Alligator Gar, Battleship fish of the Bayous

Alligator Gar attacks a school of large catfish in Resaca Rancho Viejo

Ancient suburban swamps harbor an incredibly tough collection of critters as we say here in the South. Here at the southernmost tip of Texas the ancient swamps greatest battleship is the prehistoric relic of DNA, the infamous and mysterious Alligator Gar. iNaturalist listing

These two words separated conjure vicious attack speed rapacious appetite and deadly accuracy but combined we need to add the superlatives of gargantuan overkill and armor to match. To call an Alligator Gar a fish is to thoroughly miss the point that somehow a conscious organism with this tool set is actively prowling the rivers and shallow waterways we often overlook with labels such as ditch or drainage. Far from that these areas are active pools of superfast adaptive evolution where new ideas are often chastised with early death and old ideas like Gars still somehow persist. They have gills but breathe air like a frog releasing gulps of gas in exchange for a fresh gulp from the surface.

The Alligator Gar is an undisputed freshwater goliath that grows to massive proportions by fulfilling an instinctive skill of prowling on all types of water, land and air dwelling organisms easily up to the size of the large healthy catfish seen as prey in these rare photographs of an Alligator Gar in action during the early morning hours.

It is the hope of this author that sharing these rare experiences here can motivate us to come together in a common bond of awe and respect for these miraculous beasts that inhabit the world with us and we continue to protect them.

See Alligator Gar: Predator or Prey?

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar feeding catfish, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar feeding on catfish, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar feeding on catfish, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar feeding on catfish, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Alligator Gar feeding on catfish, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

catfish and turtle

Alligator gar attacking catfish

Alligator gar attacking catfish

Alligator gar attacking catfish

Alligator gar attacking catfish

Alligator gar attacking catfish

Alligator gar attacking catfish

Alligator gar attacking catfish

Alligator gar attacking catfish

Alligator gar attacking catfish

Alligator Gar

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Alligator Gar coming up for air and a look around

Powerful tail stirs the water easily

Alligator Gar rolling

Alligator Gar

Coming up for air

Alligator Gar

Alligator Gar

Alligator Gar

Alligator Gar

Alligator Gar, Rancho Viejo Resacsa

catfish and turtle

Alligator Gar feeding on catfish, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

Catfish feeding

Alligator Gar, Rancho Viejo Resacsa

Alligator Gar, Rancho Viejo Resaca

Nature is abundant with magical creatures of legend and lore easily up to par and beyond the grasp of the words we use to describe them. However in reality these pictures do not do this phenom of a being any justice compared to the price of its existence for millennia in suburban swamps way down south by Mexico way.

Record Monsters Live Here

Alligator Gar attacks catfish and ignores the turtles

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  Alligator gar attacking catfish

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  Alligator gar attacking catfish

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  Alligator Gar, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

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  Alligator Gar feeding on catfish, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

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  Alligator Gar feeding on catfish, Resaca Rancho Viejo, Texas

The King Of Hula Hoop In Costa Rica

Celebrating the life of Olman Morales

Olman Morales was a great friend and companion, always playful, never in a bad mood, just glad to be with you dancing and smiling. He passed after a heart attack and we will never forget the great person he was.

Olman and Don Migue enjoying the crowds at a Diversity Parade

Saturdays in the park with the kids was a joy with Olman seen in center with Profe Marty Bernard and Allana

Our parks group teamed up to dance all over Costa Rica

We will miss You and play in your memory Olman, Godspeed and Gods blessings be with you everywhere and always

Here is a video of him on the news and in a few places to give you a look at who he was for so many people. He will be missed by his wife, children and grandchildren as well as friends and work companions from 70 years of hard life in Costa Rica.https://youtu.be/rT7YZUBEWgI

UFOs are officially called UAP, so does that mean we know what they are now?

Observers from space over Costa Rica closeup

Around the World daily there are thousands of reports and many more unreported encounters and sightings of UFOs as they were called in the old days just 25 years ago. Now this phenomenon is called UAP for Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon which blankets the plethora of phenomenon that can be misinterpreted as hysterical labeling of all unidentified things as alien invasion. To be an observer of these environments and have a sense of reality about what we see we need to consider how much our skies have changed and what things haven’t but may still be uniquely earthly manifestations such as lightnings various forms or clouds and there new forms as we influence the climate.

In spite of the rational explanations for all these UAP we must not dismiss the possibility of alien and non alien presences that are not human relating more and more closely with our infrastructures and possibly our policies of the use of these environments we have been indoctrinated to believe are exclusively ours.

For decades now I have personally observed a variety of these UAP and wondered my own thoughts about them as well as educated myself by well known authors on the subject. I have conducted my own research and visited these exclusive areas as well as met with local investigators highly versed in the facts of numerous UAP over airports, cities, beaches, mountains, entering and exiting the ocean and volcanoes.

I have not reached definite conclusions about each and every sighting yet but I have learned many lessons during the years involved in this and I consider it a highly vital subject to understand or at least to consider the implications of for an open minds sake, its just good exercise in the end.

The following sighting was taken recently here in Dallas near the Southwest Airlines main flight path into and out of Love Field. This fight path comes down Lemon Ave and also flies over Fair Park 3 miles away before the Jets turn North or South. Observe that in the camera you see the jet first which is 116 feet long and 117 feet wide and 25 feet tall. Comparing this to the object seen gives a rough idea of about 30 foot diameter, plenty big enough to be manned as well as small enough to be a drone of alien or military origin.

Large object moves aside for Southwest Jet coming in for a landing plainly showing it has thrusters and maneuverability

Two UFOs leisurely flyover the Southwest Passenger plane as it takes off from Dallas Love Field

Whether you believe in UAPs/UFOs as a threat, phenomenon, event or just a curiosity we certainly can agree that they are frequent and still mysterious. They have changed enormously over the years of our lifetime from simple elegant flying saucers shapes to complex multiple deck ungainly non aerodynamic hulking beasts as elegant as Star Treks Enterprise to ugly and minimalist Death Stars and anything else you can imagine in between. Its an exciting time to collect media and opinions because when we do know the real answers we can look back at this stuff and slap a knee. Meanwhile if you have a story or experience or just a comment please leave it on this post for more fun and stay tuned for the newest bit of our evidence to add to the confusion. Enjoy

Pandemic tip of the day

Breathe deeply and Relax, our immune system is at its best when it is relaxedvia Pandemic tip of the day

Dallas, Texas and the connection to Costa Rica Nature Conservatory

Dallas, Texas, the largest city in the United States without a navigable waterway to the ocean has a strong connection to Costa Rica Nature Conservatory. Costa Rica has long been attached to the developers and entrepreneurs of Texas. The Ticos as they are called by their own selves in Costa Rica owe their banks, railroads, plantations of all types and an ever growing population of gringo property owners from Texas to the Lone Star state that quietly remains friendly to them in spite of their often tragic way of treating us.

Beyond any judgments of whether we should harbor this amity we continue to foster a brotherhood across the gap of water that separates us from the quickest route although we could eventually alight on their precious beaches by hiking ten thousand miles of coastline from the Gulf of Mexico starting in Houston which by the way connects with the Trinity River here in Dallas which could theoretically transport at least a small boat all the way their.

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Following are some choice pictures from our continuing education of the worlds jewels which are both natural to us and unnatural until we are accustomed to them.

HoopnosisCostaRica recycles plastic into fun hula hoops to help the earth and the people she is home to.

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New Nature gift cards for conservation will feature the Best photos from Pros and Amateurs

Costa Rica Nature has often been photographed but until now very little has been offered to retailers. We are excited to see a new initiative from toy retailers that will see a unique gift set of nature flash cards from the best Professional and seasoned or lucky amateurs.

We feel honored to help educate the masses about the incredible nature these unique areas of the world have to shelter and show us how important it is to protect them.

If you have a favorite animal or plant or anything related to Costa Rica Nature you would like to see leave us a comment, we welcome your input and participation.flickr

Puerto Puntarenas

Bahia Drake and Isla Cano are pristine nature areas that need protection from growing coastal communities, education is the foundation of lasting positive change.

Corcovado Foundation is helping t protect one of Earths highest bio diverse regions.

male ctenosaur hunting for eggs in pochote tree

Common Star spider orb weaver is a short live garden spider that is harmless to humans and beneficial for the environment. Insecticides and poisons are unnecesary for pest control if we Learn, Love, Conserve

Wildlife signs on road into Punta Leona is amusing but serious

Young scarlet macaw rescued after a storm blew it from its nest.

Indigenous spirit of conservation rules my POV

Scarlet Macaw nesting in Ceiba tree over Punta Leona

 

Active Volcanoes, Costa Ricas premiere attraction heats up with Turrialba

Volcanoes,Video with infrared capture timeless icons from a prehistoric age continue to enthrall us as they smolder and spew the vital minerals of life onto the surface of the land we inhabit. This challenge to our temporary artificial island of culture en wrapped in convulsing folds of earth connected by lines of smooth pebbles and bathed in constant sunshine and rain seems to be beyond our grasp. Our memories are made of rovings to and fro over her dusty rocky faces covered now and again with vegetation and nesting creatures that afford us all the sounds we call nature. Her rumblings become loud cracks in the dawn whose purple colors are punctuated by steel melting heat from within the bowels of our mortal resting ground.

 

Volcanoe threatens metro area

 

Turrialba is one of over 14 volcanoes in Costa Rica, now active and painting the landscape white with the ashes that give her her namesake, the White Tower. See more spectacular pics

Apasionados por el hula-hula

La alegría gira en forma circular todos los sábados en el Jardín de Paz. El grupo Hoopnosis contagia a decenas de personas que pasan frente a la Escuela Metálica en San José y deciden probar el art…

Source: Apasionados por el hula-hula

Zarate turns on her lover and other true stories of witches, dwarfes and disappearing children in the enchanted forests of Itskatzu

The stunning Costa Rican central valley mountain landscape at over 7000 feet above sea level is aptly inspirational of much of the local lore and myth in the abundant oral folkloric traditions of the towns of Escazu, San Antonio, Asserri and adjacent mountain towns.

Powerful beings have been interacting with humans here from time immemorial and continue to leave a legacy of mystery intertwining the very fabric of existence into a monolithic undiscovered and unexplored truth challenging the foundations of our paradigms.

Many witnesses from this century have found their good fortune and also others their demise at the hands of these undisclosed and unidentified power players in our petty drama. Many more questions can be raised about these interactions than can be covered here, however some good questions arise. Maybe you can think of a few and drop us a line in the comments.

This is a developing TRUE story line that involves government cover ups and all that other conspiracy hype so stay tuned.

 

Pico Blanco is one of the highest peaks in the central valley and rumored to be the hangout of Zarate, a powerful witch of indian descent said to have cursed a whole town to be turned into stone.

52204Supergirls

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Fortuna

STEVE

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Butterfly enthusiasts can lead the way to a less toxic world, tell us how you do it too

Butterflies, the flying gem toned, colorfuly, cryptical camouflaged garden delights such as this Pura Vida butterfly are todays share. Whatever goodness their beauty inspires will lead us asuredly to a less toxic environment. What simple ways do you show your regard for these beings sensitivities? How can your environment benefit from “listening” to their needs and cues? Let me know in the comments, meanwhile follow the linked photo below to an album of 44 great Costa Rican butterfly pictures.

Pura Vida butterfly lands and twitches its wings rythmically to communicate to its own kind while assuming a a snakes aspect to confuse predators.