I Love Banana Spiders (a/k/a Golden Silk Orb-Weavers) Pat's husband, Max, also has a soft spot for them. A couple of years ago, as the seasons changed from summer to fall, Max decided to take a special interest in a couple of banana spiders whom he named Wilbur and Charlotte (from the book "Charlotte's Web"). The two spiders spent several weeks in and around Pat and Max's back patio. In September, Hurricane Ivan made landfall along the Florida-Alabama coast. On the morning after, Pat found herself sitting at their kitchen table, sipping a hot cup of coffee, staring at a coffee can, wondering why it was sitting in the middle of her table. She soon realized that Max thought Charlotte and Wilbur needed shelter from the storm and had brought them into the house during the night. She quickly convinced him that they would be pretty comfortable in the outside laundry room. He continued to watch and nurture them into fall, but both eventually died (they can't live forever). I was touched by Max's tender heart. Pat explains it by saying it was their way of dealing with "empty nest syndrome"--she cried and Max nurtured spiders. "Guess there are some good lessons to be learned from these things – resilience against amazing odds and forces of nature (and humans who think they need to be nurtured)."

I love this little cemetery. I love the way the trees and shadows capture the evening light. It's such a peaceful place. I'm going to share some of the unique images with you this week. I hope you come to appreciate it as much as I do. Leroy, Alabama