Saturday August 29, 2015 - St Petersburg, FL
In the middle of St Petersburg is Sawgrass Lake Park. I'd heard rumors of alligators inhabiting the park. My first trip, while pretty, yielded no sightings of the reptiles but a few nice pics:
I promised I would not molest them with anything but my camera butt this is the closest to seeing an alligator that I got.
I learned that, once again, the path chosen was the wrong direction. There was more of a chance to see gators at the other end of the park.
Hot and humid and only 8 am....I gave up, for the day.
Taking off early for my 2nd visit to the park which bore good results:
Look closely and you can see the outline of a big fish.
The birds even tip toe around the lakes hoping not to interrupt a slumbering alligator.
I was beginning to think all I was going to see were the footprints/slide marks of where the subjects of my search had once been...then I reached the "Outlook" and there it was, ALLIGATOR!
I thought I was going to be witness to a Wild World moment as the gator took off toward this bird. Silly bird started chirping and moving closer to the hunter.
Then he turned and started coming my direction...
and he got closer...
or maybe I zoomed in with my camera. I was safely up on a deck with no ramp up from the water.
Snuck up on this bird and he seemed to sense someone was watching.
Just when I thought my adventure was done I came upon a fellow adventurer who showed me the baby alligators.
I was thinking how much like Bolivia this area is and how glad I was there would be no monkeys trying to get my camera and biting me when this rogue squirrel started running towards me, giving me a look... it was a tense moment until it jumped off in the other direction.
At the property I live there was a gang of vultures that hung out for a week...a bit disturbing.
Meanwhile this bird just went about its business. The pink color didn't show up on the bird very well, can see it better in the reflection. Its the odd bird out since it is the only part pink one around.
Forgot a picture. The rain, as mentioned, has been pretty heavy. A squirrel got caught in it but made the most of his long wait by trying to use his tail over his head as a shield and having a snack...
Saturday, August 1, 2015 - Update
In case anyone hasn't heard - I am in Florida after accepting a job on July 2, finding an apartment, booking a flight back to Oregon on July 3, packing up and flying back on July 14 red-eye arriving July 15. Wooo! The plane trips, and everything here, are delayed by lightening storms as people run for cover since this area is known as the lightening capital (by whom? I don't know).
It has rained every day since I got here and not nice friendly rain but cranky rain with lightening. Oh, did I mention the humidity? Yeah, my hair is having trouble with the change as is my GPS who keeps telling me to make a uturn as the place on want to go in on my right and there is an entry point right in front of me or every 100 yards telling me to stay right or left and there is no road to go any other direction or to stay right and turn left....
Haven't figured that one out yet, but I can now find my way home from work (which is only 1.5 mile straight shot) without needing my GPS, which I have a distrust of (see post of Missouri). These directional contradictions may help explain why this area is double the cost in car insurance.
I finally made it to the beach (not that I couldn't find it but my attempts to see it had failed due to the large homes, motels and hordes of people could literally not see it). So early on a Sunday rainy, morning I headed out to Fort De Soto:
