That's One Big Croc!

Actually, I’m glad we’re not familiar with the infamous mammoth man-eating croc of Africa’s wetlands locals have named “Gustave”. Estimated to weigh over 2,000 pounds, and said to be around 40 feet long, the monster crocodile has reportedly killed and eaten over 300 people along the banks of Lake Tanganyika in the state of Barundi in Africa. Gustave is too smart to be captured, although many have tried! Well-known herpetologist Patrice Faye has spent many years tracking and studying this beast. He even built a very large steel trap rigged with a live goat for bait and placed along the water’s edge in the attempt to capture Gustave. Faye’s trap failed, the trap being found wrecked, and the poor goat gone! Again, Gustave proved to be too smart for his captors!

Gustave has been estimated to be well over 80 years old! He was last spotted in 2009. Reportedly, he was last seen in 2015 dragging an antelope into the murky water, whether this was really Gustave or not, no one knows. Indeed, his legend remains to live on!

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Let The Good Times Roll

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler! In other words, “Let the good times roll!” Mardi Gras is just around the corner, and Mardi Gras is about letting go of the not-so-good times and having yourself a whole lot of fun! This year, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, Mardi Gras in New Orleans returns after another year of the pandemic. Mayor LaToya Cantrell has told New Orleans Mardi Gras will return to the city in 2022. However, there are changes, mostly in altered routes of the famous parade through the city. Interested in going? Check with event planners. Thanks to French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, it is believed Mardi Gras began March 3, 1699 when he camped just downriver from what is now New Orleans. Back in France, it was Fat Tuesday. Pierre named the camping spot Point du Mardi Gras and held a party there! I suppose he likely toasted to the event exclaiming “Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!” I don’t know this for a fact but I’m going to go with it! A few years later, a g...

It’s winter – where are all the “gators?”

A bowl of chili, a warm blanket, and maybe a good movie. That’s how we humans handle our cold weather, but what about alligators? How do they deal with the cold in winter? Alligators must have sunlight to warm them up and increase their metabolism. So, when winter temperatures drop below 40 degrees they slow way down, then go into a hibernation-like state. They “brumate” - go into brumation it is called, where their metabolism slows way down. They become lethargic and drop down to the bottom of the river, lake, or pond. Alligators can hold their breath for up to 24 hours! When it’s that cold they surface just long enough to grab a few deep breaths of air and then settle back on the bottom! That’s crazy! Some alligators dig themselves a nice musty smelling hole just above the water table out of the cold. I’ll bet they doze with one eye open just in case a curious critter or human hand pokes around their winter home’s sleeping quarters! I have seen gators 12-14 feet long on our Lake Livi...

Texas' Big Bend Country

How can I describe this snapshot of our Texas-Mexico border, taken on a trip we made to our Texas Big Bend country, other than spectacular ! We were driving Texas' state road 170 heading to Presidio from Terlingua. We were a little spooked since we were the only vehicle on the road. Along this section of the road, we didn't pass any other cars or trucks. I must say, this desolate part of Texas is just as rugged as it is beautiful! Every curvy turn of this lonely highway presented yet another picture postcard panorama. It would be hard to believe anyone would risk their life crossing such treacherous terrain, but I imagine some have, at one time or another. In the summer, temperatures go well into the hundreds and the dangers of heat exhaustion and death are very real! Diamond-back rattle snakes and scorpions happily make this desert their home -- we never saw any though. We held our breath while traveling on this deserted, stretch of road, not wanting to think of having any ...

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