Pa’s oldest friend had recently married, and they threw a party down south of Houston.  So we decided to pack up the car and make a weekend out of it.

The party was great.  There were a bunch of kids and a giant bounce house for all of us to play in.  The property was amazing too.  There were several giant oak trees.  They looked like good climbing trees, but I was not quite big enough.

The next day we headed off to Brazos Bend State Park.  Pa had a surprise for me.  He said I could only get my surprise if I had my “listening” ears on – and turned all the way up!  I did, so we proceeded into the park.

I hopped in the wagon, not really understanding why Pa was so focused on my “listening” ears.  I mean, we were just walking on a nice path along some water.  It was very peaceful.

But then around the bend, we came upon the reason Pa was so insistent on my “listening” ears.  In the water, just swimming around was the biggest alligator in the world!  It was amazing.  There was nothing in between us and the gator except for my wagon!

About a 100 yards later there was another gator just chillin, basking in the sun on the bank.  As we walked by, I locked eyes with him.  I let him know I was not afraid.  He winked, and we were cool after that.

Throughout the day we saw another 7 or 8 gators as we made our way around the lake.  Each one was more impressive than the last.  Crazy to think about how long these gators have been around.  I mean, they look a lot like dinosaurs!!!

As we headed back the car to load up and head back home, we saw a group of people hovering around the edge of the water.  As they cleared away, we saw what they were all looking at.  It was a bunch of baby gators.  The Mama was about 10 yards away.  Pa kept his eye on the Mama while I looked at the babies.

What a park.  Such a cool way to experience wildlife.  Just make sure to keep your eyes open (and your “listening” ears on)!