I’m not a big fan of snakes. I believe I’ve shared that with you many times in the past. I’ve had a few interactions with snakes that were both unexpected and traumatic, and those experiences have not done anything to ease my relationship with these legless members of the reptile family.
I don’t believe snakes are evil or the servants of the devil. But you’re not going to find me letting one wrap itself around my arms and neck. Ever.
That brings me to my dilemma. I’m down in Arizona with my friend Tim, who is a world-class wildlife photographer. This time last year, he was taking magnificent pictures of great blue herons on a rookery down here, and he was recording some of the most incredible courtship behavior the animal kingdom has to offer. So when I found myself this year with some vacation time to burn and an organ I needed to deliver to a church in Arizona, I thought it would be a perfect excuse to sneak out to the wilds with my buddy Tim to do some hard-core photography.
Tim seems just as excited as I am about this trip. He sent me a message a few days ago letting me know what sorts of critters I could expect to get photos of while I’m down here. He mentioned the herons and his latest infatuation, double-crested cormorants. He also said we would probably be able to get some shots of great horned and screech owls. But then he dropped the bombshell. Diamondback rattlesnakes.
Oh, man. Buzzworms. And knowing Tim, it’s not going to be just one. He’s going to take me somewhere there are hundreds of them.
As long as I don’t have a heart attack, I’ll tell you all about it when I get back to Wyoming. After I go visit my therapist.
