(images taken 1-11-12 on the road in Mississippi heading east toward Alabama)

For years, I've casually looked for bears along the swampy or forested roads of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, but without any luck. I've seen bears years back at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, and that's it. But I know bears have lived in this area. I see license plates that say: save the Louisiana black bear. And I remember reading years ago Faulkner's intense novella, 'The Bear' (which I believe is set in Mississippi).

Over the past six years, I've driven at least six times across the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. I look not only for bears, but for the armadillos, raccoons, and possums that were here not many years back. It's not that I miss the roadkill, but that I wonder what wildlife is still here.

Around 1990, I went on a trip to New Mexico. Before leaving, I had a vivid dream of a bear joyfully standing on his hands in a shallow stream. Some consider the bear sacred. I paid close attention to Navajo carvings, paintings, and weavings during my travel. The simplicity and vivid energy of bear images gave me great pleasure.