T Stands for Forest Puppies

After the train ride, and wandering through the Americana exhibits it was time for

No, not some of Annie's Homemade Apple Crisp, but to see the Forest Puppies! (Bears). This was the attraction I really wanted to see, and why I suggested a trip to Clark's Trading Post.

I just love black bears and relate to them as my animal totem.

This is Echo. She got the mail.

Sat in a swing

Sat on the scale to be weighed

She posed just for me.

As her reward after each trick, she enjoyed a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

This is a younger female named Thula

Thula raised a flag

And because she's still young in her training, she decided she didn't want to play any more. The trainer was able to redirect her and tempt her with ice cream.

Thula had a beautiful butterfly blaze on her chest

While I enjoyed watching the bears I was bothered by the fact the bears are being exploited. And me watching the bears also exploiting them. I know the hours it must take to train the bears to raise a flag or getting the mail. It's obvious the Clark's are very fond of their bears. The bears are usually brought to them as orphan cubs. These cubs wouldn't be able to survive in the wild without their mother. Bears in the wild don't live long lives while Clark's bears have lived well into their 30s. Obviously, the bears are well cared for. I think I would rather have seen the bears doing bear things in a natural habitat rather than riding a scooter in a circus ring.

After the day at Clark's we stopped for dinner on the way back at an Applebees in Littleton, NH. Littleton is famous as the hometown of author, Eleanor H. Porter (1868 - 1920) and best remembered for her novel, Pollyanna (1913). The restaurant had a lovely, postcard mural painted in the lobby.  I found out later, there's a bronze statue of Pollyanna in the center of the town. Maybe on the next trip up, we can stop in the center of town to see the statue.

I forgot to take pictures of dinner. I had an unsweetened, ice tea with lemon. It would have looked something like this.

ICAD 2015, Nbr. 56

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.