one of the things that i am going to miss most about this rundown old house that we currently live in is the abundance of wildlife... there are squirrels in the trees (who steal all our fruit), rats in the garage (who have eaten many pez), crows in the redwood (who comment on everything) and a skunk that frequents our shed (who has a penchant for busting up dinner parties)... recently, while taking the recycling out, i made a new friend. my new buddy was fast, but not fast enough to escape a couple of snapshots!

i suspect it's an alligator lizard (Elgaria coerulea), though i think it looks more like a northwestern alligator lizard (E. c. principis) than a san francisco alligator lizard (E. c. coerulea), even if the territory is totally off. if there are any herpetologist-types out there, please feel free to enlighten me.

i am sure that you were all able to infer that i made it back to california safely, and it is my pleasure to tell you that the kitties were okay, even if they didn't vacuum while i was gone.

ps - our new cat sitter is great!