Our new house has big wide windows overlooking the backyard.  At night, it can get rather creepy, as the lights are on inside, anyone can see in, but to look out and see anything but pitch black is very difficult.  However, during the day, it is as bright as you can get it, and around dusk, we had a slight surprise.

I was in the kitchen, baking banana bread.  I hadn’t actually put it in the oven yet, I was still mixing the ingredients.  In fact, I had just added the eggs, and turned around to wash them off my hands.  In our kitchen we have one small window overlooking the backyard.  There, lumbering down the hill, was a black bear.  I watched carefully as he made it to our bird feeders, then I started calling my husband’s name.

He was sitting right in front of the window in the living room, but because he was focused on playing video games, he didn’t quite see the bear, until it was oh, about 3 feet away from him (and he was still behind the glass).  I called out, and shouted that there was a bear in the yard, and he immediately dashed for the camera.  The bear got one of our hanging suet feeders, ripped the chain right off, and tore at the plastic.  At this point, though, he realized that there was more food, up towards the middle of the hill.  He made for that.  At this point, my husband got his camera and we both were looking out the window.  I never made a dash for my camera, mostly because I’m a city girl and the first time I see a real bear outside of a zoo, I froze, for the most part, anyway.

Well, once he stretched himself out trying to get the food on the feeder in the middle of the hill, my husband went out and started making noise.  The bear lumbered up the hill.  He chased it very carefully, and it made a beeline for the next door neighbor’s feeders.  He made enough noise that it finally took off up into the woods behind our house.

Now that it is gone, with a possibility of coming back at some point, I can say it was mostly an awesome sight to behold.  I can honestly say that now I can relate to these people who don’t think bears are very scary, because it was so beautiful and calm.  It didn’t growl, it didn’t try and attack, it just lumbered up and off into the woods.  I’m very glad, and respectful that I was able to view such a creature up close.  I also know that if it should ever come back, I won’t go out there alone!