Every day we have fewer hummingbirds. The males leave first, so there are only a few of them left, now a higher proportion of females and some just-hatched babies. The last of them will be gone around the 20th of September.

My vegetable garden hasn't done much this year, but I decided to not care if there are vegetables or not; I enjoy watching the plants grow. The green peas did fairly well, not enough to have for a meal, but enough to snack on. Frost is just around the corner: it was 39 degrees overnight last night.

We've seen that fox another time, and he has been back to visit our cabin guests next door. Tonight we are going to have a fire in the fire pit over there and see if he shows up.

Friday morning around 9 am, the bear showed up, headed for the hummingbird feeders behind our house. He had started across the patio, and I frightened him off by yelling, and it only required a word. We didn't get a good photo, but time to see that his coat was shiny and he was plump and healthy looking. I don't know if it was a he or a she, just guessing.

I'm still very busy with river restoration coalition activities, and it shows no sign of letting up. Mid-October our highway is closing to through traffic for 9 months, so I will only be able to go to town and back via that route early morning and late afternoon. There is another route that is 30 minutes longer, so it's not the end of the world, but it will affect my schedule. It will be a great excuse for not going to things I'm not so interested in, and perhaps resigning from some boards and committees. This will not be the entire project to rebuild the road from the 2013 flood damage: completion date is 2019, seems like a long time away.

Mr. Troutbend has worked hard all summer, and is heading back to Las Vegas sometime after the 28th of August. I will miss him a lot, especially all the chores he does around the house. Next time I'll see him will be Thanksgiving.