When I left the house today at 5:10AM for my morning walk, there was ample evidence that someone had visited the neighbor's Bear Buffet (aka, dumpster). There was also evidence in my yard, no less, that the bruin had eaten his full or was full at some time during the event. I have pictures to support these comments.

This time the big fellow exercised some thoughtfulness and did not drag the individual bags into my yard before ripping them open to snack upon the contents.

Needless to say, I was more cautious than usual when I started out on my walk and passed the wooded lot on the corner. It wasn't that I was particularly concerned about early morning vehicle traffic either. 

Yesterday morning, when I walked by the service station and convenience store downtown (in what constitutes "downtown" in a city with a population of 530), the dumpster behind the service station was tipped and its contents laid out bear buffet style. Within the local bear community, the word must be out that the 4th Street hosts a Sunday night buffet special and 10th Street hosts a Monday night buffet special. My future morning walks may provide evidence of other local bear buffets Tuesdays through Saturdays. In previous years, the Headstart Program's dumpster was raided on more than one occasion, but that program is done for the summer--closed for the season, if you will. The dining technique used by bear always seems to be the same: tip the damn thing over, toss the contents around, and then have at it--outdoor dining at its best or a toddler in a highchair.