Mum's house

It is a matter of course that a bear, at the outset of an undertaking of some note, will check in with his Mum. My own Mum lives in the Connecticut River Valley, so I headed east out of the Berkshires; I was fortunate enough to get a ride from Great Barrington to Springfield, and with a bit of a hike from there I arrived at her house to find her tending her garden and babysitting for my young nephew.

Out of the hills

Although I had hoped to see some of my family and friends, I knew I needed to move on before I succumbed to drowsiness and the urge to stop in for the winter. I had another visit planned, so I packed my bags and headed down from the mountains; I naturally made a brief foray for provisions on my way through town.

On bears and literacy

I spent the following days hiking in the area , pausing for snacks on the old stone walls. I was on the lookout for indigenous uncultured bears, who sometimes take a dim view of my sub-species, but they too must have been preparing for winter. I don't believe they watch much football, but they do seem to appreciate a full larder as much as the rest of us. In the evening I read in the library; my family has long prided itself on a degree of literacy seldom seen in ursine society.

The old homestead

I found myself headed in the general direction of our ancestral home in western Massachusetts. I hoped to see my grandbears and some of my cousins, but soon realized that everyone was out stocking up for a winter of napping and watching football on TV. I signed the guestbook with a note and settled in for a quiet day or two.

Louis Edmund Bear by the "rude bridge that arched the flood" , Concord, Massachusetts

I am compelled to interrupt my narrative

to remind you to

* VOTE *

Familiar paths

We meandered through New England, enjoying the fall weather and scenery. I had often travelled this region as a cub, visiting family and friends; my mother was a Boyd, originally from Pennsylvania but transplanted generations ago to the Massachusetts Berkshires. Bears and Boyds are scattered throughout the northeast, and occasionally they hold family reunions, which frequently involve large amounts of pizza and so are memorable to impressionable youngsters.

Au revoir

Autumn was fast approaching and I didn't want to get swept up in the inertia cool weather brings for bears in New England, so I knew the time for my departure was at paw. I gave my notice to LLBean, said my fond farewells to LLBear, and found a ride south with friends.