He Would Be Asleep By Now

Earlier this fall, we had a lovely adventure. We had gone to church, had a nice dinner, and settled down to visit. We started to grow sleepy and wondered whether to take a nap, or get out and enjoy the fall day. Fortunately, we decided to see what nature had to show us. She had a treat in mind!
We drove a short distance to the river that is near us and began to walk. We bantered about the children walking through the cold water. Laughing Water made a deal with The Wanderer, who was with us, that, when we were about to go home, she would wade through it if he would.
We strolled and discovered wild onions. Mr. Blueberry Eyes attempted to walk on the bank of a large pool, that attributed off the side of the river. He ended up getting stranded, clinging to a tree root. The Wood Artist went to rescue him while the rest of us waited and watched.
Presently, The Wanderer spoke in a calm and completely unsurprised tone, "There is a bear." He could have been commenting on the clouds, or a bird, such was the tone of his voice. We turned. There it was. A small bear of about two years. We hollered for The Wood Artist to look. We all stood watching the bruin, about 75 yards from us. He seemed unconcerned about our presence. Eventually he walked away and we followed him at a distance, hoping he would meander through the mud and leave tracks. He did. We were delighted! It was nearly dark, so the next morning we returned with plaster and casting tools. The prints were still there and we gave casting tracks a first try. They aren't perfect, but we are proud of them. While we were working on them, Mr. Blueberry Eyes said, "Mama! Racoon tracks!" I thought he must be making it up, but sure enough! They were coon tracks. We got those, too. Laughing Water was proud to discover a deer print so deep that one could see the dew claws. All in all, we were glad we didn't take a nap that day!
Tonight, the snow is falling and there is a blizzard watch. I suppose he is sleeping in his den now.