Julia and her first bear

Back to June 2003 - Julia was 15 months old ..
We were sitting on the ground, in the woods behind the house. We were playing with nature's toys - pine cones, pine needles & stumps. Julia points up into the air at a bird. I tell her it's a crow.

A few minutes later she points over my shoulder. I look and look again, after the pattern recognition kicks in. Dang, it's a bear and a big one too ... only 60 feet away. I gather her up and retreat, rather quickly, to the open garage where we watch it circle the house.
Sorry, no pictures .. just memories. If you really need a picture, here's one from last year.

A spring weekend at home

Spring is a busy time. The last two weekends, we away on climbing trips to Shelf Road. We had a breather this weekend. Mia & Julia planted. I cut down and trimmed trees and we all built and repaired bird houses.

Tally: 1 new bird house & 3 repaired bird houses for a total of 7 houses. We're hoping for bluebirds in at least one house. Our normal occupants are nuthatches, chickadees and tree swallows.

I dropped 11 trees and low limbed a few also. All the trees but one were under 12" in diameter. Getting ready for fire season. Ponderosa Pines like to be well spaced which allows for more water per tree. In the absence of fire, I have to play god. Healthy trees are happy trees ...

A bumper crop of Abert's squirrels

Lot's of Abert's squirrels (wikipedia) this year. Sometimes I see 4-6 outside my office window ... when it's not too cold.