MY CONVERSATION WITH A BEAR

Note to self: bring the bird feeders in at night.  

     Last night, only about 7 feet from the bedroom window stood a rather large black bear that I struck up a conversation with.  No matter the din of three dogs barking madly at lawnmower-level decibels, it just stood there and looked at me as I talked with it.  I'm not adept at sexing bears at O'dark-thirty, so I'll pick the male version....I know enough to never call anything that's female 'big' or 'huge'.  :-)  That bear easily would tip the scales at 250#.  After it ambled off the deck at one gear higher than a 3-toed sloth, I set out my game camera, figuring it would return for that which it hadn't already destroyed.  FYI, the camera lens was roughly 45" above the deck, so even seeing only the south-bound end of a north-bound bruin, you can see he had some bulk.

Thursday morning I was treated to a brief sun spike before sunrise, with the upper level clouds just right.  Click to enlarge any pic, as always.                       - Bob

5-28-14 Dawn with sun spike

JUST SOME UPDATES AND INFO....

Sunrise May 26, 2014 (click to enlarge)

The mountain is lush right now, and as I type a good steady shower is helping to make it more so.  HOA president Keith Patton wanted me to pass long the following information, which may well answer questions some of you have. Bob

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1. The N.C. Department of Transportation # is 828-456-5633. This is who we all need to call to get action on the Mauney Cove Road potholes, as well as vegetation that sticks out over the edge of the road. 

2. We are in the early stages of planning our annual meeting. Anyone interested in serving on the Board next year should contact a current Board member (see list below).

3.We need volunteers to assist with weed eating and leaf blowing the road. Anyone willing to help should call a current Board member, or just take the initiative and go cut a section on your own.  (I plan on getting the double hairpins in a day or two, once I get my weedeater up and running - bob).

4. The Board has zero authority in enforcing the Apple Creek Road speed limit. We suggest that a phone call to the speeder is the appropriate action. Many may not be aware that speeders causing accidents or property damage can be held liable in a Civil Court. 15 MPH is the maximum safe speed for our road.

Here are the current board members and phone numbers, a good thing to copy and have on hand:

Keith Patton 456-8895

David Stiles 989-2708

Marilyn Herbert 456-6954

Jerry Tate 456-3367

THINGS ARE A-BRUIN' UP HERE IN ACA

Got an early AM report from the Rose household of a very large adult black bear that visited there last night close to midnight, tearing down their main porch bird feeder.  Subsequently, I discovered this morning a deck feeder of mine purely missing, with the heavy metal bracket greatly bent and down on the ground 12 feet below.  A short while ago, got a call from Doyle Love above me that a large bear has hit him twice in the past couple of days, last night just short of 3am, bending a large metal pipe/pole with feeders on it.

All that to say, hey, we know we have bears up here...and they're back.  So take whatever precautions you wish to minimize potential damage from their investigations.  This explains why I've slept so little the past couple of nights thanks to my youngest pup going bonkers in the middle of the night...

Lovin' this warmer weather...hope you are too. 

(Click pic below to enlarge)

Early May sunrise from the end of Staymon Road

Bob

GRADING TODAY ON SIDE ROADS

(Passing along this information from our HOA president Keith Patton)

Custom Paving has it's grader and roller out treating our side roads today.  While hard rains can certainly take their toll on these roads over time, there is no worse culprit than speeding and spinning wheels on gravel.  Road degradation greatly increases when people drive too fast and kick up gravel.  Let's each do our part to ensure the quality of our side roads remain as good as possible for as long as possible.
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Case in point for me and my goony-golf driveway....larger UPS trucks try to take the tight upper turn and feel their tires slipping...so they gun it and then get even less traction, truly burning rubber and standing still.  I learned long ago to go much slower, not faster, and voila the tires will grip, not squeal, and job accomplished.  Thanks to all those traveling our side roads for easing up on the accelerator.

Bob

SPRING!!!! AND "BEAUTIFICATION"...

Trillium

It was only 2-3 weeks ago we had a skiff of snow one night and a low of 19 degrees...so I know I speak for many that we are happy to see the greening of spring on the mountain.  And what a weekend it has been!

I spoke with Irene recently...as you may or may not know, she and Judy have done yeoman's work every year making our entrance lovely and welcoming. But you may not know not a penny from our lot assessments/dues goes towards the beautification of the entrance.  We no longer have a slush fund for that which heretofore would get funded at annual meetings by raffles and such, and Irene and Judy buy all the mulch, plants, etc. and donate their time for all of us to enjoy coming home.  I know I do.

If anyone would like to make a nominal donation to defray their costs, you can catch 'em at what many of us call "The Big House" or give 'em a jingle at 828-316-7000.  They have done a lot for us over the years, and when their house sells and they move away, they will be sorely missed.

The leaves keep coming out every day, and the wildflowers are out in full force.  My hummingbirds showed up shortly after Tax Day, and the corn feeder I put up to detour my boomers (red squirrels) away from my sunflower feeders has failed miserably...I don't think they know what corn is!  But the past few days I've enjoyed the brilliant displays of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings.  It is surely gorgeous 'round these parts.

Bob