Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: garter snake

(Invitation to my next project info at the bottom AND I have a new group for our projects: Janet's Photography Projects [temporary name]) I've got folders brimming with finished pictures that I'd like to post at some point, and while I was looking for images which contained numbers of objects from 1-10, I discovered this one, which is among my favorites since it also has a story to go with it. One morning Steve and I got up and he went down to the kitchen to get breakfast, when I heard him exclaim in surprise. Pulling my clothes on, I dashed down to see what the excitement was alll about. Pointing to our aluminum recycling can, he said, "Janet, there is a garter snake in that corner behind the can!" He continued his story as we both moved to each side of the can, explaining, " I came into the kitchen and turned on the light, and I found it in the middle of the room! The second it saw me, it raced to find a place to hide...how in the world did it get into the kitchen???!" I shook my head in wonder. "I have no idea...maybe there is a small hole under the cabinets?" Steve moved the can while I guarded one side, and quickly and gently, Steve reached in and grabbed the harmless snake behind the head to keep it from possibly biting and lifted it up, supporting its sinuous body in his other hand. It tried to escape, but like me, Steve's owned snakes and we've caught many wild garter snakes as kids and know how to hold them safely and securely. It calmed down quickly when it found it could not get away, the rest of its body intertwined around Steve's fingers. We appreciated its lovely markings for a moment and then I traded with him so I could hold it too. Snakes feel wonderful to hold. They have lovely textures and it's amazing to feel them moving along with thier muscular, ungulating bodies. Steve got my camera and took some pictures of me holding it, and then we walked outside and released it about 100 feet from the house. From the time we discovered it to the time we released it was only about 10 minutes, because we wanted to cause it as little stress as possible. I am delighted by this image and am so happy that I can use it for my final picture in my 1-10 Project! A big thanks to my Project Buddies: Chrissy , Valfal (Valerie), Jenny McIntyre , Rachel , and Lynne , it was really wonderful having you along on this adventure! Great creativity and lots of fun!! This 1-10 Project was Chrissy's idea, and she also thought about doing a series of colors. The other day, Lynne approached me with a color theme too, with the addition of a rainbow scheme with enough colors that a weekly project will carry us through nearly to Christmas! I would like to extend an inviatation to anyone who would like to join us on this project! Let me know if you're interested and I'll add you to the list so that folks can see what you've come up with for each week too! Next project: Color Wheel! Next Week will be a pictures that features any shade of Red. The following weeks will be any shade of Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown, and then the non-colors of Black and White. You can restrict yourself to a single subject or you might like to have a theme, like flowers, things that are a certain shape, or whatever. It just needs to be the color of the week! :) I hope you'll consider joining us! Photography projects are a great way to be inspired and keep the creative juices going! Explored on September 30, 2014. Highest placement, #2.

3 more pictures in notes above! :) After I finished my work, I decided to celebrate by taking Zoe and Moosie up to the ridge so I could leisurely stroll along in the late afternoon sun, taking all the time I wanted to enjoy the day and to look for interesting subjects to photograph. Though I kept my eyes open for mushrooms, I wasn't actively searching for them because it's actually been on the dry side this fall and as I expected, I didn't find any. However, I was looking forward to finding out if there was anything under "Snakey's Log", which is where I have found many creatures, most recently a Western or Blue-Tailed Skink. Lifting up one end of the log, I saw that today there was nobody at home, but as I carefully replaced the log, my eye caught a quick movement about 5 feet away. What did I see but a gorgeous Mountain Garter Snake! It stayed frozen in place the entire time I took pictures (about 5 minutes) and I was delighted to get so many choices to pick from when I got home! I was very interested to find out what kind of snake this was, though I was fairly certain it was a kind of garter snake. What a surprise to discover there were so many species and sub-species--it took forever to find out what type this beauty is, but I finally figured it out! I've never seen such a pretty garter snake before and I'm so happy that I got some nice images to share!! :) Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams and plays, and the circumstances of his imprisonment which was followed by his early death. Wikipedia: Oscar Wilde Explored on October 17, 2013. Highest placement, page 8.