Labor Day...September...End of Summer Getaway...Dinosaurs...Bears...and Sister's Day

 

And the end of a very very very long weekend for me.

...actually started week before last on Thursday...

Got to catch up with Chris and Lachlan!

James and Family got their new baby, Bailey!

 Lennon is good...and called to ask

"Is he DEAD yet?????"

Nobody knows, hon.

Then there was the KCC last pre-season game on Friday...and the last pre-season game of the Colts on Saturday!

 By Wednesday, John and I were off for our End of Summer Getaway...where we slept in...had great food (...maybe too much...) and generally goofed off for a few days.

It was a great time for Tux, as well!

 

Who has finally realized Lachlan is a tiny human being of sorts.

Also, that we brought back Prime Rib for him.

And, that his ginger girlfriend has been over for most of the week.

And, with all the company, he has been the absolute center of attention and gets ALL the pets!

Yeah...it has been a GREAT Tux week.

 Tina and I had our Sister's Day together on Saturday!

...shown here with her newest baby, Shadow...

She brought a jar of peach jam (sooooooooooooooooooooo yummy) she had recently put up and we used croissant dough and cinnamon and sugar to spread some and bake wonderful desserts to accompany pulled BBQ pork, baked beans, and potato salad...

...with whipped cream, of course...

And Tux got some of the pulled pork, and whipped cream.

...it has been a very very very good Tux Week...

Finally saw Jurassic: Rebirth

 

Which was really entertaining....and filled with "jump-scares"!

Some of the critics lambasted it...but it was a dinosaur movie FFS...not War & Peace.

Lots of interesting characters...lots of dinosaurs...lots of teeth...a few characters eaten...a nice satisfying ending.

I'd watch it again!

Caught up with my bearfolk...and the bears.

The salmon are still thick.

And so are the bears.

 

#284

 

 #856 and #151 Walker

#602

Bucky...who now believes he is the new sheriff in town.

 

Grazer and Biggie

And Biggie!

 Walker....according to DNA Diagnostics...you ARE the father...lol!!!

 

This October's Fat Bear Contest is going to be lit.

Fall, nearly here. The fireflies are gone...the hummers are packing up...I've heard a few morning crows already and it is so much cooler...getting downright chilly at night and there is smoke scent on the air.

Soon sweaters, hoodies and fall food!

And Football

...regular season...

starting this Friday, in Brazil, with my Chiefs...at 8PM!

 

Love,

Carla  

 

 

  

 

The 7 Month Bitch...

 

So...it has been 7...(checks notes) months...can this be right???

 

OMFG!

 

41 months to go....

 

In the past month we have watched the rise and fall of Doge...the disappearance of the Epstein files...they are on my desk...now they are gone...we just don't know...stop asking...look over there...Obama...Hillary...Biden...Aliens....Meeting with Putin... Meeting with Zelensky... Meeting with half of the European Leaders...Fucking Gavin...and on and on...

It is exhausting.

I am exhausted.

But...we WILL get through this.

We must.

And we will emerge stronger because of it.

Hang in there! 

Teddy Bear Picnic

 

It has been all about bears at Katmai, this week...and playing...and napping...and eating.

Fat Bear Week (not until October) is going to be like none other.

And every-bear is just full happy and relaxed.

 

The aerial view of 901.

And 901 on top of the falls.

 

903 and 910

Wallflower

Chunk (whose belly now touches the water)

Walker

And 602, of course.

Who seems to eat and nap...

Then wake up to eat some more.

 Even Gully is becoming rotund!

A sow came a bit too close to Biggie and got herself grazered.

 And one afternoon the 803 yearlings discovered a new toy (the camera)

 But, otherwise, it has been a fairly quiet August...and we begin to slide into Autumn.

 

 

 

 

Virtual AZT: Inner Gorge...Kaibab...Dragon Bravo Fire...and The End of the Trail

 

The gorge is magical. Turquoise blue water. Waterfalls. Red rock cliffs and canyons.

I could have stayed here.

Correction...we should have stayed here.

But Thursday Morning arrived...and with it the end of our campsite stay.

"Well...what's it going to be?" Dixie asked, as we packed up our tents.

"I'm coming with you." I replied, barely audible...hardly convincing.

"That's the Spirit!!!" She laughed.

 The workaround sounded fairly straight ahead.  We would get off the trail before it became #39 and hike in a wide loop until we intercepted Passage #40..the Kaibab trail...which eventually ended our adventure.

 

Off...we went.

Blissfully unaware that Dragon Bravo Fire had shifted...and now had overtaken the lower half of the Kaibab Passage.

We climbed out and immediately saw there was a problem.

The further we looped to intersect the Kaibab...the more smoke we saw.

What had looked like a small inconvenience was now a dangerous reality.

And there was still that felony thing... 

 The beautiful North Rim Lodge

was reduced to a smoking pile of ashes and burned black stone.

Still...we trekked on.

 

Off the path...it was easy to get confused...turned around. 

 

The air was thick with smoke and the smell...like 1000 campfires all burning around you.

 

When we reached the Kaibab...we were stunned to find the passage filled with rangers.

 

"Oh...Thank God!!!" Dixie called, getting their attention.

 

(...let me handle this...she hissed...)

 

We were quickly approached and she turned on all that southern charm...complete with blond stupidity

 

"We got off the trail this morning and turned around...lost...can you help us?"

 

"Miss..this trail is dangerous and now closed" the Ranger informed her.

 

He led us out to the middle of Kaibab...where we had relatively a few miles to the trailhead...and our destination.

 

Saved by big blue eyes...long blond hair and a South mouth.

 

And no felonies.

 

We celebrated in town before going our separate ways.

 

It was an amazing adventure!

 

Glad you came along.

 

Love,

 

"Beans" 

 

 

 

Bears...Test Results...Comparisons and Books

 

Starting and ending each day with the bearfolk, now...

Got John's scans and MRI back earlier this week...and cause to celebrate. No new growth anywhere...everything healing nicely...and not having any adverse reactions to immunotherapy, this time.

We are soooooooooooooooooooooooo happy!!!

And celebrated here with tacos and chat and loving on Tux (and maybe a small nap together).

Life is good..and we have a getaway scheduled soon!

 

The bears..omg...the bears...

 First of all...there is plenty of food for everyone!!!!

So wonderful because there is a lot of playing...relaxed happy bears...and just general goofing off!

And Fat Bear Week is going to be lit..because some of these are absolute units, now.

ZEUS

 #910

 LOU

 

#910 (again)

 #32 CHUNK

 

Who was caught down river fishing and playing with #856!!!

 And my choice (so far) for Fat Bear...number 602...who has installed himself in Otis' old office...and EATS...all day...

And EATS... 

And NAPS...

 Then EATS some more.

Unlike other boars who run others off with teeth and claws...602 prefers his cha-cha-cha move...

 Which looks a bit odd, but seems to work.

Someone set it to music.

https://youtu.be/DrNh1pUCmYo?si=B9qpZd_g-0MyAfXO

And then there was Slappy #808...

https://youtu.be/sVnXCTAmYGo?si=a-x0m8loOwLiGkmw

(..this is a must watch...)

SLAPPY, true to his nickname, has a bad habit of coming up to random bears and just slapping them.

He isn't angry.

Or mean.

Or asserting dominance.

He is a lot like Scuba Steve...just annoying.

Until last night...when he slapped #164 Bucky Dent.

 Bucky growled menacingly and pinned his ears back...

"Excuse me!!! Do you know WHO I am???? I am the son of GRAZER...brother to GULLY...sired by #856...you peasant...How DARE you!!!"

SLAPPY was chastised, but Bucky was benevolent,, and let him retreat...continually looking over his shoulder...and no attack came.

Then Bucky settled in...catching salmon again as though it never happened.

Nary a dull moment at Brooks Falls.

 

This week comparing Arby's Brisket Sandwich

which I LOVE with

Burger King's New Brisket...

 

 Spoiler Alert:  There is no comparison...BK sucks and pictures are deceiving.

There was so little actual brisket meat on my sandwich it resembled a smear of a condiment.

So disappointing.

And finally read

 

By the same author that gave us 5-4-3-2-1.

It was worth the read...but not as life changing or spectacular as many had touted.

Very Zen.

Have a great week!

Love,

Carla and Tux