« Alden, Lately | Main | Idiots'Books in Utne Reader »

September 01, 2009

Bear Truth

You might remember that recently I told you of the bear infiltration of our house in Alaska.

We got some photos in the mail from our friend Vern, one of only four full-time residents of Coffee Point, Alaska. The other three are his wife, Marita, and his daughters, Evelyn and Emily.

Evelyn was the one who noticed the bear damage in the first place. They occasionally patrol our compound in the months that we are here in Maryland. Here is what Evelyn found: the bears' entrance point.

evelyn.jpg

"How does a great big bear get through such a small hole?" you ask.

Answer: I have no idea.

Here is what they did when they got inside. Bob and Seiko left the house quite neat when they closed up for the winter, I assure you.

inside1.jpg

But they will have a lot of cleaning up to do when they arrive next spring.

inside2.jpg

Bears: untidy.

inside3.jpg

Once upon a time, we had nice trim around our windows.

window1.jpg

It seems the bear needed a toothpick.

And here's where the bears made their exit from the premises.

bathroom_window.jpg

Apparently, according to those who have been ransacked by bears in years past, the worst thing about having had a bear in your house is not the things they break and the horrible mess they make but the awful smell they leave behind. Bears do not take showers, and so their fur is covered with a lifetime of oily, fishy funk that they love to rub all over the interiors of the houses that they pillage.

We have a similar problem around here from time to time. Different kind of bear.

IMG_1137.jpg

Same results.

Posted by bogenamp at September 1, 2009 10:16 PM