This post totally reminded me of a swamp tour I did in Louisiana. Especially those mossy trees which I think are GORGEOUS. We saw plenty of gators in LA too.
Also, when I lived in Black River, Jamaica there were plenty of them. One used to sit on the sidewalk in the sun and not bother anyone. He just laid there. Such a cool (but freaky) sight on an average day.
Thanks for sharing all these facts...us Canadians appreciate things we don't have to worry about up here LOL!
Hey Kristi, I’m from Canada too! You’re right, we don’t have gators in the North. In fact, I never even saw a gecko up there.
You’re doing better than I am for the Alligator sightings. I didn’t see one single gator on my Caddo tour. And I’ve never seen one in Louisiana. I missed the sidewalk-lounger when I was in Jamaica as well. Lucky you!
I don’t live far from Caddo and I live in the alligator zone. However, the lake we live on is not known for having gators in it. Personally I hope it stays that way. I’d rather have to travel a bit to see the creatures than have them in my front yard.
I’m with you on that one. I wouldn’t want to know that gators are trolling my backyard where my dog is lol. You’re kind of a strikeout with sightings, hey? Just as well….you can watch it all on YouTube 😁
Hello Canada back. I lost a cat recently to something. I can’t bear to think about what happened to him. He zoomed out the door before I could catch him one night and that was the last we ever saw of him. He was a very happy cat, so I know he didn’t just take off. I suspect an owl got him.
I live in some rather wild country back here in the Piney Woods. My dogs are large and you wouldn’t believe some of the “things” they have dragged home. Over the years we’ve dealt with lots of venomous snake bites (hint: keep Benadryl on hand at all times and give it to the dog immediately!), scraps with raccoons and other critters and one dog even took on a wild pig! See my Substack: Living in the Sticks
Check out the website for the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO). There is a lot of interesting information on it. They also have an article about the criteria the use to determine if a sighting is "credible". BFRO really puts the sightings through the paces before they will label a sighting "credible". The organization actually uses rigorous standards.
At the very least, it makes for some interesting reading!
Me too, Rod! I didn’t see any… my fear were much bigger than reality. Nothing like feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Now, if I had to go swimming in that water it would be a different story!
Sounds like your area rivals Australia in scary critters! Of all kinds. Thanks but no thanks, Lois, I'm with you. I don't cozy up to reptiles and such. But neat background on the area and foliage. Love the info re Spanish moss--it's so beautiful.
Spanish moss is used for all sorts of things I didn’t write about. Apparently, until the mid 1960s Ford used it to stuff the upholstery in all its vehicles. It is used in medicines, as stuffing, in crafts… the list is endless.
Scary critters are all over the planet! Ironically, most of them are more afraid of us than we are of them— although I find that hard to believe.
Thanks for your comments, Jeanine. I sure appreciate you reading Expect the Unexpected.
Always a joy, Lois. Because truly your topics are eclectic, adventurous, and yes. . . unexpected. We’d spent time in NOLA over the years bc we flew to Cancun area from San Francisco, before south east Mexico was well known . Once we realized that Continental did a connection in NOLA, with another flight departing 10am next day, we inquired if we could hop off at 4pm and climb aboard at10 next morning for a 50 minute flight to Cancun. No problema. Can’t tell you how many times we did that, but both NOLA and Spanish moss became very familiar to us. Laissez les bon temps broiler.
Great read as always Lois and you captured well the queasy emotional reality of having to go onto the water in a swamp knowing all the things that are in it! Spanish Moss is amazing and I recall my excitement seeing it for the first time as a kid travelling to Florida from Chicago. So cool! It was like being in a movie. Big Foot gets around, doesn't he/she/them? I assume you bags are packed?
Thanks Ed. I appreciate your comments. I first saw Spanish moss in Glacier National Park in Montana. It wasn’t quite as spooky hanging off the pine trees there as it was at Caddo Lake. Bigfoot does get around. Coming from the Canadian Rockies, I was surprised to find out he was also lurking around the Piney Woods of Texas. Thank goodness the alligators and Bigfoot avoid humans!
Lois, those pictures captured my imagination. Gosh what beauty there is mixed in with the terror of snakes and alligators, but there are those other beautiful creatures like the cranes.
I'd take my chances with the reptiles to get a look at that beautiful area.
Sandy, fortunately the snakes and alligators avoid humans. Only people like me who are terrified of them worry about them. The chances of seeing the snoozing reptiles are slim.
I highly recommend visiting Caddo Lake. I checked out rental cabins there and there are several nice places available. The nearby town of Jefferson was once a major steamboat port in Texas, and it has become a quaint place for boutiques, restaurants, antique shops and B&B’s.
The Piney Woods Area is rich with history and beauty and it is less than a three-hour drive from either Houston or Dallas.
It's subtle, but I think I've figured out your secret. All these world travels... you're secretly looking for Big Foot, aren't you. (But last I heard, he'd shaved, moved to Seattle, and started a "Seattle Sound" grunge band. More likely to find him hanging out at the Chihuly Glass Garden than in a Texas forest.)
Those Seattle Bigfoots are cousins of the Texas Bigfoots. Ours don’t do grunge— they play fiddles and strum guitars. Out of respect for the gators, our Bigfoots DO NOT wear alligator cowboy boots, but they have been known to wear straw cowboy hats in the summer and felt cowboy hats in the winter.
My world travels have been in the pursuit of porcelain — I collect pieces of fine porcelain from every country I visit. In some countries it is a LOT easier than others.
Quite the musical family, those Big Feet Folk. But according to one band member I asked a while back, no Feet were ever in Little Feat. Probably not a good feet/feat fit.
Porcelain. You’re only dealing with the wilds of the globe but having to keep fragile porcelain intact throughout. An admirable skill! And something pretty to collect, too.
Long ago, I dated someone who collected spoons. Until she asked me to get one for her on a trip I was taking, I hadn’t even realized every airport sells regional souvenir spoons. Branded tee-shirts and sweaters, sure, even regional plates, but spoons was a new one.
I didn’t know Bigfoot was here either— until I moved here. Apparently, the creature gets around. He is alive and well and generating lots of interest in the Piney Woods of East Texas.
I love reading this stuff!
Thank you, Joe. Your comment really made my day!
This post totally reminded me of a swamp tour I did in Louisiana. Especially those mossy trees which I think are GORGEOUS. We saw plenty of gators in LA too.
Also, when I lived in Black River, Jamaica there were plenty of them. One used to sit on the sidewalk in the sun and not bother anyone. He just laid there. Such a cool (but freaky) sight on an average day.
Thanks for sharing all these facts...us Canadians appreciate things we don't have to worry about up here LOL!
Hey Kristi, I’m from Canada too! You’re right, we don’t have gators in the North. In fact, I never even saw a gecko up there.
You’re doing better than I am for the Alligator sightings. I didn’t see one single gator on my Caddo tour. And I’ve never seen one in Louisiana. I missed the sidewalk-lounger when I was in Jamaica as well. Lucky you!
I don’t live far from Caddo and I live in the alligator zone. However, the lake we live on is not known for having gators in it. Personally I hope it stays that way. I’d rather have to travel a bit to see the creatures than have them in my front yard.
Best to you!
I’m with you on that one. I wouldn’t want to know that gators are trolling my backyard where my dog is lol. You’re kind of a strikeout with sightings, hey? Just as well….you can watch it all on YouTube 😁
Canada says hi! 🍁
Hello Canada back. I lost a cat recently to something. I can’t bear to think about what happened to him. He zoomed out the door before I could catch him one night and that was the last we ever saw of him. He was a very happy cat, so I know he didn’t just take off. I suspect an owl got him.
I live in some rather wild country back here in the Piney Woods. My dogs are large and you wouldn’t believe some of the “things” they have dragged home. Over the years we’ve dealt with lots of venomous snake bites (hint: keep Benadryl on hand at all times and give it to the dog immediately!), scraps with raccoons and other critters and one dog even took on a wild pig! See my Substack: Living in the Sticks
Oh my goodness, how did I get here? Lol!
“Credible sightings of Bigfoot?” Hmm. . .
Check out the website for the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO). There is a lot of interesting information on it. They also have an article about the criteria the use to determine if a sighting is "credible". BFRO really puts the sightings through the paces before they will label a sighting "credible". The organization actually uses rigorous standards.
At the very least, it makes for some interesting reading!
Interesting stuff! Thanks for sharing.
You're great at telling stories, Lois. Snakes and gators would scare the crap out of me. LOL
Me too, Rod! I didn’t see any… my fear were much bigger than reality. Nothing like feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Now, if I had to go swimming in that water it would be a different story!
Best to you, Rod!
I couldn’t do that! Thanks, Lois!
Sounds like your area rivals Australia in scary critters! Of all kinds. Thanks but no thanks, Lois, I'm with you. I don't cozy up to reptiles and such. But neat background on the area and foliage. Love the info re Spanish moss--it's so beautiful.
Spanish moss is used for all sorts of things I didn’t write about. Apparently, until the mid 1960s Ford used it to stuff the upholstery in all its vehicles. It is used in medicines, as stuffing, in crafts… the list is endless.
Scary critters are all over the planet! Ironically, most of them are more afraid of us than we are of them— although I find that hard to believe.
Thanks for your comments, Jeanine. I sure appreciate you reading Expect the Unexpected.
Always a joy, Lois. Because truly your topics are eclectic, adventurous, and yes. . . unexpected. We’d spent time in NOLA over the years bc we flew to Cancun area from San Francisco, before south east Mexico was well known . Once we realized that Continental did a connection in NOLA, with another flight departing 10am next day, we inquired if we could hop off at 4pm and climb aboard at10 next morning for a 50 minute flight to Cancun. No problema. Can’t tell you how many times we did that, but both NOLA and Spanish moss became very familiar to us. Laissez les bon temps broiler.
Great read as always Lois and you captured well the queasy emotional reality of having to go onto the water in a swamp knowing all the things that are in it! Spanish Moss is amazing and I recall my excitement seeing it for the first time as a kid travelling to Florida from Chicago. So cool! It was like being in a movie. Big Foot gets around, doesn't he/she/them? I assume you bags are packed?
Thanks Ed. I appreciate your comments. I first saw Spanish moss in Glacier National Park in Montana. It wasn’t quite as spooky hanging off the pine trees there as it was at Caddo Lake. Bigfoot does get around. Coming from the Canadian Rockies, I was surprised to find out he was also lurking around the Piney Woods of Texas. Thank goodness the alligators and Bigfoot avoid humans!
Lois, those pictures captured my imagination. Gosh what beauty there is mixed in with the terror of snakes and alligators, but there are those other beautiful creatures like the cranes.
I'd take my chances with the reptiles to get a look at that beautiful area.
Sandy, fortunately the snakes and alligators avoid humans. Only people like me who are terrified of them worry about them. The chances of seeing the snoozing reptiles are slim.
I highly recommend visiting Caddo Lake. I checked out rental cabins there and there are several nice places available. The nearby town of Jefferson was once a major steamboat port in Texas, and it has become a quaint place for boutiques, restaurants, antique shops and B&B’s.
The Piney Woods Area is rich with history and beauty and it is less than a three-hour drive from either Houston or Dallas.
It's subtle, but I think I've figured out your secret. All these world travels... you're secretly looking for Big Foot, aren't you. (But last I heard, he'd shaved, moved to Seattle, and started a "Seattle Sound" grunge band. More likely to find him hanging out at the Chihuly Glass Garden than in a Texas forest.)
Those Seattle Bigfoots are cousins of the Texas Bigfoots. Ours don’t do grunge— they play fiddles and strum guitars. Out of respect for the gators, our Bigfoots DO NOT wear alligator cowboy boots, but they have been known to wear straw cowboy hats in the summer and felt cowboy hats in the winter.
My world travels have been in the pursuit of porcelain — I collect pieces of fine porcelain from every country I visit. In some countries it is a LOT easier than others.
Quite the musical family, those Big Feet Folk. But according to one band member I asked a while back, no Feet were ever in Little Feat. Probably not a good feet/feat fit.
Porcelain. You’re only dealing with the wilds of the globe but having to keep fragile porcelain intact throughout. An admirable skill! And something pretty to collect, too.
Long ago, I dated someone who collected spoons. Until she asked me to get one for her on a trip I was taking, I hadn’t even realized every airport sells regional souvenir spoons. Branded tee-shirts and sweaters, sure, even regional plates, but spoons was a new one.
There's so much to discover in Texas! I didn't know Big Foot sightings happen there. Thanks for the fun read, Lois!
I didn’t know Bigfoot was here either— until I moved here. Apparently, the creature gets around. He is alive and well and generating lots of interest in the Piney Woods of East Texas.
Bigfoot is pretty darn fast. He’s in multiple states at once!
He has lots of relatives.
haha yes he does!