Spiders and Snakes

Despite the title of this post, this is not about the coming of Halloween. Unlike some, Halloween is *not* a favorite day of the year for me. Instead I wanted to share some pictures and some thoughts.

I was lying on the floor doing my morning stretch and saw a hair-fine spider weaving his web between the arm and the side of my recliner. I could barely see the strand as he moved and spun and it was only because of the backlighting that I could see it at all. Amazing... how do they know how to *do* that??

I thought about the belief that we all just sprung from some cosmic ooze and all the insects, plants, mammals, birds and humanity on this earth just sort of *happened*. How can someone that believes that look at some of these natural wonders and not see the hand of a Master creator?

DH and I walked the Gabrielli Winery road the other day and saw this little guy.

He couldn't have been more than seven inches long and about as big around as a pencil. He was so still (why are snakes always 'he?') we thought he was dead. But then he waved his little black tongue at us. It was so cute... I loved the little black stripe across his eyes, like a racoon's mask. It was hard to tell if it was a Western Rattlesnake; he didn't have a rattle, hadn't grown one yet perhaps? We left him alone and went on our way.

This morning I was walking the Mill Creek road by my office and came across this one:

Again, the one I saw was tiny... only as big around as my pinky finger. I didn't know it was a California King snake until I Googled it. Unfortunately he was dead, not stiff yet, but he had definitely expired. Should've have played in the road, I guess.

When DH and I were vacationing in Kaua'i a few years ago, I was wading in the wonderfully lukewarm waters of Hanalei bay. The water was sooo clear. Frank said, "Watch out. That looks like a snake." I was immediately intrigued. That wasn't a really bright reaction, but that's usually how I react when someone points out a snake, curious and without fear. So I stepped closer to the shape in the shallows and sure enough, it was easy to tell it was a snake as he swam *away* from me. He was smarter about the encounter than I was apparently.

They may be strange, or poisionous and therefore to be avoided, but I still think they're beautiful. The patterns on their backs, the way the scales lay in overlapping rows. The touch of the Master creator at work.