I just don't even know what to say!! Whodathunk my Popeye Gator would FINALLY emerge on a 55° rainy day of March 28th. Certainly not me. I decided to take the long way home from a trip to Unleashed of Southport with Hazel on the Waaaaay off chance that he just might.. So thankful that I did. Oh how I have missed this wizened old warrior of mine!! Let me backtrack a bit… I spotted Olive in the distant grasses so I parked and ran quickly around the back of the truck fully expecting to see just raindrops on the water's surface. To my shock and awe I found myself staring into the eyes of my big Gator. I was so surprised that I let out a yelp as I ran back around the truck getting some distance between us. The second shot is the splash where Popeye submerged as soon as I hollered, a sort of ET moment like when Drew Barrymore came face to face with the critter and they both commenced to screaming... I gathered my senses somewhat and managed to get a few shots of my beloved Behemoth of an Alligator as he staked claim once more to his familiar territory… It seems an impossible task to portray the sheer girth of this Gator. You must look underneath the water and focus on the light colored cowl of this guy. He doesn't even look real @ times. Let me tell you this Alligator commands respect and despite his massive bulk can move as quickly as greased lightning. Don't let his stillness fool you. It's his modus operandi and it has worked for his ancestors for countless millions of years. To lie quietly in the water, sometimes with only his eyes above the water's surface waiting for that opportunity to strike his totally unsuspecting prey, dragging it beneath the surface to his domain. Not the way I care to go Ya'll… Last One/ Ole Popeye's namesake - the cloudy blue scarring on the cornea of his right eye that causes him to squint at times.
Hello March!!! What are the odds I would make it out on the very day that Ozzy decided to emerge from Brumation??!!?? Thank you Heather Winterbottom for your picture tipping me off to this subadult out and about basking, reveling in the 70 plus degree day lending its life- giving, metabolism kicking heat. Alligators are Ectothermic, meaning they depend on their outside environment to wake up and get their circulation going.
And Many Thanks for not posting the location to protect my Gator. I actually had to stop an elderly gentleman from feeding him that day as he walked to the edge of the retention pond that Ozzy inhabits with his cup of some as yet unidentified fried tidbits. "Watch this!" he said. I quickly intercepted him, hand up as he stopped with a bewildered look on his face, my mantra of 'A Fed Gator is a Dead Gator' rolling off my tongue. I explained that when Alligators are fed they lose their natural fear of humans and begin to approach people, expecting a handout. Alligators are opportunistic feeders and who doesn't like a free meal? Unfortunately, this is how they often get into trouble, coming out of the safety of the water, sometimes even being attracted to dogs that accompany the well intentioned. If it moves, it's food. When Alligators become a Nuisance they must be removed from their familiar environments into the wilds of the Green Swamp or Holly Shelter wetlands. When they are relocated, they face new dangers in an unfamiliar terrain, full of much larger Gators which are cannibalistic. Life for an Alligator is not easy anywhere and I read somewhere once only half of relocated Gators survive the move. Most meet their demise trying to return home on our ever increasingly busy roadways. I thanked my new friend for trying to help me get an action shot and a smile creased the corners of his eyes as he refrained from feeding our friend. Ozzy fared the winter well, sleek and shiny after a few cleansing dips into his green pool. Here's to many more sightings of my Scaley Scuted Friends in this most welcome transitional month of March with its ever increasing temps, the winds and my favorite part - Daylight Savings Time! Remember, never pass up a chance to educate... Knowledge is good... Pass it on... it saves lives... Closing out 2023 with recent memories of a particular Southport sunrise shared with a dear - out of state - friend as we walked and chatted, catching up with each other's lives.
Sharing in the splendor of the promise of a new day and the coming of a new year, on this reunion, already planning our next. That's what life is all about, living in the moment and looking forward not dwelling on the past and its mishaps, focusing on friendship and connections, not separations. Get out today and revel in the Hope that it brings, grateful for the opportunities offered. Look up into the Skies with arms outstretched wide and a heart just as open. Be thankful and experience every second; create treasured memories - not regrets. For this is a New Day that will not reveal its chance again. Take it! Enjoy it and then move on. Here is to 2024 and all it has to offer to your life. Happy New Year Ya'll! It will be what you make it ... Nothing more... Nothing less... Oh how I wish I knew this history of this massive old burned out Cypress. She was easily the largest I've ever seen in my area. This past summer, she gave up the ghost of reaching Heavenwards and assumed the position of a Bow to finish out her days creek side. Oh to only know what she has seen and shaded in her prime. The lightning scarred trunk is burned from the inside out and finally toppled over. I don't know the circumference but I can tell you I can step inside this trunk with no issues. My intent was to do this yesterday to illustrate her girth but the High Tide's pull on the waters made it impossible to do so without getting soaked. Way too cold for me just after first light to attempt!! I will revisit this Gravesite @ Low Tide to revel in the wonder of this final resting place. Even in this, the demise of what once was a monumental landmark, she commands respect and deference. I can feel her Spirit still and the Spirits of those who once gathered underneath sheltering arms that soared skyward but now grace the earth. This Dead fall will continue to nourish the denizens of the Swamp as she breaks down by the natural ravages of fungi, bacteria, the dank dampness of the night, heat and humidity by day and the birds foraging on insects that make their homes in the rot. Nature's plan is a mighty well - constructed one that we as man can never approach in its complexities. Get out and appreciate it, every day, before we destroy it all. I am so thankful I am as close as I am to the place that calls to my soul - the Swamp... Please bear with me as I get this out of my system. I learned some disturbing news yesterday that wetlands here in North Carolina are no longer considered protected areas by the Corps of Engineers. That means my Swamps can be drained and slated for development. As I approached the Spirit Tree again its base has been cut into for removal. I'm assuming this is for the safety of workers placing the cable that is being installed just up the road. This just sickens me to no end. I' m honoring the life of this Magnificent Tree with a few more photos for soon it will be only be a memory Note the spray of Wildflowers @ her grave lovingly placed by none other than Mother Nature's hand. Why I don't usually take selfies.. These are taken from the burned out lightening cored trunk of my Spirit Tree. And yes, I am standing fully erect Looking Skyward from the inside of the Heart of my Spirit Tree, the sunlight reaching in, like a Torch into the charred remains.
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