Yesterday a new neighbor moved in across the canal we live on. estimate he is nine to 10 feet long and around 800lbs. This will probably be the last visit until April as the water is cooling down rapidly and the alligators go into hibernation. We have had as many as 5 snoozing on the canal bank at one time. We have lived on the canal for fifteen years and only once has one crossed over to our side. Unfortunately it was laying on the bank about fifteen feet from my back steps and I didn't see it until I stepped onto the grass. It took a couple of seconds for my brain to recognise what my eyes were looking at. As I dived for the steps, the "gator" dived into the canal. After that, I stop on the steps and give it a good look-see first.

Our house is only 15 feet from the water, and it's magic, not just the Alligators, but water birds, beavers, deer, it's like living in a nature show.

As you can see in the photos, one is a long shot across our dock and boat to the other side of the canal showing the proximity of the gator to the back of our house. Second is a close up of him/her. The third is for our down under shipmates, it shows the name of our boat "The Fair Dinkum" and the fighting Kangaroo on the outside of the two fuel boxes. Every Oz day we fly the Aussie flag out of respect for Oz, our mates down under and the thirteen great U.S. winters we spent there.

Cheers, Rodney