A few years ago I drove over to Camas Prairie for an evening meeting with some ranchers. There's an old ranch house on the plains with a dead cottonwood tree in the front yard. Three-four little kids were playing in the yard and the family dog was running about. Sound asleep or appearing as such was a black bear stretched out on a cottonwood limb about 20' above the kids and dog's heads. They were obviously oblivious to his presence, or didn't care. Probably the former. If I'd had a camera I would have taken a photo, but then why disturb such a pastoral summer evening. I figured when the yard chaos subsided after sunset the bear slipped quietly away.
JH
