"Mom, I wanna shoot a bear!"

Said the little brother to his mom.

The family of four set off for a picnic under the Aspens at the south end of the Ranch where daddy first took mama on a picnic when they were first dating. We rode horseback back in those good ol' days, but today, it was on the saddle of a four wheeler that took us to the gorgeous setting under the shade of the aspens while the tamarack trees gazed on in the background. The grass was long, extremely long, for this year the spring showers have been many in these parts and the land was fertile and lush. Our "fourleler" arrived at the sight safely and daddy and sister chose the picnic spot. It was perfect. It was serene. We ate, we chatted, we shooed the bugs away and we took some great snap shots to remember the day. Sister picked the flowers and brother holding tight to his "shooter" shot everything in sight."Riiiinnnggg!" or was it"Viiibbbbrratttee" went daddy's cell phone from his pocket. It was Clark, daddy's brother. Our family and his family were the only two left at the Ranch after the Johnson Family reunion ended only the day before. They were also on a family picnic enjoying their "tree" on the Ranch where Clark and Jane carved their names into a special tree of their choosing many many moons ago. Daddy was explaining to Clark where we were at when all of a sudden daddy spotted a visitor making his way down the mountain to where we were. "It's a bear! There is a little baby bear! I uh, gotta go Clark... uh it's a bear..." he spoke excitedly as he handed the phone to me hanging up with Clark suddenly. He grabbed the camera as we all starred on. We could not believe our eyes! There was a black baby bear just having a Sunday stroll down the mountain. He plopped down to rest as he studied us watching him with wide eyes and wider smiles! Sister was excited a first. Brother was too. But they both didn't really get mine and daddy's excitement of seeing and actual bear on our Ranch.We took many pictures of little bear and then some of me and the kids with little bear off in the distance. Then daddy wanted to get a closer look. Yes, you heard it right. So, off he set to get a "better" picture! I know, I was sort of very nervous at this point, because when ever there is a baby bear, there is a mama bear somewhere close by. You know how us mama's are- we never let our babies wander off too far especially if strangers are near. He got pretty close until the baby started off up the mountain. Daddy came back thinking he would rather not encounter a mama bear close up. Smart move daddy.
The whole time while we were watching little bear watch us, I thought Burke is going to want to shoot the bear for sure. I mean what an easy target he is right there in front of us, we really did nothing to search for the bear at all. Burke held his gun and maybe once or twice thought to shoot the bear but never on his own. I had to pursuade him to "shoot" the bear with his wooden weapon. I just had to chuckle. The entire time at the Ranch he has wanted to shoot bears, and shoot animals and "kill" them, but when it got down to business, the real sheebang, my little one had no shootin instincts. I guess that is the way I prefer it to be. For play and pretend and not for real right?
As the bear headed up the mountain it stopped once to check us out again and then it kept on going up further up the mountain until we could no longer see it in the thick forest. We told brother and sister that it was going back to be with mama bear. And it probably was, but for us we luckily did not meet mama bear that day. Thankfully. What a time we had that day. We just felt bad that we scared it off a little too quickly for the Clark Johnson's to be able to see our new friend. Maybe next time we will see our little bear friend again. Until next time little bear. Burke will be bigger next time so please watch out. And we will for sure watch out for you because I know you will be much bigger next time we see you as well. Take care little bear.