My First Trip to Charleston

Hello friends! I have gotten a little behind on my writing, I know. It's very hard for bears to get motivated to write in the winter, because we are supposed to be hibernating! Sometimes I just get so, so sleepy, and then, I just go right to sleep on the keyboard in the middle of my blog post! This snowy weather just makes me want to curl up in a cave of blankets.

But I must tell you about my January adventures, starting with my very first trip to Charleston, the capital of West Virginia!

It was a very long trip from Martinsburg, but I got my shut-eye in along the way. We went to Charleston for something called the State of the State address. That is when all of the people who make the laws for West Virginia (the state senators and delegates) get together, and the governor (he is the gentleman who is in charge of the government in our state) gives a special speech on what he wants to accomplish this year. It was also special because he was going to recognize Mrs. Sponaugle during his speech!

In the purse I go, to my first appearance in Charleston!

I felt very excited and knew I had to be on my very best little black bear behavior. I also hoped my fur looked neat and straight for all the cameras that would be taking pictures.

When I saw our capitol building for the first time, I couldn't believe my eyes! It was so beautiful, like a palace! The dome (top) of the building is covered in something called gold guild, and the capitol is made of marble from all over the country and world! There are also sparkly chandeliers hanging from the ceiling that are as dazzling as the sun!

That's the capitol...brrr it was cold that night!

This chandelier weighs 4,000 pounds and lights as well as 15,000 candles!

Here I am in the Delegates Chamber, waiting for the State of the State to start! 

Well, we got seated and waited patiently for the State of the State address (that's another word for speech, by the way) to begin. When Governor Tomblin started speaking about Mrs. Sponaugle, she stood up and everyone in the entire chamber started clapping! It sounded like thunder! For a minute, I thought it was thunder, because I felt some raindrops under my eyes. Then I realized they were just my own little black bear tears, because I felt so proud of Mrs. Sponaugle.

Here I am with Mrs. Sponaugle and her husband after the speech. 

We walked over to the Senate Chamber, just to take a peek. That chandelier is made of 10,000 pieces of rock crystal! Whoa!

After the address, we met a lot of people who told Mrs. Sponaugle congratulations. We shook hands (and paws) with many of the senators and delegates. Then we met a very special person. His name is Woody Wilson, and he is a Medal of Honor recipient. He was a soldier in World War II, and fought in a very important battle called Iwo Jima. I felt  honored to meet him. He gave us a special coin to remember him and all of the people who protect our country.

Here I am with Mrs. Sponaugle and Woody Wilson. That's a state of the late Senator Robert Bryd, who did a lot of special things for the people in our state.

The coin from Woody Wilson.

I was very tired by the time we were back in the hotel room. I went right to sleep.

Zzzzzzzz...

The next morning, we had to get up early to go back to the capitol! This was because Mrs. Sponaugle was going to give a speech herself, and some very nice people were going to give her money and a car to use because she is the teacher of the year. There were so many cameras and people in that little room, but Mrs. Sponaugle seemed very calm, calmer than me! I was glad that I wasn't the one who had to say something. It did make me feel special when Mrs. Sponaugle mentioned me in her speech and how we were going to help kids learn about our state and country. But I still stayed quiet, because I wasn't sure how I felt about all those cameras.

She really kept her cool up there. Those flowers on her dress make me think of rhododendrons (and spring)! The gentleman standing beside her is Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. 

Then we went outside, and all the camera people took pictures of the car and asked Mrs. Sponaugle questions. Suddenly someone said, "Hey, where's Berkeley?! Let's get some pictures with Berkeley!"

I was going to let Mrs. Sponaugle have this moment to herself, but she insisted that I be a part of this special attention, too. The flash bulbs made me squint, and all I could do was nod my head when a reporter asked if I was excited to travel with the teacher of the year, but you know what? I kind of liked it! I felt very special, like a movie star or a president - or a teacher. Because teachers are as important as movie stars and presidents, you know.

Hello, everyone! I'm Berkeley!

These are the nice people who gave Mrs. Sponaugle her awards.

Then it was off to sign a few papers and head home. I was super sleepy after all of this fun, so I buckled up and took a nap in the back seat, and dreamed about my next adventure.

See you soon!

 Until next time...