Had the day off Thursday, and I used the time for a variety of pursuits, including the leisurely (a relaxing motorbike ride), the productive (tractor wheel replacement, grass seed planting) and the … serpentine.
Having finished the tractor job, I repaired to the backyard to visit with my dog, Jewel, and to put some garden tools away. After a few minutes, I noticed Jewel in a bit of a frenzy at the base of a rhododendron and figured she was after something, and that, based on past experiences, that it likely was a snake.
I went over because, well, I like snakes and didn’t want Jewel to hurt it, if in fact there was one. Sure enough, there was a serpent there, a beautiful black garter snake with an orange stripe: an OSU snake, if you will.
Fending off the dog, I gathered up the reptile in my right hand so I could move it to a safe location. Then I remembered I had my phone in my pants pocket and decided to try to take a photo before turning the critter loose.
So I fished out the phone and, operating with just my left hand, snapped this pic of the snake:
Not to pat myself on the back, but I am impressed with the sharpness of this pic, especially given the circumstances surrounding the shoot — which included, of course, my dog still being a bit interested in the whole scenario.
Picture taken, I put the snake in our pasture.
From the time I was a little kid, I’ve always liked snakes, and I spent a better part of my childhood catching them, looking at them for a while and then letting them go. I know, they have something of a bad rap based on that whole Garden of Eden thing, but that seems pretty unfair. They’re actually quite cool.
For your viewing pleasure, here are two others I came across this summer:
I caught this little guy at the Lewisburg Saddle. David Patton took the photo.
I spotted this one in the swimming hole at Yellowbottom. Mark Ylen was the photographer this time.
