Watch Out For Rattlesnakes!

This photo captures when my dad, Charles Billy Hildebrand, came home from work and discovered this very large rattlesnake in the yard where I was playing. As a child, the last thing I heard before heading out to play was, "Watch out for snakes." These words and memories of my grandfather and his friends going on rattlesnake hunts to see who could catch the biggest and most rattlesnakes left a lasting impression on me. 

I don’t know where my Dad learned to catch rattlesnakes. He most likely learned growing up in an area where there were a lot of them, or maybe he went on rattlesnake hunts himself. I'm glad he saw the snake that day. Even now, some seventy years later, I still watch for snakes when I step into the yard despite living in an urban area.