‘AND THEN YOU LIVE IN A WILDLIFE PARK’

by Jean Somsen-Reed [2831]

 

Jean Somsen-Reed and her husband Gary Lee Somsen [2828] live in Durango, Colorado in the Midwest of the USA, a state that is dominated by the imposing Rocky Mountains.

Denver is the Capital.

Jean and Gary share with us the following experience with some extraordinary visitors to their garden.

Jean writes:

 


"It all started about 6 a.m. yesterday when Gary went out to get some wood. As  usual our black sheepdog joined him but she was a little concerned about the hillside. Gary came back at about 7.30 and he let the dog outside, a large Black German Shepherd. Her hair stood up on her neck…! Is there anything brewing?

Gary went out to take a look. He thought someone was on the hill so he looked around and started walking up the hill. The neighbour to the backside said: ‘Gary there are three bears in a tree right over here!’

He stood like a statue. Startled. He turned round and ran to the house to get me. Together we drove up above the hill and stood up there to look down. We might be able to watch the bears from here. And yes indeed, it was the Mama and her two cubs all in a Blue Spruce tree just beside our fence. That is the fence between our garden and the one of Mike and Susan, our neighbours.

When we came down again we went to our neighbours to ask what they had all gone through with the bears.

 

That morning when our neighbours got up the bears were on the deck and the cubs were sitting on the top of the hot tub. Moreover they had torn up all the cushions on the chairs.

Together with the neighbours we walked over to the tree to have a close look at them. It was a splendid sight! The whole bear family seemed to feel at home very well.

 

We came back home again and sat on the deck for a while and listened to her grunt and talk to the babies. What would she be telling to her kids about those people nearby?

 

Later in the afternoon I went out to take a picture of the bears. Obviously they felt very comfortable in that tree .One baby was way up high, the Mama was somewhere in the middle and the little brown baby was on the bottom branch. Quite a spectacle! I carefully took his picture and was talking to him when he suddenly made a huge noise. And I mean huge. He jumped down the branch and I turned around and left him alone.

 

Last night all three of them got out of the tree but the trees are so thick on the hill and they blend so very  well  into  the  branches. So  far we have not

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

gone out to see if they are still on the hillside.

The neighbour Susan said: ‘This is like living in the wild kingdom.’ And that is what it is like. This year we have had foxes, racoons, deer, elk, bears and loads of skunks.

Anyway as I sit here typing looking out of the window at the hill side it does me make wonder what I will see in our 'Wildlife park' this winter."

 

 

Jean and Gary Somsen can be found in Somsen Omnes Generationes on page 226