Hug a Bear

We have a Facebook friend who is an awesome photographer and most of her shots are from around Cade’s Cove in Eastern Tennessee. My hubby and I have visited the Cove many times and it’s like a wildlife preserve with the animals just meanering though the fields and woods.

Faye loves taking pictures of the bear families, she even gave them names! When it gets ready to close the Cove area due to snow, she will post how she will miss her bears but come spring she will be right back with them.

I decided to send her a little gift so she could hug a bear when she wasn’t with them. I looked through her pictures trying to pick out one from the hundreds of her masterpiece photos. I had it narrowed down to these two and I finally found the perfect one! I loved the tender kiss that baby bear was giving mama bear and it was perfect for Faye to hug when she wasn’t with her bear family.

To make my photo pillows I have a special fabric sheet I run through my printer to make a copy of what I am printing. The back of the pillow is soft and huggable Minky fabric.

What I didn’t know was the name of the bears in the picture I decided to use. I found out after Faye received her pillow that mama bear is Laura and she is with Daniel, one of her three cubs. Daniel is also the one that always comes closest to Faye when she’s viewing the bears. Daniel was named after Faye’s brother who passed away last year. When I sent the pillow to Faye, I wrote that she now had a bear to hug when she can’t get to the Cove. I never realized she would also be hugging the pillow and thinking of memories of her brother.

We both agreed that fate was the reason I choose that picture and maybe her brother was sending a message down from heaven also.

Cade’s Cove is an 11 mile loop road with old buildings, trails, animals and just rare beauty. It’s like a step back in time. These are a few shots I took with my phone on one of the visits to Cade’s Cove. https://smokymountains.com/park/cades-cove/scenic-drive/ If you enjoy nature you’ll want to visit Faye’s Facebook page, it’s more than awesome! Cade’s Cove is also full of history, if in the area of North Carolina or Tennessee it’s definitely worth the drive through the winding back roads to a little slice of heaven on earth. https://www.facebook.com/EnteringCadesCove/