Friday, July 16, 2010

What Lurks Beneath



Another gorgeous day in Paradise! We spent our usual 5ish hours on the beach this morning with Little Squirt. There was a lovely breeze which kept the shore temp comfortable. When I arrived back to the villa to shower after our beach time, I found Rock Star still sleeping. It was 3pm! Good morning, Sunshine! Apparently his shark-fishing expedition last night wore him out and he needed 15 hours of sleep.

Speaking of that, here’s how I felt about him and Super Hubs going on a shark-fishing boat yesterday: Apprehensive. Uneasy. Above average with concern, even. My vast Shark Knowledge Base comes from watching the epic movie, Jaws. In it, a Great White terrorized the waters of Long Island, eating jolly vacationers, clueless residents, a fishing boat, and a helicopter, if I remember correctly. And the Great White’s baby continued the family tradition a few years later with another mass murdering spree along the coast in Jaws II. Based on reality? I’m certain it must be, because we all know that Hollywood never fictionalizes anything. So all I could think about, while my husband and first-born son were in the middle of the Atlantic, was a Great White munching the side of their boat. (Cue the Jaws theme song.)

But, as it happily turned out, they arrived back to the harbor safe and sound. My men spotted hammerheads, Atlantic sharpnoses and spinner sharks. Not a Great White was to be seen, which is a relief. But here’s what gave me pause this week: Just when I thought I was aware of all the dangers lurking in the ocean, I learned I was wrong. Alligators apparently don’t just stay put in the lagoons around here. Not to be outdone by the Vacationers, they occasionally enjoy a day at the beach themselves.

Lord have mercy! A 'gator sharing the waters at the exact time we were in the same waters just a few miles down the beach.....let's just say I'm enjoying quality time planted in my beach chair for the rest of this trip.

2 comments:

Ron said...

Interestingly enough, we have other friends who were at the gator beach when it all happened. They got pictures. I looked for you guys in the pictures, thinking it would be cool if two families I know (but that don't know each other) were sharing a beach a thousand or so miles away. Not seeing you all, I assumed that the gator got you. So I'm glad to see you are still blogging. :)

Kelly said...

Ron- It was harrowing, and we narrowly escaped with our lives! Fortunately I lived to blog about it, and I'm waiting for a book deal.
I'm so glad your friends were okay, and I hope they had an otherwise great vacation.:)