Very exotic flower!

I was just taking the dogs for a long walk, and while I walked by one of the houses in the neighborhood who has a very nice garden, I noticed that their Jasmine shrubs that was recently trimmed seemed to have sprouted a long shoot. It actually looked like some kind of exotic flower sticking up in the middle, so I walked up real close to see, thinking it must be a different plant all together.

To my big surprise the "flower" turned out to be a slim, grayish black snake with its upper body straight up in the air, just like that!

I kept looking at it, it was very beautiful, but it never moved an inch, just stood there, erect out of the shrub. Odd but cool! Sure wish I had at least had my mobile phone camera with me to snap a pic of it...

Sarah was playing at the neighbor's house, but now she and the boy, B, are playing over here, and it sounds like they are having lots of fun. Unfortunately he is from one of those many American families that wear their shoes indoors, something I have a very hard time being OK with... I suggested carefully that he could take his shoes off so he wouldn't be so hot, but no... Sarah then told him he HAS to take his shoes off in our house, but I said it is OK if doesn't want to. I don't want to scare the poor guy off, he is shy as it is! :-)