vituperation

It’s been a quiet couple of weeks. Robyn’s parents have been here, life’s been going on, and nothing worth writing about has happened. Therefore, I shall share some scenes from the memory stick in my camera.

A black racer lays alongside the Wagon Trail, looking all ripply and pretty.
My latest goal in life is to catch one of these. They’re a little aggressive, and
fast as hell. They make me jump like a little girl when I’m reaching for one and it
darts off into the underbrush.
One day, though…

He was a big bastard.

Robyn found a 100-drachma coin in the road whilst walking a while back.
She finds all the good stuff. Except the snakes.

I make all sorts of new friends when I’m out on the trails.

Usually, I try to take the time to get to know them a little better.

I seem to have this weird fascination with animals, and with catching them.
I fully expect one day to post a picture of me holding a rattlesnake, simply
because I was unable to resist the allure of catching it when I saw it.

Looking out from O’Shaughnessy point always makes me feel happy.
When I took this picture, I was just about to go down to the bottom of McKay Hollow.

Looking from the scenic overlook out to the hillock where the Stone Cuts are.
Robyn hiked up there with me last week. Finally getting to show her one of the many
cool things on the mountain was awesome (even though she gave me some serious shit
about the uphill parts).

A group of aging war protestor hippie types stand at the base of the
mountain with their signs.

A black racer peeks up at me from the undergrowth alongside the
Annandale Trail. How sad is it that I can pretty much tell you every location
of every snake I’ve ever seen while out hiking?

I almost stepped on this little guy on the Arrowhead Trail. He thanked
me by peeing on my hand when I picked him up. Bastard.

This big guy (the latin name for “box turtle”) was sitting right by the parking lot,
waiting for me to come pick him up and move him into the woods.
Speaking of my turtle-moving habits, when Robyn’s dad and were on our way to
hike this past Monday, I spotted a box turtle at the edge of the road
and pulled over to move him into the trees. I suspect Robyn’s dad thinks I’m a
little weirder now than he did before. I swear, I act more and more like a tree hugging liberal
every day. Before I know it, I’ll be out in the intersection with the other old hippies,
holding up a picture of the President with a Hitler moustache.

There was a new sign at the Natural Well trailhead, on the Monte Sano
Boulevard end. I didn’t think much of it…

…until I saw what they meant by “trail washed out.” Holy cow, I wish I’d
been around to see the mudslide that caused that. It took out a HUGE swath of
mountain, all the way down the side of it. That piece of orange ribbon you see near
the top of the picture is where the trail continues. I’m standing on the edge where the trail ends.

Speaking of things with which I have an unnatural fascination, here’s
another look at the entrance to the Natural Well. I think I could stand for hours
and look down into it.
Except I’m afraid one day I’ll jump in.

I almost stepped on this eastern newt on the way back from the Natural Well.
I wouldn’t have seen him at all had Robyn’s dad not been there to point him out.
Yes, I tried. No, he was too fast.

The brothers share the bed on Robyn’s desk. Tommy shares his
boredom with daddy’s picture-taking.

Finally, though, the best part of the entry (besides the end). On a hike with Robyn’s dad to the Stone Cuts a couple of weeks ago, I had the good fortune to spot the biggest gray rat snake I’ve ever had the fortune to see.

I’m sure my yelling “snake!” and diving into the brush only sealed my reputation for being weird with Robyn’s dad.

However, I caught that motherfucker and had someone on hand to take pictures. Unfortunately, some of the good ones are a little blurry. I like to think it’s because the camera was set up wrong, and not that Robyn’s dad had the heebie jeebies.

(though he did)

And now, big bubba:

He was beautiful, and close to five feet long.

Like I said…big.

He tried to act all badass and pretend he was going to bite me, but
he had no chance. I was holding him right behind the head.

Is that badass, or what?

I love snakes.