All our bags are packed.  We're ready to go.  He's standing impatiently tapping his toe beside the door.  Feel free to hum along.  He enjoyed waking me up to go bye bye.  Ok, enough of that.  Not to curse myself, but every big flight I pick someone to tell good bye just in case it turns out to be the BIG GOOD BYE, and you are it this time.  I want you to know that reading your blogs and counting you as my friends has been a joy in my life the last couple of years.  Just in case.

Through my life, I have learned that the strongest has some sort of vulnerability that brings it down.  Even rock bends to the forces of time, wind, and water.  Life is a series of beginnings and ends.  So if I end up taking the big plunge I'll have gone out at the top of my game.  Here is another story compliments of my Aunt in Colorado about vulnerabilities:

Dog Pack Attacks Gator in Florida

At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty.

The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the "apex predator", can still fall victim to implemented 'team work' strategy, made possible due to the tight knit social structure and "survival of the pack mentality" bred into the canines.

See the remarkable photograph below courtesy of Nature Magazine. Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the gator preventing it from breathing, while another dog has a hold on the tail to keep it from thrashing. The third dog attacks the soft underbelly of the gator.  

Warning: The picture that you are about to view is Not for the squeamish!

From my own personal photo collection, a twist on beginnings and ends:

 OH LOOK!  It's having babies.

Have a great week!  The adventure continues on my return.

tags: travel  strength  weakness  survival  humor  jokes  alligator  dogs  babies  

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