January 11, 2016. Fish, Cranes and Gators.

 

 

 

 

January 11, 2016.  Fish, Cranes and Gators.   It was another cool day in southern Alabama.  The high temperature reached 50 about mid-afternoon.  After another slow morning, we took a walk for about an hour.  We met some fishermen cleaning their morning's catch.  I asked what kind of fish they caught and one of them answered, "cupeds".  I don't know what a cuped fish is.  However, the fish looked like crappie to me.  There were three cans of beer on the cleaning stand, so maybe he was trying to say crappie and the beer got in the way.  In any event, it was a mess of fish they caught.  I assume they are eating well tonight. 

After our walk, we sat in the sunshine for about an hour.  Despite the temperature, it felt warm because the air was still.  We met some folks who were here last year.  The man, Dale, was Matt's former supervisor at the police academy.  They now live in Springfield.  Janet, his wife, said she remembered "Turtle" from the academy.  "Turtle" is, of course, Matt. 

Later in the afternoon, we took the bikes out to resume our search for brummating alligators.  Our ride was uneventful until we turned around to return to T-Harvey.  We were cruising along, with me in front, when Annie shouted, "Stop!  Come back!  Slowly, very slowly."  I did as directed and she pointed to the object shown in the fourth from last picture above.  "What is that?" she asked. 

I dismounted and walked toward the object.  "Stop!  Don't get any closer," she said.  I moved closer.  "Stop, you lop-eared, pin-headed soda-jerk!  Don't go in there!"

So, I picked several rocks and tossed them at the object.  After missing twice, I struck center.  Thunk was the sound.  The object was not a brummating gator as Annie feared.  It was a stump, laying prostrate in the water. 

I was relentless, "Well, I nearly had my leg bitten off by a stump.  I might be the only man ever eaten by a stump.  Hey, I didn't know stumps had an appetite for leg." 

She wasn't happy with my kidding.  "Well, laugh all you want.  If you're stupid enough to get close to something that might be an alligator, you can just limp around on a peg-leg for all I care."

"Oh, then you could just call me "Stumpy?"  She was unamused. 

As we made our way back to the campsite, her phone rang.  It was Jody.  I spent the next fifteen minutes riding in circles.  Fortunately, there were several cranes in the water who provided some relief from my circle riding.  When Annie and Jody talk on the phone, circle riding is about all a fellow can do. I tried to think of something else to do, but I was stumped.  Tee-hee.