Day 1A –

Good Morning. This is day one of my photo challenge requested by my friend Don Bromberg. A bunch of photographers from all over the planet are participating and it will be easy for you to participate too. This is a facebook event but I like to start these posts from my blog.

Participation… Choose 7 of your favorite photos and share one each day for 7 days on your timeline to your friends and the world. I challenge ALL my photographic friends to this challenge.

This first shot is of Alice the alligator from Loxahatchee. Here is the story…

I’ve done some crazy things to get photos but this may be the craziest in a long time. Jo, my wife and I was walking in Loxahatchee recently when we came upon this 8 foot gator sunning herself on the path. Walking around her was not a real good idea so the next best thing was to drop down and take pictures, of course.

For some strange reason I decided to lay on the ground extremely close to this beast, about 8 feet or so, probably within her tail swat range. I was careful and quiet. I was able to take some pretty unique shots face-on through the grass. Before I could get up a group of kids came up and was standing at my feet, in hindsight a little too close too but, hey, I was sticking out there another six feet, they knew it would get me first anyway. The kids were quiet, thank God.

As I started to stand up to move back, the Alligator took one lunge and jumped past me right into the water to my left. She jumped at least her entire body length in one jump. Needless to say it impressed the kids, and me too. I think we all had soiled underwear after that.