When we were in Sunriver the place we stayed in had a spiral staircase. It was of course totally dangerous and loved by all. One morning Alek was being his usual unruly self. As he ran down the stairs he slipped down the last few steps but was somehow able to catch and stabilize himself at the very end. With the last of the panic still present in his eyes and a hint of a tentative grin beginning to form he exhaled loudly and said, "whoa, my heart skimped a pump!" If only he knew how many times he has made my heart skimp a pump!

Yes, that's the snake he caught. He nurtured and loved it for a couple of weeks and then we released it back into the wild.