When the Bear Laughed at Grandma

Can you imagine a playful bear? We are going to call this one Timothy. While his brothers and sisters were catching fish in the stream and learning where the best berries grow, Timothy lay beside the brook smiling at the fish and playing with the buzzing bee. But … you know that Timothy had to eat … so he wandered around the campground looking for food he was sure someone would leave out for him.

One night Grandma and Tricia made camp at Mineral King and none of their neighbors had heard of Timothy, so they said no bears would come. Grandma, however, put some pots and pans on top of the fruit she left on the table … just in case a bear came in the night and she would hear him take the fruit. As they said “Good night,” they tied three of the strings on the tent door in lovely little bow knots.

Well … Timothy loved fruit and he was hungry … so, he quietly sneaked up to the table and took a red juicy peach … Clatter!!! Clatter went the pans. Grandma sat up in bed … (but Tricia slept on). In her haste to frighten the bear away, Grandma stuck her head through the tent door between two of the tied strings and pulled them into hard knots. She spotted Timothy with the tell take peach juice dripping from his chin. She shouted, but he was having fun and just laughed while stuffing a plum and a nectarine into his mouth. (And Tricia slept on)

Grandma was furious!!! She couldn’t move. Her head was out of the tent and she was on her hands and knees with her body in the tent. The bear was happily eating her food. (And Tricia slept peacefully on) Grandma’s hand touched a shoe inside the tent. Ah Ha!!! Something to throw! By pulling up the bottom of the tent, even in her position on all fours, Grandma threw her blue sneaker and hit Timothy in the back of his head and he grabbed another peach, and looked back and laughed. (And Tricia slept on).

In the morning Grandma and Tricia looked for the shoe but it could not be found. One of the nearby campers, however, had a strange story of seeing a laughing bear laying beside the stream with his legs in the air. One foot was a blue woman’s tennis shoe. … Now Tricia was wide awake and she and Grandma laughed too!!!

This story has been shared for years and years around the campfire with the family. Memories can last a lifetime and impact generations as our children are still hearing this story and loving it two generations later. These stories are true stories from the 50s and 60s, written by my Great-Grandma.