“I Was A Bear For A Day”

was created especially for

John Ryan Alvis
at the age of 4

With Love From,
Mom and Dad
June 2, 2002


Ryan Alvis just loves to go
camping! Tonight, he will be with
his favorite camping partner, Papaw.

Ryan was so excited when
Papaw helped him set up the
tent in his backyard in Lovelady.
They made lots of sandwiches and
picked out fruit and cookies to eat later.

"Camping in the backyard isn't
a pretend campout when you have a
tent and you sleep overnight, is it?"
Ryan asked. "No." agreed
Cody and John who helped Ryan and Papaw.

The next thing Ryan and Papaw
did was to get out all their
camping gear. They placed the
sleeping bags in the tent and checked
their flashlights. Their canteens
were filled with fresh water,
Ryan and Papaw took turns
with Cody and John, looking
through the new Bass Pro Shops
catalog that had just arrived
in the mail. It was fun selecting
all the things they could take on
their next big campout in the deep
woods. New backpacks, a camp stove,
hiking boots, and even a red canoe were chosen.

Afterwards, Ryan and Papaw
stretched out in front of the tent
with Cody and John to eat their
sandwiches and friut. They
watched the sky turn yellow, red and
orange as the sun set. Soon it was
time for Cody and John to go home.
"Come back for breakfast." Ryan said.

It got very dark. Ryan turned
on his flashlight. Even though Papaw
was with him, Ryan thought
it was scary being outside at night.
he really wasn't sleepy, so they
went into the tent and sat on their
sleeping bags to play a game.

When the game was finished, they
were hungry again. Ryan and Papaw
ate cookies and talked. "What
do you think it would be like to live
outside in the dark woods, like a bear?"
Ryan asked.

"The woods are home to the bears,
just like we have our homes here
in Lovelady." Papaw explained.
Papaw told Ryan about the
homes and eating habits of other animals.

Ryan laughed when they talked
about the different foods humans eat
and whether a bear would like all of
them. Ryan decided he was not afraid
to be outside in the dark anymors.

Ryan didn't remember falling asleep,
but when he opened his eyes, something
was very different! It was now
morning and everything had changed.
The tent was missing and all the
camping gear was gone!

Ryan and Papaw were in the middle
of a forest, next to a river.
They were bears! "This is even
better than a campout," Ryan said.
"Now the forest can be our home."

"If this is our home, where should
we wash up?" Ryan asked. "I suppose
we could use the river," Papaw replied.

They were smiling as they walked
to the river. "Remember, feet first,
first time," they yelled. They counted
to three together and jumped in safely.

After swimming and splashing around,
they looked at themselves and
thought they were clean. However,
the water felt so good, they decided
to swim a little bit longer

While in the water, they noticed
that the banks on either side of the
river looked rather empty. "We could
certainly use some more furniture in
our home." Ryan laughed.

"You're right," Papaw said.
"We should get people to come
and plant trees because bears can't."

Ryan knew that the trees make
fresh air, protect the river banks
and provide homes to birds and other
animals. A tree-planting party would
be fun and also help everyone.

After their swim, Ryan asked,
"Where are we going to find our
breakfast?"
He was one humbry camper!

Papaw answered, "Right here
in the river. Bears scoop fish out of
the water and eat them. Have you seen
pictures in books of bears fishing?"

The two used their paws to swipe
at fish that swam by them. They only
took one trout each, so lots of fish
would be left in the river.

"How are we going to build a fire?"
Ryan asked. "Bears don't cook fish
We eat it raw," Papaw chuckled.

At first they took little bites.
It tasted good to their bear tongues
and felt good in their hungry bear bellies.

Ryan and Papaw ate breakfast,
and talked about campfires.
Humans need to be careful with
fires, so they don't burn down the
woods," Papaw told Ryan.

After breakfast, Ryan saw a log
floating down the river. "Come on."
he said to Papaw. "This can be
a canoe for us." They grabbed the
log and started to float downstream.
"This is a lot of fun!" Ryan exclaimed.
"I like being a bear. I enjoy
the swimming, fishing and floating."

Papaw replied, "If we were people
in a real canoe, we would need to wear
life jackets. Always remember this safety rule."

When they had floated long enough.
Ryan and Papaw let go of the log
and swam to shore. Then they began
to explore everything in the woods.
Ryan saw birds eating berries and
squirrels playing in the trees.

He saw busy bees buzzing around
flowers and a big, sleepy snake
sunning on a rock. All of these
birds, animals and reptiles were his
neighbors. Ryan and Papaw were
careful not to bother them.

"We don't have to worry about
getting lost in the woods because
we're bears," Ryan said. "That's right."
Papaw agreed, "but it is still
a good idea to have a compass
and a map when we go hiking."

Ryan and Papaw talked about the
other things they would need on
further hiking trips. "We should take
a first aid kit with ointment
and bandages. It might also be easier
if we had fishing rods and
reels," Ryan laughed.

Ryan and Papaw were enjoying all
the sights and sounds of nature.
"This is a great place to live." they agreed.

Then they walked to a spot where
some people had camped. Cans, bottles
and papers were on the ground.
Litter makes all the animals
that live in the woods sad.

"This is just like throwing trash in
somebody's living room." Ryan said.
"I'm glad we brought a garbage bag!
We can take this to the recycling
center when we get home."

As Ryan started to pick up the litter.
he heard someone calling his name.
"Ryan! Ryan! Wake up. Ryan,"
the voice said.

Ryan opened his eyes. He saw Cody and John
through the tent opening.

Outside the tent, he could hear
Papaw. "Ryan, get up! Your
pancakes are almost ready."

Ryan realized he had been
dreaming about being a bear! He was
so glad that breakfast would be pancakes
instead of raw fish.

Ryan rushed outside to talk to Cody
and John. "Do you think
you can camp with us next weekend?" he asked.

"I sure hope so," Cody and John answered.
"I know you're ready to be out in the deep
woods and enjoy all the plants
and animals!" Ryan said.

During breakfast, they excitedly
planned their next camping trip.
"We'll have to be very careful when
we build a fire." Ryan sais.
"Also, maybe we can plant some trees
shile we are out there."

Ryan continued, "We should remember to
bring some trash bags to pick up
any litter that we find." It surprised
Cody and John to see that Ryan
knew so much about camping.

Papaw smiled at Ryan and said,"I'm
glad you know it is important to take care of
nature. If everybody helps, we can
make a big difference."

Ryan was pleased that Papaw thought
he would be a good camper. He wanted
to be the kind of camper that bears
would invite to their homes.

Ryan Alvis knew how much fun it was
to be a bear for a day. Everyone should
try it at least one time!

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