Molly,
I understand totally what you are saying. We all have to find what works for us. I have great kids and grandkids not to mention three dogs and a cat. I love my life here. I love cooking for a crowd, piddling in my yard (a certified NWF backyard habitat), working at my computer, volunteering with environmental groups--but I still have the need to see whats around the next bend. And am lucky enough to have great traveling companions. The time will come when I can't do that any more, then "here" will be plenty to keep me happy.
Maybe we can all gather at Lucky's in January!

TracyG,
Interesting! I didn't know about the Sanibel Island croc. I have visited relatives there several times, but they don't find that sort of thing as interesting as I do.

The only time in many many years that I have been on the loop road, we only got part way and had to turn around because it was under water. It should be pretty dry in January, I will try to find Lucky's. Thanks for the tip.

Molly,

That is really interesting about the crocodile! What a story he/she must have to tell--and you too, getting to be involved!

Have you read Swamplandia by Karen Russell? I think you would enjoy it.

Yes, I have traveled quite a bit. I travel every chance I get--and I will be happy to create the chance! I am retired, kids are grown, and I live very simply. Travel is my extravagance--though I don't travel extravagantly! I seek out funky little mom and pop hotels, guesthouses, and vacation house or apartment rentals and eat in little neighborhood restaurants. I find traveling that way not only MUCH cheaper than staying and eating in fancy tourist venues--but also MUCH more interesting.

It certainly sounds like, with or without travel, you lead a very interesting life and in a fascinating place!

Glojo,

Taking a dig at each other here and there is part of the fun as long as it is not mean spirited. And I don't think anything in this exchange has been mean spirited.

Did you know that there are crocodiles in the Everglades? It is one of the only (if not the only) place on earth where crocs and gators live in the same habitat. Crocs are very rare in the Glades though.

I stayed at a lovely place in northern Australia, it was called Daintree Wild and was a zoo and B&B combined.

Glojo,

I wouldn't mind a nice glass of guiness just before the gator grabs me, but maybe a glass of Pinot Noir and a plate of escargot in the shells would be even better.

Molly,
Good for you. I think you understand that the last thing I would want to do would be to discourage you or anyone else from going to the Glades--or wherever their heart pulls them to take beautiful photos or to just look and enjoy!

Glojo
I was responding to your statement:

"Are the mosquitoes the type that can cause serious illness?

Reading these posts about things that can eat or kill you do encourage folks to spend their holidays in the Everglades "

I think Molly and I are kindred souls. I would rather be eaten by a gator than die of terminal boredom in front of the TV.

I have tried to attach a photo (I am new at this!) If it actually makes it--look closely, you can see us and our boat reflected in the gator's eye.

Anywhere there are mosquitoes there is the potential of catching something from them. But in this country mosquito borne diseases are rare--even in the Everglades. West Nile fever and encephalitis are carried by certain mosquitoes in the US--but definitely not just in the Glades. Malaria, dengue fever, or yellow fever do not usually occur in the US.

As for things that eat you, all it takes to avoid being eaten by an alligator in the Glades is a little common sense. They don't really like to eat people--especially large people. Apparently we don't taste like chicken.

Anywhere you go something can happen to you. I could get run over by a bus next month in Berlin, or eaten by a crocodile in Tortuguero--or I could sit at home in fear and have one of the monster pines in my yard crash down on my house and crush me. There are too many good photos out there waiting to be taken! Just use a little common sense.

I live in N FL and life is pretty hectic right now, but a friend and I plan to come down in January--the mosquitoes aren't as bad and the wild life is concentrated around whats left of the water.

We will stop by and maybe you can manage some play time.

Thanks Molly,
Maybe someday we can get together for a photo day in the Glades!

Good Morning GloJo

One point we agree on is that Molly's photo was nice and it sparked an interesting debate. Her concern about the snails was justified, and I think she made it clear that her real concern is the whole web of issues facing the Glades.

The massive problems the Glades is facing are of global significance. So is the problem of hauling non-native species around the world and dumping them into an environment where they have no natural enemies allowing them to take over and crowd out native species. The apple snail is only one of many in the Everglades. We also have the Burmese python, boa constrictors, wild pigs, iguanas, a number of species of birds and fish. Some blend in fairly well, others cause major problems. In the plant world we have melaleuca, Brazilian pepper, Australian pine, and climbing fern. There are many others, but those four are causing huge problems.

Because of its global significance the Everglades has been named a World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, and designated a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

This is a photography site, but photographers tend to be concerned about environmental issues and it has been nice to be able to use the site to increase awareness of the issue of invasive species and other problems facing our wilderness lands.

In spite of all of its problems, the Everglades is still huge and beautiful and a photographers dream! Come visit and bring your camera.

I know that Norfolk is in the UK and that the dykes there are very old--giving them archeological value as well as practical. And I know that the coypu is an invasive rodent that is creating problems.

Again--the snails are only one small aspect of the overall Everglades problem and the area and number of people directly affected is huge. The Glades have received much global attention, as have a number of other massive environmental problems.

But I don't understand the competitiveness. "My invasive species is worse than yours. My ecosystem is more endangered than yours." These problems exist all over the planet and each one is important--some to many many people. it is the cumulative effect that we should really be concerned about.

I agree with much of what you say, but I think you under-rate the importance of what is happening in the Everglades. It is not just about snails or spraying.

The Everglades ecosystem technically includes all of the southern third of Florida. As the Glades dry up, South Florida sucks more water out of the aquifer, which affects middle and north Florida (Cedar Key is currently having to ship in bottled water). We are already doing battle with Georgia and Alabama because much of our water source passes through their land. The more they use, the less for us, the more we use, the less for south Florida. We are surrounded by water, but the accessible, potable water is a limited resource. And the water supply for south Florida is only one of the many facets of the problems facing the Everglades.

Many invasive species--not just apple snails--are another facet of the problem. Another involves dumping polluted or nutrient rich water into the rivers and then into the estuaries. It is killing the fisheries--an issue which affects the diet of people far far from Florida. OK. I will hop off of my soap box now--but I could recommend a nice little book as mentioned before "Everglades: An Ecosystem Facing Choices and Challenges"

The fact that there are so many contenders for "THE" most endangered ecosystem tells us a lot about what we are doing to our planet.

Ecosystems change. It is just what they do. We only get excited about it when those changes threaten our way of life. And in almost every case those changes were caused by human intervention in the working of the ecosystem. Disappearing rainforests cause global changes in weather patterns. Drying up of the Everglades affects S. Fl (and probably more far reaching than that) weather. The Glades make the rain and also replenish the aquifers. Pesticides get into our waters and kill fish and corals. Then we eat the fish and things that ate the coral.

I don't know the answer to the apple snail problem and maybe spraying is the lesser of several evils. But I share the concern about spraying. How many hundreds of chemicals were touted as safe a few years ago. Now we know that the increase in leukemia, lymphoma, brain cancers, endocrine system disorders and who knows what else are related to exposure to these "safe" chemicals.

John Muir said, "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."

That would be a good plan for a smaller area. Everglades National Park is more than one and a half million acres--and that is only a part of the Everglades. Much of it is virtually inaccessible even by canoe.

Molly, I am so glad you liked my book, hope you will like it even more when you get a copy.

I think you will find the phrase you used in the previous comment "too little too late" in the book. i am afraid it is all too true in areas ranging from development, to hydrology, to invasive species. But at least some progress is being made.

Many of the invasives have reached the point that there is no hope of eliminating them--all we can hope for is to "manage" them.