We've been enjoying our days volunteering as hosts at Atalaya as each day brings new visitors and some interesting conversations.  Last Saturday there were 3 weddings at the park:  one on the beach, one on the lawn outside Atalaya and one inside Atalaya in the courtyard.  It's been fun seeing the wedding parties come in to take pictures, and interesting to see the differences in the people.  Our day did get a little hectic, though, as there were times when more than one group was inside the house taking pictures.  My favorite group was the one who just sort of wandered in with both bride and groom in white gauzy finery.  Their happiness was contagious with none of the typical pre-wedding tension displayed by other groups.  But after a busy day, we were glad to turn over responsibility for the evening to the Ranger on duty and the other campground hosts.

For some reason, Saturday was also the day that some of the alligators in the freshwater pond decided to mosey across the walkway leading from Atalaya to Route 17.  Some walkers and bicyclists were surprised to come upon them too suddenly -- not a pleasant surprise when you're not expecting it.   Other  visitors have never seen an alligator and rushed down the walk in hopes of seeing them and getting photographs.  When we had the oppotunity, we warned people not to get too close and keep their little dogs at a distance.  There have been instances of alligators snacking on peoples' pets.         

But we were happy to see Sunday, the beginning of our 3 days off, roll around.  All three days turned out to be clear, hot and sunny with water temperatures in the 80s.  We enjoyed coffee and breakfast on the beach each morning followed by refreshing swims in the ocean and lounging on the beach until noon.  Once again, we scrapped our plan to visit Brookgreen in favor of spending time on the beach and in the water.