Young Adult

I am outside reading the paper, when a blue jay lands on the edge of our bird bath--for an instant--and then falls off to the ground. Clump. After dusting himself off, he flies back up to the edge, and clumsily gets a drink of water. A juvenal jay out on his own; his parents avoided discussing bird bath skills.

Bears in the Night

Last night, I ate watermelon on our deck. Unfortunately, this morning when I looked out on the deck, I saw I had left the melon rind, and some creature had gnawed on it--as pictured here. Looking closely, it was easy to see that this was the work of a bear--or mother and cubs. Large bite and tooth marks as well as muddy prints of dirt and watermelon juice all over the table and deck--they even checked out our patio door.

Good work, Geoff. They can smell a watermelon rind from a mile away, and now they will be returning to check for more food. I hope that it is not when we are eating; bears on deck ruin a nice meal.

Letter to Uncle Dick,

Uncle Dick,

Is this your car? It is just as I remember it. I don't think you should have ever sold this jewel.

It brings back memories of my sitting in the back seat with the top down--it doesn't get much better than that to an eight year old--who was thrilled to be sharing the life style of his about-to-be-married, "Camelot-like" aunt and uncle.

 

I remember being in Grandma Eva's garage after the wedding with Dad and his accomplices, as they worked over your Plymouth. They wired up a smoke bomb, Bon-Amied it with cute messages, filled it with rice, and attached cans to the rear bumper. I was disappointed that you outwitted them and took another car.

From that incident I can still remember exactly how to connect up a smoke bomb to a car; so you get some credit on my becoming an electrical engineer.

Love,

Neph Geoff

Suprise Visitor

As I read the paper on our deck early this morning the birds started squawking, and then several yards away a bobcat appeared. Seeing a bobcat is an ephemeral moment that happens once a year or less, always coming as a complete surprise. She was majestic, stealthy, and confident. We looked at each other, and then she, with what looked like a grin, again faded away like a Cheshire Cat.