They Grow 'Em Big In These Parts

The kids and I continued our summer adventures with a trip to Florida. We started on the southeast coast.

My friend took us to a nature preserve not too far from her house where she was sure we would see alligators in the wild.

I was expecting to see alligators about this size. This one was probably 4-5 feet long. It was really neat to see this one in its natural environment. However, it was less impressive because we saw this next guy first.

It is hard to tell how big he really is in the pictures. He was hanging right next to the dock where we were standing. He was probably no more than four feet below our feet. He remained partially submerged the entire time we were there, but from the tip of his snout to the back of his head was at last 2-3 feet. We could see down to just past his front legs.

Same gator.

This picture shows a bit more of his body. I wanted desperately to get something else in the photo to have something to compare his size to in the pictures. However, I was afraid to dangle anything over the side because he is often fed fish. I sure didn't want to be mistaken for lunch.

Still the same gator. It was so amazing to watch this part of God's creation up close.

After watching the alligators, as if anything could possibly compare, we went on a nature trail.

We saw dozens of these huge grasshoppers. The colors were gorgeous.

That is my foot for size comparison.

This one is sitting in the parking lot on one of the stripes that mark parking spaces.

There were also lots of dragonflies. I thought this picture turned out really well.

It was a great day exploring nature. With all of our travels the kids haven't read nearly as much as they did last summer. But with all the cool things they have been able to see and experience this summer, I'm not going to feel too guilty.