Alligator Sighting

Since moving to Florida my family has been teasing me about alligators. Imagine my excitement when I looked out my back door and spotted an alligator in the canal! We happened to have people over to watch General Conference at the time so we all spilled out into the backyard and I grabbed my camera.

I got within about 6-7 feet of the big guy and snapped a few pics. I figured there was a 2 foot drop from the bank to the water level so he wouldn't come up on land. Only later did I learn that alligators have amazing jumping ability--they can travel twice their length in one shot. This guy was about 8 ft. long. Needless to say, I won't intentionally be getting so close to one again.