AROUND THE ISLAND

It's been kind of damp so we've had mushrooms popping up everywhere. These are part of a bunch we passed on our walk last week, begging for little girls to make a fairy village out of them.

And here are a couple of pix of our historic inn. It looks very cozy and quaint though I've never stayed there so I can't attest to its comfort.

And here is one of the last pics of our tiny airport terminal before the bulldozer got it. A new terminal is going up, one that will be connected to a new hotel. Visitors can get out of the plane and walk into the hotel, register, get a rental car, and see the island. It'll also be handy for pilots and plane crews, I'm sure.

BLACK SNAKE

Came home the other day and since the garage door was open, I went that way. The door going into the house was locked so I fumbled for my key. I heard a scuffling noise. Looked over and saw a snake slithering along the wall behind the bicycles.

I banged on the door and yelled "Let me in!" to my guy inside, at the same time frantically searching for my key. Luckily, the snake was going toward the outside instead of toward me because my guy didn't show up till I had unlocked the door.

"Something wrong?" he asks in that smug way men meet women's panic.

I rushed in and slammed the door. "Snake!"

His amusement vanished. "What!"

"Yes! Snake! Snake! Snake in the garage!"

It took him a minute but then he cautiously opened the door and peered out, more cautiously looked around.

"It's gone," I told him, coming to my senses. "And I think it was a black snake. Maybe the one that menaced our neighbor the other month."

After going into its length -- three to five feet; it's hard to say since the bicycles hid it and I only saw part of it -- and whether it was indeed a black snake -- I'm pretty sure that was its color -- we decided we were safe.

I've been told that black snakes not only eat insects and spiders but that they also scare off other snakes. I hope that part's true, because a friend ran across a big rattler not too long ago. It was on the other end of the island but still...


Here a pic of Allison's rattler:




It goes without saying that now we knock on the back door before we go into the carport. Just to make sure any snakes there understand we are coming their way!

MORNING WALK

So my guy and I were walking and to our pleasure met a lady with two dogs. To our amusement, a cat seemed to be leading the way. We found out that, indeed, the cat was with them.

The dogs were cute little things. The white one is fifteen and the other, only three. I didn't ask about the cat but I should have.

It seems that whenever Diane walks the dogs, her cat goes with them. I guess the cat feels she has to keep an eye on them, like a guard cat or something. Or maybe she just goes along to make sure they behave.

Anyway, the cat, being a cat, does not need a leash. She knows perfectly well what her job is.

FLOWER DRESS

Walking through the Village, I had to stop and gawk like a tourist.

The shop window had this dress on display. It's hard to see here, but it's nothing but purple and pink flower heads!

Yes, they sell all kinds of beach type clothes but really. Can you imagine anybody wearing this?

Someone took a lot of time making it! And really used their imagination!

VILLAGE WALK

We've had company pretty much for the last month and it's been exciting. Now everyone has gone and it's quiet. Too quiet.

Last night, my guy and I looked at each other after supper. We've gotten used to having people around doing stuff. Like walking down to the Dairy Queen or riding bikes or driving over to the beach or...

Something!

We decided we couldn't stand it and walked down to the Village for an ice cream. My guy got vanilla, but I got praline. Then we sat down to watch the ocean and eat.

Our local policeman was there under a canopy holding court.

Lacey is a great guy. He hunts and fishes and loves sports and people. He also keeps everyone in line with good humor. He's perfect to be the Village cop. You can tell him by his brown uniform. Here, he's schmoozing with the tourists.

Then my guy got to talking to Lacey and the tourists while I stood patiently waiting. We barely got home before dark.

The house was still empty and quiet, though. Boo hoo.