spiny orb weaver

ok all this goldstream spider stuff made me remember this crazy spider that spun a web across the entrance to my apartment in miami. i found out what it's called cause it was so neat looking - spiny orb weaver.

i found him beautiful & fascinating, and ultimately inspiring because he respun his web every day for a week & i kept taking pictures. my best friend genevieve HATES spiders. i used to coax her to look at something, & it would be a spider at the bottom of an email or something & she'd flip out & i'd laugh... she texts me on my phone to this day every time she sees one because apparently i am a witch & i send spiders from texas to go find her & torture her across the states... haha :D

the first day i ever hung out with genevieve, she came to the steps of my apartment. she stopped. she looked at the web glistening like silk across the columns in front of my door. she looked at me and said "i am not walking in there." and i was like, "just duck under it, he won't bother you!" but, "no. i'm not goin in there unless you tear it down." i think i persuaded her it would be okay - or maybe we just didn't go in, but i didn't have it in me to destroy this spider's home. for whatever reason, this first encounter didn't scare genevieve quite enough & we are still friends to this day. she still really hates spiders.