The Evidence

I came back from getting the mail this afternoon, and noticed some footprints across our freshly resurfaced driveway, RIGHT in front of the garage door. Upon a closer look..AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!! It was a bear! We have a black bear in the neighborhood (a limping bear, which means an unhappy bear), but he has always been sighted at the far end from us, NOwhere in our vicinity. I've been a little more cautious about my early AM walks since he was spotted a couple of weeks ago; now I'm worried about making it out my front door! I just know he's waiting to ambush me (too many stories about bear attacks and maulings in "Outdoor Life" growing up...)/
Here's one with my footprint for comparison. Not a big bear, but at least as big as me. Any bear is TOO big!!

Hidden in the hosta

I was working in the garden recently, and as I was weeding around the hostas, looked up to see this little guy staring at me. He was trying his best to blend in with the leaf, but a grass-green frog on a blue-green leaf stands out. He did wait for me to get my camera, though. He was about the size of a half-dollar, or a little smaller. I tried not to scare him off because I would like to see him again!

Garden season

My garden is taking off--the daylilies and early perennials and hosta are blooming, and the dahlias are starting to show up above the rest of the plantings. So far--knock on wood--the deer and elk have left things alone and I can enjoy my flowers.

A few recent macros

Just a few recent macros...

At the B's

R, D and I all converged on the B's for the 4th--a regular family reunion! Had a great time, and Papa got to see Miss G, whom he hadn't met yet. Can't believe how fast the girls are growing, and how individual and fun they are.