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The Adventures of

Stripe

the Well-Travelled Bug.

 I'm Stripe!

Hi! My name is Stripe. You can see why.

I live in England. Well, most of the time, anyway. I travel a lot; I've had many adventures and have visited far and exotic places. And I haven't stopped! I go on trips all the time. It's a really big world out there, and I'm only a small bug!

I have lots of photos from my adventures. Would you like to see them?

You might also want to read a word from my people...

I arrive at my home

OK. Here's my story. A boy called Eric has a ladybird (ladybug) he likes a lot. Her name is Polka Dot. One day, Eric's mommy asked Eric what he thought they should send Aunt Lisa for her birthday. Well, he couldn't imagine what anyone could possibly want more than their very own Polka Dot, and he said so. Eric's mommy saw the wisdom of this, and she came and found me at a shop in Maine. (That's where I lived then.) She put me in a box and wrapped me and sent me to Aunt Lisa in England. I knew it was a really long way, across the ocean and everything, but I wasn't afraid. I brought lots of little bug-sized books to read during the trip. Also I took some naps.
Opening the box Opening the box (65 KB). Anyway, that's me in the box. Aunt Lisa is on the phone with Eric while she opens the box where I'm waiting (but she doesn't know I'm there yet). Gosh, Aunt Lisa needs a haircut.
Hello! Hello! (58 KB). Wheee! I'm out of the box now, and I'm meeting Aunt Lisa and Uncle Mike for the first time. We're going to have lots of fun, I'm sure of it!

Travels in Scotland

I'd hardly even arrived before we all went to Scotland on holiday. I was so excited!
Photographer Photographer (102 KB). Scotland is a beautiful place. Here's me, taking a picture.
Tourist information Tourist information (57 KB). Now I'm helping Aunt Lisa get tourist information.
On the ferry On the ferry (65 KB). This is me on a ferry. I'm keeping Aunt Lisa's seat for her (that's her jacket). We're going from Harris back to the island of Skye.
Brrrr! Brrrr! (63 KB). Later I got cold, so Aunt Lisa let me ride in her pocket. Scotland doesn't get very hot, not even in the summer. But it stays light out until almost 11:00 at night! It's very difficult for a little bug to go to sleep when it's still light out, I can tell you.
At the wheel At the wheel (86 KB). Everyone has to help out. I took a turn at the wheel. I ought to be better at driving than humans, because I have extra arms and legs, but to be honest, my feet don't reach the pedals.
Navigating Navigating (68 KB). I also helped navigate. I like maps. Right now I'm just checking out where we've been.
Where's Stripe? Where's Stripe? (69 KB). Whoops! I put myself away with the map!
Tea Tea (50 KB). I like to have a nice cup of tea in the afternoons.
Chocolates Chocolates (73 KB). Aunt Lisa got some chocolates for her birthday. Yummy, yummy, yummy! ...Oh oh! I've been caught!
Good night Good night (52 KB). Whew! I'm tired! It's been an exciting trip!

Safari in the back garden

One October day that was particularly beautiful and sunny, I decided to go have an adventure in the jungle. I went on safari to the deep, dangerous, dark wilderness of...the back garden!
Lunch Lunch (56 KB). After I finished my lunch, of course. Pizza, yum yum!
Into the jungle Into the jungle (138 KB). Bravely our hero sets forth into the wild jungle!
Surrounded by jungle Surrounded by jungle (125 KB). Immediately I find myself in thick, choking leaves! How will I ever find my way out again?
A rose A rose (54 KB). Whew, I found my way out of the thick jungle. And look at what I found! The most beautiful flowers!

Trip to Cambridge

Aunt Lisa had to go work in Cambridge (that's Cambridge, England) for the weekend. Her company has an office there. Uncle Mike came along to see Cambridge. I stowed away in his luggage so I could see it too!
St John's College St John's College (96 KB). Cambridge is beautiful! It has lots of colleges, most of which have been around for hundreds of years. The buildings are very old and look like castles. This is one that I really liked. Doesn't it look like a castle?
Bridge of Sighs Bridge of Sighs (101 KB). Isn't this a pretty little bridge? It connects two buildings over this tiny little river. (One of the buildings is the one from the last picture--the one that looks like a castle.) People ride boats up and down the river. You can just see a boat coming under the bridge now.

I meet a cat
A cat! A cat! (59 KB). What's this? A cat! I've never met a cat before! I wonder if he will be friends with me? ...Whoops, I think I've woken him up!
Let's play! Let's play! (78 KB). Wheeee! This is a fun game! Look out, you, I'm going to tickle your tummy!
Friends Friends (81 KB). We're pals now. Hey everyone, meet my friend Oliver!

Christmas in England

Hooray! It's Christmas! I don't actually know what Christmas is because this is my first one, but it sounds like fun! I have to help Aunt Lisa and Uncle Mike get ready.
Decorating the tree Decorating the tree (97 KB). I'm helping to decorate the tree. Where should I put this bauble, do you think? How about right here?
I'm a decoration! I'm a decoration! (154 KB). Hee hee, I'm pretending to be a decoration! Shhh! Don't tell! I want to see if they can find me here!

...Hey, I think I look pretty good here. Maybe I should stay here!
Presents under the tree Presents under the tree (121 KB). I'm helping to put the presents under the tree. What could all these things be? Are any of them for ME? This is fun! Let's have Christmas every day!
I'm a present! I'm a present! (67 KB). Look, look, I'm a present! Don't I look nice in this bow?
Is this better? Is this better? (68 KB). Wait, do I look better like this? I think I match the bow better this way. Hee hee! Pretty good trick, huh! ...Oops, Mike's family is here! Time to go!
Wrapping paper Wrapping paper (76 KB). Everyone has opened their presents. What a great pile of paper! Wanna play in it?
A dog! A dog! (74 KB). Wow, Mike's sister brought a dog! I've never met a dog before! His name is Simon. Isn't he nice to let me sit on his back like this?
Fishing Fishing (91 KB). I'm playing with a chocolate fishing game. Look, I think I caught one!

Holiday in Florida (and I meet Eric!)

Aunt Lisa's family all live in America. (That's where Eric lives, remember.) So Aunt Lisa and Uncle Mike, and Mike's mum Val and Arnie all went to Florida to have a second Christmas with Aunt Lisa's family. The flight to Florida was really long, but I slept through most of it so it was OK.

Florida is a funny place to have Christmas, because there's no snow, and there are palm trees. Wait a minute, there wasn't any snow in England either, and we have palm trees too!

Oh well, never mind. Do you get snow at Christmas where you live? Isn't it pretty? Of course if you're only a small bug, pretty soon it's over the top of your head!
Dipping a toe Dipping a toe (75 KB). The house we stayed at had a pool! It was December but the pool looked so nice, I dipped my toe in it anyway. Brrr! It was cold!
Eric Eric (53 KB). It was only a few days after we got there that Eric came to Florida with his mommy and daddy, and I finally got to meet him! We're friends now. I got to meet Polka Dot, too, but she's not in this photo. We all went to SeaWorld together the next day.
Lunchtime! Lunchtime! (70 KB). We had lunch at SeaWorld. I'm only a small bug, though, so I shared. I couldn't eat a whole lunch by myself!
Manatees Manatees (48 KB). The thing I liked best at SeaWorld was the manatees. Have you ever seen them? I was so amazed, I pressed my face up against the tank until everyone else said it was time to go.
Playing in the sand Playing in the sand (84 KB). A few days later, we all went to Epcot together. Eric played in the sand with me on the way there. He's a good friend.
Hitching a ride Hitching a ride (78 KB). Whew! Epcot is huge! A bug's legs get tired really easily. Eric let me ride in the stroller with him so I could rest.
I'm a hat! I'm a hat! (83 KB). Later on, Arnie let me ride on his head like a hat. Everyone is nice and plays with me.
My own ride My own ride (53 KB). I don't think Eric ever gets tired. Sometimes I was tired even though he wasn't. I would ride in the stroller by myself then. I even remembered to wear my seat belt!
Sunbathing Sunbathing (70 KB). The next day I went to the beach with Val and Arnie. I like to lie on a deck chair and just soak up the sun. It's so nice and warm!
Help! Help! (101 KB). I went for a walk with Uncle Mike and Aunt Lisa along the beach. Sometimes the waves come in really fast!

Help! Save me!
Ahhhh, tea Ahhhh, tea (41 KB). Every morning when we got up, we'd have a nice cup of tea. Ahhh!

Did you know that I'm actually originally English? Even though I came from Maine, Uncle Mike noticed that my tag said I was born in Harrogate in England. I don't remember it; I was too little then. But that would explain why I like tea so much!
Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center (74 KB). We all went to Kennedy Space Center. That's where the Space Shuttle takes off. We went on the tour. I'm looking out the tour bus window, waiting for the tour to start. I'm excited! I'd like to be an astrobug someday!
Stripezilla! Stripezilla! (49 KB). Graaarrh! Stripezilla menaces the launch pad! Run screaming! Save yourselves! Muhahahahaaaaa!
Laptop Laptop (55 KB). Aunt Lisa brought her laptop. That was good because I got to use it too. I'm a busy bug, you know. Lots to do! Plus I can type with all six hands at once. Well, maybe they're feet. Anyway, I can type really fast.
Phone call Phone call (65 KB). Gotta make a phone call! Won't be a minute! I'm a busy bug!
Wake up! Wake up! (62 KB). Eric...Eric...! Wake up! C'mon, let's go play!

Germany adventure
My seat My seat (84 KB). Wow, Germany! Aunt Lisa and Uncle Mike rented a car and went out to look at the countryside. I rode between them, in the cupholder. It was just the right size for a little bug.
The Rhine The Rhine (69 KB). I'm looking at the Rhine River. It's big and nearly flooding right now. Beautiful in the morning, isn't it?
Vineyard Vineyard (136 KB). All along the Rhine valley there are vineyards. There are just rows and rows of grapevines. Impressive, aren't they? What do you suppose they'd look like in spring, covered in leaves and flowers? Or in summer, with bunches of grapes? Maybe I should come back to see!
A castle A castle (94 KB). I'm sitting on the bank of the Rhine, looking across the river at a beautiful old castle and the town below it. Isn't this nice? I could just sit here all day watching the river-boats go by.
Climbing a tree Climbing a tree (125 KB). I was distracted by all these trees. Gotta climb one! Wheee! Up I go! I can see my house from here! C'mon up!
Ruined castle Ruined castle (107 KB). Late in the afternoon, we came to this ruined castle. It's so old, I can barely imagine it. Why, this place had already been ruined for hundreds of years when my great-great-great-great-grandbug was alive!

Visit to the Peaks
Tower Tower (87 KB). We found this tower. It's on top of a big hill. We could see for miles! Can you see me? I'm in one of the windows.
Uncle Mike Uncle Mike (84 KB). Meet Uncle Mike!
Stone wall Stone wall (62 KB). England is full of stone walls. I'm sitting on one now.
Stile Stile (94 KB). Oh, what a beautiful day! The sun is going down now and everything is turning golden. We've been out exploring. Do you see this big stone wall? How do you suppose you get to the other side of it? Well, they've cleverly built these steps right into it! Even a little bug can get to the other side.
In the maze In the maze (94 KB). We went to a huge house called Chatsworth. It had a maze! But the maze is made out of bushes, if you can imagine it! The bushes are so tall, even Uncle Mike can't quite see over them. So, when we got good and lost in the maze, they lifted me up to the top of the hedge. Sitting up there, on top, I can see the way out! Hey, go left, guys!
The Cascade The Cascade (112 KB). At Chatsworth they also have the most amazing fountains. There's one that is like stairs, going hundreds of feet down an enormous hillside. The water runs down the whole thing! It's only a quarter-inch deep or so. The splashing sound was irresistible! My eyes were as big as dinner-plates! Everywhere there were children playing in it--running across it and splashing happily. I wanted to play too!

Just hanging around

I don't travel all the time, you know. Sometimes we just have fun at home. Here are some photos from our good times at home.
Pesky Stripe! Pesky Stripe! (47 KB). Look what I found! A Thornton's mint bar! These things are really good! ...Hmm, is anyone looking?
Reading Reading (59 KB). Whew! I'm tired. Time to relax with a book. Do you like stories?

A word from my people

All of this just goes to show what lengths otherwise (apparently) sane and rational adults will go to, in order to amuse a 3-year-old.

The thing is, once you get started, it builds its own momentum. It began simply enough: Hey, we're going to Scotland; let's bring Stripe and take some photos. Before you know it, he's showing up in someone's luggage wherever you go. You find yourselves giggling together like idiots about what you could make Stripe do.

Other tourists look at you funny.

People you know get into the spirit of things. You go into a room to find that Stripe has apparently done things that you didn't help him do. Everyone contributes ideas and the whole thing snowballs.

Where will it all end? We don't know. Eric is growing up all the time, though, and someday he won't have time for stuffed ladybirds any more. I guess we'd better get as much giggling in as possible, while we can.
Copyright © 2002 Lisa Nelson. Last Modified: 2 November 2002 (content); 13 April 2002 (page) Back to Top
All pictures on this page remain the property of the people who took them (namely, either me or Mike).