Meanwhile, back in the Panda House, Mei is trying to juggle room assignments, head off fights between Six and Sebben and well, anyone else there, and keep Josie happy while keeping Frank and Mikey out of her way. Whew! I’d say she has her paws full.
Hold onto your boo shoots. I think this summer is going to get crazy between indictments and panda room assignments.
Be the Bear!
Bob T never been indicted Panda
Hey everyone, friends to bears and all. Popping in on a Friday with a sad announcement. I just learned that my dear friend, friend to bears, and especially friend to Princess Pinky Bao Bao has departed from this world.
Judy Young was among the first of the panda people I met IRL when I stepped out from behind the ‘toons to go to the National Zoo to meet the real life panda fans for the first time in 2012. Tai Shan had already moved to China. Pinky Bao Bao had not yet been born. I remember coming to the zoo, going to the Panda House and Cyndi Anderson picked me out of the crowd with her innate panda sense.
Judy was among the people who I met that day, there in the back room at Lillie’s restaurant, just beyond the gates of the zoo. In the 11 years since we met, Judy has been a staunch supporter of all my creative pursuits. She hosted me several times when I visited DC. She was an extremely talented photographer, and like the panda whisperer Mollie Rivera, had an unerring instinct for soulful photographs of our beloved bears.
The real world is a little poorer today. I am reminded that life can be short. That we never know when our last chance to tell someone how much they mean to us and how much they have added to our life. I am reminded that I have one last person in my corner, having been so careless as to let them slip off the earth with no word of farewell.
I hate that the pandemic years robbed me of almost 3 years of seeing my friends at zoos around the country and the world. I’m mad that I won’t get to see her when I hope to visit our pandas one last time before they go to China. I’m sad she won’t have another chance to go to China and see the pandas.
Fuck cancer.
If you feel like it, please feel free to share your thoughts and memories of Judy Young in the comments. I know I’m not alone in being devastated at the news that she is gone.
Panda on
Bob T Panda
Oh yes…As we return to our previous story…let’s see…Josie arrived looking for her cub Pookie. Pookie and Bikkie did not want to be separated, so somebody (who knows who…maybe Bikkie?) invited Josie to move in too. We’ll see how long that lasts. Lun Lun snuck out with Yang Yang after Ya Ya’s goodbye party, leaving Six and Sebben behind.
Fortunately, construction was completed on Pinky’s penthouse suite (hey, it’s fiction!) in advance of scheduled completion, so looks like there is room for everyone! As usual, Mei Xiang must make everything work and keep everything from falling into chaos.
I’ve been writing a little Inner Panda Diary over at my Substack home. You could check it out.
Also, I have procrastinated getting these original watercolors from The Panda Cub Swap posted. Rather than bombard you with all of them, all at once, I thought it might be easier to post them in groups.
This group is the small spot illustrations that appear in a double page spread in the book. They are each $95 including US postage. Outside the US (if anyone is interested) postage will be at cost. International shipping has gone up, so be forewarned. If you are interested, use the Contact Me page, and identify the painting by number.
The individual paintings are all about 4″x6″ ish, and are matted at 6″x8″
Be the Bear!
Bob T my house is still standing after the fireworks Panda
After all that folderol of TFG’s arrest and all the blathering he and the rest of the GQP are doing, I think we need something light and fluffy.
We are not even close to be out of the soup, not by a long shot, so take two small bears, a cuppycake, and some hot cocoa with little marshmallows, and call me in the morning.
Be the Bear
Bob T on the edge of my seat Panda
I just can’t quit saying it: LORDY THERE ARE TAPES!!!
Can you blame me?
History doesn’t exactly repeat, but it often rhymes…
Be the Bear
Bob T we’ll get back to our other story soon , I promise Panda
Ever since I discovered that Mei Xiang and Lun Lun were half sisters, it opened up all sorts of story lines in the pandasphere. I know Aunty Mei loves her little nieces to death, bless their hearts!
If, like me, you are avoiding all mention of the debt ceiling hoo haa, there is no better distraction than pandas! Turn on the Panda Cam for the 245 hour a day loop!
Be the Bear
BobT the GQP are morons Panda
Surely there is more room in the Panda House
Be the Bear
Bob T is not watching Mittens Town Hall Panda
So as I recall, PPJ showed up, poofed Frank, Mikey, Bikkie, and Pookie into a hot air balloon and off they went. Meanwhile, Josie finally found her way from Alaska to the Panda House at the National Zoo.
Okay! you are caught up.
Meanwhile, Friend to Bears Lucilla suggested that a gathering of pandas to say farewell to Ya Ya as she returns to China would be a fun thing. I immediately pounced (like a cat!) on this as a way to wrap up a story that seemed (like a hot air balloon) to be drifting aimlessly on the breeze.
Maybe don’t stand right under the balloon?
Be the Bear!
Bob T I bet somebody is gonna get grounded Panda
…for all who celebrate!
Sadly, we are destined to be a country without pandas in the next year or two. San Diego’s pandas were sent to China in 2019, and the pandemic, not to mention TFG’s crappy stances on China meant we weren’t going to get a new panda loan agreement any time soon. Noted panda writer Henry Nicholls wrote an opinion piece for CNN about our addiction to domesticated pandas. That might not be quite how he put it, but he does have a point.
Pandas in the wild are different animals, and now it appears there may be some genetic difference between pandas that live in the wild and pandas that grew up on the all you can eat cruise ship model. “Pandas are solitary? Who knew?!!!!” said a group of pandas sitting around the table chowing down on boo shoots while playing Mah Jong.
Any way, now Ya Ya is on her way back to Beijing, alas without Le Le who succumbed to a previously undiagnosed heart ailment.
Stay tuned for further developments!
Be the Bear!
Bob T pass the endless boo buffet Panda
If you haven’t read Henry Nicholls’ The Way of the Panda, you should fix that immediately. It’s a great book about all things pandas, the politics of pandas, and there is a cameo appearance of a ‘toon that was perhaps done by your favorite practitioner of panda satire! My literary claim to fame!
What will happen next?!?!?!?! When will it happen?!?!?! Who knows??????
Be the Bear
Bob T I just got back from Atlanta Panda