Double Rainbow

I took this shot from our deck last week. We see the most beautiful rainbows (single and double) in the late afternoons. This one was especially brilliant. I hope our neighbor in the white house checked for a pot of gold!

Bear in Our Neighborhood

My neighbor called this morning to alert me to a black bear in her back yard. Here she is, munching on a glob of bird seed and suet she nabbed from up in the Ponderosa tree. She didn't seem the least bit perturbed by my presence, looking up at me occasionally then concentrating on her snack. This bear looks small enough to still be under the protection of her mother but I didn't see any signs of Mama Bear. It's the time of year when bears eat ravenously, storing fat for their winter of dormancy.

Bear Visits Local Chocolate Shop

Surveillance tape photos

The Estes Park News has a delightful story about a bear who recently broke into the local chocolate shop, ate his fill, and left without doing any damage. Read the story  here.

Getting Back to Normal

Our porch, where we will celebrate the 4th of July

Slowly, we're getting back to normal in Estes Park just in time for the 4th of July. The High Park Fire (12 miles north) continues to burn within the perimeter but is 100% contained as of June 30. Firefighters are making significant progress on the other Colorado fires and there are no new fires. For the families and individuals who have lost their homes, the work has just begun. I'm amazed that the news of our wildfires has reached places as far away as Romania. I had a message from Marta, a Romanian internet friend, who saw the story on her local television station. Thanks for your concern, Marta. We are fine now! Marta has a daily blog, Printesa Visina, that is most interesting.

It's a beautiful day with only a slight haze in the air and no smoky smell just now. Wayne is hiking with his weekly hiking group this morning and I'm planning our 4th of July picnic which we'll eat on our porch tomorrow. It will be a typical all-American cook-out: burgers, corn on the cob, coleslaw, baked beans, and strawberry shortcake - Mom is making that. I'll also make iced tea and lemonade from scratch. Estes Park has cancelled their annual fireworks over the lake because of the extreme fire danger ... wise decision!

Wayne and I are looking forward to several July events. Our children and grandchildren will be here for a few days. Some of the things on our "fun to do" list include: attending a Rockies game, camping, hiking, picnicking, and boating. Just being together is the most fun of all!