Friday, I'm in Love

Well you knew that didn't you? It's hard to imagine sometimes, how lucky I was to meet the love of my life while still such a young girl, isn't it? What's even more remarkable to think of is how much we are still in love. Crazy, after all these years, indeed.
Something else that occurred to me after the art group meeting the other day, was how fortunate I've been with my photography business. Sure, I get a little downhearted, but I expect that's pretty normal for any business owner who is passionate about what they do. What I'm getting at is this: pretty much every person who visits my tent, or table, has a camera and knows how to use it, unlike say, a painter who is absolutely more unique. So, if everyone has a camera, and can take pictures, it seems all the more remarkable that I have sales of mine. I'm one lucky girl aren't I? Is it okay that I still refer to myself as a girl, even though I'm 58? Okay, I'll call myself a lucky woman....

Lucky indeed. Every time I do laundry, I put the change I find at the bottom of the washing machine into this adorable orange polka-dotted piggy bank.

Today's earnings=25 cents. Woo hoo! Talk about some mad money!

We had a little visit from a zebra butterfly the other morning, of course, he was feeding on the pentas. Always, the pentas.

It's really no wonder that people on a limited income do not eat healthier foods because of their expense. Probably, I'm living in the past, but $1.25 for an apple is pretty steep if you only have a small income. Perhaps it is because this apple has come so far?

Matt and I had a delightful chat the other day, well, make that a discussion, because invariably that's what our calls usually become. He was bemoaning the reality of an homogenized world, which he witnesses first hand during his travels. Only last week, while in Istanbul, he was once again reminded that if you want to go to Starbucks, or more surprisingly,  Clare's Accessories, you can do so while visiting that ancient city. In addition to that topic, he explained how the National Health System works in England. The biggest news, however, is he now has papers in hand giving him the right to stay in the United Kingdom till the cows come home. Or something along that order...

I came home from bridge yesterday afternoon in a very good mood because we were not last! Our final four games were played against a former pastor of ours, Howard Eddington from First Presbyterian Church. He and his wife joined the group about two weeks ago. Anyway, bragging just a wee bit, we won three out of the four hands we played against them, enabling Debbie to go home in much improved spirits over last week. I did skip the morning lesson because I've decided it is just too much of a good thing all at once.

Instead, I made, and sewed the binding onto the quilt. Next step is the hand sewing on the front which I'll work on during sports this weekend, that is in between markets, but you get my drift. While sewing said binding on, despite using the walking foot, my needle broke which is no big deal. What is a big deal is threading the needles! Yikes, my old eyes. So, when later I ran out of bobbin thread, I did something for the first time in my sewing career.

If you've never used a sewing machine this won't mean a thing to you. Perhaps the next paragraph, once I write it, will be of more interest. Anyway, I used the second peg, wound the bobbin full up, and eureka!--I was sewing once again. Highly recommended technique.

Facebook is a two edged sword isn't it? Great for keeping up with family, lots of junk, games, and time wasters, but for me, once I began posting the latest installment of Camera Crazy on my page, my readership has risen. That, I'll take any day. And then there is the possibility of "friending" someone you'd be unlikely to ever meet in person.

Now, that made me smile. I told him I was spreading the word and his work here in Orlando. If the commercials are true, "Everyone Comes to Orlando Eventually" perhaps he will as well? Not holding my breath though.

You know me, I could go on and on, but I'll wrap this up by telling you that Jonathan and Alissa bought a Jetta last night, much like the one pictured on the link. Thinking about how much society has changed during our lifetime, it's interesting to reflect that at 29, Bruce and I were the parents of four boys. Jonathan, at 29, is buying his first car. I wonder what it all means, or maybe it means nothing. Time will tell, as it always does.

So is the Post Office

Apparently, I'm not the only one who likes using Out & About for business purposes.

Well, Mrs. Camera Crazy has been out and about the last several days; with cooler temperatures, there is no excuse not to!

Indeed, weather-wise, things are looking up around these parts. Fall? What's that most Floridian's ask, however, if you've lived here long enough you begin noticing some subtle changes, and before you know it, perfect weather will be here. A glorious sight in fall is the blooming all over the city of the Golden Rain Trees. Everywhere I look while riding I see them. From afar they are a beautiful tree, however, just like most things, they are a mixed bag if you have one in your yard. Lots of debris, and some pretty funky little bugs. Years ago, when we first owned this home, there was one smack dab in the middle of the front bed, an odd location if ever there were one. Anyway, because we moved here in the Fall, I began seeing not just a few, but hundreds of tiny little bugs with pink heads all over the side of the house. A visit to the Agricultural Center solved the mystery. Eventually that was one of several trees that we've removed over the years. But others have not, and I'm happy to show you one:

Look closely and you'll see a few of those magnificent passion flowers.

So, yesterday was our art group meeting again at the former Davis Park Motel, as seen here from the Colonial Drive side.

The part you are seeing is closed off, however, the back buildings are under renovation. To date, there are several artists using spaces with more to come once they solve their fire sprinkler system problems.

One of the artists has been busy! Not only was yesterday our late Mother's birthday, but it was Bethany's as well. Robin brought cupcakes to celebrate, and here's Brandy and Bethany, taken just after we discovered that, ever since she began eating cupcakes, Bethany takes the bottom off, puts it on top of the frosting, and makes a cupcake sandwich.

Brandy was so tickled by that she wanted to take a photo and post it on fb. The meeting was informative, focusing primarily on our sales goals. We were supposed to tell how much we'd sold in the past,  and how much we want to sell in five years, however, both Brandy and I kept our mouths shut. Suffice it to say, we're doing better than some.

Amazingly enough, one of the ladies, DLynn, began talking to me about some clocks she produces. On my drive home I began to put two and two together--I bought one of her clocks as a gift for Bruce from a gallery during my visit to Sanford earlier in the year!

Yup (Bruce tells me that's a trendy saying right now), there it is on the wall beside his television. Once I arrived home, I looked at the bottom front more carefully, and there is her name etched into the glass! My goodness it is sure a small world!

After lunch I went over to the Progressive Insurance office to pick up the check for Jonathan's car. Actually, they pay MINI, and whatever is left goes to Jonathan. Although some of the offices looked spiffy, Progressive seems to be saving money by going the bare bones route.

Located only a few miles from the Belz Factory Outlet Mall, or whatever name they are calling it now, I decided to scoot over to visit the Skagen store. There are a whole bunch of ladies my age who love jewelry, particularly expensive jewelry. I'm not one of them. What I do love are watches, particularly Skagen.

Don't even tell me you are surprised I bought an orange one. Can you believe my old hands? Good grief! That's one thing I've always said, no matter how young someone may look, either before or after plastic surgery, you can pretty much gauge someone's age by their hands. At least I'm not making you look at my bum cuticles!! When Bruce got his bonus in late July he brought home some mad money for me ,which had, until yesterday, gone unspent. I did get a fantastic bargain on the brown one---original price, $275--my cost--$80. The orange one, not so dramatic, but good nonetheless.

This morning I cashed the settlement check at one bank, which was basically in the same parking lot as Jonathan's bank, and deposited it in his account. As I type, he's looking for his first real car purchase, never an easy task for anyone, regardless of age.

Remember a few weeks ago when I took a little tumble off my bike, trying to get a crow picture for one of Bruce's superintendents? Cue: bike on sidewalk....

Turns out he didn't want to use that picture for his book of poetry, however, Frank did want to use a different crow picture I sent him. Using Blurb, he gathered his writing into a self-published book through Blurb. He was kind enough to send a copy to Florida with photo credit given to you know who.

 Speaking of reading, here's my summer reading on the left and what I was hoping to be some early fall reading on the right.

So far, the book of short stories is too maudlin, "The Cold Kiss"--way too scary, and I'm not sure I care to find out what happens to the characters in "The Innocents." I had to quit reading TCK, a thriller, because I just couldn't take the suspense, at least not while I'm home alone! Looks like I struck out on my library visit.

I'm still hard at work on the quilt, although the end is in sight. While watching sports, I stitch away. Saturday afternoon I decided to try and figure out how many hand stitches go into this kind of project. Using an inch as my guide, we figured out that already I have over, are you ready? 15,000 stitches!!! And there's still the binding to attach! Which, I think I'll do just now. Happy Wednesday dear ones.

A Little of This, A Little of That

Do you like your good news or bad news first? It's a toss up for me, so on the 50-50 chance that you like good first, let's do it!!!

Opening the mailbox on Friday afternoon I was pretty stoked to find this...

Can you believe it??? In the catalog there are a few other images of mine, and the truth is, during my visit to Sun Dance a week or so ago, Alajandra showed it to me. This is really all pretty insane isn't it? Anyway, what she didn't tell me is they were using one of mine on the envelope to mail to ALL of their customers! Oh my! Although I've seen myself on their website, holding this stuff in my hands is, and I'm just being honest here, a pretty neat feeling. I have surely been blessed in my efforts, have I not?

I left you last week by saying it was a big sports weekend, and although my favorite golfers did not win the $10 million prize, our Florida State Seminoles looked like the dominant teams of the past. Fantastic outcome, fantastic game!

On the bad news front, the baby car has been totaled, which pretty much breaks my heart. That said, at least, after three weeks Jonathan can move forward, and hopefully find a replacement car he can afford. Because I leased the car, the check amount above the pay out is coming to me, which I'll send along to Jon boy to buy his first car. I've encouraged him to spend some time on Edmunds to actually learn how to buy a car--the first time he'll be doing so. I'll keep you posted.

In the good news category, I'm happy to report that this here blog has helped reunite some high school friends! Last week or so, I posted the picture of Eric, who in turn was recognized by Carol, mother of Maddie, who in turn asked me to pass along her info so they could connect. No problem Carol as he only lives around the corner. Riding over there Friday morning, he was most delighted hearing the news about Carol, which makes me very happy.  While there I roamed around a bit--well, of course I did, it's a nature paradise!

The lovely lake front and beach. While I was hanging around there about fifteen ducks gathered near the shoreline. Now here's a duck I can appreciate, or make that ducks...

There was a great blue heron who took off...

That's some wing span isn't it?

And a special treat, a beautiful Monarch butterfly, the likes of who have not been gracing our yard, but apparently they like Eric's flowers...

Bonus points for all that orange!!!

Friday night Bruce finally got home around dinnertime and asked me out. The other day Dana reminded me about what is called, Magical Dining Month, so I checked the website, looking for a spot for a nice date. Well, I can say this much for The Prickly Pear, their font is nice.

Why, oh why are all or our restaurants so mediocre???? I won't bore you with yet another long tale about how bad restaurant service is in Orlando, except for one small incident. The concept is that you get an appetizer, entree and dessert for $30. Sounds good, right? I selected the chocolate fritters with hot fudge sauce, raspberries and vanilla ice cream. Normally I never order dessert, but I thought what the heck. What the heck indeed! The server eventually brought my dessert, except there were no raspberries, nor was there vanilla ice cream. He said, he saw chocolate ice cream and thought I might like that instead. He also argued that raspberries were not part of the dessert. We all know how poor my memory is, HOWEVER, I knew there were supposed to be raspberries. I told Bruce, they must be out of vanilla ice cream. Scanning nearby tables, all with chocolate ice cream, confirmed my suspicions. If only he had been honest rather than the lame excuse he used.

We should have stayed home and eaten chili....

Friday's mail also included this mailer:

bringing back fond memories of reading the "Frog and Toad: books to my children, once upon a time.

On my early morning bike rides I sometimes travel down Ferncreek, and see a vine covered fence with loads of passion flower buds. Because they only open later in the day, before Saturday afternoon's ride I hadn't seen them in all their glory. Saturday afternoon? That's right. Lawn mowing and yard work took precedence early, so my ride happened later. So, here's the deal. The vines grow along the sidewalk allowing me to feel comfortable snagging a couple to bring home and photograph against some sort of background. They are so enticing because of their spectacular architecture, and color. Using a piece of white foam core that comes with my prints, I took it outside. Remember when I took the sunflower outside and the yellow butterfly came to visit? Well, this time it was a bee/wasp, who, although he's beside it in this photo, lost himself in the bloom later on.

Not only does the stamen arrangement look like a helicopter propellor,

the flower smells divine as well. Honestly, the first time I saw one I could not believe how complicated they are!

The market was good, about half the previous week's sales, but much improved over other weeks. Plus, the weather is beginning to change for the better. Although rain fell pretty much all last week, the skies were blue, the temperature was only 91, and people were out and about. My optimism is growing by the day. The temperatures this week will only be in the high 80's encouraging said optimism. Before long, the windows will be open and this blogger will be a happy camper! Here's to Fall my friends!

500 Miles, 500 Miles

When I was in my early teens, folk music was all the rage. Performers like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seger, Woody Guthrie, and Peter, Paul and Mary, all had big hits. My sister Maureen has some singing talent, or at least she did back in those days, and I can vaguely remember her in a talent show at Howard Junior High, as it was back then, with an acoustic guitar singing some folk song. As well, in our shared bedroom she had a famous black and white poster of Bob Dylan as a very young man. So, when I hit 500 miles on my bicycle odometer a song from my youth flooded back into my faded memory. Those of you old enough to remember 500 Miles from Peter, Paul and Mary will undoubtedly begin singing it in your head!

I almost stopped along Pershing to get the shot at exactly 500 miles, but thought better of it. Probably should have because I took this in a big hurry, so I could grab Baxter's leash and walk with Regina and Argyle. You don't mind that it's a bit blurry do you?

Outside of my Gatorland trip I have done a few things. Not many, and none nearly as exciting, however, I'll let you decide if there is anything worthy forthcoming...

Most every day this week, while riding my bike, this is what the sky has looked like, meaning exactly what you think it means. Rain, and lots of it. We've had a few hours of sunshine here and there, but mostly pretty wet and gloomy. Not my kind of weather at all.

Darn that cell phone tower in the picture!

The other day I asked Bruce if he knew why I was a Big Lots fan.

Him:  Because it's cheap?

Me: That's only part of it.

Him: What else?

Me: A treasure hunt honey.

Him: I'd rather go to Publix.

Me: But where else would I find Bud's Best Cookies? Or, for that matter, these:

Who knew anyone could make 1,000,000 bite-sized cookies an hour??? As to the late Laura Scudder, mother of four!, how about that story??? You know me--it's all about stories. Now, if only Big Lots would carry Charles Chips, I'd be in heaven!

The cupboards were pretty bare so a trip to Big Lots was in order. I won't lie to you, I do like a good bargain. In the old days, Big Lots was pretty suspect with items very close to their expiration date. Not so anymore, although it is still wise to check those dates just to make sure. I was more than surprised to see that all the orange carts had been replaced by bright red. While checking out I mentioned it to the cashier and she replied, "Probably got them from Target." Anyway, here's my cart which came to $42.00, the most I've ever spent at one time while shopping there.

The same groceries would cost $20 more at Publix. I still go to Publix, however, I'm all about the philosophy--"a penny saved is a penny earned." Nowadays it's more like, "a dollar saved is a dollar earned." 

To make room for my purchases, I moved stuff around, throwing a few things out. At some shopping trip in the past I purchased a box of fortune cookies at BL ($1), envisioning some photography project. 

Could there be any packaging more cheesy? I mean seriously, "Luv Yu?' Before throwing the outdated box away, I decided to see just what those fortunes said. Remembering this fantastic little piece from an old "New Yorker" magazine,   I was very curious to see what the "fortune tellers" from Luv Yu had to say. Ready? This is pretty earth shattering stuff folks, so prepare yourself....

Frugality is important??? You can tell these must be from the Great Recession! Every time I look at them I can't help but laugh at how silly they are. That said, one at a time, especially after a meal, one tends to read something into a fortune cookie message, don't you agree? The same goes for horoscopes. And then there is the matter of dreams. Aren't you glad you don't live in your dreams? I'm not talking about the aspirational kind, no, I mean those when we are sleeping. 

Do you remember your dreams when you wake up? Every so often I do, but usually they are like these bubbles, floating around, and then gone!

I know I've had some crazy dreams lately, but what they've been about is another story. Last night cooking was on my sleeping mind. I suspect that is because during my meal times this week, I've been reading The Blue Willow Inn cookbook, given to me by my brother Pat, many Christmases ago. A word of warning, the recipes are not for those worried about calories! Nonetheless, on Monday, after buying some fresh okra, I decided to give Mr. Bruce a little comfort meal before he left town. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn and fried okra. Except I had no buttermilk to soak the okra in. Consulting the above cookbook, I discovered that,  by golly, soaking okra in ice water is the ticket. Absolutely delicious. And vegan, for those inclined!

Yesterday was bridge, and more bridge.

My partner, Debbie, had a rough go yesterday. I keep reminding her it is only a game. Calling her later, she confessed yesterday's afternoon session almost brought her to tears during her drive home. She said she never even once cried over her recent breast cancer, so that tells you something about bridge. It's really pretty crazy how intense it can be. If you let it that is. I'm more of the "isn't this supposed to be fun" type. Still waiting for that to kick in!

Finally, I kept forgetting to post this picture of me while I was indeed having fun at Gatorland.

Big sports weekend, so I better quit blogging and get some chores done before it begins. Happy day to one and all!

Still at Gatorland....

We are at least as far as my posting is concerned. In just fours hours I saw so many interesting things that I've got more to share with my faithful readers, and you know who you are. Thank you very much!

Wandering along the boardwalks at Gatorland it is hard to fathom the volume of gators all in one place. Thousands is the claim! And who is to argue with them? Not this observer.

This is only one tiny part of the greater lake where many of them lurk. Maybe not lurk, but I kind of like that word, don't you? Many folks are surprised that the shore birds and gators get along just fine, but once you realize that the gators protect the birds from other predators, it all makes sense. They are even known to ride on their backs!

Speaking of riding, brave souls, of which I'm not one, can now zip line over the gator ponds!!!

I kept wondering what would happen if someone were to fall in......gives me the creeps just thinking about it.  While on the topic of brave souls, I would not want to be one of these guys fixing the pond edging with only some sort of fencing between them and hundreds of gigantic alligators.

Originally I thought perhaps this gator had been on the losing end of some sort of gator on gator battle, however, perhaps it is sleeping with one eye open?

Look Ma--three teeth!!

I mentioned the barnyard petting area which houses mostly goats, the bull, and a chicken. During an earlier visit a few years ago there was a wily llama wreaking havoc with the guests, so much so his days at Gatorland were numbered. All quiet on the barnyard front...

No one would ever accuse these guys of being rowdy, that's for sure!

Since my previous visit the tortoises have a spiffy new watering hole to keep their cool.

Not to be left out, the children have what looks like a fun, low-key watering hole themselves. No wild rides or tubes, just good old fashioned running around and getting soaked! That's one good way to fight childhood obesity and stay cool.

Yesterday I mentioned how much I like flamingos when what I should have said is how much I love their feathers...

Beautiful, aren't they? I adore the color and it always surprises me to see that they have some black feathers underneath all this lovely shade of salmon.

I would show you a couple of snake photographs, except I think I've lost a few readers with the gator pictures--adding snakes on top of that would shut every open browser window!!!

You don't mind birds do you? Well, maybe some of you do because one of my best friends hates birds; surely she is not alone in her disdain. If so, quit while you are ahead because there are a few more bird photographs to slog through...

Color coordinated feet and beak portion! Above is a Snowy Egret, below is a Great Egret who is showing off his own type of coordination.

You would have thought I'd had my fill of seeing birds but despite leaving Gatorland, I had one more bird encounter. I made it sound like I had those directions just perfect, but truth be told, I took one wrong turn off of 441, landing in what turned out to be a subdivision with no exit. Just as I was discovering the cul de sac to take me back to the highway I saw THIS!!!

What a mixed brood! It is sad to think these little guys may turn out as unattractive as their momma, not one of the prettiest water fowl I've seen. A Muscovy Duck in case you're wondering.

So, there you have it, a visit to Gatorland in two parts. I hope this inspires others to visit whether they live here, or are visiting Orlando. It truly is a weird and wonderful place.

Let's Say We Go to Gatorland

You can well imagine what the first thing I put in my tote bag before leaving this morning for Gatorland can't you? Clever readers will immediately know that my fresh batteries went into my bag even before my cameras.

It is common knowledge that I love to go to Gatorland. Low key, free parking, and even better, discounts! Yesterday morning, while visiting Ace Hardware for a pool supply (a long story), I ran into my sister-in-law's sister, Margie. Margie and I share a great fondness for Gatorland; during our conversation she reminded me that this month is $9.99 for Florida residents. Heck, it cost more than that to go to the movies! What was stopping me? Arriving this morning, I discovered that I qualified for two discounts---over 55 was the same price as Florida residents--- I told the nice young man at the ticket window, take your pick.

Driving there the words from the Art Biz coach ran through my head--marketing 60% or more, creating the rest. Well, just this once???

A Gator picture I took at Gatorland a few years ago when we took the "kids" there around Christmas time has been quite the seller for me. Yeah, it is wildly popular! Only this last weekend an 11x14 print made it's way to England. So, there's that. Plus, my last visit was for my birthday, nearly nine months ago, so I needed a Gatorland fix, and knowing that rain would be falling later in the day, I took off after my bike ride this morning.

Mostly I'm going to show you some photographs taken there today, and once you've seen them, you, too, will love Gatorland!

Let's start with this peacock who must be molting because he sure is missing some tail feathers!

If you've never been to this fantastic old Florida attraction, you might not know that there are a ton of birds living there. Now you do.

Woo hoo! A white peacock, although he never once showed me anything more than this. There are macaws, parrots, and loads of shorebirds. While visiting the barnyard area I chatted with the young man selling feed. He was such a nice guy, having moved here from California after hearing his friend say how great it is to work at Gatorland. Nice, huh?

Apparently, the macaws like to eat ice cream cones if given the opportunity!

Aren't those claws something else? That young man was so loving up on this bull...

I was really touched by his tender nature. He mentioned that the employees move around, staying in one area for only a few hours. Later on I saw him in the budgie feeding area with a bird on his shoulder, loving it up as well.

The flamingos are awesome, although it is hard to get any really good shots because they pretty much spend all of their time skimming the water for food.

HaHa! You thought I was exaggerating about the birds I bet!! I wasn't!

This emu was something else, having both an orange eye and a blue one.

But wait, you're thinking, I thought it was called Gatorland for a reason. It is, it is-- hold your horses, I'm getting to the gators!

It seems as if the cockatoo prefers palm fronds over ice cream cones....

So, after roaming around at my leisure, the crowds being thin and all, I realized that a storm was a brewing and I wanted to stick around to see how the animals behave during one of our monster Florida rainstorms. Well, I can tell you this, they get active. The employees carried the macaws into a bird house because they apparently go a little crazy during storms. I saw one fellow with three large birds on his arms, walking into what I guess is the bird house, and let me tell you it was LOUD!

Plenty of one of the ugliest birds you'll see, the word storks, made their way to the roof tops.

Their bodies are not so different, but by golly their heads and beaks are awful!

They are nearly as ugly as the alligators! Their heads look like reptiles don't they? One thing that is kinda weird about Gatorland is that it is off a main road--Orange Blossom Trail, or 441 as some folks call it, and just on the other side of the street, life goes on like anywhere else.

When I was a girl, there was not a blessed thing out that far from Orlando, but these days things are entirely different. To get there I took Orange Avenue to Town Center Blvd. which runs through a gigantic development called Hunter's Creek. There are loads of lovely homes, and unlike our part of town, everything is relatively new. Still, it is about 15 miles from downtown, and I would not want to call that area of town home. That may have something to do with my age....

Gators Gail? Where are the gators? Coming, I promise!

The sky darkened, the birds began flying around frantically

And the rain came down in buckets! There are plenty of covered walkways, so no worries for Mrs. Camera Crazy! I was happy things cooled down to be honest with you. I was under cover by the exit to the gift shop just watching the animals. Make that the gators!

That's a big boy for you! He/she pretty much stayed just like that throughout the storm, but looking to my left I saw some folks under another cover with a scad of gators hanging around them.

I watched awhile from afar,  and finally I just had to go see what was going on. Scurrying through the uncovered areas, I made my way over, and discovered that they were feeding the gators, causing all the action. Food will do that--make that turkey hot dogs. They were kind enough to let me watch and take a few photos including one of this hungry guy.

Yikes!!! I have to admit this was very entertaining. The folks were British tourists, and no doubt this was quite a rare occurrence for them. Heck, it's a rare occurrence for a Floridian, and there are gators all over the place here! I suspect they'll have some exciting Florida tales to tell once they get home.

No visit to Gatorland these days is complete without a stop to see the "white gators", which are not really white at all.

Not to be confused with albino gators, they are actually ivory colored with blue eyes. Because they would suffer in the bright Florida sunshine, the four gators are housed in a special covered area. As you can see, this one has some of the regular "gator" coloring. Those teeth look pretty scary to me!

While talking to David this afternoon I told him some of the photographs were so life-like they gave me the shivers! In reality they have this netting, which must keep the gators from getting at the spectators, or I'm presuming it does.

After all, the park has been open now for more than 50 years, so they seem to know what they are doing! I know I sure like the place, and I bet you will too.