I wonder if everybody have one animal that really scares them, but secretly they find it kinda intriguing. For me, it's crocodiles. Crocodiles seem like a much bigger deal than alligators, which are equally deadly. l hunt crocs out at the zoo, the aquarium, and I tried to find one when I went to Costa Rica.
I pick up any any book or magazine with a nature story showing a picture of an innocent flamingo fluttering down, looking for her shrimp. You know the next picture, SNAP! My favorite Number One Ladies Detective Agency story is the one where M'ma Ramotswe - hey wait a minute. Maybe you haven't read that one yet. Go straight to your library and look up Alexander McCall Smith. Then sit down with a big cup of red bush tea and don't expect to get up until you finish the first book.
Where was I? Oh yeah, crocodiles.
The same urge that draws me to crocodiles likewise interests me in cities - not something I really want to be close to, yet so intriguing. As you may recall from the previous three episodes *, I took a day off and rode my bike to the train station and on up to San Francisco. From there I biked along The Embarcadero and eventually went on out to Fort Mason. The road from Fisherman's Wharf, past Ghirardeli Square, up and over the hill, was crowded with people visiting for Fleet Week. This event is a demonstration of the United States naval power, and an excellent military recruitment tool. Everybody had their noses turned skywards as The Blue Angels demonstrated their prowess. No doubt about it, their skills are awesome.
I thought about crocodiles a lot while I was watching those pilots.