Some women choose the bear.
Some women choose the gator
One will eat you now,
the other will eat you later.
A photo shoot of a college graduate probably wins this year's contest for cool graduation photo shoots.
The New York Post: Glamorous coed takes insane graduation pics of her kissing 14-foot alligator
The graduate in the picture, in addition to graduating college, is a trained alligator handler and animal rehab worker.
Don't try this at home folks.
So, this weekend I went to Gainesville to visit the younger child at University of Florida.
With the weather being sunny and in the low 80s it sure beat the wet and cold of Michigan this early April.
Flew into Jacksonville and drove the couple hours to Gainesville.
Met up with the kid and we watched the Gators advance into the finals.
Victory for the Gators was assured as Leah took us out that night to feed the campus feral cats.
Quite a few ferals around and apparently it's lucky to feed them prior to exams for good results, and during various sportsball games to ensure the Gators do well.
The offerings to the cats must have worked, as the Gators ended up beating Auburn to earn a place against Huston for a shot at the national championship in b-ball.
Much cheering throughout the dorm was heard when they game resulted in the Gator's victory.
The next day we did more sportsball, in this case Gator Baseball.
Initially during the warm-up, it appeared it was unclear to the Commodores as to what sport they were there to play.
The game got off to a good start with hits by both teams in the first but no runs.
By the third inning it was tied 1-1.
That would change.
Sadly, an offering to the cats had not been made, as the Commodores swept the series and harvested the Gators 11-3 in the game we watched.
Still, even ending in a loss, it was a lot of fun to watch and the atmosphere at the ballpark was very family friendly and had great sportsmanship. The crowd applauded for great plays regardless of which team made them, and it was a highly enjoyable time.
After that we head back to her dorm where she studied preparing for an exam that was set to occur tonight - right at the same time as the championship game - and I did some work.
She then found out via email that the prof, recognizing the historic nature of the championship game was offering all students the opportunity to defer the exam so they could watch the game as part of the college experience. This was happy-making and she'll be viewing the game with friends tonight and taking the exam another day. Pretty cool on the part of the professor.
So she had three classes today so I did some work as she did and then took her to lunch.
On the way to lunch we passed by the pond near her dorm.
They're serious about that sign.
Did you see the gator to the lower right in the picture?
That he's back has been declared to be a good sign that the Gators will do well tonight.
It was a great visit. Good luck to the Gators tonight.
Right on the heels of my last post, it turns out there is yet another reason to have a gun in a park:
CBS News: Officials warn of possible alligator sighting in lake at Kensington Metropark
"Alligators are not native to Michigan, so if this sighting is real, it is most likely the result of someone releasing a pet Alligator into the lake," a Huron-Clinton Metroparks spokesperson said in a statement.
Visitors are advised not to approach the alligator
Yeah, we're normally comfortably outside a gator's native range here in Michigan.
Kensington Metropark, while normally alligator-free, may start getting a little more sporty than usual as a result.
Seriously?
ClickonDetroit: Alligators are being shipped to sanctuary in Michigan when they grow too big, become dangerous
Alligators that have grown too big and become too dangerous for others to handle are being shipped to an alligator sanctuary in Michigan.
Some of the alligators being released at the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary in Athens, Michigan, are as big as 10 feet long and weigh 600 pounds.
. . . . .
Critics believe there should be more regulation on a state level because alligators get loose and when pets get too big they’re being dumped in waterways.
One would think Michigan isn't exactly a garden spot for an alligator sanctuary, but here we are.
Michigan doesn't exactly have known natural predators of Alligators, nor are we in the alligators' normal natural range.
Alligators have been spotted living their best lives in the Kalamazoo River and Long Lake, most likely due to idiots dumping their animals when they get too big or they get bored of them.
What could possibly go wrong?
Covid, Murder Hornets, EEE infected mosquitos, Cicada invasion, and now an Alligator has allegedly been spotted in Macomb County.
The Detroit News: Macomb Co. Animal Control investigates gator sightings in Clinton River
Macomb County Animal Control is investigating reports a critter that may be an alligator or a crocodile has been spotted in the Clinton River in Harrison Township, officials said Tuesday.
Most likely this is the result of some idiot who had an exotic pet that got too big, who then had the brilliant idea of releasing it into the wild.
But, with 2020 being what it is, a full-on Alligator invasion of our fair peninsula cannot be ruled out.
No trip to New Orleans is complete without a journey to its surrounding swamps and bayous.
So we headed off to the Barataria Preserve Sunday, after recovering somewhat from Saturday's rather epic day.
In the preserve, there were gators to see:
One moving through the swamp:
One close to the trail:
The gator stayed there sunning itself without a care or concern for the people walking by along the boardwalk close enough to reach out and pet it, which wisely none did.
Then on the way back along the trail, there was a danger noodle that was danger close:
The water moccasin was right on the trail and would have easily been stepped upon, and did not seem bothered by people walking by and refused to leave.
So Murph, of course, grabbed a stick and chivvied him off
The snake could tell when he wasn't wanted and headed off the trail for the water, flicking its tongue in annoyance.
A very nice walk through the swamp with an opportunity for some good up-close pictures of the native wildlife.
The Detroit Free Press: 6-foot alligator turns up outside Michigan church
Authorities say a 6-foot-long alligator was caught after being spotted roaming the property of a southern Michigan church.
The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports officers from the Blackman-Leoni Township public safety department near Jackson caught the alligator on Monday. A passing motorist called police to Pathway Community Church after spotting it outside.
...Police say the alligator was in good health and likely was recently released. With colder weather approaching it might not have survived outdoors.
