DuDu, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

KyoSNOWBALL xiaorou_elf@live.cn Posted Dec 6, 2010, 7:54 am	Hi, I am DuDu. I like having delicious food. Mammy said that I would travel around the world. I am very excited about that. I am ready to start my journey!
LittleCableCars Posted Jan 16, 2011, 12:32 am	Hi, all, I have arrived in San Francisco, California, U.S.A.  Here I am just out of my packaging.  I travelled registered as you can see.  I was so tired after the long trip that my host let me rest.  Soon I was sound asleep dreaming of making snowballs, gambling, and maybe meeting the girl of my dreams. See ya later, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Jan 17, 2011, 2:28 pm	Hi all, We stayed home a few days while my host, Jeanne, read “The Girl with the Dragon tattoo.”  I helped her with her postcard hobby; the top card is from Shanghai!!  We listened to an audio book on iPod.  This is the best part, I was introduced to a little female nutsuke-size  mouse, carved by Jeanne’s friend.  Then we went out on the roof to watch the sunset; there I am walking on the Golden Gate Bridge. Today we are going out to do some very special window shopping; I cant’ wait! Bye for now, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Jan 18, 2011, 3:51 pm	Hi, we went for a walk yesterday.  It was too foggy to show the view but here is the stairway; there are a lot of hills here, can you find me in the photo?  I am lovesick over an unavailable lady mouse goddess in a store window.  Sigh.  We stopped to watch the cable cars turn around and I steered us into a supermarket, we were almost out of cheese. Ciao, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Jan 20, 2011, 7:03 pm	Hey all, The weather has turned warm and sunny so we spent some time out in the sun.  Here I am reading about the visit from the leader of my country to Washington, D.C.  I was introduced to two more lady mice but, to be honest, I think we don’t have much in common as they are cat toys.  My host suggests that I just relax and enjoy some sightseeing and think about playing the field for awhile; I will know it when the right mouse comes along.  Don’t worry about me, Mammy, I’m okay and having a lot of fun; the cat is not allowed near me. See ‘ya, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Jan 25, 2011, 9:13 pm	Howdy from Way Out West, My host took me to the coffee shop where we opened the mail.  There was one postcard showing someone’s original artwork.  Can you see the words?:  “I wish I were a real Pet.  Sam, the plant.”  Well I discussed this with my new friend, see next two pictures, and we both agreed, it’s not so bad to be a stuffed animal, he even has a job every December (as a Christmas tree ornament).  I’m happy to travel the world, unlike the average house pet.  I don’t know what kind of animal my new friend is but we are having a lot of fun together; here we are watching a video, called “Shanghai Kiss.” Bye Bye for now, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Jan 30, 2011, 7:27 pm	Gung Hay Fat Choy, Everyone! Here I am with some souvenirs, the green stamps prove that we went to National Park Sites:  Aquatic Pier and the Maritime Museum, Jeanne received a New Year’s postcard from a penpal--it shows a cherry blossom tree.  There I am on the 32nd floor of a building in Union Square, the building in the background is called The Pyramid and is the tallest building in San Francisco (not Egypt).  We went to a lecture in a nice old theater about a play called, “Claybourne Park.”  Finally as you can see in the last photo, the cat is now allowed supervised visits with me; her fur is soft and warm.  Will post more photos later from the other camera.  See ya. DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Feb 2, 2011, 6:48 pm	Happy Groundhog Day!  On the same day as Lunar New Year, must be very auspicious. We went to the Chinatown Flower Festival this weekend, it was so much fun, very cheerful and very crowded.  We found big figures of a tiger and a rat; I was born in the Year of the Tiger but I relate more to the rat.  This newspaper story is not about me although it could be.   It is about a restaurant called Bund Shanghai.  Ciao, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Feb 7, 2011, 3:22 pm	Hi, We went out looking for signs of spring.  The wisteria is Jeanne’s favorite but it usually blooms in mid-March.  Hey, that poinsettia is in a pot.  Bye for now, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Feb 11, 2011, 5:15 pm	Ni Hao, We toured an art gallery, so groovy!  Do you see me on the “we are very open” sign?  Maybe this will be the Summer of Love all over again, and I will meet my bride-to-be soon.  I almost forgot to show you the food we eat.  Here I am with a crab salad with blue cheese, avocado, cilantro, etc..  Dibs on the cheese.  Bon appetite. Later, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Feb 14, 2011, 6:55 pm	Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.  I don’t have a bride-to-be yet but it is also a day for friends, so have a nice day.  We went to a duck pond and met a swan, I don’t know what that black bird is but I was wary that they might swoop down and grab me.  The building is from a 1915 fair.  We walked around and I got a drink of water from the fountain.    Hi Mom, I heart you. DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Feb 16, 2011, 8:37 pm	May Spring come early to you all, Here are more photos from our walk around the duck pond at the Palace of Fine Arts from the 1915 fair.  Guess what, Spring blossoms are here!  See ya soon, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Feb 19, 2011, 10:12 pm	Hey there. The Lunar New Year's celebration is winding down here.  As usual, it is raining on parade day so we didn't stay outside very long.  Here we stopped in for a cuppa; talk about all the tea in China; we chose jasmine. We listened to some Chinese opera with two singers and an impressively big band for an outdoor performance; the band is there under rain umbrellas. Jeanne liked it a lot and put a tip in the box. The soprano thanked her and gave her a gung hay fat choi hug. Then we had a nice meal at Bund restaurant just like home in Shanghai.  We walked around some more and went into a nice hotel to, um, use the facilities, look at the murals--those leopards didn’t see me--and stayed awhile to warm ourselves by the fireplace.  I’m very excited, my host will allow me to go to a fern bar next weekend.  That’s were young guys like me go to meet eligible ladies.  She said they are friendlier than the mouse goddess in the store window I swooned over; I am so over her now. Joyfully, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Feb 21, 2011, 1:17 am	Sweet greetings from DuDu, We stopped at this shop for a free chocolate sample; yum, it was milk chocolate with caramel center, my host said it was enough sweetness to keep her going for three days.  This last shot is me in a cocoa bean grinder; I’m not going to pose here very long! Bye bye for now, I’m off to seek my bride-to-be. DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Feb 23, 2011, 10:14 am	Ahoy there, mateys, I have released myself into the wild to find the girl of my dreams. I went down to the Bay to consider my options, such nice weather for February.  I got to thinking about shipping out.  They used to shanghai young guys like me from this port in the olden days.  Hmm, I’m thinking it over; that would be a way to get back to see my mom.  Maybe I would have a better chance of meeting my bride-to-be back home. TaTa, DuDu (Photos are on Feb 22, 2011 update)
LittleCableCars Posted Feb 23, 2011, 7:08 pm	Hello, C.T. Mouse, here.  I’ve volunteered to look into what has become of DuDu.  We’ve printed up Missing Mouse posters and put them in places where ToyVoyagers will see them, like this coffee shop. He did say he wished this would be the Summer of Love all over again, so logically, we’ll head to Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park to start our search.  Here it is on the map. C.T. Mouse, Detective
LittleCableCars Posted Mar 2, 2011, 1:01 pm	This is C.T. Mouse on the case, DuDu is still in the wild.  An anonymous source photographed him in Union Square but he disappeared into the brush before they could talk to him.  He looks like he’s finding enough food.  Watch for him on the Geocaching trail, he’s into that.  We think he will return to this planter because the geocache there is hard to find. C.T. Mouse, Detective
LittleCableCars Posted Mar 7, 2011, 1:47 pm	Hello, I’m sending you this postcard from the wild.  Being on my own has its ups and downs but I’m very happy to announce that I now have the phone number of a really nice lady mouse.  I’m working up the courage to call her.  Wish me luck.  Ciao, DuDu  P.S., Hi Mom. --------- C.T. Mouse, here, picking up clues.  There is only one place in The City with an extant phone booth.  I’m on it. C.T. Mouse, Detective
LittleCableCars Posted Mar 11, 2011, 2:56 am	Ahoy, Yes, mom, it is tough in the wild but, as you know, I’m resourceful.  Here I am stalking lunch.  It was very tasty.  I also eat a lot of seeds and stuff tourists leave behind.  Lots of soft places to sleep, out of the rain, and benches for soaking up the sun.  The best news of all is that my dear lady mouse acquaintance has agreed to meet me at the fern bar for a real date. Yours, DuDu ------ ***** Aha, only one fern bar still in operation, I’ll be there to reel them in.  Gladly, hic! C.T. Mouse, Detective P.S. my magnifying glass shows he’s chasing lady bugs.
LittleCableCars Posted Mar 12, 2011, 4:58 am	Hi, I’m baaaack!  C.T. Mouse (detective) convinced me that I would have better luck with the ladies if I have a place to stay.  My host doesn’t believe it’s really me but I answered all the secret questions correctly.  After a phone call with my new girlfriend, I was transformed; it was like I went into the phone booth as Clark Kent and came out Super DuDu!  Okay, you can call me DuDu II. DuDu (Photos are on the March 12 update)
LittleCableCars Posted Mar 20, 2011, 12:42 am	Hi there, We went to an art museum exhibit of flower arrangements that mimic the paintings.  This one is soooooo me, Super DuDu! (See photos on March 18 update)  It was a wonderful day, I really enjoyed DuDette’s company, there we are on a blooming bush in the rain. (See photo on March 22 update) Aslan came along, too; I forgot to pose with him.  There will be lots of time for that next week when my dear DuDette leaves on a ToyVoyager trip Monday.  Your very own, Super DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Mar 24, 2011, 12:58 am	I said goodbye to DuDette and just hung out for awhile with Cheerio and Aslan. I'm free to travel again.  Please contact KyoSnowball if you want to host me. Hope to come visit you soon, DuDu /
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LittleCableCars Posted May 12, 2011, 6:26 am	Hi, DuDette, thanks for the postcard with the upside down stamp.    Are you really coming home?  Soon?  I’ll be camping in the mailbox.  Your mom says she loves you, too; I want to talk to you in private.    Hugs from your mom and me.  We miss you, goodnight, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted May 12, 2011, 9:23 pm	Ah!!  I almost fainted again to see that DuDette posted a photo just for me, very glamourous.  I can’t take my eyes off of it.  My host took an iPod screen shot of it so we can take it with us when we go off-line.  We are going for a walk now.  Wish you were here, DuDette. Bye for now, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted May 18, 2011, 2:19 pm	Absence is such sweet sorrow.  I will wait for you, DuDette. Love, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Jun 2, 2011, 8:45 pm	DuDette and I are very happy to announce that we have eloped.  Please join us at DuDette’s Travelog for updates. Living happily ever after, DuDu
RikeH Posted Jul 30, 2011, 5:37 pm	Hi Mum, I arrived in Germany. DuDette and I will have a nice time here, I think. If you want to see more, please look at DuDette’s travellog. Yours DuDu
RikeH Posted Aug 14, 2011, 10:13 am	Hello Mum. I spend a nice weekend with DuDette in Potsdam an Berlin. Here you can see some photos of both of us. Love DuDu
RikeH Posted Aug 24, 2011, 9:34 pm
RikeH Posted Oct 9, 2011, 3:08 pm	Hi Mum, We spent a wonderful time here in Germany – and in Spain – with RikeH and Dicker Kumpel. But now it is time to travel to the next host. Before we jumped into our envelope we made a last trip through the garden – and had our last photos here. We searched for something to eat and found grapes. And Apples. Bye funny guys… Then we were sad – we had to say goodbye to Dicker Kumpel. He is such a great host and we learnt so much from him. We will miss him! Then we got a hug by the others TVs here. Now we are on our way to the next host. Love DuDu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 9, 2011, 12:11 am	Dear Mum DuDette and I had a quick trip to Heidelberg and were warmly greeted by a bunch of ToyVoyagers. There's also a cat living here who likes mice as friends so we're going to pose for some pictures very soon. Bye for now, DuDu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 13, 2011, 7:17 pm	Dear Mum Today we went hiking in the nature reserve Neckartal-Odenwald. First we took a bus to the mountain of Königsstuhl. There's also a cable car going to its top but currently it runs only part of the track, due to maintenance works. However, we had a short look at the funicular railway station. The trail we followed is called Via Naturae and covers about 8 km of the nature reserve. The first few hundred meters are part of the nature education trail for children and we saw some interesting things there. Some of the trees still had some berries but most of them were already rotten. After about one hour of walking we came to a forest lodge where we rested and ate some bread and an apple. We saw some mushrooms. As we walked on, we saw this stand for rangers. Shortly before we reached the end of the trail we rested again on a log because the sun was shining so warmly on it. It was a great day and we hope to see more of Heidelberg soon. Bye, DuDu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 13, 2011, 7:20 pm	Dear Mum How are you doing? I'm fine. Last weekend DuDette and I went to France with nuriayasmin, her daughter and some other TV's. We spent two very nice days in Strasbourg which is situated directly at the German-French border. It took us just two hours by train to get there but we had to change trains twice. The central railway station of Strasbourg is very modern, you can see it behind us. At the hotel all TV's gathered around the guide book to decide where to go and learn something about Strasbourg's history. The city centre of Strasbourg is practically an island as two canals and the river Ill flow around it.  Here you can see us in front of the canal Fossé du Faux and the St. Jean church. Some of the beautiful old houses were built very close to the water. This restaurant had an Alsatian name. The Alsatian language is similar to German and was spoken widely in the region but it's becoming extinct now. However, many of the streets in the city centre still have a sign which shows their name both in Alsatian and in French. This is something we found very funny, we discovered it in Petite France, the most beautiful part of the city centre with many old houses and small alleys - and lots of tourists. The Maison Kammerzell was built in the 16th century and is a restaurant nowadays. One of the towers of the cathedral is 142 m high and made it impossible to take a picture of the whole building. They started to built the cathedral in 1176 and only finished it in 1439. We started the second day with a walk along the canal Rempart. We would have liked to make friends with that swan but he wasn't interested. Here you can see us at the Place de la République. It seems that all French towns have a Place de la République to remember the French revolution from 1789. There was also a memorial for the soldiers who died in Southeast Asia and North Africa during World War II. When we walked back to the city centre we passed this beautiful old church but don't know the name of it. Unfortunately we also forgot what this building was but it looks interesting, doesn't it? There were so many souvenir shops that it was impossible to avoid them so we took a look around. Last not least we climbed the 329 steps to the viewing terrace of the cathedral and were rewarded with a spectacular view over the city and its surroundings. There were a lot of inscriptions and we tried to read some of them. Before we left Strasbourg we took a last group photo at the hotel to show off our souvenirs. Nuriayasmin had bought quite a few postcards and an oven mitt and her daughter had bought this cute stork who will move to Heidelberg now. We really had a great time and hope you enjoyed looking at our pictures. Bye for now. Dudu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 13, 2011, 7:24 pm	Dear Mum It has become quite cold here so I prefer to stay at home at the moment. DuDette and I have made friends with our host's cat Sammy. He sleeps a lot and doesn't mind us to cuddle up next to him to get warm. He doesn't look at us like mice or toys at all, he's a wonderful cat. Here are some photos. Bye, Dudu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 13, 2011, 7:27 pm	Dear Mum Today we said good-bye to Priscilla, the cute dolphin who had accompanied us and the other visiting TV's to Strasbourg. She's going to visit fam-united and we hope she has a lot of fun there. Then DuDette and I went outside to play a little and this is the entrance of the house where we currently live. When we returned we were very hungry and ate a piece of yummy pizza. Afterwards we saw the huge pile of clothes waiting to be ironed. As nuriayasmin had received a call from work asking her to come although she was supposed to have a day off today, we helped her with the ironing. Lots of hugs and kisses, Dudu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 13, 2011, 7:29 pm	Dear Mum! I went to the zoo. Heidelberg has only got a small zoo but we nevertheless saw some interesting animals. This is no real turtle but it looks nice, doesn't it? This shows you how big a cangaroo's foot is. We both fit in. There was a small waterfall in front of the apes' house. DuDette and I made friends with some goats. We watched the seals swimming in their pool. The big cats are fed at 4.30 am except for Saturdays. Unfortunately we saw just a lion from a distance, all the other big cats were hiding somewhere. The merkats were really funny to watch. We strolled to the elephants'. That elephant in the background turned its back on us. So we just read some information about the elephants. There are four young male Asian elephants living at the zoo. This otter looks very cute but we don't like it, we saw it eating a mouse!!! This bird tried to bite (or eat *scream') us but we were faster. Last not least, the North Sea scenery. I really had a nice day. DuDu.
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 13, 2011, 7:31 pm	Hi Mum nuriayasmin is going to get another cat. Hopefully it's as nice as Sammy, it's likely to arrive here next week from the animal shelter. So today we went to the pet shop to buy some stuff for the new cat. However, first we played in the leaves which had fallen off the trees. Here's another picture of the house where DuDette and I currently live. We're on the 4th floor, just under the roof. Finally the two of us and Willy Olson sat down in nuriayasmin's bike basket and off we went. We passed a horse stable and cycled along some fields as the pet shop is situated a bit outside of town. Here are some pictures for you to see: While nuriayasmin chose the things for the new cat, we had a look around and found the pet shop quite interesting. Then we all went back home. DuDu.
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 13, 2011, 7:33 pm	Today DuDette and I strolled along the river Neckar and had a look at the Old Bridge which you can see on many postcards of Heidelberg. The castle is situated in the mountains over the Old Bridge but due to the fog you can't see much of it on the photos. We may climb up to the castle next week, depending on the weather. Greetings, DuDu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 14, 2011, 10:16 pm	Hi Mum This morning DuDette and I had a piece of cake and a cup of hot chocolate for breakfast. It was very tasty. Afterwards nuriayasmin gave us all her textbooks and grammars and each TV chose a language. I chose Slovak which is spoken in the small country of Slovakia. I learnt some useful sentences: My name is DuDu: Moje meno je DuDu. How are you?: Ako sa máš? I have a great time: Mám sa skvele. I'm hungry. : Som hladný. Then I said "hello" to the new cat Shelley who came to live here last week. She was abandoned and spent two months at the animal shelter. There were also some household tasks to do. I helped to get the clean clothes out of the washing-machine. I had a look from the balcony but it was very cold and so I was happy to stay home. We had Chinese noodles and orange juice for lunch. I tried to teach the other TV's how to eat with sticks but they all found it very difficult. In the afternoon we gathered around the Swedish cookies nuriayasmin had bought and told each other about our journeys and language studies. We also had a big cup of hot tea. Afterwards we helped nuriayasmin to write some postcrossing cards. Each of us was allowed to write one card. Mine went to China :-). Last not least it was time to update my travelog. I'm sending you a big hug. DuDu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 18, 2011, 3:02 pm	Dear Mum Today a bunch of ToyVoyagers invaded Heidelberg Castle. There are stairs which lead to the castle which is situated in the mountains over the city and we climbed them - about 400 I guess. Afterwards we needed to take a rest and took the chance for a group photo. I had a look down to the city. It's a bit foggy up here as always during the last two or three weeks. The castle of Heidelberg was built in the 13th century. For a while there were two castles, one situated a bit higher than the remains of the current one.  During the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648) the castle was attacked and partly destroyed for the first time. In 1692 the castle was destroyed by the French and although basic repairs were made, the castle has basically remained a ruin since then. In the early 19th century a French count became interested in the castle and served as a voluntary castle warden. Between 1897 and 1900 the castle was partly reconstructed and became one of Germany's main tourist attractions. Another look to the city centre, the Old Bridge and the river Neckar. Bye, DuDu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 24, 2011, 4:29 pm	Today we said good-bye to Sooky. He spent two months here in Heidelberg and is now travelling to his next host. Have a good journey. DuDu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 29, 2011, 1:21 pm	Dear Mum Today Advent time begins. In Germany it's common to put an Advent wreath on the table and each Sunday to come one candle more will be lit, so when all four candles are burning, we know that Christmas is almost here. We also have a plate full of chocolate, cookies and mandarins. Bye, DuDu
nuriayasmin nuriayasmin70@gmail.com Posted Nov 29, 2011, 1:25 pm	Dear Mum nuriayasmin told me that you agreed that I continue travelling with DuDette and we will both go to her American home to spend Christmas there. I'm very much looking forward to see her mentor again and hope the journey won't last long. Bye, DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Dec 9, 2011, 3:14 pm	Hi Mom, I have arrived back in DuDette's hometown to celebrate Christmas with her and her family. We had a wonderful time in Germany, Spain and France!!  DuDu
LittleCableCars Posted Oct 20, 2012, 8:35 pm	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfoFCf5QU78 Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me.... I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now, I see. T'was Grace that taught... my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear... the hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils and snares... we have already come. T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far... and Grace will lead us home. The Lord has promised good to me... His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be... as long as life endures. When we've been here ten thousand years... bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise... then when we've first begun. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me.... I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now, I see.
LittleCableCars Posted Nov 27, 2012, 11:12 pm	Today is my birthday!! Thank you, Alex. Your goodies look so good I almost jumped into Lexie's magic transit box to come right over.  But then Squab appeared with a cake, singing Happy Birthday.   DuDu

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