PATCHES

Patches wants to visit HOGWARTS COLLEGE OF WITCHCRAFT & WIZARDRY -- or reasonable facsimile: Kings Cross Station, Gringotts Bank, The Leaky Cauldron, Christ Church College & New College in Oxford, etc. He is also anxious to meet as many Hogwarts students (Harry Potter fans) as possible. He would love to have his photo taken with his new friends (in their Hogwarts gear) and at Hogwarts' sites and have these photos posted on his TB site.

Greetings, Harry Potter Friends! This is PATCHES, a TRAVEL BUG who is also a sea otter. He is named for a baby river otter who was orphaned in 1956 and who was rescued by the students of a highly fictional and very posh girls boarding school in Virginia USA. The original PATCHES spent a lively childhood in and out of a large bathtub on the third floor of the girls' dorm.

This second PATCHES yearns to become a school mascot like his namesake. Since this PATCHES originated in California at the Magic Kingdom of Disney, he feels that the perfect school for him would naturally be Hogwarts. He realizes that the usual mascots at Hogwarts are cats, rats and owls, but he hopes that there is enough room for him as well. He would be delighted to live in the ground floor girls' bathroom and keep Moaning Myrtle company. On the other hand, he would also love to swim in the prefects' bath on the fifth floor. In fact, he dreams of rainbow-colored water and lots of bubbles. Of course, he would also like to take a swim in the lake. Being a sea creature, PATCHES is acquainted with several squids and he knows their language.

But most of all, PATCHES wants to meet and have his photo taken with lots and lots of Hogwarts students & professors (aka fans of the Harry Potter books in full wizard/witch gear). He would love to be Sorted. He thinks he would probably make a good Hufflepuff since he is "just and loyal, patient, true and unafraid of toil." Perhaps his new friends can Sort him out.

Finally, on New Years Day 2008, it will be time for PATCHES to begin his journey home to Burke, Virginia USA. His friends and family here look forward to reading his logs and seeing his pictures. Thank you for taking such good care of our wandering wizard otter.