I like bears. Their swagger is cool personified. They look like they’re wearing clothes that are two sizes too big. But they make it look good as though everyone should dress that way.
I’ve only seen one roaming free, once when we were heading up to the Smoky Mountains. It was crossing the road a few cars ahead of us and traffic stopped in both directions to allow him to pass and to get a good look. You’d think he would have been frightened by all the attention. Not so. He sauntered across like we didn’t exist. Captain Cool. That’s why I was excited when we acquired our cabin in Rabun County and our neighbors told us about the bear that sometimes strolls along our street. He’s been known to wander into our neighbor’s yard to raid the bird feeder, so she takes it in at night. Smart move. Feeding a bear can be expensive.
Another neighbor was a victim of a bear B&E. The fur ball opened the car door and rummaged through the console to free the snacks that were trapped within. I guess when there isn’t a picnic basket handy, Yogi must improvise. Good thing he didn’t leave the keys in it.
“What does a bear do in the woods?” Apparently Grand Theft Auto.
Despite keeping a watchful and hopeful eye (the left one is the watchful one if you’re interested), I never saw one strut down our street. In fact, the only bears we encountered were the creation of Rabun Martin, a local artist who has a gallery in Clayton. Her paintings are wonderful windows into the unique beauty of the area. I call it “mountain impressionism.” It reminds me of the Impressionists but with a mountain twist. Many of her works have featured bears.
Some are close-up portraits. Their expressions are such that I feel as if they are going to speak. In my head, I can hear them.
“Hey, Bill. How ya doin’, eh?” For some reason they sound Canadian. I am quite taken with them and was delighted when my wife gifted me one of the smaller ones–an original–that keeps us company when we’re at the cabin. It was the only bear I saw at the cabin until…
It was a Sunday morning in May. My wife had gone over the mountain for back bacon and guitar strings and other necessities for mountain living. That left me to do some writing and our dog Dino to take his mid-morning nap. Eating breakfast really takes it out of him.
I happened to glance out the window in search of my next idea and there he was. His stride was comfortable, confident like an old West gun fighter who knows he’s faster than anyone and can’t be beaten. I could almost hear the “chink, chink, chink” of his spurs. It was the kind of cool you’d expect if Clint Eastwood was a bear.
My millennial children would have been proud that my reflexive action upon spotting Captain Cool was to grab my phone to record the scene. His movements were so fluid, he flowed down the street past our driveway barely giving it a glance. Fine with me. Despite my excitement at finally getting to see the neighborhood version of Yogi, I was in no mood to have my car bearjacked.
On he went until he got to my neighbor’s house. He glanced into her yard with a certain familiarity. But seeing no birdfeeder, he turned and faded back into the brush on the other side of the street. I didn’t see him turn back for another look but apparently, he did. My neighbor yelled, “Go on, get!” her voice laced with the frustration of having lost many pounds of birdseed during previous visits. He sauntered back into the woods to make the rest of his rounds.
It isn’t that I don’t get to see wildlife living in Gainesville. With 10-15 head of deer cruising through the neighborhood, it is a rare day that I don’t see several every time I leave or return home. I’m sure the fact that we live in a wooded area near the lake has something to do with this. Of course, the fact that we turn our yards into the Golden Corral of the deer world has just as much to do with it. And they will eat anything. Hostas, hydrangeas, even the blooms on our knockout roses. I also see the occasional fox but never a bear.
I’m not the only one who likes a good bear sighting. But I do respect their space, unlike others that inhabit our planet. There are signs at some of our parks warning people not to attempt selfies with bears. Not too long ago such a sign wouldn’t have been necessary. That’s the thing I really like about technology. It is always advancing to give us more and better tools for doing incredibly foolish things.
