It is a rare thing when any of the critters of the Bayou startle me. I am far more afraid of people of this old world than any critter. In fact, it is not unheard of for me to claim that I like critters far more than I do people. They are just better friends. I do not fear the critters. I admit to standing in awe of them but it is definitely not a fear...of any of them. This morning, however, one of the most unlikely critters actually startled me. Afterward, I felt highly amused.
As usual, my morning trek to the pier was before daylight. As I softly padded to the pier in my leather moccasins, I pondered what the sights may be on this day. Would the alligators be out and about? Would I find a cottonmouth slithering back undercover after a night of hunting? Would the otters be playing along the shoreline? There is a never-ending show occurring around the marshes. This morning, all was quiet. In fact, it was so still that I became fully engrossed in the dark clouds passing above the opposite shoreline. This vision was so lovely that I decided to photograph it even though darkness still shrouded much of the area. Just as I was about the click the camera, SPLAT! Something cold, wet and slimy plastered itself against my face! My hand jerked up and the camera recorded a bunch of squiggly lines. Those were supposed to be lights on the shore not some weird alien message.
Reaching up to my face, my hand clutched around a nice, plump frog. Obviously, the critter had been on the light pole and decided to change places. My face was a likely spot to land! "Nope, Froggy! Not this time." Carefully, the wriggling critter was let loose on a nearby post. "You sit there and behave!" Ugh! Frog slime on my face! As a kid, I was always told not to wipe my face on my shirt but I do believe this instance allowed for it! It is surprising how cold a frog is at 5am! Froggy and I parted as friends, I got a few good shots of the skyline and all was well.
