A very good friend... and a couple of bears...

This weekend we were lucky to have our long-time friend Craig here for an overnight stay.  He lives in Massachusetts now so we don't get to see him very often.  He counts teddy bear making among his MANY MANY talents.  Mike and I met him many years ago when I first started collecting teddy bears.  His bear "Merlot" was the very first artist-made teddy I bought.

We had fun last night looking at all my bears - most of them are his handiwork!  He could see the progression of his work over the years, and he talked about how he has changed his patterns and stuffings and eyes and noses and ears and paw pads and length of arms and legs - quite an evolutionary process!  He loves antique bears (and all things antique!) so of course that is the look he tries to achieve in his bears. 

The two bears he is holding in the photo are the two "best" examples of his bears - according to him.  I love them all, but he is the expert on all things teddy bear!  He is right, these two are really special...

We have been invited to stay at his home outside of Boston for a week this summer while he and his family are on vacation in California.  I can't wait to see the house.  He worked on it for 2 years and it is full of antiques and goodies!  He has already given us suggestions for day-trips and restaurants.  All we have to do is feed the dog and walk her once in the morning and once at night!  A pretty good trade don't you think?

Have a great day!