Reptiles!

Whenever Aron or I get tired of doing high voltage and electronics work, it's not uncommon for us to leave the workshop for an hour or so and go catch snakes or other wildlife. Where Aron lives (north of Houston) there are tons of good places to find all kinds of reptiles. He lives in a busy city, but there are some really isolated and clean woods not too far from his house. These woods harbor ribbon snakes (popularly but incorrectly called garter snakes), several different species of watersnake, and tons of water mocassins (venomous). We generally catch as many non-poisonous snakes as possible, while leaving the poisonous species to observation. Have you ever just stood on the edge of a creek, and just silently watched a snake carefully? If not then you should - it's something everyone needs to do at least once. It doesn't take much watching to realize that they are very remarkable creatures that constantly observe the environment around them. They don't miss a thing, except for us quietly peering from the weeds ; )

Regardless of what most people say, a snake will not attack you without provocation. They only BITE if you STEP on them - no need to worry as long as you watch your step. Some people we know need to lose their fear, and at least take a good look at a snake sometime. These animals shouldn't go unappreciated because they're cool!

Aron and I are not limited to the workbench. Although it is our favorite place to be, we also love animals, the stars, and creation in general.

Hope you liked the snake pics. It's a very common brown snake, found throughout most of the southern United States.

(Notice the Tesla Coil in the background on pic 4 ; )