Michael finds a rattlesnake

"I've found a sheded snake skin!" shouted Michael as he ran over to me. He'd been playing in the now-dry culvert that crosses Orchard Glen, the main picnic area in Palo Alto's Foothills Park, right next to where we were set up to eat.

 This is a boy who likes snakes, a lot. For a while he was asking for one as a pet nearly every day. And while I've demurred on the pet snake question, I thought it would be nice to see a skin. Maybe the rangers would even let us take it home.

 I went to look. There was a skin alright. But it was still full of snake -- baby rattlesnake, no less. And baby rattlers, I was quickly informed by several friends at the picnic who grew up hereabouts, are much more venomous than adults as they lack the ability to ration out the poison in their bites.

 After I'd confirmed that it was indeed a living rattlesnake, I kept my distance. Hence the rather blurry shot.

Our friend Bill, meanwhile, nipped up to the ranger station on his motorbike to tell them what we'd found and within minutes they'd come down the hill to find us.
 
The rangers brought a sack to put the snake in, carefully picked the little fellow up, plopped him in and and tied up the sack.

Michael followed them to their truck, clearly anxious, his eyes tearing up. As I caught up to him, I heard the lady Ranger telling him not to worry. "We're just putting him somewhere else in the park where he won't bother people and they won't bother him."
 
The snake-loving boy still looked anxiously at them. "Is that okay?" I asked him. "Yes. Okay," he said.

Easter Bunny Biker

It's not too often that you get to see the Easter Bunny arrive at an egg hunt astride a Harley. And it's not too easy riding a Harley, the bunny found, wearing large pink paws.

Still, he managed to (just about) avoid catastrophe, stay on the bike long enough to park it and then start the kids off on their hunt.

A living roof

The living roof at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is now pretty much grown in. And in the spring sunshine this last weekend it was abuzz with bees and looking quite splendid.

For some reason I was expecting it to consist mostly of succulents, but that's not at all the case. There were some dudleyas but otherwise it was a mass of thrifts, grasses, sages, daisies, and wild strawberries with the occasional California poppy dotted around.

A few pictures from my garden

Now that Spring is really with us.

 Here's the first rose of the year. I inherited it, so I have no idea what variety it is.

The California Poppies are in full bloom. I just let them seed and take them out where I don't want them.

Ceanothus -- I think this is 'Dark Star.' It's a wonderful deep blue in the late afternoon sun.

The classic Douglas Iris. I've not had too much luck with them so far. This is a larger variety and I've tried it in a new spot. It's a little plain-vanilla, but we'll see how it does.

We're mid-way through the bearded irises now. This is my all-time favorite, 'Magician's Apprentice.' It's very Ronald Firbank (i.e. Catholic and camp at the same time).

The plum flowers are over now, and the apple is only in bud, but here's the pear in full bloom.

'The Windy Channel'

Ada and Michael spent hours making this today at Bean Hollow State Beach.  Ada decided it was called 'The Windy Channel.'
 
When it was complete, she required us to observe a ritual which involved calling out our favorite parts of the creation and then dancing around it.

Here's a detail I liked.

And another.

And one more.

Finally, this is not the best shot because Ada was looking away, but it's the best picture of The Windy Channel in its finished glory.