Mississippi- Alligators and Tree Roots

It occurred to me that while many people take selfies next to landmarks, I take pictures of trees wherever I go. I love how the branches twist and reach for the sky. We visited a swamp in the Mississippi delta today. I was fascinated with the way the roots hugged the banks of the waterways and the reflection of the limbs in the water. The air boat went so fast, I just aimed my phone and hoped for the best.

I had ideas about swamps from books; my actual foray into a swamp surpassed my expectations. First of all, the water was super still. It was very shallow, but so dark that it looked deep as night. There were ripples from fish and turtles, and alligator bumps like rocks just above the surface. Cypress trees and saw grass made inlets and channels. Birds were everywhere–thin, white egrets, cranes, hawks, swallows. Our guide pointed out an old alligator nest and water lines from Katrina. After the hurricane, alligators were sunning themselves on metal rooftops twenty feet above the ground. Katrina may have been twenty years ago, but her mark is still fresh.

My son’s fascination with alligators started when he was a toddler and we’d go to the alligator farm near Alamosa., Colorado. He has held them, and read about them, and done projects on them, but this was the first time he has seen them in their natural habitat. He was so happy, but for me, a whole new world opened up. I want to know more about the deltas. More about the wildlife and vegetation. I am the one with the obsession now.

The boat we went on was a airboat–it was powered by a fan and skimmed the surface of the water, allowing travel on inches of water. It goes only forward, so only someone really skilled could move it through narrow channels. It took a balance of speed and absolute finesse to navigate. I want back on that boat. It was a rush like I never had before.

I have read about people who live back in the deltas. I get it to an extent. It really would be living off the grid . Surviving in a place with alligators and mud and trees that could grab your foot and not let go would definitely take a lot of grit. I have never seen so much wildlife in such a small space. Everything about it was breathtakingly beautiful. I never thought I’d say that about a swamp.

Today’s Christmas Eve. I have a bit of an urge to get a stocking at Walmart and capture a bit of magic and tradition out on the road, but there is also an ocean with a beach and a sunset. I guess I don’t need to create surprises and moments of wonder; they are already all around me.