Ode to Snails

I grew up in New York. I lived in Westchester County outside the city and spent many summer months exploring the forests upstate in the Catskill Mountains. As a kid I discovered giant black ants, salamanders, deer, raccoons, chipmunks, woodchucks, snakes, frogs, crayfish and the list could go on.

In all my kid naturalist adventures I never ever saw a snail! There were plenty of "slugs" but they are snails without a shell. I just thought a snail was like a 4 leaf clover...they exist but rare and impossible to find.

Then my family moved to Los Angeles. One evening in my parent's backyard... I saw a snail, with a huge shell crawling across the brick patio.

It was like I saw bigfoot or the loch ness monster! I ran looking for a camera but could not find, I yelled for family members to come witness but they were out for the evening! I was alone with this mythical beast!

I did not know in California, they were everywhere, ordinary...the norm.

Today, much of their mystery has been replaced with the everyday fear I might step on one and hear that horrible crunch under my feet coming home in the evening.

I saw my friend Jason (a recent North Carolina transplant) months back react the same way seeing one crawling across a sidewalk. So I know I'm not alone in once seeing the snail as a legend.

They are unique, funny and weird creatures that I still often stop to watch like a kid adventurer. Here are a few cartoons I did inspired by them.

click to enlarge picture


2 comments:

  1. Cute post Dave. I wish you could get paid to blog full time, and I to have a career as a full time subscriber. And when you were least expecting it...

    TAG - you're it. I am tagging you to participate in a meme. The first player of this game starts with the topic five weird habits of yourself, and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don't forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says You have been tagged (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours.

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  2. Dave have you ever tried to sell your illustrations to card companies? That 'Cowabunga' turtle-snail comic looks like something I should have had the chance to buy for $2.95 at Rite Aid.

    Um, in a GOOD way.

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