"Tourist" Saturday

After a trip to visit the oratory and town of Ave Maria (which I promise to blog about later), I was on an alligator hunt.  I needed my critter fix!  It was a great opportunity for me to try to learn to  use my 300x lens, also.  Because I wear one contact for distance, my right eye contact, it was a challenge to try to use that eye to look through the viewfinder.  Usually I look through my left.  Try that sometime - it's trickier than it sounds!  Of course, there is no "auto focus" when using this lense!  Therefore, I apologize for any blurriness in the images, but they are worth sharing, nonetheless.

At Ave Maria, the magnolia were beginning to bloom, so I couldn't resist a close-up.  See the bee tucked under the petals on the left?

Our second stop was Billy's Swamp Safari, where this guy stood at the fence questioning my motives.

And when making a very wide loop through our sun-kissed peninsula, we finally spotted gators in the wild.  Here's a small guy taking advantage of the rays.

And a bigger guy floating along, keeping an eye on the crazy lady at the side of the road.

Don't forget - you can click on any picture to see it larger!