Friday, September 30, 2005


Casualty of the road. I found this poor little California Mountain Kingsnake DOR (dead on road), just a few minutes after a car ended his short life. Casualty rates are high in this area and in one night, we counted 14 fresh killed snakes of various species. If people only knew how many rats and mice snakes eat every year...they would not be so enthusiastic about running them over.  Posted by Picasa


Ever seen a Lyre snake? They are uncommon and are strictly nocturnal. This is a baby...probably only a few weeks old. They eat bats, lizards and rodents. The are also rear fanged...which means the fangs are in the back of the mouth, rather then in the front...like most snakes. They produce a mild venom, but must chew awhile to inject it. Not harmful to humans.  Posted by Picasa


Worms? No, not worms. These are called blind snakes. Very small, only 12 or so inches as adults. Very thin...like worms. If you look closely, you can see their rudimentary eyes. They eat ants, termites and the larva of small flys. They are very fast and almost impossible to pickup without a piece of paper to slide underneath. The have very small mouths and their jaws only open at the very end. They are the most primitive snakes on the planet!  Posted by Picasa


Nice 4 point buck and his doe in Azusa Canyon. It was just starting to get dark and they were about 75 feet away. Too bad it was not hunting season yet. Deer always seem to know the exact date and disappear. Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

The lull between the storms

Ever have one of those days when you have a lull between storms. That has been me the last few days. Not much going on...just waiting for the next crisis to hit. Who knows what it will be? Most probably it will involve a financial matter. But anything is possible. Rest assured...some calamity will crop up soon enough. I am not speaking of a national disaster...but rather my own personal disaster. My life is filled with such personal emergencies. Short relative periods of peace and calm...followed by long periods of distress and agony. So here I sit...intently listening for the harbinger of doom to visit once again. Oh...it will happen...as sure as the sun rises. Will it be a small emergency...or DEFCON 5. "Happy, happy...joy, joy!"...Ren and Stimpy.