By Bree Renz, California
I was taking a photo workshop at a nature center that rescues injured wild animals. If the animal can be treated and completely healed, it is released back into the wilds. If it won’t be able to survive, it can live out the rest of its life at the center.
By Bob Switzer, British Columbia, Canada
I live with my wife and Oakley, our Shar-Pei, on the edge of the wilderness in western Canada. Sightings of wild animals are quite common. For five years, I’ve hiked with Oakley every morning. We are used to seeing deer, marmots, eagles, and more. Bears are quite prevalent as well.
By Carol Sims, California
Recently I was in my front yard discussing bush removal with Tom, my landscaper. I happened to glance between our house and the one next door and saw a beautiful white hen.
By Angelica Maulucci, California
Everyone who knows me knows I loved my pet fish Rey. I bought him filtered water and made sure he had exposure to sunlight. I even brought him with me in the car when I went to Cape Cod and drove to western Massachusetts for long weekends. Friends joked that of course this would happen when you give a social worker a fish.
By M. Jane Hocking, New Mexico
When we were younger and living in Alaska, my husband and I had sled dogs. He did some racing, but I never really enjoyed running a team. With beautiful scenery and my dog buddies, mushing should have brought joy, not a heavy lump of dread in my gut. But I loved raising puppies, training lead dogs, and finding and clearing old trails, so I concentrated on those tasks related to sledding.
By Karen Nevis, Ecuador
I never imagined how my life in Ecuador would be when I left the United States five years ago with only four suitcases. Now I live in a remote, small pueblo in the Andes Mountains at five thousand feet altitude.