ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - The first turtle patrol for me this year turned out to be quite eventful. As a Share the Beach volunteer I walk the beach once a week for about 1.5 miles at sunup looking for signs momma turtles came in overnight and laid eggs.

It was a beautiful start to turtle season as an orange horizon over the Four Seasons dock greeted me. Along the way I got a few sunrise pictures and captured a three-man crew just off shore working a net in the surf. (Mike, Lisa, Share the Beach bosses: I stop dead in my tracks when shooting so not to miss any turtle tracks. That’s why I’m out there.)

And I got what I thought would be the picture of the day, the guys hauling in, by hand from the net, about a four-foot shark. I also caught a few images of them tossing fish into the live well.

I had a spring in my step on the way back to Cotton Bayou public beach access.

Just as I cleared the Four Seasons pier headed west to my car I noticed a group shooting what looked like some kind of modeling shots. The photographer crouched in the sand, the model preened and followed instructions.

“Hmmm,” thinks I, “that’d make a neat shot, the photographer working, the model preening, a picture of the picture.”

So I take aim, fire off a few shots. I’m thinking they’re with a local store or chamber of commerce or even a local magazine grabbing a few shots for advertising.

When I get closer and they notice me, one of the crew raised a big white screen and shielded me from the shoot.

“Y’all don’t want me to shoot any pictures?” I ask. “I was trying to get a picture of you taking a picture of her.”

“We’d rather you not,” came the terse reply.

Suits me. Heck I been walking in the sand for an hour and a half and there’s a biscuit with my name on it at the quickie mart across the street.

Looking at the pictures post-biscuit, I notice the model has her elbow up in a classic pose and is looking dead at me.

So I crop it down to her and post it on Facebook with a smart aleck comment: Baby girl couldn't keep her eyes off the fat man!!!! LOL!!!

I found my shark picture and posted it as well with the comment: As pretty as baby girl was and even though she couldn't keep her eyes off me, I like this picture better. Wish it was clearer so I could actually print it. (sigh).

About that time a great friend and fellow newspaper hack who is up on Entertainment Tonight, TMZ and such celebrity stuff and knows all about famous, gorgeous women, commented on my picture.

“I believe that would be A.J. McCarron's girlfriend, Mobile native Katherine Webb,” Jerry Felts wrote.

I didn’t believe it at first, but got to checking around and having others check around. Heck, I’d done made smart remarks and made it my profile picture! And I thought a shark picture was better!

But the more I looked at it the more I thought, it’s definitely her.

My son asked, after hearing my story, “you see any turtle tracks?”

“Heck,” I said, “I got a shark picture and a celebrity swimsuit model who has been all over the airwaves and pages nationally for the last few months. If I’d found a turtle nest, too, you’d probably just have to shoot me I’d be so tickled.”

Perhaps our composing room queen, Edwina Mosley, put it best.

“Hey, I heard you were looking for turtles and found a mermaid.”

I reckon I did. I just wish, being a big Bama fan, I had realized who she was and asked her to get A.J’s autograph for me.