Mail Deliverers have their classic motto – “neither rain nor shine” etc. – and the technicians at Carolina Outdoor Lighting have theirs: “Neither bees nor wasps, snakes nor bears, nor angry turkeys shall keep us from our duty!” Over the years, our technicians have crossed paths with just about every type of critter that lives in these lovely Western NC mountains. Gorgeous salamanders, brilliant humming birds, brightly colored box turtles, adorable families of bears, and some of the biggest spiders you’ve ever met. To help our clients see how we operate – and our dedication to the craft – we would love to share a few stories about what we face working in the woods.
SOME SNAKE SCARES
Some people love snakes, like our technician Terran, while other people HATE them – like our designer, Jason. For Terran, the bigger the snake the better. He finds the way they coil and twist and wrap around his arm quite satisfying. Jason however prefers his snakes very small, and in a different state – a state he is not in. Much to Terran’s pleasure – and Jason’s chagrin – we have faced a few snake-based close calls during installations.
In Cashiers, the two of them found a 4-5 ft black rat snake had made its bed precisely where they had planned to place an up-light – only realizing it when they were nearly on top of it. Jason expediently made his way back to the truck, while Terran began his search for a good Y-stick to pin the snake with. “What are you doing? Leave it be! We’ll work somewhere else!” Jason called – his words of wisdom falling on deaf ears as Terran trimmed the extra bits off his new snake catcher.
BAM! Terran struck, catching the snake just behind its head, pinning it firmly to the ground. The snake was less than interested in this new activity and Terran had to quickly replace the stick with his hand to prevent the snake from wiggling free. It twisted and fought, and Terran was hesitant to squeeze any harder lest he injure the creature.
BAM! The snake struck, snagging the meat of Terran’s thumb with its (nonvenomous) row of teeth. Terran released the snake on instinct, though the bite did not particularly sting. However, humbled, Terran resigned himself to herding the snake along out of their work area with a (much longer) stick.
Nearly a year later, back in Asheville, while Jason, Terran, and their new technician Nathan where standing in a driveway – getting a wide view of the house and where to light it- Jason took a step back, really trying to see the big picture. His foot slipped slightly, and as if in slow-motion, he turned to see the hose or, perhaps, pool noodle that he had stepped on.
A remarkable thing happened then, as Jason saw the black snake (even larger than the one they had faced previously). As if by magic, invisible rocket boosters appeared on his legs, sending him leaping higher into the air than Terran and Nathan would have thought humanly possible. The snake was just as shocked as Jason, and it darted off into the woods. Sadly, Terran noted, too fast for him to try and catch it and earn his redemption.
BEE’S BOTHERING OUR BUSINESS
For about two weeks this summer, it seemed that our technicians Nathan and Terran must have been bathing in honey. At nearly every property they went to they found their fixtures to be placed or lines to be buried to be in direct proximity to the wide variety of arial artillery that inhabits North Carolina. Honey bees, sweat bees, yellow jackets, ground wasps, ground bees, mud daubers – if you can name a stinging insect, it laid siege on the two of them at least once this summer.
Nathan in particular seemed to be their favorite target, taking nearly a dozen stings over the course of the few weeks. By the end of that month of assault, it was quite a regular occurrence for them to see each other careening a yard around like a madman – sprinting away from an invisible enemy while struggling to pull off the shirt that the wasp had slipped down inside, shouting nonsense words as placeholders for expletives they were too preoccupied to form.
“They get you again?” One would say.
“Yup.” Would reply the other.
“Dang.” and back to work with barely a beat missed.
Likely the two technicians had been on the receiving end of some sort of “Honey-Curse” which they narrowly escaped.
TURKEYS TERRIFYING TECHNICIANS
When you think of the most dangerous, most aggressive animal that makes its home in our hills, you’d likely assume we are discussing the black bear. Or perhaps the ever more elusive mountain lion. Maybe even the dangerous Copperhead. You would be wrong, however, for the most violent, the most territorial, the most frightening, is undoubtably: The Turkey. If your belief is lacking, consider this tale from our technicians:
After a morning of trouble-shooting and problem solving in The Views neighborhood north of Asheville, the techs loaded into the truck and headed back down the mountain. About halfway down however, they stopped, as the road was full of an assortment of turkeys showing off their Sunday best. They slowed to a crawl to observe the display – hoping to creep through the fowl crowd without disturbance. The largest tom however, took one look at the two-ton black and green COL truck and saw them for what they were: competition.
Without hesitation, the largest tom turkey spread his wings wide, flared his tale and charged. It began to attack the tires first – likely hoping to cripple the truck’s movement, allowing it to finish them off at its leisure. Luckily, our techs are quick thinking.
“Oh my goodness, it’s attacking! Gun it!” They floored it, escaping their dire fate, and leaving the angry turkey charging down the road in their wake.
CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP
As you can see, there is little that can stop us from accomplishing our mission and bringing magic to your nights. If you’d like to explore some of the properties we’ve conquered the elements in, check out our portfolio. If you want to learn more about all the awesome wildlife that we get to see everyday, explore NCWF.org !