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| Me and Rick |
OK, I must
admit that even I questioned whether or not this should count as a 40x40. Yes, I
held a live alligator, BUT it was at a tourist attraction called AlligatorAlley in Alabama, the gator’s mouth was taped shut and most of the other
handlers were young kids.
In fact, it
was at the request of my kids that I even considered this. They both held the
two-year old alligator named Oreo – Luca even hugged him. But I was perfectly
content simply snapping pictures from a distance. I’m not a fan of reptiles.
Recently a baby lizard in our house made me scream like a baby.
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| Luca hugging Oreo |
Sensing my
fear, Maya and Luca used kid-pressure (perhaps even stronger than peer
pressure) to get me to try. “He’s really nice,” said Luca. “Even that toddler
held him,” said Maya. And to seal the deal Maya added, “You can use it as a
40x40 experience.”
Given I turn 40 in February 2015 and this is
only experience #15, you can see I’m a little behind. I have great intentions,
but the craziness of life often gets in the way of this project. So, I caved
and agreed to hold Oreo.
 |
| Me holding Oreo |
He felt slimy
and icky. REALLY SLIMY AND ICKY. I think he even glared at me, sensing my fear
and trying to intimidate. I felt a little sad for him being passed around with
his mouth taped shut until another tourist pointed out that he’d be content to
rip off my arms if he had the chance.
I held him for
what seemed like an eternity. In
reality, it was probably closer to 15 seconds, and I handed him back to the staff
member.
There, I did
it. And it counts.
 |
| Gator Feeding Show |
I must admit that aside from my
uncertainty with Oreo, I was impressed by the overall swamp experience. We
progressed thru the park seeing gators from infants to adults. There was even a
feeding show where the staff handed gators raw meat treats. It was fascinating
to gain this perspective on an animal I have never really thought much
about…although I think I did eat alligator at a Cajun restaurant once…
Only 23
experiences to go…
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