Berry Special

While clearing the little roads on the family land of branches that would whack my brother on the head as he drove past on the tractor or reach in the windows of the truck to grab us as we drove through, I stopped along the way to gather berries from a wild bramble that has grown up over the last few years.

There were ripening raspberries, both red and black varieties. Eating them fresh off the canes, still warm from the sun's rays was like snacking on tiny, sweet pies.

Thimbleberries also jockeyed for position in the sunlight, but they weren't quite as far along as the raspberries, so I only got a few of those.

I could tell that at least one bear (we have pictures of five wandering around from the trail cameras) had also been enjoying the fruit, so I kept my eyes open.

 

Speaking of creatures that enjoy eating the raspberries, Baloo was with me last year when I raided the berry patch. He loved the refreshing little morsels so much that he'd stick his whole face right into the thorns to pick the fruit off the canes with his teeth. I left the lower hanging fruit for him and picked the berries he couldn't reach for myself.  (I knew I had this picture somewhere and had to go find it...)