can i keep him if he follows me home?

One of the activities (and highlights!) during the Florida trip was the airboat ride while we were in the Everglades which was downright awesome.  Our guide would drive the boat pretty fast and do turns so we were "drifting" (Everglades Drifting?) to one side and the other.  There's no seatbelts on these things so the wind is in your face and it feels really fast!

swamp chicken

This is probably the only time I've ever seen wild animals on a tour so close.  I really thought that the animals we saw right off the dock were fake, stuffed animals so the tourists could see those if none of the wild ones made an appearance!  Surprisingly in this 20 minute boat ride we saw at least 3 gators and plenty of birds.  The cutest was probably the "swamp chicken", I forget its real name, but runs across the lily pads.  I wonder if natives eat them, and that's why they call them chickens?  I bet they're kind of tough.  (You know what the first thing my dad asked me after I told him I saw alligators?  "Did you eat any?"  The answer is yes, but I feel like extra warm and cheerful that it's the FIRST thing my dad thinks of.  Cuz it was my first thought too, when it was available to try.  Kind of like chicken...though maybe more like pork in its texture.)

Larry the Gator

who doesn't like scratches behind the ear?

I've always thought that reptiles are pretty cute.  Baby alligators are in fact ADORABLE because they don't have the knobbly skin all over them yet. After the ride where we did see plenty of gators right up close from the boat, the park had a bit of a safari-animal show about the animals of the area.  The best part was at the end when you could take a picture with a juvenile gator.  Yup, that's me.  Totally cheesy and TOTALLY AWESOME.


Larry's been raised in captivity, I think, so while you can't mess with him, he's pretty used to people.  He's about 3 or 4 and I really like how his handler (some teenaged fellow) said that Larry really likes it when you scratch behind his ears.  Look at that face!! He totally is loving the attention. :)  He closed his in bliss.

bringing a friend home from the everglades...maybe.

On another note, I'm pondering doing another blog/comic blog about me and the kitty, only of course, fantastically and highly fictionalized.  (Yes, I know I have too many hobbies. )  I'm practicing the drawing now (using the style pictured above), and testing materials. Any opinions? 

Ok, this didn't exactly happen this way, but kinda close!