Amish Oats

On a recent early morning drive on my way in to work from our camp in the Southern Adirondacks, I had the good fortune to meet up with a black bear. I say "good fortune", as although there are signs of bears on the local hiking paths, no one I know has ever actually seen a bear in the woods.

As the car navigated a corner, I admonished my husband to slow down due to the thick fog, and suddenly, there he/she was! At first, I was puzzled. What is that large, slow moving lump in the road? I am used to seeing deer in this neck of the woods. Large bucks with full racks and mother deer with their spotted doe not too far behind. The slow moving lump was too big to be a dog - Holy Shit, it's a bear! In the first few seconds, I was too surprised to react. By the time I came to my senses and fumbled for my camera, he/she had lumbered up the side of the bank and disappeared into the woods.

I feel very lucky to have seen this bear. Although I live in a wonderful rural area of New York State, to see a wild animal while doing something so mundane as going to work makes me appreciate my home even more. Yes, I love NYC. I could easily live there. But, the country is a beautiful, serene, charming, yet wild place with an excitement all of its own.