The Aligator on the Lawn

So today’s my Dad’s birthday. He’s 71. I think he looks darn good for 71. Anyway, I figured since was his birthday, I’d tell you what made him laugh so hard in this entry.
You see, for years, he’s been telling me about the Alligator that lives in the pond behind their house in Florida. I never believed him though (b/c I didn’t really want to believe him – I don’t like Alligators; they freak me out). He’d call and say things like, “We’re in the hot tub and the alligator is watching is on the shore,” or “saw the alligator swimming around today.” And I’d just reply, “Sure you did dad. Go have another Martini.”

So last April, when we were down there visiting, we saw this!

Alligator on Neighbor’s Lawn

We were all fascinated, standing behind my parents’ fence, watching it. When all of the sudden my father, standing behind me, growled and grabbed my calf. I screamed and jumped. which resulted in this.

this:

and this:

because of course, my darling daughter was there with her camera to capture the entire episode on film.

So Happy Birthday Dad!