Sunday WARNING: Graphic snake photos!

I stayed home Saturday, since hubby was home.  Sunday morning, after he left for work, I fed the dogs, cats, and birds in the front yard.  They enjoy a morning and late afternoon feeding.  Anyway, I looked up and it was already 9:30 a.m. and HOT here in the desert (it was 107 degrees that day...).  I started to drive up to the horses and realized that I had laundry and errands to do at home and I really didn't have 3 hours to take out of my day, so I turned around to drive home.  I didn't get far when I saw a raven fly above my car with a snake hanging out of its mouth.  It dropped the snake right in front of my car as I was driving down the mountain, so of course, I had to go investigate.  The snake wasn't a rattlesnake.  Instead, it was some kind of gopher snake (I think...) and it was definitely dead, dead, dead!  There was a turnout not too far from where it landed on the road, but there was a lot of traffic that morning and I had to step onto the road and back off it several times to take these photos.  I wouldn't have stopped except that I actually saw the raven with the snake and now, with my newfound interest in reptiles, I had to take a closer look ***WARNING:  graphic dead snake photos****

Yes, it was dead.  I stuck around to see if the raven would come back, but during the short time I was there, it didn't.  I got home, came inside, turned on the air conditioner, and didn't go outdoors again.  Today it was 109 degrees.  It SHOULD cool off for the rest of the week, with temps down in the low 80's by Friday.  We are going to spend the weekend up in Idyllwild where hubby rented a 2 story cabin, with 3 bedrooms, and the kids and grandson will all come up for our 3 day weekend.  I'll have plenty of horse time then and won't be tired and cranky and rushed.