alligator gar

We spent the night out on the lake last Saturday night, and I had an absolutely wonderful time.

For all you that know me in real life, that statement is a huge step. I'm not a lake person. I'm not crazy about all the beer drinking from a can and the confederate flags on pickup trucks and the cutoffs and the chicken in a bucket*. I don't like not being able to see what is swimming underneath me. And I don't like the idea of an alligator gar.

In case you aren't familiar with the monstrosity, this is an alligator gar:

People bowfish alligator gars. On purpose. And take pictures. On purpose. Even at night. Oh. My. Goodness.

But back to the boat story...

I was talking to Franky Jean about my alligator gar fear** and how I was convinced that my three-year-old would wake up in the middle of the night, Houdini his way out of the cabin, and wander off the end of the boat. Then he would be eaten by an alligator gar as he bobbed in the water.

Granted, there is no known case of any alligator gar anywhere eating any babies at anytime. But still, MY baby looks very tasty. And, all of the alligator gar attacks could have been kept under wraps since known alligator gar attacks might be detrimental to tourism on the lake.

After he stopped laughing, Franky assured me that my baby is perfectly safe from alligator gar attacks. I'm still a bit skeptical.

Either way, we decided to leave the three-year-old with his grandparents so we could test the boat out without having worry about him. The nine-year-old had an absolute blast. We met up with some of our friends, and he played for hours. He went tubing with one of his best friends who tends to be a bit overcautious. They loved it. He even learned how to dive.

At ten, we realized that we hadn't yet had supper, so we found a place to eat on the lake. Griff fell asleep when we got back to the boat. He woke back up after we found a cove, and started to watch a movie with us. He didn't last very long.

We all slept very well, and waking up on the lake as the sun came up was so quiet and peaceful. I'm actually looking forward to going again this weekend. And, after sleeping out on the lake, I am much more comfortable with the thought of the three-year-old spending the night with us.

*I haven't actually met anyone at the lake that fits this stereotype. In fact, I have only met down to earth, kind, fun-loving people.

** I don't actually think alligator gars eat babies. Striper, maybe, but not babies.