I LOVE this time of the year.  These are roses from my garden.  We have the store full of gardening supplies from England.   I am reminded of my wonderful trip to the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

If you don’t have our book about Clarence going to the Chelsea Flower Show, now is a good time to give one as a gift or buy one for yourself.

Many of the NEW 2011 STEIFF Animals and Bears are in STOCK.   I have put some on my online store.

Just Click on SHOP at the top of this page.   If you have a special request give us a call.  415 456 1333.

I just got back from Kauai.  I made a quick trip to fly my grand daughter Cali over to see her friends.   This is her friend Emma.

What fun to be 10, in Hawaii, with your best friend.

My trip to Egypt is the book  “Journey Up The Nile”.  It is told from the perspective of Reginald.   It does seem a bit unusual to take a Teddy bear on a trip,  especially a 100 year old, very valuable Steiff Teddy Bear.   It turns out that a Teddy bear is a great way to make instant friends wherever you go.   The Egyptians loved him.   You can read all about this extraordinary trip in the book, “Journey Up the Nile”.

That’s me on the camel, a real camel.   You can see Reginald/Reggie  the Teddy hanging out of the Ghurka Backpack.  Even the camel was interested in seeing Reggie.

We always have interesting things from Egypt in our store inventory.

This is a small window display to celebrate the Fourth of July and Teddy Roosevelt.    One of Teddy Roosevelts last adventures was a trip to to the Amazon Rainforest.    We have a fabulous book about this adventure called “River of Doubt”. This is a paper back book that makes a good Father’s Day Present.   “A Bully Father” is another fabulous book.  It is a reprint of an antique book which has all of Teddy Roosevelt’s letters to his children.   I think  you can guess that I am a huge Teddy Roosevelt fan.   I will put these books on our website Store.

I always take my Ghurka Backpack on my travels.  It is just the right size.  When I went to Africa to do the book, “Safari, My Trip to Africa” with Reggie the Steiff Bear, I took him in the Ghurka Backpack.  After I published the book, on a whim, I sent a copy to  Steiff, asking them if they wanted to make a replica of the Bear Reggie.   Much to my delight, they said yes.  Then I started  to worry about the Ghurka Backpack.  I wondered if I was going to get in trouble for using the backback in the book with the logo clearly visible.   I  had already gotten a letter from Ralph Lauren for using one of his cups on one of my greeting cards.

So,  I wrote  a letter to Ghurka and sent them a book.   Next thing I know Marley Hodgson arrives at Susan’s Store Room.   He loves the book and buys them for his employees.  I was thrilled to meet him. When Steiff produced the Reggie Bear, Ghurka sold backbacks to Steiff for their luxury edition of the Steiff Reggie.

If that wasn’t enough…..The Steiff Reggie Bear appeared in the window of the Ghurka Store on Post Street in downtown San Francisco.   One day I was walking down Post Street and looked in the Ghurka window and there was Reggie.

Ghurka also produced a limited edition scarf with illustrations from the Safari Book.  Mary Jo Koch, my good friend, did all the illustrations in all four books.  She worked with Ghurka to produce the Scarf.  It is fabulous but no longer available.

Minor holds a boa found in the garden.

Susan makes a friend.

Brian, owner of The Encanta La Vida, with the baby toucan.

This baby was dropped by a vulture, who had taken it out of a nest.   Minor, the rescuer named him Tyson.

My son the surfer with his girlfriend Cynthia.