Black Bears in Iowa ?

(Photo by Todd Waterman - Published at The Decorah Newspapers site) This black bear was seen near Castalia on Monday, June 8th,2009. Reports by two individuals of their bear sightings was confirmed by Winneshiek County officials. The bear looked healthy as it made it's way out of Winneshiek and into northeastern Fayette County.The Sheriff’s Department is telling people to keep their distance, not to frighten the animal,preventing it from becoming defensive. It looks like there are more and more sightings of single bears in different sections of the state. One can only speculate from what direction they are arriving. Often it is believed they originate from the Minnesota/Wisconsin direction, and now it is being thought that increasing populations in the Ozarks are expanding northward. Whatever the cause,seeing a Black Bear in Iowa is not an everyday occurrence.

I know I am not ready to co-exist at Timber Life with those critters. Guess I can change if the need arises. Ahhh, the bear skin rug I need to put in front of our fireplace when we build our new home. ;) Iowa DNR report 2002. May 29,2008 North Liberty,IA. September 11,2008 KCCI News in Des Moines, IA reported a Black Bear sighting in Atlantic,IA a southwest Iowa community not far south of Interstate 80. They reported there had been bear sighted in six Iowa counties by that time, up since the last sightings in 2005.

Altoona Bass Pro - Update

Progress is being made at the Bass Pro Shop in Altoona, IA. The top picture was taken this past Sunday evening, May 31,2009. As you can see in the picture immediately beneath, things were just beginning to be enclosed in February. What a difference three months can make... It is impressive to see the character being given to the building by the materials chosen to cover the structure.

Passing the Bass Pro Shop in Council Bluffs, on our trips back and forth to Lincoln,NE. a couple of times in the last year, left me to wonder what they might decide would fit the Altoona location. The Council Bluffs location reminds me of a huge log lodge, a very inviting site. The Altoona store looks like pine siding on parts of it from the Interstate. Presently, I can only speculate until I get a closer look. A job fair was planned for June 1st-3rd, to begin the search for the nearly 300 full and part-time staff . The invitation to people of the outdoors to become apart of the workforce whether you are a teenager, or a seasoned pro, is being heard over all the local news media. They are looking for individuals to work in the main store, 10 lane Bowling Alley and the Grill section.

Mark your calendars for the Grand Opening scheduled for Thursday, August 27th,2009, if you live close-by, or will be passing through the state on your vacation. I know I plan on being there to check out the inventory and getting pictures to pass along....;)

"UP"- Movie Review

Today, I would like to share my opinion of a movie that from all outward appearances might appeal to children 7 years and older. There is alot of color and continuous activity so if you need to entertain younger brothers and sisters they too might find the movie an enjoyable experience. Hubby and I enjoy checking out flicks in the theater that might be good to give our grandchildren when they come out on DVD, or add to our library when we have sleep-overs. This movie is about an old man, Carl Fredericksen, who made a promise throughout his life to his childhood sweetheart/wife to visit a faraway place together. The idea to explore was brought about by the tales of an an adventurer they both admired greatly when they were children..."Cross his heart." To my surprise I saw a cameo shot in the movie of a deer that reminded me a whole bunch of Deer Camp Blog'sThunderhoof. You'll have to go check out this movie no matter your age. We saw plenty of other couples young and older without kids, but if you would rather...I bet you know a youngster that would enjoy an afternoon matinee to make you legal. Hubby and I give it five stars - the best rating. ;)

Fishing Story?

Time to laugh over the experiences we have had in the whole two times we , Hubby and me have taken the opportunity to go fishing. In order not to be out of tune with what bait or lures that were being successful on the body of waters in the state I keep checking out the Iowa DNR reports.

Red Rock Reservoir Crappie - Good: Crappie fishing is good in the Marina and below bridges. Fish are good sized at 12 to 14 inches

Our second fishing trip took us to the Lake Red Rock area around Knoxville off IA Highway 14. It was time to stop at Wal-Mart and pick-up a bucket to bring home the catch to be cleaned. While Hubby was getting a bucket he ran into a local fisherman...they talked for a while. He asked what we were fishing for - Hubby told him "Crappie" of course. The fisherman was after catfish. The fishing report,the fisherman and proprietor of the bait shop all said that 15" crappie were being caught on single hooks with minnow under a bobber. No need for a boat because both crappie and catfish were spawning. This is one of the submerged roads that was taken out of use when the lake was filled. Our first fishing spot was in a backwater close to a road deck much like the one in the picture. The road deck was empty when we passed it on our way to the bait shop, but the people in front of us at the shop had the same idea as we did. They caught a catfish and three good sized crappies before packing it up. We didn't catch anything because of the shallow water we had decided to try for the first stop. Off to the spot which was suggested to us to try by the fisherman;) We stopped here to spend a couple hours casting and retrieving. Then letting the bobber float for while...Watching the water direction we thought it would go downstream but ended up heading upstream instead. The wind,waves, underwater formations all had their effects on why things ended reacting how they did. Hubby was preparing to cast for the last time before we decided to call it a day. The man fishing around the trees arrived not long after Hubby left that location. We don't know if he saw success because we left shortly after he came. The boat on the far bank had been there well before we arrived. They weren't seeing any bites either. This section of the river was just to the north of the parking place for the cars. I put my pole away and grabbed the camera because I wanted to try to get a picture of my missing fishing equipment. Before I snapped the picture I saw a small mouth bass break the surface after a bug...Ugh, too bad I didn't have a line in the water. Maybe it would have taken a variance on bait and bit my hook. I can dream... My bobber ended up on the far bank when a very strong strike took off. My line broke just above the bobber with a single hook and minnow floating below. I was after Crappie with a 10 lbs line.I believe I would have had a catfish had I been able to reel it in. It was disappointing that I didn't get to see what was behind the attack. ;)