Its All In The Lighting

Sun rise, sun set. All that is in between can be so incredibly beautiful, or so its seems.  I strive to appreciate beauty in everything that passes my way.  The morning light is the finest time for photography, my cameras are at the ready.  Late afternoon sun is harsh, the photos never seem to be what I recall, I rarely try to see through the lens.

As you know, my followers who read this blog, my interest in our property and the creatures that pass through have put a perpetual grin on my face.  I smile at everything that walks, crawls, slithers, runs and yes, eats my garden.  We are one eco sysytem that live in harmony.

It was last night that changed my silly grin to one of deep laughter. The laughter of friends making a discovery that will be the heart of conversation for years to come.  My friend asked to see my new veg garden.  The evening garden walk lands us at the raised boxes.  What do we see, a monster snail.  My friend says; "That's an escargot, I've seen them in France".  I cannot believe my eyes, this snail is mammoth, clearly the strongest of its species, apparently escaping from France.  I don't think twice, grab my camera, take multitude of pics, then....remember the lighting, how lighting can change everything?   The lighting was perfect, the shadows were perfect, the venue for escargot not so seamless.  Should we move it, should we...now wait a minute....it hasn't moved.  Yes my friends, the escargot is rubber.  The placement of the snail was executed with skill, the lighting exquisite, the friend that discovered this with me was all too amused. 

II do not feel duped at all.  I adore the humour and  the way my evening ended with a good friend.  We have emailed each other through the day, all with cheery notes on our rubber snail. 

The question is: How does a rubber snail escape from France and end up here?