Happy 4th of July!

The spring was beautiful when I got to work this morning. It has cleared up so nicely and the timing couldn't have been better. The dark, tannic water is almost to the buoy line, and we are only a few feet away from being back to normal. You can see (barely, the water is so clear) that only 4 steps are wet now. This stairway will be totally dry and there will be dry land at the bottom of these steps, eventually. Its still a vast improvement from this. My co-worker and I worked quickly to get the paperwork done and get all of the walkways, building areas and picnic tables blown clean with the leaf blower. We were ready for the crowds to start filing in... well, there weren't any real crowds to speak of, but there were people in the park again and it felt great! One thing that I love about working in a state park is that most visitors are there because they want to be and they want to have a good time. Somehow on a holiday weekend, that feeling is amplified and its really nice to be around happy people. I didn't have to ask anyone to pay the park fee or tell them to stop trying to grab the animals or tell them to stay on the walkway... all I did was greet people, answer questions, and sell T-shirts. My job was too easy today, I wonder if I should be nervous about tomorrow...
I did stay busy though. Our little parking lot was full by the end of my shift, it was about halfway there at noon when I took the picture of the lot. There were enough people that I spent most of the day just walking around and keeping an eye on everything. My co-worker kept watch of the honor pay station and made sure to keep the payment envelopes stocked. People were swimming, and picnicking all afternoon.
I had one very large group come in with the most amazing float thingies. They were like giant, inflatable party barges. They were circular and seated 8-10 people each. After a lot of inflating, hauling stuff, and child wrangling, the group got on the river to float to a cabin downriver. It looked like alot of fun, I got a picture before they floated away.
The only wildlife I saw today (aside from the visitors) was one of my regulars. There are two fence lizards that hang out near my office. They like to sun themselves on some paving stones near the lawnmower or on a tree next to where I park my truck. One of them we have named Stubby because she evidently lost her tail at some point and it is taking its time growing back. The other has no striking qualities so he is just... Stubby's boyfriend. I don't know their sexes for sure, but that is my guess. I was able to photograph Stubby's boyfriend today. Stubby has been avoiding the camera lately, maybe she will be more cooperative tomorrow.