Steven's beloved dog passed away yesterday. "Bear" went on many adventures with him, and was always eager for another one! She would jog out to the side of the road when she'd hear our car coming, and if it was dark out you could see that white patch on her chest bouncing along before you could see the rest of her in the headlights! She was overwhelmed with excitement, running from one side of the car to the other, trying to greet us both at once!
Steven taught her many tricks, and if he was holding one of her favorite foods (like part of a hamburger!) she'd race through all of her tricks before he could call them out, in her eagerness to get the treat! She'd lay on the path in front of us and insist on a tummy rub before we could pass. She appreciated love and attention. She had wise eyes, lots of patience, and was good to children.
We taught her not to chase deer. I had two raised garden beds in our front yard, and about 6 or 7 years go I looked out from the kitchen window and she was laying in one of the beds and there was a deer in the one next to it, calmly browsing while "Bear" watched! "Bear" was afraid of lightning and thunder. She'd be on the porch flattened on the rug against the door at the first sound of thunder! She wasn't comfortable in the cabin, so it didn't do any good to try and bring her inside!
She never minded the cold. With that thick fur and inner fluff she was always warm, even when it was below zero. She'd go out and lay on the snow until it melted into a patch of ice under her! On frosty mornings you could see the outline of where she'd been laying, with melt-lines around her shape!
If we walked across the yard she came to attention and watched to see if we were headed for the road to take a walk! If we called to her she'd bounce for joy (funny to see, too, for such a big dog!) and whimper and whine with excitement. She loved water. She'd walk through every puddle and nose her way down into a ditch by a culvert to look for water. She'd get out into it and just settle down and lay there! Once she chased a small black bear through the trees and if it weren't for her long, fluffy tail it would have been hard to tell which was the dog and which was the bear!Many are the stories I could tell about her and what a special dog she was.
Steven got her as a puppy when she was a little round ball of black fur. The bond between them was very special. She'd sit outside the window where she knew he was sleeping and wait for him to wake up in the morning, and be at the door to greet him as he came out. She spent many happy hours sprawled by the woodstove in his workshop while he reloaded ammo or pulled hides over stretchers, or whatever project he had going.
This morning we buried her and ringed the grave with the larger stones from the hole. This fall I'll transplant some of my flower bulbs from the garden to the grave. She was truly a unique dog.
This afternoon we went down to Stryker and hiked up Sunday Creek to the falls. This is just below the falls.
Oh no! There's a troll in the woods!
???These were along the trail.
This is the lower falls.
The middle falls.
And the upper falls.
This is above the upper falls.+edited.jpg)
When I first saw this picture I thought Steven caught me doing some Kung Fu stuff! But I'm just balanced on a log taking a picture!
At least I wasn't tip-toeing through the tulips!lol
Saw this doe and fawn on the way home, about a mile from our house.
The fawn stood still long enough for me to lean out the car window and zoom in to take another picture.
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