the first time we saw a bear, Beloved and i were coming back from dinner and i saw what i thought was a big black dog standing on its hind legs beside the bookcase i'd been painting, about five feet from our back door.
"wow," said Beloved, "look at the BEAR!" and all of a sudden the dog morphed into a big black BEAR and lumbered away into the woods at the sound of our car. i have no idea what attracted the bear to the bookcase... maybe he was looking for something to read.
Beloved and i were so excited we called the police to tell them there was a bear wandering around town and they told us we were lucky. "to be alive?" i asked Beloved as he related the conversation. "no, to have seen the bear," he said.
a year or so later, Beloved was barbecuing outside the front of the house, and we saw a small brown bear with an orange tag in her ear wander out of the woods and take a hopeful sniff. she lingered for a long time on the other side of the pond... or at least long enough for us to decide to move the grill.
the following spring, libby and i were on our way out somewhere when libby said, "oh, mommy, look at the bear... it's got a cub!" fortunately the door was still closed, and we waited until mama bear and her baby diappeared.
one morning in late fall, i was coming back down the driveway (in my car) after taking libby up to meet the bus, when i saw what looked like a large black shadow blocking my path. the shadow shifted, moved to one side and vanished into the trees. i wasn't sure what i'd seen, until buddy and sam discovered the large pile of poop in the middle of the drive.
last night we were relaxing after dinner when ethan saw a big black bear wander out of the woods and along the perimeter of the lawn. it strolled over to Beloved's art house, sniffed the woodpecker's woodpile, and meandered deeper into the woods, until we couldn't see it anymore.
"do you think i should call the police?" asked Beloved, "and let them know there's a bear the size of gentle ben wandering around town?"
"nah," i said. "i don't need the police to tell me how lucky i am."
and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.
9 comments:
that is so cool. i have never seen a bear in real life, other than the zoo. lots of people say they've seen them 'in these parts.' i would love to (from a distance) since i do fear them. ever since i was a kid i have had this reoccurring dream about being attacked by a bear.
Those must have been some amazing sights, Annie! I would have enjoyed seeing bears up close and personal, just not TOO close! I know they can be quite dangerous and agressive animals. So, please be careful, Annie! Sure wish you'd had your camera handy...I would love to have seen some pictures!
I always feel privileged to see a bear. Great story.
Too funny. Last night I saw a Mommy fox and her babies. Very rare to see that.
I still swear I saw a bear walking down Mt. Washington in New Hampshire a good 35 or so years ago. I was annoyed with my gang of hikers (my brother and some friends) and had decided to march out ahead of the group along the descending trail -- I guess I was capable of outwalking them while in a huff! I wasn't wearing my glasses, but I am sure it was a bear, and by the time I grabbed them (the glasses, not the bear), he/she was gone. And no one ever believed me! But I know it's true....
I know there are bears in the Cascades, but I don't think they wander this far down near the coast. I'd love to see one in the wild some day. Here, all I see regularly (besides squirrels, raccoons, possums and moles) are deer and an occasional elk. I consider myself extremely lucky to see those. When I lived in Houston, I didn't even get to see that much wildlife.
I would be scared to death! I guess I'm just a city girl, huh?? I can appreciate them...on the Discovery channel just fine!
lovely...to see a bear!
and awww!! libby. i go by libby, to family & friends.
you are blessed to have had those experiences. :-)
you are lucky
my neighbors make phone calls to DEP and scare the bear off - others put food out in hopes to see it
I just feel blessed when bear visits
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