I think every neighborhood has that “one” neighbor.  The one that doesn’t socialize well with others.  The one who is a crusty sort with a less than sunny disposition.  The one with whom you never make eye contact in an effort to avoid uncomfortable encounters.  The one who has ownership of several of your kid’s hit-over-the-fence balls because it was easier to buy new than attempt to get them back.  The one never invited to block parties or barbeques or holiday gatherings. We have such a neighbor……

Walking With the Dinosaurs

Our neighbor is a dinosaur.  Ok, it’s not exactly a dinosaur — but it is a very close living relative. Potayto potahto.  This neighbor has prehistoric origins and is still alive and kicking today.  And yes, I believe ‘neighbor’ would be the correct term for our living arrangement.  This isn’t the wild, wild, wilderness or a swamp basin.  This is a gated suburban swim/tennis/golf community with paved roads and well kept lawns.  If you’ve taken up permanent residency here, you are essentially a neighbor.

I was aware that this creature lived here before moving to the area.  What I did not anticipate was how I would react upon seeing it for the first time…. in person…. in a non-zoo environment.

I would love to tell you that I stood in absolute calm and wonderment over one of nature’s longest surviving beings.  That I admired its beauty as it lazily floated, soaking up the morning sun.  That I was intrigued by its history and pondered its place on this earth and our coexistence with them. But none of that happened.

As it shifted slightly in the water and faced my general direction, I was overcome with a case of the heebie-jeebies and the things that nightmares are made of.  It looked like Godzilla and that was enough for me.  My brain immediately began to reach far into its memory banks to replay and interpret every piece of information it had ever acquired regarding such an event.  Data came quickly, although its usefulness was questionable.

MEMORY FILE 1:  Run away in a zigzag pattern.
Wait, is that for alligators or bears?

MEMORY FILE 2:  Make loud noises.
That may actually be for a moose encounter. Or coyote? Wolverine?
What exactly IS a Wolverine? Hugh Jackman. Now that’s a talented and handsome fella…
Focus woman! We’re trying to stay alive here!

MEMORY FILE 3:  Stand your ground and look menacing.
I’m fairly certain that doesn’t work on anything.

MEMORY FILE 4:  Remain perfectly still as they cannot see well.
That little nugget is clearly from “Jurassic Park”.

What can I say; I was never a Girl Scout.  Everything I know I learned from random television viewing.  In the end I opted to snap a quick pic and then promptly head in the opposite direction of the beast.  A “beast” that was completely bored by my presence and basically ignored me.

I could probably learn a thing or two from that lizard….