A job applicant visited us from Up North. A solid reporter, he asked all the right questions about neighborhoods, schools, commuting, the ins and outs of suburban life.
Then, with concern, he asked about alligators. As in, were there a lot of them in north Hillsborough? Were they dangerous, running amok and showing up in garages and back yard swimming pools?
Apparently he'd seen too many news stories about gators scarfing Fifi in Lutz or camping out under a Ford Explorer in New Tampa.
Bosh, we told him. Hardly ever see an alligator unless you're visiting the Florida Aquarium or Lettuce Lake Park.
Good thing we didn't take him to Cheval.
Driving through that land of faux chateaus and mini-Mediterranean McMansions recently, my wife and I spotted what looked to be an 10-footer cruising at chomping speed in one of the lakes along Cheval Boulevard.
Then, heading back out of the golf course community, we spied an 8-footer sunning himself on the bank of another lake, just a chip shot away from the 17th green, where an oblivious foursome was putting out.
