[nassaulakes]

Little Penrod is my smallest wild snake. I went down to feed the fish a little late and it was starting to get dark. He waited till I was seated in my chair poked his head up to verify and then crawled and swam over to me. He let me handle him. I haven't seen him since late October last year. Last year he was not much more big around than a fat pencil and about 14 inches long. He was very difficult to catch fish for, so I had to cut even the one inch bream in half lengthwise for him to eat. Now he is a little bigger 16: maybe and a bout the width of a dime on his head. Still had to cut the bream up. What a dude. This means the bigger ones will be by soon along for their evening feed. I sure hope, Chumley, Frobisher, Chelmsford ( The 4 footers) made it through the winter OK. If so, they will be close to maximun 54-60 inches this year. It is just amazing to me that a wild snake can remember after 6 months of sleep.

He is a Florida banded water snake. Nerodia fasciata pictiventris.

Here is some of last years crew.

 

[woodsrunner 38 InMemoriam]

Thanks for posting this! I hope to see more!

Are you going to Borneo? You should IMO.

 

[nassaulakes]

Here's my buddy Chumley

I do want to go to Borneo. But, I am having some problems from Agent Orange from my adventures in Vietnam in 1968. My skin breaks down from stasis dermatitis and I can get a staph infection pretty easily. It has happened twice following my trips to Vietnam in 2008 and 2009. This past summer I did OK, but I got it bad in January this year. Still have a touch, but no staph infection so far. Staph is bad juju. It is hard for me to plan ahead too far, not knowing what's going to be on the misery list. Having said that, I want to go real bad. Most likely Vietnam, Malaya, Singapore, and Borneo-perhaps for 5 weeks, or maybe six. It is hard to get a liberty card from my wife as she frets abound me having problems when I go to remote places. I do speak, read, and write Mandarin Chinese, so in Chinese areas I can go for 20-50 USD a day room & board. Same same in Vietnam. I like remote places best of all.

 

[Blackwater]

Nice; a man can never have too many friends. Don't overlook Thailand.

 

[nassaulakes]

Blackwater, my MIL is from Lincolnton and I have passed through Gastonia several times.

 

[Blackwater]

Blackwater, my MIL is from Lincolnton and I have passed through Gastonia several times.

Contact me before your next trip and we can meet for a cup or a handshake. I'll be headed your way second week of May for a week. Will be in Kiss., Tampa and Sarasota areas. Wish I had time to go down to the big lake and catch some Oscars.