Travelin' Teddies

SATW (Society of American Travel Writers) Central States Chapter, with Build-a-Bear Workshop, has an educational program called Travelin' Teddies. There are three dozen bears, each associated with an elementary classroom, traveling around the country with SATW members. Mrs. Kysar's class named their bear Teddy and he went with me to New Mexico. While he was there, he met Oso, the official New Mexico Adventure Bear. And, thanks to Oso's creator, Jill Lane, Oso now lives in Oklahoma. The photos of Oso and Teddy were taken at Jill's place, Elkhorn Lodge, near Chama. Oso will hold down the fort in Edmond while Teddy goes to Florida with me. It's going to be a tight squeeze because we're flying on one of those airlines that charges for the first checked bag. I'm trying to get everything in a backpack and a small carry-on. We'll see how that works but I think I'm going to hear some serious growling from Teddy.

My, Oh My, Oh Manchester

Manchester, England, was the queen city of the industrial revolution. It's amazing the mechanical devices and scientific discoveries that came from here. If I'd toured the Museum of Science and Industry, I could tell you all about them. Instead, I visited the Dr. Who exhibit! Today Manchester is a commercial, retail and sports hub and a great place to visit. Solid, substantial buildings, monuments to manufacturing glory (but with the flourishes and embellishments that herald economic power) stand next to avant-garde architectural extravagances that signal Twenty-first century success. This is a great town for walking and exploring. It also has lots and lots of trees and beautiful flowers. I've never seen such happy begonias. The city's so on top of what's in that they even have a shop named "Oklahoma." I'm so pleased that we came here for the Society of American Travel Writers convention. What a great choice!