Two events have happened in the past week that brought pythons to the front of my mind. First, I read that a woman made a very realistic looking python cake for her 6-year-old daughter’s birthday party. Um, no thank you. Unrelated in all ways except in the category of “cake-I-wouldn’t-eat-even-though-I-love-cake” is this picture of the cake my brother-in-law had at his 30th birthday party. Um, definitely no thank you.
Brother-in-law’s “poop” cake (I think they use another not-so-nice-term), complete with real toilet paper and fake flies.
Back to the pythons. I was running in the park where I run every day, pushing Currie along in the stroller, when I noticed bright red, orange and yellow signs everywhere. I figured they were warning us of upcoming construction or pesticide use and I ran right past. On the way back through I decided to stop and see what the sign said.
Oh, a 7ft python escaped? Hmm, how does that happen exactly? Wikipedia tells me that attacks on humans are rare. I guess we will continue running there for our last 1.5 weeks in Seattle! Afterall, there is a heat wave coming through and this park is a great place to find shade!
After reading the python signs, I did what every parent would do. I stopped and took of picture of me and Currie looking scared. I look more happy and weird and she looks peaceful. Oh well.
So while most of you have been enjoying Shark Week, I’m enjoying snake week.
Would you eat that python cake? Would you keep running through a park if you knew a python recently escaped? What’s the strangest animal you’ve encountered on a run?
That cake was ridiculous. What a run in that would have been! Scary!! Hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Seattle!! We’re a mere 60 miles South, at Fort Lewis
Yes to both eating a python cake and running through the park. I would HOPE I’m faster than a snake!! No run ins with animals, thankfully. Just my idiot dog running away from me. Aaaaand since we’re on an Army post I’ve been known to cross paths with a tank or two
Crossing paths with a tank could be pretty scary for me!
That’s so funny, your BIL’s poop cake. At my two year old’s insistence, I had to make my husband poo-poo cake for his birthday last month – chocolate cake shaped like a poo. I wish i’d though of flies though!!! I think poo-poo cake is becoming a trend!
No snakes here…I don’t think I would have kept running if I’d seen the sign. I think my most exciting animal encounter whilst running has been a dog….I’d like to keep it that way!
While I read that I thought, I e-know someone who just made a poop cake! You are in good company!
Haha, I was disgusted by the cake at first, but now it’s getting funnier every time I look at it!
Dog encounters can be pretty exciting, and not always in a good way!
That poo cake is seriously funny! I may have had a hard time eating it, though 😉
I guess I’d continue to run even with the python warning since I run trails that have mountain lion warnings all over, and rattlesnakes are all over apparently. There was a 70 pound rattlesnake found near where I run not too long ago! Yikes! I’m super scared of both but I run the trails anyway. Just don’t stop to nature pee in the bushes and I’m sure you’ll be fine 😉
HAHA! I stop to pee on almost every run so I better watch out! 😉 I can’t believe that huge rattlesnake was found near your running path! My husband came face to face with one once in Cali and he was pretty scared! I would probably faint!
Oh, and the strangest animal I’ve encountered on a run was a coyote. Twice. And a skunk once. And some wild turkey
Just an FYI on the python in Ravenna park…The python is one of those yellow designer pythons, whose hunting instincts may have been dulled with the breeding to make it a good pet. It also means that it’s probably pretty visible! So be safe, but you probably don’t have to worry too much
http://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2012/08/13/officers-on-python-patrol-after-snake-escapes-in-ravenna-neighborhood/
(you can tell they had a good time writing that up!)
Oh wow, I LOVED the first sentence of that article: “Police and wildlife officials searched the Ravenna neighborhood for a cold-blooded killer Monday afternoon”. HA! So dramatic! Thanks for linking it!
Once while running in Mendon Ponds Park, I turned a corner on the trail and ran straight into a deer that was standing in the middle of the trail!!! It didn’t even move and I think it wanted me to feed it. That, or it had rabies…
haha, yes, the Rochester deer aren’t afraid of humans at all. So strange! When I first moved a woman on the Pittsford trails told me, “watch out for those deer, they are really aggressive”. Oh brother…
Strange you should ask…I actually did eat a python cake, when I was younger! It was part of a Nature Center’s Grand Opening, or something. It was every bit as un-appetizing as it sounds.
I saw 2 wild boars on my last long run! I tried to take a picture of them but they were fast(er than me)!
Whoa! Wild boars?! I think that would worry me a bit too!
Omg, the cake is crazy!!
And I laughed out loud when you said you did what every parent would do, stop and take of picture! LOL! And it does not look like your scared at all! I would be terrified and running the other way, hahaha!
Oh, you can believe I would run the other way if I see the real thing!
Since I have a debilitating fear of snakes {to the point of being insane} I would be running as far away from that park as possible!
And NO on the poop cake too…yuck!
Yeah, the cake made me gag initially but I’m finding it quite hilarious these days.
Yes, to the cake and to running with a python. There is no cake I wouldn’t eat when topped with that much frosting and pythons can’t be able to run very fast, so you should be safe.
Apparently there are bears and mountain lions living in the mountains right behind my house and everyone here says “oh you would be so lucky to see a mountain lion or bear out there!” Wait wha!!?? So, I do what every good dog owner would do and take my Brittany hoping they will go for her first! Kidding….sort of.
HA! You just need to be faster than the dog…