. I’ve been doing other things instead. Other things that are taking up some time. Let’s see–what have I been doing?

I’ve been getting some administrative things cleared up. They’ve been weighing me down for a while. I’m also getting some things sold. There is nothing like feeling the weight of stuff being lifted off your shoulders. Nothing!!!

I’ve also been just doing nothing. That is a complete luxury. For example, this morning, I didn’t even get out of bed until after 10h00 a.m. I was reading a book I’d taken out at the library. Oh. I did that too. One afternoon last week I spent at the library reading a book. Complete decadence. I was waiting for my friend so I could help him with his English. I’m making him read “The Little Prince” out loud in English. He got to page 21 before the library closed. He took it home to finish reading. I hope he doesn’t finish it before next week.

Also, I’m lucky enough to be going to the gym a few times a week. I like that. I’m getting back into working out. My schedule was killing me before I quit my job. Too many things were getting in the way of my physical and mental health.

Right now. I think I’m going to plan a writing workshop for Fitch Mountain Lookout for February or March. I have just been pumped up from a total stranger about the possibilites. I’m also going to have to give it a serious think to see if it’s going to work. I think it has potential though–LOTS of potential.

Now, I have to answer an inquiry about the best wineries to visit in Dry Creek and Russian River appellations. I have my own favourites, for my own reasons. I don’t know if I’m qualified to recommend wines though. I’ll have to see what I come up with.

Also, I’m looking to buy a laptop. My need for high speed is so great that I can’t wait to see if we can get it at Bush-Field. I’m going to buy a laptop and search out the WiFi hotspots in Sonoma County. Yes Redd and Catherine, I have to buy a laptop and get it sorted before I can post any more pictures of GB jr. Dial up just doesn’t do it.

So. That’s that. I have so much to do and so little time. My life just got started.

I have received the first installement of pictures of GB jr on holiday in Fiji. I’d planned to track him all the way to Fiji, but, before I knew it–he’d arrived. Catherine and Redd sent these photos early last week.

He’s arrived!!	Checking in.
Hitching a ride.	Learning to drive.

Myself?? I’ve been on holiday too, since last Friday. Except, I’ve been too busy on holiday to post any interesting stories at all.

I mailed GB jr to my sister in Fiji today. I seem to have lost my camera for the moment, but I took some pictures with my phone. I’m sure the fellows at Kinkos thought I was completely bonkers. I asked them: What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever been asked to send? They said they were once asked to send meat–raw meat–from the butcher. That was the weirdest. One fellow motioned with his arms outstretched, like he was placing a side of beef on the counter or something. They had to tell the fellow that there would probably be issues with sending raw meat in the FedEx. In that context, the guy shrugged: GB jr??–Not so odd.

He doesn’t even suspect…	…nestled inside…
“…all comfy cozy are we…”	He’s off and away!!

So. Today, GB jr starts his big adventure. Off to the Fiji Islands for a bit. He’ll travel with my sister on her escapades. When she is finished in Fiji, her friend Catherine will take him on her backpacking travels. I think she’ll be visiting exotic places like Easter Island and sorts. How exciting. My plan–although, Catherine doesn’t know it yet–is that she finds another traveller before she goes back to Canada. She’ll hand him off to some other traveller who’ll take pictures and send them back for me to post. And that person will hand him off to the next, and so on.

Isn’t that a rather random idea? GB jr will travel the world. He will be Yukon Jen’s official correspondent. We’ll get stories from around the globe. Original stories. Real stories. That’s the most important part–that the stories are real. You have to say who you are and where you are and you have to tell us stories about what you see. Whoever you are out there–see the original entry for guidelines about the bear. I’m sure I’ll be updating them.

Redd, his tracking number is 8494 9252 4451 at fedex.com. He’s due to arrive Tuesday, 29 August 2006. Keep us posted.