BEAR TRACKS

A bear visits the temple, leaving behind footprints of volcanic ash. This is the third visit by bears in a week. There was no damage to the temple, and everyone knows not to leave food out, but a word of advice to those who live in bear country: using teeth and claws, bears explore other items searching for food. They munch on prayer flags, rubber rain boots and UPS packages, bat around empty ice chests, and the worst was puncturing and turning over a 5-gallon plastic gas container, spilling its contents into the ground. But the bears themselves don't seem dangerous. Seeing one on the second visit, I shined a flashlight on him and said, "Go away, go away," at which he lurched 180deg and trundled off.