Snake boots?

[clovishound]

Do they make spider boots?

[BrokenolMarine]

Do they make spider boots?

Yup, but they call them waders.

[clovishound]

Well, another surprise this morning. I needed to put the inserts I had transferred, back into my hunting boots. When I stuck my hand into the first snake boot, I found a rubber snake.

Kids.................

[Hatchdog]

Well, another surprise this morning. I needed to put the inserts I had transferred, back into my hunting boots. When I stuck my hand into the first snake boot, I found a rubber snake.

Kids.................

Classic!

[daytime dave]

Well, another surprise this morning. I needed to put the inserts I had transferred, back into my hunting boots. When I stuck my hand into the first snake boot, I found a rubber snake.

Kids.................

Now that's funny.

[clovishound]

I have a history with rubber snakes. Years ago I was doing some volunteer work in underwater archaeology. I was running the business end of a dredge that was sucking up sand and artifacts and depositing them in a screen box where a group of archaeologists and volunteers were sorting out the artifacts. I was finishing up a square and had surfaced. I needed to stay on the surface and keep clear water flowing through the dredge and it's flexible pipe to help keep the screen box clean while they finished up sorting the last material in the screen box.

I had brought a rubber snake with me and decided it was a perfect opportunity to use it. I slipped it into the inlet of dredge and it popped into the screen box where about 6 folks were standing in a waist deep water working the box. Everybody jumped back when it hit the screen, but one poor lady ran through the deep water and up a very high, nearly vertical bank, screaming the whole time. She was deathly afraid of snakes. I almost felt bad about it. Made for a great story when working projects with new folks.

[clovishound]

There will be repercussions!

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Note, attached photo may include a reenactment.

[BrokenolMarine]

That's funny rhat there. Fess Up... Did you have to change your shorts?

[BrokenolMarine]

I worked evening and midnight patrol by choice for years. We lived an hour away from HQ. When working evenings, my shift ended at 11pm, but I often got "caught up" at the end of the shifts, and would have to stay and finish a call, then paperwork. I'd be midnight or later leaving, then 1am or later getting home. I'd text Tina to let her know if I was going to be late. Our home sat in the middle of twenty acres, surrounded by other large lots, with the state forest across the street and the state park behind us. It was dark and quiet when I got home.

Miss T and the kids had been at Spencer Gifts one evening, (Remember them?) and bought a large Rubber Rat, about the size of a beagle. It was dark gray with ruby eyes and realistic hair molded in, and a long tail, and bright white teeth. They put it on the porch, peeking out from under the wooden bench across from the steps. The 40w porch light was just enough to make the ruby eyes glow. I got home right at 2am that morning and was tired, and ready to be done with that day. I cleared leather on that rat, and nearly pulled the trigger when I realized it hadn't moved. Great joke y'all.

[clovishound]

Did you have to change your shorts?

I will admit to being startled a tad. I don't usually spook easily. I've come up on too many critters underwater, where visibility is only a couple feet or less. Lots of looking under a log and suddenly seeing a 30-50+ lb catfish looking back at me from a foot or two away. And yes, I've come face to face with moccasins and gators. The boat drivers scared me more than anything.

This morning I had put my hand into one of the boots to get the insert out, and discovered something in the way. I pulled it out realized it was a snake. I startled just a little, as this was not what I was expecting, but almost instantly recognized it for what it was.

[BrokenolMarine]

I dove in Hawaii for nearly three years and never had a shark encounter... I did however have a close encounter with a huge Moray... and in the Caribbean, a barracuda. Both of those are much scarier close up than a shark.

[clovishound]

I've had an encounter with both of those while snorkeling. The one I remember most vividly was spearfishing down at Ascension Island in the South Atlantic. I had speared a grouper with a pole spear and it sidled up under a rock. I slide down to the end of the spear to try and work it out without it sliding off the end of the spear. A 6 ft moray snaked around the other side of the rock and grabbed my grouper. I didn't argue with him, and headed to the surface for air. I decided I needed to get my rented spear back, so I swam back down and grabbed the other end of the spear and snatched it out of the grouper. I decided it best to move to another area to spearfish.

[BrokenolMarine]

I was diving an area on the North Shore of Oahu known as Shark's Cove. Not because of sharks, but because from the air, it resembles the dorsal fin of it's namesake. The cove has a number of reefs that attract sealife, from brightly colored fish to lobster and crab. A great place to dive for collecting shells. But, the shape of the cove has it's challenge... The surge. The waves come in, break in the tip of the fin and... Drive back out along the bottom. Inexperienced divers would fight the surge and burn up a tank quickly... 30 minutes vs 60 on a first dive if no one coached them. You ride the surge in or out, and hold position with long powerful slow powerful dropping kicks. (This is important... )

I dove with a deacon's wife from our church often. My wife didn't dive, he didn't dive often. He knew I could protect her from ANY danger that might arise, and that I would treat her like family. We had been together enough that we could communicate easily... But one of our emergency signals was to reach out and pinch the other diver anywhere, if you were close enough. This meant, blow your bc, and surface.

I was focused on holding my position in a treasure trove of shark teeth for my son, when I felt that pinch on my leg, I yanked the cord and up WE went. Chris was hanging on for the ride. On the surface, she pointed down, twisting across the bottom, gnashing his jaws, was a huge moray...

We pulled our masks down...

Every time you surged back and kicked, you kicked HIM in the face, where his big head was sticking out of his hole in the reef. The surge would carry you away and he would start out, you'd drift back a bit, and kick him in the face a couple more times. He didn't know what to make of it. I was swimming hard to get to you... And arrived just as he decided to kill whatever it was.

[BrokenolMarine]

Meep Meep...

Guess what ran across the road and into the yard today?
Not deadly, Not threatening. Very Entertaining, and QUICK.
No, the coyotes can't catch them.

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They really do push their heads forward and turn on the boost when they want to "move out."
Funny to watch them turn on the gas!

Sorry for the poor pictures, I had to use the cell phone or he'd get away. I'll try and do better next time.

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[BrokenolMarine]

But, you get the idea. The cartoonists got the shape right.

[Hatchdog]

Saw my first live one a few years ago while visiting Arizona. I didn’t even know what it was because in my mind it should have been much closer to the size of a coyote.

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[Travlin]

Did you see him through Acme binoculars?

[Hatchdog]

Did you see him through Acme binoculars?

Yes but I was able to side step the Acme anvil.

[clovishound]

Well, even if you are wearing snake boots, it's still a good idea to watch where you step. Ran into this guy while taking pictures at the swamp.

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OK, sure it's not a poisonous snake. Still it could just as easily have been a moccasin, or a copperhead. The latter would have been hard to spot in this litter.

[BrokenolMarine]

Check out what a Bad A$$ the roadrunner is.
(Mute your sound... truck / generator noise in the background)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YwLspcdm0Bs