La Vie en Curlsz Part One

Yes we've got fun and games...

So it has become a habit of mine to walk occasionally jog through my neighborhood park - it is a gorgeous park complete with creeks, caverns, trees and apparently adventure. (Park pictured here)

I've walked this park for years, but recently it has become routine for me to see the most bizare acts of nature. For the longest time it was just a homeless guy on a bench - no worries, he was asleep and in no condition to chase me down - so I moved on. Then it was a snake - a very large water snake in the creek I have to cross by jumping rock to rock.

Ok I can deal with that - it is a creek after all. THEN the freakshow hit. As I was crossing a very low bridge one day I saw a giant rodent of some sort. Now anyone who's known me for 5 minutes or longer knows I am deathly afraid of anything rodent. But this time I was more amazed and confused. I could not for the life belive what I thought I was seeing - is it a beaver, is it an otter?? We were very close but I couldn't stop staring as he stared at me, each of us weighing our options. We slowly passed each other, each afraid of any sudden movments. Then he swam under the water crossing. So of course I tell everyone "I saw a beaver" - everyone belived I had seen something but are there beavers in Texas? Ok an otter maybe? Are there otters in Texas - I don't know but I know I saw something.

So today my brilliant friend Amanda says "Maybe you saw a Nutria" - A nutria??? I don't know what those look like - no one else has thought of this - maybe she's right - so I google it.

Yeah she was right - it was a nutria - YIKES - LOOK AT THAT GIANT RODENT!!!! If I had known that is what I was seeing - I would have run the other way.... Geeze this picture alone is causing me to sweat! I can not believe I did not freak. Look at that tail!!!!

Well in addition to this I have seen a grackle eating a lawn snake, and most recently a turtle swimming with a dead squirrel on it's back - I think the squirrel was stuck on his back.... Welcome to Austin's wild kingdom...