A sow black bear and her two cubs foraging at night in a spring snow storm.

I have been diligently monitoring the higher altitude weather patterns , reading wildlife reports and checking with locals to see if the bears have been coming out of hibernation.

There  have been no confirmed reports of activity in our  area though certain regions of the state have definitely seen bruin movement recently.

With an armory of bird feeders scattered about our property, I generally begin retrieving the feeding stations at  night about mid April. However, with all our late spring snow storms I thought a could fudge a bit.

I told myself the other day, “Ok, Eric remember to start bringing in the feeders this weekend ( as in three days from now). I was pretty confident this last couple of storms carrying unseasonably cold weather would perhaps give me a reprieve.

WRONG!

About 10 p.m. this evening our two Weimeraners exploded into horrific blood curdling howls and barks which from past recollection warned us there were either bears, fox or coyotes in our midst.

Sure enough a sow black bear with two cubs in tow discovered  one of our rather tall “squirrel-proof” feeders in the back acreage.

Mind you “squirrel-proof” means nothing to a hungry bear. This fuzzy, snow crusted trio was seen tumbling and spinning the wire contraption all about the ground before burying their snouts in the fresh blanket of snow picking out morsels of bird seed.

Knowing I all but lost the battle on that  tall feeder, I started scrambling about the property in my untied Sorels in the extremely dark cover of night peering over my shoulder at every feeder I grabbed fearing the worst. In short order all  the remaining feeders were safely placed in the garage and all that was left was to grab a photo of the spring marauders.

A Magpie perches on the back of a bull elk resting in a pine grove in Evergreen CO. after the March 9th storm.

Living near the Upper Bear Creak drainage from our closest fourteen thousand foot peak  Mount Evans provides a remarkable view into the lives and habits of a lot of wildlife. It’s not unusual in this montane environment  to see unique animal movement and behavior this time of year at 8000 feet.

Many of the migrating birds and some of the winter stragglers have been seen recently  in the area. The Pine Siskins,  Red Wing Black birds and several American robins have already frequented our area and have joined the throngs of Magpies, Crows, Chickadees and Finches . Mule deer have been shuffling through the area all winter but the elk ( Wapiti )  are just starting to move more frequently. Part of  the Mt. Evans elk herd has been holding in our area for several weeks now.

Nine bulls decided our property was a good respite for the day today. Most came to graze on some dormant grasses, bed down, rest and soak up some sunshine. But one unruly boy decided to take on our bird feeders to pilfer a little bird seed. It was quite amusing but as you can imagine some what messy and  destructive.

It’s all in good natured fun and simple amusement.

A bull elk decides to poach some bird seed from a feeder by tipping the feeder with his antlers.

Manning spent fourteen years with the Indianapolis Colts before the club decided to look to the future for a younger quarterback and subsequently declined to renew his contract. Manning spent an entire season rehabilitating  an injured neck that  required four surgeries. Confident his career was not over Manning pursued new employment and within a short period of time became game-fully employed last season acquired by the Denver Broncos as an unrestricted free agent on March 20, 2012.

As team photographer, at approximately 10 a.m. on that very date I began to document a new chapter in Peyton’s illustrious career.

As I began my photo research the other day one particular photo, though rather mundane, stood out.

It was a captured moment of the man who epitomizes professionalism and integrity of the National Football League rubbing his jaw with a sense of anxiety and an expression of uncertainty. He was attending the team’s first off season workout at the Broncos training facility.

One can only imagine how awkward and uncomfortable it must have been for the person who for fourteen years was in total control of his work environment and his destiny now starting over in completely unfamiliar territory.

As we all know Manning adapted very quickly and the rest of his story is yet to be written.

Newly acquired unrestricted free agent Denver Broncos Peyton Manning in the training room on the first official day of offseason training at the Dove Valley facility April 16, 2012 in Englewood,CO.

Moonlight bathes freshly fallen snow from a winter storm February 24, 2013 in Evergreen, Colorado

Clouds began to separate late last night after a significant winter storm rushed through Colorado leaving close to twenty inches of gorgeous powder here in Evergreen.

When I looked outside around 10 p.m. there was a stunning bluish glow bathing our new blanket of snowfall.

It was hard to resist not taking a photo.

Every time I see a scene like this I am always reminded of an image I have had embedded in my mind for years.

Ray Atkeson, a renown Pacific northwest photographer, took one of the most beautiful moonlit winter photographs I have ever seen. It is this tranquil image of the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood taken in 1949.

Long ago I relinquished the thought of ever outdoing Atkeson. First, the snowfalls in that region of the Cascades are monumental. Or at least the snowfalls used to be of that reputable variety. Secondly, lodge settings like Timberline hardly exist anymore.

I will say however, there’s still plenty of backcountry to snoop around  to surprise ones’ self to moonlit beauty.

A “bouquet of King Crab”…
my wife’s favorite Valentines Day gift!

My better half thinks Valentines Day is an absurd event.

“Commercialization at its finest”, she rails.

So, the question virtually every year is how do I show my wife I love her. Oh, I can humor her with a crazy or sentimental card.

But forget the flowers ( “they just die and fade away” ). Box of chocolates? “Generally speaking, not healthy”.

How about lingerie?

“Oh maybe silk pajamas next year”.

Wow! what’s a guy to do?

My wife adores a good dinner at home and is especially pleased if it includes wild caught Alaskan King Crab.

Complimented  perhaps with a glass of champagne to celebrate the occasion and my sweetheart is good to go.

Boy, I love practical women. Especially my wife Nancy.

Bon appetite!

Jesse Swift managed to maintain the lead eventually winning the 2013 Evergreen Winter Festival Ice Bike Race

As kids growing up just down the hill from Evergreen (CO) we had no problem entertaining our selves around the neighborhood even during winter months. Our “playground” consisted of a frozen irrigation ditch for pond hockey, snow-packed cul-de-sacs or dead-end streets for a shoe version of pond hockey.

We had nearby awesomely steep, teeth-rattling hills for our platoon of tobogans and Flexible Flyers. And when we got a little older, a little braver but none-the-less crazy, we started “hooky-bobbin”. A sport defined as, ” one or two individuals on skis being towed by lengthy ropes behind an automobile or snowmobile, depending on the surface of snow, (snow-packed road or horse pasture) with the intent of jumping off a snow-covered ramp, flying through the air and  (hopefully) landing in the upright postion.

I for one have many fond memories and a few concussions from those fine winter days.

Because of the obvious, folks today have had to resort to somewhat safer, organized sports in the winter around these parts.

My home town of Evergreen just held its second annual Winter Festival  at the lake. The event, in my opinion, is kind of a throw back to my youth with some new “tricked-out” modern fun added in.

Mountain bike racers make the transition from the lake to icy and snow-packed hillsides.

The fun-packed day starts out with the Ice Bike Race. Mountain bikers of all skill levels trade out their summer tires for beefier studded or spiked tires to maneuver the snow-packed lake and nearby hills. Last year bikers were challenged  by heavy snow and a snow-banked course. With this season’s milder temperatures, athletes had to use their talents handling hard packed ice covered in snow and ice patches transitioning to loose dirt,rocks and gravel. It appeared to be a test even with less snow.

Not far from the bike course,  fifty eight fishermen tested their patience and skill coaxing trout in the Tightline Ice Fishing Derby.

Later in the day the festival’s marquee event, the Ski and Snowboard Rail Jam, always pulls in the big crowds who also get a chance to mingle amongst open fire pits, concessionaires and a Snow Castle play area.

Snowboarder Wes McClain working a rail at the 2012 Winterfest at Evergreen Lake.

An event goer enjoys the heat from an open fire pit at the Evergreen Lake Winter Festival.

Yesterday’s first big winter storm of the season brought a lot of critters out of the forest to forage for food.

I noticed a small cluster of mule deer rooting near the house close to  one of our large sliding glass doors. Out of curiosity I decided to lay down near the window and wait patiently to see if the deer would perhaps wander up near the glass.

I was mostly interested to see how they would react when they realized just beyond their nose was a creature of a different kind. One particular doe, with big charcoal eyes, was browsing very close. She certainly looked intent on finding any stray bird seed from our feeders or any other tantalizing tidbits.

For a split second she realized something just wasn’t quite right. She yanked her head upward and her front legs stiffened. Then, just like with me, curiosity got the better part of her and she slowly edged her shiny black  nose up near the glass pausing for a moment and then gracefully went back to browsing.

I laid there for about ten minutes just taking in the magical scene.

A Beaver Moon rises above the foothills east of Evergreen, CO

Viewing full moons at 8000 feet provide lots of entertainment. Often they creep slowly up over the crest of Kinder Mountain east of the house creating mysterious silhouettes.

Other times the lunar glow can be so intense that night hikes or snowshoeing are better illuminated than if one had a headlamp.

We had a full moon five days ago. As nighttime stole dusk the moon happened to catch my eye as I looked out the windows of the living room. It made its presence known farther to the north and east as it rose off the shoulder of Bergen Peak.

There was something especially intriguing about it so I wandered outside on the deck to watch quietly and take in the crisp air as it  continued to rise- emitting a beautiful luster.

It kept me attentive for more than a few minutes and then I just suddenly decided I  needed  to make a photograph.

A few days later watching a weather report I learned it was a Beaver Moon. I had always known of the Blue Moon or the Harvest Moon but never a Beaver Moon.

Come to find out it is the first full moon of November. And I also learned that according to American folklore it obtained its moniker because it was also the time of year trappers would set their leghold traps for beaver.

Beavers, being nocturnal,  also did a lot of their dam rebuilding in late fall, I suppose in preparation for winter, under the moonlit sky.

Holiday celebrant Willis Bennet (neighbor and friend) hanging Christmas lights on a late November day.

Yep, it’s official. The holiday season is underway.

My neighbor and friend Willis Bennett was stringing outdoor Christmas lights on his trees yesterday.

I looked out my office window and sure enough I saw WB with pole in hand  reaching  confidently toward the tops of his plump Ponderosas.

We’ve had an on going neighborly battle  for years on who would have his lights up first . This year I cheated and strung my deck rail lights the day after Thanksgiving. In Evergreen you can always count  on a cluster of days that are more like warm October days and perfect for prepping for Christmas.

Willis goes all out. It seemed he was a little late this year but I think he was overcome by a late Thanksgiving and a whole lot of turkey. His seasonal efforts take much more planning and time than my rather pedestrian deck strand of lights.

Mind you, this is not a commercially designed set of lights he orchestrates. It’s just a regular guy  who I have always known as the ultimate optimist- awesome father and husband- who defines fun and  definitely is  a prime recruit  for a Santa Helper. This time of year this fellow oozes Christmas.

Just to be fair, I am going to wait to strike my lights after “Griswold” ( my nickname for Willis during the holidays ) has illuminated the neighborhhod.