The Day the Gator Went Chomp Chomp

Alligator heaven y'all, alligator heaven.

I cannot even begin to tell you how pumped I was when we got back from being on the beach all day to find this big guy {girl?} in the backyard last Friday.

Then she spotted me. Don't worry. I was on the deck with the door wide open just in case she decided to make moves & climb up the deck steps {unlikely, I know, considering the deck steps are on the opposite side from the gator but I was prepared anyway}

There's a possibility that our gator is a female because we think there are some little gator eggs right on the edge of the lagoon. This gator has been very protective of one area in the lagoon lately and it is mating season so... we might have some more babies soon!

She looks a little friendly though, don't you think?

One of last year's babies hanging around the lagoon.

Now let's move on to my favorite moment... had I not been on the deck, I would have been running in the opposite direction as fast as possible at this.

Didn't seem to bother this guy though who thought it was a great idea to wander into the backyard, barefoot, and take some pictures.

After a day of drinking on the beach, you can only imagine the things we were saying about this guy from the safety of the deck/kitchen...

My gator mission is now complete! Except now that I look back on that post I realize that I was almost as foolish as this guy with getting close to a gator. But, to be fair, the gator was much further away and there's a little optical illusion going on in that picture. Big difference.

Now for the sea turtle mission.

I'm hoping to come across a turtle coming up to lay eggs on the beach one night, a baby turtle, and if I'm suuuuuuper lucky, a turtle nest hatching. Here's to a summer full of turtles!