Chat - Monday, May 28, 2012, Remembering the Ones We Love .....

[sandie]

Lala there were several planes flying around here today also. Sometimes those shots are the best ones!!

Laurie I'm so sorry Luke has to have another surgery. I always have him in my heart and think of him so often. He is such a brave guy and I'm proud to say I know of his bravery. Whatever comes his way he will handle it with grace and pride. Glad you had a nice weekend. Moving is never any fun no matter what you are moving from one place to another. I don't envy you.

I hope my little singing birdie has found himself someone to sing to other than us in this neighborhood.

[ojailala]

Great Job Deb... I know that baby bald eagle picture must be one you and Gary took... those were the days... getting up close with the little guys... very nice presentations today with awesome photos...

[ojailala]

Sandie.. before it gets too late... drug store.... ear plugs.....

[lmorton2001]

Thanks to all of you who sent congratulations and good wishes to my daughter Amy for her graduation on Friday! It was so sweet of all of you. She looked at them all and sends along her thanks, too. Even though there was smoke in the air that morning, it was so much less on the side of town where her school is, so they were able to have graduation outside under the beautiful cottonwoods. It was a small class of just 65 kids, most of whom have been together since the 6th grade, and they had a wonderful and personal program for them. It will be a busy summer for all of us, getting ready for college, and taking care of things she has to do before going. She will actually begin classes at DePaul three months from yesterday!

It has been a busy weekend for us. We had quite a bit of family in from various places for graduation, and had a great time visiting. Our family party was Saturday evening and we just had a blast. I had put together a Smilebox of photos from Amy's life from birth to now, and she was so touched! There were a few tears after that, but they were happy.

All the out of towners left yesterday, and last night we took Amy and her boyfriend to the baseball game (Albuquerque Isotopes). There was a big crowd due to the fireworks show after, and Matt Kemp and Juan Rivera being here on rehab assignments. It was a beautiful evening and we had a great time.

Still haven't gotten my NAC donation in, but that is on the to-do list for this week. From the sounds of things, I bet we easily surpass the $20K goal!

[Artsy Mom]

What an awesome car Lala. Was it on display in Vegas? I love your moss purse planter too We saw a bi-plane flying overhead here on Saturday..the kind Wilbur and Orville flew. Nice to see it so unexpectedly.

We have had another serious torrential downpour earlier this evening. Everything is just soaking to the max. The plants and hanging baskets went back into the garage in the nick of time just before the skies opened up again. The is supposed to end later tomorrow but it will be colder again. We're not getting any heat until the end of the week. Where did summer go?

So far no Lily Update tonight...maybe they all had a teddy bear picnic for Memorial Day

[Artsy Mom]

Lily the Black Bear – UPDATE May 28, 2012

Sharon Found


Sharon in the rain - May 28, 2012

We flew this afternoon and quickly located Sharon’s radio-signal over 5 miles outside her usual area, just like Lily was a few days ago.


Lynn Rogers and Bud Van Deusen of VanAir prepare for the flight - May 28, 2012

We geared up and drove to the area with two goals—to see if she is with a male and to replace her old radio-collar with a bigger one that includes a GPS unit so we can track her on the computer. To see if she was with a male, one person tried homing in on her radio signal in stealth mode. That means moving very slowly through the forest in stocking feet to feel any sticks before putting weight on the foot and breaking them. It also means quietly moving branches by hand so they don’t slide across fabric. Not a glimpse.


Antenna mounted on wing strut - May 28, 2012

Next, we tried, “It’s me, bear” to see if Sharon would hold and let us change her radio-collar even though our approach would likely scare away any male that might be with her. Along the way on that attempt, a big thunderstorm boomed through along with high winds and a soaking downpour. We sought shelter under some balsam trees. In five minutes, the storm passed and the wind subsided so we continued. Soon, we caught sight of Sharon watching us approach. We changed her radio-collar and watched to see if she looked around for a departed male. She gave no indication that she was with a male. The mystery of the big males continues.


Forest after rain - May 28, 2012

As we drove back, content that we had found Sharon and changed her collar, the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the woods.

One final video of Jewel and her cubs from May 17 has been posted on YouTube.

Thank you for all you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center