Friday, June 18, 2010

Barely There


On our recent trip to the cottage in Maine, we were told there was a black bear and a cougar prowling the neighbourhood.  Bears are fairly common on the Cape, but cougars????   The little dog stayed in at night and only howled and barked like mad when he heard things go bump in the night.  We took flashlights with us everywhere.

Sunny days gave us lots of opportunity to put in the gardens, mow the lawns, fill the planters, put up the flag and admire the passing sailboats.  We even sat on the rocks at the shore and admired the seals fishing for their dinner.  Of course, being it was Maine, there were the foggy days and days of rain too.  That gave way to rainbows and promises of more to come.  The D.I.E.T. put a dint in cocktail time:  I think I am now addicted to Crystal Lite cherry lemonade.  As the sun sank into the water towards Castine, we snuggled in for peaceful nights of deep sleep.  A good thing too. 

Every year we drive up the lane, hoping to see once more the Old Apple Tree. 

Is it still there?  Has it given up the ghost yet?  Should we take pity on it, cut it down and get over it?


Yeah!  It's still there!!  As beautiful and artfully flawed as always.

Five days into our visit, we woke to find that the bear/cougar had been by on his/her nocturnal roamings.  Looking for ants in our dead tree, he/she left his mark.  My hackles rose and a shiver coursed down my back.  If those five marks came from one big paw....that wouldn't be an encounter I would relish in the dark.


11 comments:

SquirrelQueen said...

I can see why you drive over to check on the old apple tree, it is beautiful.

Having bears and a cougar in your neighborhood would not make for a relaxing stay. We have both in the surrounding area and lately a cougar has been spotted in town. I would guess the visitor to your tree was a bear although cougars will eat insects on occasion.

Jennifer Farris said...

Hi! Thanks for coming by The Farris Wheel (and for the encouragement!) Fabulous old tree there. Scary bear claws...look out for that guy!

Tiffany said...

You sure they weren't talking about some women.

Peace, Love and Chocolate
Tiffany

Pam said...

The apple tree and the bear....those are some huge claw marks. YIKES! The boat....I'll be back to check out more of your blog, but I'm hoping, of course, it's yours and you'll be taking it out on an around the world trip and you'll take us blogger buddies along thru cyberspace. That would be wonderful! BTW, it looks like I'm number 100 follower. I feel special. lol Following you now thru 40+ Have a good enough weekend! Pam @ Sallygoodin

Java said...

Hi!!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and visiting the Follow Friday 40 and Over Blog Hop!

I would also like to invite you to join the Over 40 Bloggers Club!! Take a look and join in the fun!

Yeah..you hit 100 followers!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Jules AF said...

whaaaat? Bears and cougars? SCARY!

Anonymous said...

Very cool tree. I love it.

Dee said...

I love bears! Just, not so much where I'm staying and sleeping. LOL

Unknown said...

Hi mum,
crazy marks on the tree, good souveniers for its years to come.
Sorry to hear about your robins.

TheSmellyArmpit said...

YIKES!!! Yep, I wouldn't want to run into that bear! My parents had a bobcat living under their big porch one year and that was a lot of fun chasing back to the woods LOL whew!!!!!

Stopping by and following FF. Hope you can visit!
http://mageebaby.blogspot.com
http://www.westTNfamily.com

Debbie said...

Beautiful pictures! That last one is really scary, though. Talk about things that go "bump" in the night!

Although, if I had to choose between bears outside the house and huge, flying cockroaches inside.. I'm not sure which way I'd swing...