Transformation

Music Dog and I were surprised to discover an alligator basking on the park side of the inner harbor. He lay on the bank when we first arrived with his great head turned toward the sinking sun. A small inlet lay between us and the impertinent beast. So I photographed him, first while still poised on the bank becoming aware of our presence, and then as he floated benignly in the water at the side of the pier. The transformation was remarkable to me. Against the mowed grass of the park bank, his armored bulk was terribly real and somewhat threatening...even as I realized he was more apt to go away from me than toward me. He looked like what he was: a large, powerful reptilian beast capable of aggression if tested. Yet in the water, he was transformed by sunlight on water into a bejeweled, colorful, and other-worldly creature of great beauty.

My extra photo is pre-transformation for those who dare.