People who say they aren’t afraid of spiders always make me laugh! I used to say the same. I was NOT afraid of spiders.
Until that day, long ago, in the Philippines, when we rented one of those small beach huts on a volcanic beach.
I wish I could find a photo of the beach.
I cannot even remember the name of the place. All I remember is this black sand beach, by a beautiful lake, in the middle of which there was an active volcano, that we were due to visit the next morning.
It looked like paradise on earth. The beach, the lake, the hut… We went into the water for a midnight bath and then went into the beach hut to get to sleep. When I was lying on the bet with the oil lamp lighting the straw ceiling, I caught sight of hundreds of small whitish spiders above our heads and told my husband there was no way I would sleep in that bed, with those spiders hanging above my head.
My husband always had a solution ready. He grabbed one of our beach towels, and with a big gathering gesture, got rid of the threatening spiders, telling me what a sissy I was!
Well, it didn’t matter. Now I could sleep.
The next morning, I got up and picked that beach towel to fold it, and guess what, no spiders there dead or alive, but huge holes in the towel!
Aren’t you glad I behaved like a sissy? I asked my husband. For all we know those little spiders may have been poisonous and in any case, they were quite able to sting their way out of the towel.
I think I have already posted this story in French at my other blog but am grateful to Virginia DeBoldt at First 50 Words for the nudge. I have not been much of a post writer lately.
That sunset photo was taken in Normandy. I just don’t have any photo of a real spider in my photostream and some of the spider photos I came across on flickr were just too scary 
Last minute precision: the towel was not in the hut. I made sure he hung it somewhere outside!
Oooooooh! Very creepy. I have not usually been afraid of spiders but that many of them hanging above my bed would bother me too! I have heard that there are only two poisonous varieties of spider – the black widow and the brown recluse. Brown recluse are VERY common so I am always careful when I see an innocuous-looking brown spider…
Comment by Sara — March 7, 2009 @ 6:20 pm |
I couldn’t tell what sort of spiders they were, but I’d recognized them anywhere. Just whitish and repulsive
Comment by Claude — March 7, 2009 @ 9:26 pm |
I had no idea spiders could eat through towels, in any case, my wife would probably have asked me to throw the towel outside.
Comment by myphotoscout — March 7, 2009 @ 7:26 pm |
My husband hung the towel out on one of the hut’s posts
Comment by Claude — March 7, 2009 @ 9:26 pm |
I don’t think I could have slept even after he cleared the spiders off the ceiling. I would just keep thinking of that towel down there on the floor, full of them. I’d probably have to keep checking the ceiling at intervals all night, too.
Comment by Betty — March 7, 2009 @ 8:30 pm |
I couldn’t see any spiders above my head, so I guess that did it for me!
Comment by Claude — March 7, 2009 @ 9:28 pm |
The photo is spectacular! The beaches in Normandy DO look like opals!
I’m sure the spiders didn’t make those holes, but I can understand your unease!
Comment by Peggy — March 7, 2009 @ 10:41 pm |
I don’t think they dug out literally but maybe their venom or spittle or whatever it is that spiders exude, did!
Comment by Claude — March 8, 2009 @ 5:30 am |
Oh. My. God. I don’t care for spiders one bit and had I had your experience, I might have expired right there on the spot!!
Comment by kenju — March 8, 2009 @ 6:21 am |
Here is a bit of information I am sure you can do without (but my evil spirited nature tells me to write it down): I once read that on average you swallow 2 spiders in your lifetime while asleep. Apparently spiders love to crawl on us.
Good night everyone
Comment by myphotoscout — March 8, 2009 @ 11:58 pm |
You’re right, myphotoscout, I could done without that info! Yikes!
Comment by Claude — March 12, 2009 @ 12:41 am |
Wow! Vicious spiders. Spiders and vermin are upsetting to me. I had a run in with a stinging scorpion, one night in bed that had me on edge for a long time.
Spectacular photo — love the color, light, reflections ….
Am catching up with your posts as have been away from blogging for a bit, and have made some changes, too. Hope you’re doing well with exercising. May have some news about me in that area in a few weeks, too.
Comment by joared — March 17, 2009 @ 6:12 am |
The way you described the place, it could very well be Taal Lake with Taal Volcano at the center … in the city of Tagaytay in the province of Batangas ….a very beautiful place … even coming from a Filipina … thanks for visiting my country …
Comment by muirne g — March 27, 2009 @ 2:43 am |
Thanks for the name of the place! Yes, now I remember that it was Taal Lake with Taal Volcano at the center! We followed a vulcanologist to the volcano and got our feet “roasted” because we were wearing mere sandals!
Comment by Claude — March 27, 2009 @ 9:37 am |