Bearing Up in Flint

Here's the freakishly large stuffed bear — courtesy of Flint Journal photographer Bruce Edwards' flamboyant camera angle — in the lobby of the Character Inn c. 2005. Notice the smaller brown bear in the background, stage right. The big guy seems bemused, no doubt wondering how things came to this. One day you're minding your own business in the woods; a few months later you're trapped in Flint surrounded by red carpet and evangelical Christians in a room reminiscent of the L.L. Bean flagship store after a big sale. The dorm rats from UM-Flint would sure have fun with these props — how many shots of Jäger before you jump in the stagnant wading pool with Yogi? — but something tells me they'll be long gone before the students move in. Too many liability issues. Too bad.