The Narratives - Tom Sears and The Black Bears

About 6 weeks ago, one of our Virtual Community members sent me the story of Tom Sears and his adventure with a remarkable mom and her quintuplets. Tom Sears is a nature photographer. I found Tom's story a lovely narrative and his photos very powerful. He is something of a shaman to me.

After checking his website, I wrote Tom, gave him our Whole Earth Care Blogsite and asked if he would let me post his article, "The Bears and I".

Tom wrote me back saying, "... Please feel free to include my story and photos on your Blog. I wish you every success in this new venture...may it grow to many thousand "Followers".

So, with a generous heart, Tom has made his narrative available to all of us. Here it is.

"The Bears and I

Black bears typically have two cubs; rarely, one or three. In 2007, in northern New Hampshire, a black bear sow gave birth to five healthy young. There were two or three reports of sows with as many as four cubs, but five was, and is, extraordinary.

I learned of them shortly after they emerged from their den and set myself a goal of photographing all five cubs with their mom - no matter how much time and effort was involved.

I knew the trail they followed on a fairly regular basis, usually shortly before dark. After spending nearly four hours a day, seven days a week, for six weeks, I had that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and photographed them. I used the equivalent of a very fast film speed on my digital camera. The print is properly focused and well exposed, with all six bears posing as if they were in a studio for a family portrait.

I stayed in touch with other people who saw the bears during the summer and into the fall hunting season. All six bears continued to thrive. As time for hibernation approached, I found still more folks who had seen them, and everything remained OK.

I stayed away from the bears as I was concerned that they might become habituated to me, or to people in general, as approachable friends. This could be dangerous for both man and animal. After Halloween, I received no further reports and could only hope the bears survived until they hibernated.

This spring, before the snow disappeared, all six bears came out of their den and wandered the same familiar territory they trekked in the spring of 2007. I saw them before mid-April and dreamed nightly of taking another family portrait, an improbable second once-in-a-lifetime photograph.

On April 25, 2008, I achieved my dream. When something as magical as this happens between man and animal, Native Americans say, “We have walked together in the shadow of a rainbow.”

And so it is with humility and great pleasure that I share these photos with you.

Sincerely,
Tom Sears

P.S. August 22, 2008, the cubs are doing well but have gone their separate ways and there will not be another 'family portrait'."

There are more photos of the Mama bear and of her cubs on Tom Sears' website under Portfolios. To find out more about Tom and his work go to:
http://www.digitalphotographics.us/index.html


Thank you so much, Tom, for sharing your story with our Whole Earth Care Virtual Community. You can teach us a lot about being patient, thoughtful and observant in the natural world with our Earth Family. When we take the time to be still, listen, watch and be present to Life around us, the awards are great.

To Be Alive

To be alive: not just the carcass

But the spark.

That's crudely put, but ...

If we're not supposed to dance,

Why all this music?

Gregory Orr
(Concerning The Book That Is the Body Of The Beloved)
www.panhala.net/Archive/To_be_alive.html

Media:

Videos: Michael Franti’s song, Hey World (Don’t Give Up)

“Michael Franti. ‘Hey World’ is a call to roll up your sleeves, to shake off apathy: ‘I didn't come here to chill, I came here to rock ... You got to let go of the remote control.'" (KarmaTube)
this music video is well worth a watch and listen.
http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=1412


Maureen1 sent this following message for anyone living in the Hamilton, Ontario area.
“The McMaster planetarium is offering free shows inviting the audience to ask questions of the astronomer, throughout this year. There are also some scheduled showings of '7 Ways Life on Earth Could End.'

For more details check out http://www.physics-mcmaster.ca/ All shows are listed as being sold out, but it is possible to get seats by going on a wait list.
Just call 905 525 -9140 ext 27777
Cheers,
Maureen1"

I’m sure you would find similar programs in any university town or city with a planetarium near you. Check it out. The night sky is an exciting and mysterious part of our world.


Don't forget Earth Hour on Saturday, March 28th at 8:30 p.m.

It's lights out - make it a party and have fun.
For information on this international event, go to: http://www.earthhour.org/home/



Katie, The Answer Lady is waiting for your questions.
Send your questions to moczero@sympatico.ca

Short articles for the Guest Writer section will be very gratefully received.

If you are new to Whole Earth Care or if you have been checking into the site from time to time and want to receive a reminder whenever a new Posting is ready to read, send your email to moczero@sympatico.ca I will then include you in a reminder email with all email addresses in Bcc to protect you and your identity. You can always cancel the reminder email at any time. The reminder email is short...

Take care this week and enjoy the changing season.

Earth Family First,

maureen

(Photos of Black bears by Tom Sears)
(All other photos by Google images)