Encountering a tarantula (this one is a Mexican Red-Kneed) always halts a hike for a dozen minutes or so. They seem so out of place but then you see how much sense their body design makes in the desert. I usually catch them crossing a clear area with comfortable purpose.
The eyes are tiny and not immediately apparent so it looks almost as if the furry automaton is feeling it's way through the landscape blindly or by some invisible force.
This is in fact the case. They sense the world around them more through vibration and smelling pheromones than sight.
Right now it's safe to talk about Spider Grandmother under the webbed sky laced with stars because it's "the season when Thunder sleeps."
