Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge

My dress was just too pretty to stay home in so my big people agreed to take me into town. I enjoyed the chance to get out of the house, I still haven't ventured too far from my new home yet, except for the trip to visit family. While we were out I spotted this little house. It was so small and cute. I thought it might make a good Hitty house although my big people said it looked like a tiny house...isn't that what a Hitty house is? Upon closer inspection I gave up on having it for a Hitty house, it's just way to big for a little doll like me.

We went to Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. I thought it looked like fun, but Robin kept saying something about wolves and alligators. I had to convince her that we would be perfectly safe. This is a refuge, the workers wouldn't let anything hurt us here.

Robin didn't agree. She kept pointing out all the woods around us and showed me a picture of an alligator on the signs at the entrance. She was certain that they put that picture there to warn us of vicious animals.

I will admit that the thought of alligators up close made me worry just a little bit. Any doll in her right mind would be just a bit afraid at the thought of facing those sharp teeth. And I've heard alligators smell bad.

Inside the gift shop Robin found a stuffed animal alligator that looked so real it made us both back up before we realized it wasn't real. How do they make those things look so real?? We both had a good laugh at our own fright. Robin insisted on having her picture taken with that critter so she could always remember it. I think I will remember it without having my picture taken.

I left Robin to get her picture taken and went to explore the bat cave. Robin yelled at me that I should stay out of the cave, insisting that bats are 'scary' but I like bats. I think they're cute. So into the bat cave I went.

I wasn't happy with looking up at the bats from the cave floor so I scaled the wall, which wasn't easy, let me tell you, so I could get a closer look. I'm pretty sure this bats name was Cuteness but he wouldn't talk to me so I couldn't find out for sure.

I found a ledge in the bat cave to perch on just under the sleeping spot of several cute little bats.

Bats are interesting critters. They sleep hanging upside down and they come out at night. And...they eat up pesky bugs. Aren't they wonderful?

Robin wanted nothing to do with the bat cave, no matter how many times I told her they were cute and wouldn't hurt her, and instead went ahead to look at the birds. She said she was particularly fond of the blue jay.

Robin thought this bird was lovely. 

This is an alligator skull. I don't think I would be even snack sized for something this size. I didn't want to admit it but I sure am glad that this guy was dead.

Now this little beaver would be fun to have at home. He's just the right size to ride and could chop firewood for me with no problem. Not that I need firewood in August but I hear it won't be hot outside forever. There's nothing like a nice fire to warm your toes by when the temperature gets chilly.

Even Robin agreed that a beaver would make a nice pet. She thinks they would be comfortable napping spots.

This poor beaver might be good for napping on, he's dead, but I highly doubt a live one would hold still long enough to allow for a restful sleep.

Robin gave up on napping on the poor beaver and moved to the raccoon. He seemed a little more comfortable to her although she said either one would work perfectly.

After seeing Robin on the raccoon, I figured I'd give it a try. This one was safe to get close to, it was dead too.

Robin wanted an up close look at the turtle shell but I didn't want to get too close to that thing, it might get my new dress dirty the way it was peeling.

After we left the visitor center, we walked on a trail into the woods. These woods looked different than our woods do. The trees and shrubbery are different. I found these lovely ferns growing on a branch. They would make such nice houseplants if only we could take them home. Since that isn't allowed I had my picture taken with them instead.

My big person almost walked right into the worm in front of me. It was hanging from a tree branch by a single thread.
See how far apart the trees are and how little shrubbery and undergrowth there is.

It's hard to tell but there is a very large spider beside me. It was more that half the length of me and living in a huge spider web. These things were all over. They gave me the shivers every time I saw one. Robin hurried past all of them insisting they are vicious. I think vicious might be Robins favorite word but in this case I really do have to agree with her.

A little ways down the trail we would up on a low bridge with no sides. On both sides of the bridge was swamp water. If this is a bayou...it's pretty and nasty looking at the same time. The water is covered in green stuff that looks like slime from a distance but is really little bitty plants. All sorts of other plants grow in the water too.
One of my big people saw a snake in the water but it disappeared under the bridge before Robin or I could see it. We were still looking for the snake when we heard a horrible splashing, the kind I don't think a man could make if he thrashed about in the water. It sounded like something very large, large by big people standards, not Hitty standards, was trying to stir up all of the swamp.

I froze where I was, so did my big people. We all looked all around but even though the sound kept going we couldn't see what was making the sound. Some of my big people went further down the trail, some of them stayed where they were. I wasn't about to be left behind so I went looking for whatever was making that sound, and let me tell you, when you're six inches tall...that is a very big noise.

We never did find what was making the sound but we did figure out what it was. It was a mama alligator trying to distract us from her nest of babies. The big people said they saw two baby alligators but I didn't see  them.

I had spotted something in the water that I just had to get a closer look at. Robin held me down, afraid I would fall head first into that 'vicious' water. I really thought she was going to sit on me, she kept hollering for me to 'get up' and saying, 'don't do that, Tillie. Oh, don't do that.' 

Maybe I should have listened to her but then I wouldn't have found...

This little guy. Isn't he cute? He seemed happy enough to have me pull him out of that cold water. He even cuddled right into me. I think he may have been cold.

I can't really say he's all that snuggly but he is kind of cute. He bobs his head and wiggles his tail every time I come near. I couldn't leave him at the refuge. Robin did not want to take him home but I insisted. What's better than a guard dog? A guard gator.

I do think he needs a bath with warm, soapy water though. A good scrubbing should wash that stink right out of him. I sure hope he didn't make my new dress dirty and stinky. I petted him as best I could with all those pokey things on him. He seemed to really like it, cuddling up close.

Only...once my gator warmed up, he wasn't quite so snuggly. I guess it's his wild side. I think he will settle down in time. And...he kind of has an odor.  I got my big person to find something to contain him...he can really snap those teeth...and let the big people take care of him, I didn't want to lose an arm, while we continued our explorations.

Robin said she was sure she was suffering from droopsy, or the vapors, or something after watching me pull that 'vicious thing' out of the swamp and hold it that it was a cuddly little kitten.

After that, Robin insisted we had to walk right in the middle of the bridge. If I tried to step toward the edge for any reason she would grab onto my skirt and pull me back to the middle of the bridge. She finally relaxed once the mama alligator grew quiet and we were well away from that nest of baby gators.

This swamp is really pretty when you get up close to it. I think a person could grow used to it. I was a bit worried that that mama gator might decide to come try to take her baby back. I could hear my baby gator scratching around where my big person had put him for safekeeping.

Every once in a while we would pass big signs posted in front of trees telling us what the trees were. I didn't really bother to read the signs, there were other, more interesting things to look at.

Like more swamp water. Do you see any more baby gators in here? I wouldn't mind getting Robin her very own gator. I think she would learn to love it.

I never did find another baby gator but I did find this beautiful white flower growing up out of the water. I tried to lean out to see it but even with Robin hanging onto my dress tail I couldn't get close to it. Finally my big person agreed to help me see it closer. Hanging over that water was a scary thing but well worth the chance to see this flower up close.

Once we were back on dry land I stopped to look at some interesting logs. Robin was hot and tired and said she wanted to find something cool to drink.

I wouldn't have minded a nice drink myself but I couldn't pass up the chance to rest in such a peaceful place.

Who wouldn't enjoy this lovely patch of ground with a nice tree overhead. I thought it was just lovely.

And the patches of moss were so soft and comfortable. This would be a good place for a nap if only the big people weren't going off and leaving me.

We followed the trail until we came back to the visitor center. It was a very enjoyable walk, if you can overlook the spiders bigger than I am and the mama alligators. After that walk I am certain that I do not care for mama alligators. I don't need to see one to know they aren't good for small dolls to be around.

A young deer ran right by us and stopped just where we could see it, and it could keep an eye on us. It was skittish of us but not scared.

When we got back to the visitor center we told the lady there about the thrashing in the water and the baby gators. I even showed her my baby gator and she said I could have him, that he was much too small to survive out there in the wild. She also explained that we had probably stumbled on a nest of baby gators, that August is when they hatch out, and that the mama's are very protective of their baby's and the thrashing we heard in the water was probably her trying to distract us from her baby's. We had kind of figured that out when we were out there but hearing her confirm it didn't make me feel any better about mama alligators.

After hearing all that wonderful news about mama alligators we followed the lady in the visitor's center's advice and went to the other visitor center building. It housed live animals. Robin refused to leave the safety of the big people.

I found this gator with a sign above him asking that we please feed the gator. In trying to feed him...I became dinner. At least this one was dead too.

Those sharp teeth sure are scary from this viewpoint. I could well imagine them closing on me and turning all my stout wood into splinters.

Going from the mouth of one alligator to the enclosure of another one was a little bit daunting. Thankfully there was glass between him and me.

The lady said this baby...baby???...is only two years old. I don't think two years old counts as being a baby for alligators. Now I understand, though, why she said my baby gator was too little to survive in the wild. If this thing is a baby...what is my gator?

Just look at him. His head is bigger than I am!

And then we were off to see more swamp. Only this one looked way different than what we saw from the bridge on that walking trail. Robin refused to leave the car this time. She said one close encounter with an alligator was enough for her. I didn't tell her I was leaving my baby gator with her. Maybe she won't notice.

We walked down a long pier to get to this wonderful view. I had never seen anything like it. I'm not sure the big people have either because they kept talking about how pretty it was.

I had to get a closer look at the lilly pads on the water. There were little fist swimming under them.

So many plants growing here. I couldn't identify anything but trees...don't ask me what kind...and lilly pads, but they all create a beautiful place.

Oh, and cat tail. I recognized cat tails. Did you know they are edible. The roots supposedly make something like mashed potatoes. One of these days I want to try them.

This has been a wonderful day of exploring. I would like to stay longer but I need to make sure Robin doesn't need rescuing from my baby gator. I hope we come back here again.