I'd read Mark Twain and heard about the bayous before. I didn't really know what they were, or where to look. We found a nature preserve 5 miles inland from the gulf coast and tried to see what it could be.
The parking was a long way back. Its weird having all worldly possessions in a car, then leaving the car. Six years after the housing crash plus a determination to stay in the industry leaves very few things beyond what one absolutely needs to survive. Inconveniently, that includes a computer, cameras and a bunch of glass. I was honestly nervous the whole time, but Cheryl was happily clicking away. Most of these shots are her's because I spent my time running back and forth to check on the car.
I think they call this "spanish moss" though that could change according to region.
It looks so different in the summer. These were shot around the first of January.
In January, turns out, no matter how long you sit there, the alligators do not appear.
Later, we found them just fine. Not here exactly, but everywhere.