I don’t know about you, but I prefer reality. Which means I don’t own a Playstation3, dress up like Elvis, or believe in free cell phone offers. Real life has its own share of surprises, especially in the great Florida outdoors. As proof, here are some absolutely true encounters from my own nature notebook.

Walking Catfish: The first time somebody described these landlubber fish, I sneered and snorted. In my mind, walking fish were in the same category as insurance company rate reductions. Both impossible. Then, one morning after a 5-inch summer downpour, I spotted five shiny black fish with Fu Manchu moustaches running a marathon across the tar in front of my car. I carefully put the best-looking waddlers in a bucket, asked them to smile, and took their picture.