It is the summer of bears, here.  I have seen two more sets since my last post - a tiny mom with two very small cubs and a giant brownish mom with two bouncy kids.  The last set was Saturday, and mom could have been a grizzly but I wasn't close enough to tell.  Mulder was with me, on the weekend, and wanted badly to go and visit with the cubs but I talked him out of it.

Dreamed of Dad, last week.  I was driving him and Mum in the mountains, we were going hiking but I wasn't convinced that it was a good idea.  Dad was directing me from the back seat and we ended up in a gentle valley with a large trail going straight and long towards a high valley between two peaks. Dad made me stop the car but I was thinking, he's never going to be able to walk all the way up there.  Last fall, one of his neighbours very kindly added extra steps to Mum and Dad's back porch because Dad couldn't get up and down the two steps.  He could only get into the car with difficulty, his legs were swollen from the various health issues dogging him.

I got out of the car and was messing with my stuff, Dad said, behind me, "Come on, then!" I turned around and he was striding off up the trail, but he wasn't old and infirm anymore, he was young like I remember him when I was a child, vibrant, solid, with brown hair and fit legs, wearing his climbing clothes and not using a stick.  He turned and grinned at me.  I said to Mum, who was standing next to me, "Look at him walking like he always used to, that's amazing."

Then I woke up.  And although I know it's just a dream, it makes me think that he's ok.  wherever he is there's mountains and walking, and he's not hurting.