SNAKE!

Have you noticed this isn’t the first blog including a snake.  Why?  I don’t know! I guess because I am snake phobic these incidents are more pronounced than in a non-snake phobic person.

We are in Dunedin, Florida at Marker 1 Marina. We met a couple on the boat “Swing Set” They were very nice and we got along great.  The next morning I wake up and ask Scott what is that on the back of their boat.  The piling was partially blocking our view.  It looked like a pile of dog poop.  We hadn’t notice them having a dog, but that’s just what it looked like.  We were a little grossed out.  Yuck poop on the poop deck. Our thoughts were “for heaven sake walk your dog.”  The morning continued and the tides changed and the view of their   back deck changed.  Scott was in the shower and I peered out the window and the poop came into view.  I took a double take; the poop now looks like a snake.  I looked closer and I am now pretty sure it’s a snake.  Alarms go off in my head.  I can see snakes crawling all over my boat.  I yelled to Scott “get out of the shower there is a snake on the back of the neighbor’s boat.  We have to warn him so it doesn’t get IN his boat.  I grab my camera to prove I didn’t imagine the snake and to find out what kind of venom it has in case someone gets bit we can tell EMS what kind of antivenom they will need.  I run to the bow of the boat, snap a shot or two then I blow up the picture to get an ID on the little devil.  I was able to identify it quite quickly.  It was a snakeus rubberus with a painted white tail.  I started laughing. Now Scott thinks I am completely nuts.  He may not be too far off.

Later that morning I see the owner on board.  I tell him, I have a bone to pick with him… I explain my morning of disgust and fear. He laughed at me.  He said “didn’t the three snakes give you a clue.”  (In my defense, I could only see one) He then explained that it keeps the birds off the back of the boat.  That makes sense.  We have heard several locals complain that the bird poop is like cement and does NOT come off.  A few minute later, Mike comes by with a snake for our boat.  He got them at Walmart and advised us to tie monofilament line so it so it doesn’t blow off the back.  Scott says it’s desensitizing therapy for me.  Ahhh Life on a boat.

I will work on getting caught up on by blog. Why am I behind?  Honest answer: We are playing too much and the internet stinks at the Marina and every time I go down by the office to work on it, I end up talking to great people.

Thanks for reading.

Scott and Karen

Unique Random Picture of the day: