July 1 to July 31, 2006
Artist’s Reception
Saturday, July 1
4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Creative Hands at Eliza Peet Gallery
17 Main St., Salisbury, CT (860-435-8255)
(Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday evening, June 1, 2006.
It finally happened to us. Years ago we’d seen evidence of bear - three broken feeders and paw marks on the siding. This time I was standing at the picture window gazing at a dusky, unlit scene - dusky because it was 7:15 p.m. and unlit because we were in the midst of our most current power failure, occasioned by a thunderstorm none of us will soon forget - and this blacker than black shape materialized. It came up from the road, across the lawn and made a bee-line for the thistle feeder in our front yard, 25 feet from our window.This black bear was in the 350-400 pound class. Holly has been wanting to see a bear for years (in the safety of the house). I called to her. She was ecstatic, went to the door and opened it to look. Just then the bear reached up and took the feeder in its paws.
She called out, “Don’t do that!”
The bear dropped to the ground, turned and looked at her. I joined her at the door. It was a beautiful creature. While it looked at us in the customary standoff, I said, “You heard her. Stay away from our feeders.”
Yon bear evidently decided she (I thought it was a she, somehow) had been sufficiently ganged up on, took off through the driveway hostas and headed toward the line of Scott Bennet and Tony Caretta’s place and disappeared.
After awhile, I went out and took in the feeders for the night.
Dick and Holly Benton
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