There were snakes* at the Capitol today, courtesy of the Jaycees of Sweetwater, Texas.
They were enjoying the hell out of themselves, you could tell. The Jaycees were, I mean, not the snakes. I could hear the snakes rattling from two stories up, and it's not a happy sound.
This tickled me:
The guy in blue was interested in the demonstration but afraid to get any closer. The Jaycee, who looked almost as terrifying as a table full of venomous snakes, was gently trying to persuade him to move up. "Nothing's going to happen to you, man, I promise. I won't let anything happen."
The man was not convinced but finally inched forward to take a few pictures.
The Jaycee took some closeups so the guy could see them better without being within striking distance.
Not shown: The man thanking the Jaycee for the pictures and the Jaycee sort of waving him off sheepishly: Aw, man, it's no problem.
It was nice.
My friend Bryan was hoping there would be some sort of wild snake-related incident that would liven up the event and inspire more passionate news coverage than this. Sadly for him--and for you guys--what I saw of it seemed pretty tame. Maybe next year.
*What else is new, haw haw haw.