Getting Close

Saturday's post never happened due to a series of events that all conspired against me. It went something like this ...

EVENT #1: THE PUPPIES: I am the predawn early riser in this household and the puppies have already adjusted their caninological clocks to awaken at the precise moment my eyes open. Their yapping begins around 5:30 am and of course, I can't ignore their cries, so I let them out of the crate and we dash for the front yard before any accidents can happen.

Back inside, they need to eat and play. We wrestle, eat, wrestle, eat, wrestle. Then, it's back outside again.

Everyone else in the house is still soundly asleep of course. Outside in the cool morning, I can feel my window of coffee-fueled, early morning muse time ticking away ...

TICK, TICK, TICK ...

EVENT #2: THE GARAGE SALE: Early yesterday, Junior and I were directed to load up the living room couches for a garage sale at a friend's house. We wrestled two couches out the front door and onto the JEEP trailer along with a few other items. Then I headed out on the 20 mile drive to civilization and the sale.

After I unloaded the furniture, I took the slow way home through a favorite wild place of mine. Along the way, I nailed some closeup photos of gators and hogs, so the morning was turning sweeter.

It was only about 10:00 am and I was heading home to post with some new pics. Things were looking up. Then, still deep in the woods, my phone rang.

It was Emma at the sale. A lady had bought both couches, but had no way to get them home. Would I return and deliver them?

Arrrrrghh. I turned the JEEP around and headed back to the sale. When that chore was done, I headed home, where a grocery list awaited me. So it was off to the store.

TICK, TICK, TICK ...

EVENT # 3: MULCH and GRADUATION: Back home with groceries unloaded, I got busy spreading the mulch I had picked up in town. When I finished unloading the last bag, I glanced at my watch. YOWZA!

I'd better get cleaned up. Our high school graduation ceremony was in a few hours and I needed to be there as a member of the faculty.

When I got home from graduation, it was about 7:30 pm and there was one more event.

TICK, TICK, TICK ...

EVENT #4: CHINESE FOOD: Every Saturday night, I cook a spicy Chinese stir fry for my bride. So, another hour or so slipped away in a flurry of chopping, stir frying, and eating. At 9:30 I trudged upstairs, flipped on the computer, and dozed off.

TIME EXPIRED!

This morning, I wrote most of my defense plea on paper, sitting at the kitchen table, while the puppies wrestled and chewed on my unprotected toes. They are not allowed upstairs where my computer now resides.

I only tell you all of the above because Pure Florida is a daily blog with few exceptions. I want it to be a place where you can count on something ( granted ...maybe something silly) every day, and generally in the morning.

Having made my case, here is today's post:

It seems to me that wildlife photography is like a good romance ... the closer you get, the more exciting it becomes.

Saturday, I had two chances to get close to some critters. The first one came as I rounded a bend in Devil's Hammock.


Florida Road Hazard
See it?


How about now?



Okay, what about now?

To me, a gator of this size, about 6 feet long, is the most dangerous size when they are on land. That's just my opinion, but the six footer is a unique combination of speed, youth, and flexibility that the biguns lack.

Conversely, the 6 footer in the water is probably afraid of you while the 12 footer will eat you.




This guy really cooperated and did not seem to be in any hurry to return to the waterhole. Perhaps there was a bigger gator already lurking in there somewhere.


Once I was inside his comfort zone, this very patient gator dove into the waterhole in one fluid movement. I was counting on that.

Today promises to be slower paced. I have some gardening to do and already this morning I was graced by a jewelbox spider outside in the sun, so she'll be a post later this week. I've got feral pig and babies pics, puppy pics, owl pics (yawn ...), green egg pics, and of course, all the stuff that's going to happen today, to share with you this week.

Speaking of this week, it's the final week of the school year. You know what that means, doncha?

That's right, I'm unemployed for the next two months.

So, get ready for long rambling posts ...

One last thing. Today is crack the pickle crock open day, so I will post a short pickle update later this afternoon.

Inquiring minds want to know ...