“Art gives joy to the artist; that it pleases others is pure gravy.”
—Larry E. Santucci
After making our descent from the Stevens Creek Reservoir, Bill and I visited Bubba the Wood Carved Bear on the corner of Bubb Road and Yorkshire Drive in Cupertino. It has become somewhat of a ritual especially during the holidays and special events. Let me explain! Bubba, once a tree that didn’t survive the drought is the artistic creation of Sarah Kopy, who has lived at her one-story house since the age of 12. Instead of getting rid of the tree, after getting permission of the City of Cupertino she hired a carver from Humboldt County. When the carver asked which way Kopy wanted the bear to face, she said toward the crosswalk on Bubb Road so it can watch the children. Bubba was conceived or should I say reincarnated on October 10, 2015. Since its’ unveiling to the public, Bubba has become a local attraction to the community and beyond. Children and biking enthusiasts like ourselves will sometimes go out of their way to see Bubba, the Bubb Road Bear. Why? Because Kopy dresses Bubba up for major holidays like the Fourth of July, Halloween, Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day and currently the Lunar New Year 2022 (Year of the Tiger) which after a 15 day celebration ends tomorrow. Tigers are particularly auspicious as they represent stength, boldness, fearlessness and dominance
The Lunar New Year is one of the most significant celebrations of the year among east and southeast Asian cultures.
People may know the holiday as Chinese New Year, Vietnamese Tet Nguyen Dan or South Korea Seollal.
The United States is also home to some celebrations. 1.5 billion people across the world will partake in the festivities.
Each year in the lunar calendar is represented by one of the 12 zodiac animals.
The animals consist of the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
While last year the Year of the Ox, this year is the year of the tiger that represents strength, assertiveness, generosity, courage and the clearing away of evil. Celebrities who were born in the year of the Tiger are Queen Elizabeth II, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Bill Murray, Martin Short, Garth Brooks, Tom Cruise, Jon Bon Jovi, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jimmy Fallon, Penelope Cruz, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and many more.
Yours Truly is a Tiger (born in 1950), as is my daughter Michelle (born in 1986).
Postscript: Kopi’s artistic holiday celebrations reminds me of our neighbors near our former home in Saratoga who celebrated the holidays or special events in a similar way, by decorating a 300 year old tree in front their home. I didn’t realize how much joy it brought to our neighborhood and to me personally until they moved.
Background Credit for the story of Bubba: Kalpana Gopalkrishnan and Avni Prasad, elEstoque, Monta Vista High School, February 8, 1917