I heard Charlie Sue barking sharply, and checked to see where she was -- she was just outside the door in the carport and was looking into the bushes behind the house.  I went to the door leading to the back deck and saw the bear in the bushes, looking out.  All that you can see is a big black area, but he's there, near the tree trunk.

I brought Charlie Sue inside (OK, I bribed her with a treat) and kept checking the bear's location, hoping he'd come out and I could get a better picture.  But he moved on, so after awhile I let Charlie back outside again.  In a few minutes, I heard her barking again, but this time she was back behind her dog house and was really fussing.  So I went out the back door again, and there sat the bear behind our new neighbors' house.  He was quite calm and not a bit bothered by Charlie Sue's noise -- and she didn't get very close either.  So I got the camera and took his portrait!  Sorry if the quality of the pictures isn't very good -- black bears don't show up very well in the shadows on a cloudy day!

I think he sat there for about 15 minutes before disappearing into the bushes again, probably hunting for more berries.  Marge Marshall, mmarshall@spaciousskies.me