No dinner invitation ?

This little critter - who wasn't actually all that little - was waiting for me when I uncovered the grill for our first spring barbecue. As a self-proclaimed arachnophobic, I was of course exercising the usual caution in lifting the cover for the first time since fall, with every expectation of finding more than one creepy crawly inhabitant. There were several of course, all scattering and skittering away except this one, who was apparently both happy to pose for my camera and had no real intentions of leaving.

As freaked out as I am by all creepy crawly things, especially spiders, I make it a practice to not kill them if they are outdoors, so a quick nudge with a V-E-R-Y long stick made this one skitter as well. I just wish I'd seen where...