Home Sweet Toledo

After a short, but lovely, sailing trip the new family docked their boat on the shores of the Maumee River, right amidst downtown Toledo, Ohio. This was to be Chew Bears new home with his new parents.  Chew Bear’s mouth dropped open in awe when he saw the tall buildings, the giant bridges and all of the people on the docks. Then and there he decided that someday he would fly above those buildings so that he could see everything at once!

Chaka and Chacha’s home was a quaint little 2 bedroom hut along the river. They had been living in Toledo for the past few years doing research on water pollution and its effects on the surrounding eco system. Chaka and Chacha are extreme activists. They promote all things green and earth friendly. One of their primary goals is to decrease pollution and to increase recycling. They lived mostly off of the earth. They have a large garden so they can eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily, and use a rain barrel to collect water to feed the plants. Chacha and Chaka are also vegetarians, and they have solar panels attached to their roof which provide most of the energy needed to supply their few appliances. They made their own clothes and jewelry and were truly happy with the way they went about their lives.

In order to help him feel more at home, Chaka and Chacha built Chew Bear his very own tree house/bedroom, right in the middle of their house. The tree was enormous and protruded through the roof of the house and right out into the open, so Chew Bear could see his entire surroundings. They painted the room a bright shade of green and filled it with various plants, wildlife paintings, books, instruments and toys. There were two ways to get to the bedroom in the tree, you could either climb up the branches (Chew Bear’s preferred means of entrance) or scale a rope ladder. The tree house was safe and cozy, and Chew Bear loved it instantly.

The kitchen, Chew Bear’s second favorite room in the hut, was quaint and homey. It had a wood-burning stove, a deep sink, and a small round table with three chairs. Chaka and Chacha took Chew Bear on a trip to the grocery store with them to help determine what it was that an animal such as he liked to eat (they soon found out that Chew Bear was definitely NOT a vegetarian). It seemed Chew Bear had a love for pizza and hot dogs, but besides those indulgences, his choices were very healthy. He was sure to grow up to be big and strong.

The hut also had a giant yard with a picnic table, fire pit and a small beach on the shore of the Maumee. Chew Bear took a liking to swimming in the water and practicing his dance moves in the grass. It did not take very long for Chew Bear to feel right at home with Chaka and Chacha, and the years flew by. However, in the back of his mind Chew Bear could not seem to shake the fact that he did not look like his parents, and he began to wonder about his past. Where had he come from? How had he arrived here? Were their more creatures in the world like him, and if so, where were they hiding?

Chew Bear pushed these thoughts from his mind, at least for the time being, so that he could enjoy his new life. Chacha and Chaka new that this young age was a very crucial point in Chew Bear’s life and decided that they would allow him to explore various activities and that they would enroll him in a local school so that he could learn and make friends. So, one Monday morning, they awoke Chew Bear bright and early, handed him a book bag and a sack lunch, and drove him to his first day of school……..

To be continued…..

**To find out more about Chew Bear’s time at school and his favorite activities, be sure to continuously check our blog!