Hey, y’all I may be in trouble here for “scooping” my own daughter. But I have to post this now for two reasons. 1) This is far too good to wait; 2) I have an important “goodbye” party tonight that I’m sure will steer my writing tomorrow.

Two photos. From Zoo Miami. Earlier today. That’s right, this croc is not only beyond huge, it is interested in eating my grandchildren.

The first is from inside the tunnel, David and Beks looking up at the behemoth beast. The second is more chilling. It shows the size of the reptile, and I am simply blown away.

Kudos, of course, to my daughter Naomi for the great “heads up” photography. Also, I am glad the experience unnerved the children. They felt secure enough, and they didn’t have the sense of being in danger. But they felt – at a visceral level – the relationship of themselves to such a predator. I want them to respect wildlife, not just observe it, and I think this was a good opportunity.

These images also tell the story of life here on Earth and our relationship to everything around us – especially the second photograph. There is a sense sometimes that we are unaware of what is “out there,” and clueless as to how tentative our grip is when it comes to the balance of nature. Look at the fires in California, the floods in Germany, the hurricanes that so often ravage the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. If we are not aware of our surroundings, and knowledgeable vis-a-vis how our behavior effects the world around us (think Global Warming and Climate Change) then it is almost as if we are sitting underneath a massive crocodile with no clue of what possibly may happen.

So let’s wake up! Pay attention! Be responsible!

It bites, you know.

DEREK