On Sunday we decided to set up the infrared game camera and see if we could catch the bear visiting. We saw him twice within two hours: once while we were grilling our pizza on the deck and again when I almost came face to face with him while going out to toss some food for the birds. Little did we know how busy our front yard would be overnight.

I love that our camera has a time/date/temperature stamp on each photo it takes. That allowed me to put together the multiple visitations of the night in the order of their visit.

First, the fox arrives at 9:14 p.m.

Then a deer shows up at 11:46 p.m.

The fox decides to come back again (see his eyes?) with the deer still there at 12:02 a.m.

Deer decides to leave and fox comes back for the second time at 12:07 a.m.

BIG raccoon! at 12:50 a.m.

Mr. Fox comes back for the third time at 2:31 a.m.

Not to be outdone by the fox, the raccoon comes back a second time at 3:43 a.m.

Likewise the deer for the second time at 4:21 a.m.

And the biggest surprise of the night was Momma bear and three cubs! Where did she come from? We didn't even know she was around. Time: 5:11 a.m.

Time to leave at 5:27 a.m.

There seems to be some confusion about our plans for retirement because both my sis and friend Carolyn have questioned me about it in the past couple of day! Maybe I haven't been clear enough or the thoughts between Rick and me haven't been shared, but I thought I had.

Our plans are to sell our house in New Jersey in 2016 and move to the cabin for the "honeymoon" period of one year. In years past I have not been completely on board with living full-time at the cabin, but last year you all know that both Rick and I had an epiphany of sorts there. Our visit solidified the longing and desire to experience that kind of lifestyle. The cabin is special. Every year it weaves its spell but last year it spun a web so thick it was hard to leave. It will be interesting to see if this year's visit makes us feel the same way. (We are scheduled to leave on September 13th.)

After one year we will see what happens next. We don't have any clear plans except ideas running around rampant in our heads. We had thought at one point that we would buy Rick's parents' house in Las Cruces, New Mexico, but the timing is all wrong since it is for sale now. We don't want to be burdened with expenses of yet another house that we are not even able to live for another couple of years. So, that idea was put aside. Not to say that at some point we might settle down there anyway, but we don't know. At this point that is just one of the ideas and may not come to happen for many years, if at all.

Another idea we have is buying a slightly larger trailer than the L@dyBug and traveling around in the winter months when the cabin is not quite as hospitable. We also would love to take the Alaskan Highway one year with the RV (not in the winter!). In our travels perhaps a place that we visit will entice us to stay.

In any case, the cabin will be home base.

As much as I love New Jersey and many things about the East, I have to say that my heart is still in Colorado. I was so eager to move away and now I'm equally as eager to move back. Why? I can't tell you. Both RIck and I have started to retreat some in our heads. We're also doing things to get the house in the shape we want it to be in before we put it up for sale, such as our latest project of revamping our front porch with its cracked stairs and replacing the sidewalk in front. We are throwing things away, donating to GoodWill, packing up things we know we are not going to need for the next two years but want to go with us. (Most of our things that we plan on keeping will go into storage in Laramie until we decide where we want to be.) Our minds are on moving. It's hard to explain, but it's definitely there. 

We are looking forward to the future — whatever it holds!

Photo: One of my most favorite photos ever: Rick and Alex the Boo at the cabin.

Last night we took our first after-dark swim. I don't know why we waited so long. It was a muggy evening and the pool temp was perfect. The cicadas have started up their scratchy song—finally. This summer has been such an odd one weather-wise that I wondered if they were not liking all our coolish days and nights. They seem to like it best when it's humid. We saw one huge bat fly over several times. At least we saw one, but I remember those days when we had so many. 

It's nights like this that I will miss when we move back to Colorado in a couple of years. The pool, the cicacadas, the bats, the sheer perfection.

I know I've absent from the blog lately. I have been posting some to FaceBook, just not blogging. 

This morning I decided to weed a couple of the flower beds before it got too hot since the weeds have completely taken over. Give anything in New Jersey free reign and it will grow. Kind of creepy, actually. So I weeded and weeded. Then I got the wheelbarrow and loaded up all the pulled weeds and rolled them to the back woods and dumped them. I probably did too much and I know my calves and the back of my thighs will be telling me just how much I overdid tomorrow.

When I got done I was sweaty and hot. I looked over at the pool. I decided to just wade in up to my shorts to cool off. I stood there a minute in the cool blueness and thought to myself, what the heck. So I slipped off my shorts, pulled my T-shirt over my head and went in. AHHHH. Wonderful. I swam ten lengths and then got out, came inside and took my shower. I am thinking I should swim more often in the morning. It's a great way to start the day.

A tiger lily that popped up in my flower bed and I have no idea where it came from — it's the only one.

Mother Nature got an early start celebrating the Fourth of July. Over the past few days we've had stormy weather. Some pretty good thunderstorms with lots of thunder and lightning have rolled through. The weather station flashes it's raining cats and dogs as the newly refigured gutters spew water like Niagra Falls. I don't mind them but both Hailey and eBay hate it. eBay is my thunder barometer. If she suddenly slinks away I know that a storm is coming. Hailey starts to shake like a leaf and heads upstairs. eBay either heads for her litter box (I know, go figure) or the upstairs closet.

I can vaguely remember as a small child my father holding me up in his arms to look out the window at the lightning. Maybe that's why I don't mind thunderstorms. My mother used to tell us that "God was bowling" when the thunder boomed and rolled. Kind of a strange concept don't you think? What happens if God happens to throw a gutter ball, what then? Will his bowling ball fall out of the sky and land on my head? Does he play on a team with the angels or do they make it a holy threesome and it's just him, his son and the Holy Ghost? 

Either way, we've had quite our fill over the past few days. With Hurricane Arthur coming up the coast we will have one more day of this and then the weekend is supposed to be pool perfect. As long as it allows us to grill our hambugers outside tonight I'll be happy.

Happy 4th!