No rest for the wicked

It's been a busy few weeks for the tribe. First Grandpa Big Bear and Grandma White Dove travelled the path of the falcon to come visit. During their stay the tribe and the elders took a journey to the land of sauerkraut and Oktoberfest, and had a wonderful time exploring the flowing waters there (translation: a long weekend in Germany on the Rhine River). Little Cub had his second birthday just before the trip, and celebrated with a party for family and friends afterwards. By that time, Grandad Sacred Vine and Granny Eagle Eye had arrived, so the teepee was bursting at the seams with loved ones.

Little Cub had enjoyable, looooong birthday celebrations. On the day, he got a shiny new bike (in line with all the other native young animals here in Holland) and had a lunch of mini pancakes dusted with powdered sugar. He decided the pancakes were surplus to requirements, though, and stuck with pinches of the sugar, knocked back with what was left of Mommy Dancing Spirit's bottle of Pepsi. She'd already lost her Mother of the Year nomination ages ago, so this nutrition-void meal didn't bother her in the least. His current teeth are only temporary, after all.

The next day we took off for our adventure into the German hills, complete with hour-long traffic jams, low oil levels in the rental car, and Daddy Big Chief staying remarkably calm throughout it all. Maybe it was the prospect of a nice big stein of beer at the end of it that kept him going. The elders and MDS (Mommy Dancing Spirit) acquired a new level of appreciation for German Reisling wines, aided by the fact that the hotel owner had his own vineyard and sold his goodies right on our doorstep. Ohhhhh, the temptation. And did we resist? Heck no! Even Little Cub was given a bottle of wine just for him. The tribal elders all agree it's a very nice drink for a small animal, but doesn't have nearly the fun elements as the vino designed for them.

Little Cub's birthday party was a raging success, and MDS was oh-so-relieved to have done all the cooking weeks before and depending on her freezer to keep it all safe. There were 17 adults and 6 children who showed up, and all plowed their way through the buffet pasta bar and sweet goodies, raving about things made by both MDS and her partner-in-crime, Auntie Mad Hatter. Little Cub finally got to enjoy his German wine, complete with Cub-sized wine glass. He felt very grown up being able to 'Cheers!' with Daddy Big Chief, then throwing it back like a pro. There was even a resurrection of Great-Grandmother Sparrow's famous white cookies, for which there is great demand in these parts of the world now. Her spirit continues to soar!

On the last day of GBB (Grandpa Big Bear) and GWD (Grandma White Dove) visit, the whole tribe went to a monkey zoo in a nearby national park. Little Cub was loving having the smaller monkeys so close .... and some of them were just a little too interested in Little Cub for the adults' comfort! All was good though, and the tribe got to explore their wild side in beautiful settings.

Our tribe is reaching the end of this busy period of visitor-entertaining, and will return to 'normal' next week when Grandad Sacred Vine and Granny Eagle Eye return to their land. It's been a wonderful rush of absolute mania for us, and the relative peace and tranquility of our usual mundane routine will be a breath of fresh air .... for a while, anyway. Until we start to crave the insanity once again.

You can see pictures of the festivities on the links below. Much love to all until next time ....

Germany
Birthday Boy