Evening Visitors

At first I did not know what I was seeing. I stood at the second story porch rail at dusk, looking out at the mountain and valley view. Something black moved below. Make that four somethings. . . black bears! We knew a mother and her three cubs had been making the rounds of the mountain ridge, but we had not seen them. Now they were on our property, ambling along toward our neighbor's full peach tree. For fifteen minutes the cubs climbed and jumped while Mom stood on her hind legs to pull branches down to her snout. She scarfed up peaches and shook the branches making a dozen ripening peaches roll down the hill. I was surprised how peaceful and serene the scene was. They were so quiet. If I had not happened to look over the rail at just the right time, we would have missed the whole thing. For months I had wondered if I would run across this family on my daily morning and evening walks with our Cavalier spaniel. How grateful I was to watch them from the safety of my porch two stories up with her safely inside the house. I took pictures but the dark shadows under the tree and the dimming light prevented a great shot. The pictures in my mind are very clear! It was one of those times when I felt insignificant and small. We were in their territory. I might think I am in control of my little world, but it is not true. The wonders of the natural world-- the mountain range and misty valleys, the clouds that roll in for days or catch the sunset colors on a spring evening, and the beauty of these bears who roam the mountain just as their ancestors did--all this surrounds me and reminds me of the power of life beyond humans.