(NO PHOTOS THIS WEEK )
When our boys were young we had a family tradition when we went camping in our big old tent. Once everyone got into their sleeping bags I would tell them a Harry Bear story... here are two typical examples
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It was a lazy Summer afternoon and Harry Bear was sitting
under his favorite tree thinking about what he would like to do. He was thinking "maybe I'll make
something." He had lots of wood and metal, and tools...
and could make almost anything he could think of. Just them his best friend Coyote came to
visit. Coyote said - "Do you want
to ride bicycles? We could go see if
their are any ripe apples on the tree by the hill."
While they were talking, Harry took out a chocolate bar and
Coyote said - "I sure wish that I had a chocolate bar too" ...Harry
Bear said - "That's it! I have a great idea for a new invention - you go
check for apples I am going into my workshop."
Later when Coyote rode past the workshop on his bicycle, all he could hear was hammers and saws, power
tools, and electric buzzing - and when he looked in, he gave Harry one of the apples he had just picked. Harry said - "its just finished - I made
my machine!"
So Coyote watched as Happy Bear put a chocolate bar inside a
special door in the machine - and then he pushed a button - the machine went - "Squack
- Growl - Roar - and Pop..." and out the other side came two identical
chocolate bars...!!
Harry Bear said I haven't tested the machine completely but
I think I can duplicate anything - Coyote said - "Lets try an
apple" ... and when Coyote put it
in the machine it went: "Squack - Growl - Roar - and Pop... "and out
came two apples..."Wow", Coyote said, "what will we try next..."
So all afternoon they put toys and tools, books, and T shirts, sandwiches and
cold drinks... and it worked every time.
Finally Coyote said - lets try it with your cat - I always
wanted a cat like yours. However this
time the machine got stuck and it made another cat, then another, and another,
and another... until the workshop was full of cats... Coyote said - "Help
- how can we turn this thing off..." cats and more cats kept coming...
some of them ran out the door and up into trees. Harry Bear took a tool and cut one of the
wires and the machine went - "Squack - Growl - Roar - Pop... and then Spoong"
and it quit ( after releasing one more cat).
Harry Bear's father and mother came running out to see what
was going on - the father said - "Harry, what are you up to now?" But when they saw the cats the parents agreed
that the next job for the boys was to find a good home for all the cats. And that is what Harry Bear and Coyote did
for the next 3 days - until everybody in
town had a cat that looked just like Harry Bear's cat.
Harry said "I quess I need to figure our what went
wrong..." And Coyote agreed - "at least we didn't put a rattle snake
in the machine when it got stuck!"
---
One time Harry Bear and Coyote were just leaning back on the hillside looking at the clouds and the birds go by. Coyote said - "I sure wish that I could fly like a bird! - I bet its beautiful to be up that high - you could see everything!"
Harry thought for a few minutes and then he said - "I think I know how he can do this... We will make a really big kite and fasten a seat to the kite and then fly it from the hilltop. You can be the passenger." Coyote said - "lets get right to work".
So they looked at different designs and decided on a standard kite plan. They got some strong pieces of bamboo and instead of paper they used light weight canvas that was really strong ... They planned the kite to be 6 feet high and the across piece would be 4 feet wide... They spread it all out on the floor of the back patio and fastened everything together really tightly. They even sewed the canvas together to make it super strong. To the front of the kite they fastened an aluminum lawn chair. Then they took all their allowances for the week and went to the store and bought 500 ft, of really strong nylon string. Then to make the kite work better they bent the cross piece and made it bow just enough and tied it with a piece of the nylon string.
So Harry said, "Coyote, are you ready to go?"... Coyote said... "I'm a little scared but it should work just fine." So the next day there was a nice steady wind blowing from the south. Harry and Coyote went to the top of the hill with the kite and Coyote climbed in... Harry let out some string and waited for a gust of wind - and Hurray!!, the kite rose into the air...Higher and higher every minute! Coyote yelled down - this is great I can see all the way to Beavertown and to the Hawk mountain...
Everything worked just fine as long as Harry kept letting out more and more string. Coyote even had remembered to bring his camera and was taking lots of pictures. The only problem came when Harry came to the end of the string. Then the kite started pulling so hard that it lifted Harry Bear off the ground too and he was holding on for dear life as he got lifted higher and higher in the air. Coyote yelled down to Harry - "Help!, do something! - we are going higher and higher." Coyote said "I can't do anything but hold on!"
But then Harry remembered that they had a very smart friend that helped them sometimes . He took out his cell phone and called the Yellow Gorilla. Now the Yellow Gorilla was yellow colored because he was a little messy when he hit hot dogs - which he liked a lot - and he always wiped the yellow mustard on his fur... But he answered his phone and said - "No problem" I can help you.. and he called their friend Roberta Raven - and told her the problem - "Come over here" ,he said "and I will give you something to take to them"... So Roberta flew up and delivered first to Harry and then to Coyote some very old but still good Army surplus parachutes...
Harry said to Coyote " Do you have your parachute on? - Lets jump at the same time... and they did ... and they drifted down just like dandelion fluff and landed in the meadow just above their homes... Coyote said - "Wow that was great!" "Do you suppose we made the kite just a little too big?" " Do you want to try again?" Harry said "Why dont we just go for a nice swim in the river instead...?"
