As I mentioned, it was a wet, chilly fall day. But a day off all the same, and so I headed down the road to see what the bears at the Wildlife Conservation Center were doing. It didn't take long to spot this big bear, sitting on its butt in the drizzle. I guess if you're gonna be a wet bear, you might as well just sit on your big furry butt and soak it all in...literally.
I watched this little (ok, 1000 pound) bear tilt his nose up and let the rain fall on his face. If there would have been snowflakes I am reasonably certain he would have caught them with his tongue, he was rather enjoying the inclement weather.
At least initially he was enjoying the moment. I think he got rain up his nose which led to this rather disgrunted expression a moment later. Musings of a wet bear. Here I sit, damp and and befuddled, my fuzzy butt in a large wet puddle.
When the rain let up and a little sun shone through, I swear he cracked a bit of a smile!
Meanwhile, this girl had assumed a different pose...belly down, my favorite post-Thanksgiving pose as well. She has quite the manicure too!
If you are gonna be wet, you might as well just roll with it.
I absolutely love this photo with the cute little feet and the fat little bum (again, little being relative to the thousand pounds of bear they are attached to). While these animals deserve respect, they also deserve the awe and fascination they inspire with their intelligence and beauty. And so it is with deep awe and respect that I ask...aren't those the cutest little feet?
Here she looks like she just decided to give up and sleep through it, head on paws for naptime.
Eventually Joe came over and parked his butt by his sister Patrone. These two siblings are usually close together.
He looked at me like the least I could do was pass down an umbrella or something.
Little Hugo was just walking around in the rain. She has naturally dark fur around her eyes, and in the rain she just looks like a ball of dark fur.
A little black and white for contrast brings out that pretty face.
After a while I was as soggy as the bears, and the rain had us all feeling a little blue, so it was time to say bye and head home.
I stopped to say hi to Mr. Moose and he didn't seem to mind the drizzle at all.
Ever notice how mooses...er...meese...or mooseanei (kidding, the plural of moose is actually just...moose) noses are wierd and floppy on the end. Still cute, but there's a lot of wiggle room at the end of that nose.
It was a good day, spent at one of my favorite local spots, with a few of my favorite beings. I am getting quite attached to the personalities of each of the residents of the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
When I got back home I went for a short walk and came across one very particular falling leaf. I picked it up and brought it home with me. Every once in a while, on those days where you go out into the world and find your quiet, I find little signs that make me wonder about what lies just beyond the world we know. It's those days that feel the most peaceful that I see symbols that remind me of the most brutal and discordant things in my life. I remember the smile and laughter of a girl who drew hearts everywhere. I remember a girl I can never share days like this with again. But little things like a perfect heart shaped leaf also make me feel like on these days, she's with me still, watching bears in the rain.
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