We went to Huntington Beach State Park for an Arts and Crafts Festival yesterday. I was so excited because the arts and crafts festivals are one of my favorite things to do. Since they mentioned food in the advertisement I was sure DH would be more than willing to take me. He likes the arts and crafts festivals also, but food is the big draw for him. I took my camera along because it was at the state park and I figured I'd find a few good things to photograph too. Well, the arts and crafts festival was not arts and crafts. It was an artist festival quite frankly. Nothing was priced under $100.00. Maybe some of the jewelry was, I didn't even look at that, but everything I did see was very expensive. Pretty but nothing I could afford. I was particularly interested in all the photography displays, but was disappointed in a way at those vendor booths also. A lot of it was photos, some just as nice as I've seen posted here, which were digitally enhanced with a canvas effect, printed out in large sizes and mounted on stretcher frames. A 5" x 7" went for around $100.00, some higher. The larger wall size pictures went for as much as $2750.00 and even higher if it was enhanced further after mounted, with some clear spattering of something to make it look like rain drops or water or highlighting some area of the photo. IMHO there are quite a few photographers here on Gather that could make some money. These booths were packed. Now I didn't see anyone buying anything, but that was probably because most people were like me and thought they were going to an arts and crafts show. You know, the kind where crafty people make useful items, or things that make your house look pretty. I did see a lot of things I would have loved but nothing would fit in with my decor;) I did buy a T-shirt for $10.00 and it was $12.00 for the two of us to get in. The food was a little pricey too for lunch. Good thing this was at the state park so the outing wasn't a total waste as you'll see from this photo essay and another one I'll be able to post. You can always count on nature to see beautiful things and get photos to keep forever. So, on to the excitement of my day.
There are signs to watch out for the alligators, but quite frankly, I never saw one. DH has and got one photo. It was OK, but nothing all that exciting I thought. It was out in the water and just a smaller one.
When you come into the state park you drive across a two lane road, on one side is salt water lake I guess it is and the other is a fresh water marsh. A lot of you have seen my photos from this area before. You know the herons, storks, oysters, cormorants and such. Never an alligator, but yesterday we struck pay dirt so they say. Not one, but two, and one was huge! It was hard to get a good photo of the large one because his head is in the reeds, but if you really look hard you can see his eyes and head and of course you will recognize his body and tail. The medium large one is pretty good and you can really tell what he looks like. I am standing on the sidewalk with DH, then there is about two feet of broken rocks and then a reed part before the water. These alligators are in the water with part of their body in the reeds. So I am about six to ten feet away. I think they are asleep since they didn't move a muscle, thank goodness.
Well, if you have read this far, I've Kept you waiting long enough. On to the photos.....
This is the bigger one from the side.
Look at that tail, I thought it was an old tire tread when I first looked in the water and then DH said it was an alligator.
It's hard to get his head because it is hidden by the reeds.
These are photos of the smaller one.
Back to the big one again.
Here you can see the big alligator's eyes. The top brown horizontal reed goes across the right eye and if follow directly to the left you can see his left eye in the green leaves.
Here is a view of the big one from the top. Their backs are spiky looking.
Another view of the big alligator.
This is he best view I could get of the head and front legs.
So there you have it, my first sighting of wild alligators at the park.
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 33
That last shot he is looking right at you!!
Q: How fast can an alligator run on land?
A: I was told in the past by an Everglades National Park ranger that an alligator can run as fast as 35 miles per hour, but not for a long time. But please -- don't try to find this out for yourself! As with all wildlife, they aren't likely to bother you if you don't bother them. So, stay safe and watch from a distance.
They sure are prehistoric looking, aren't they?
I don't think I want to get that close to them.
Those photos are stunning! Too bad about it not being a real Arts and Crafts Fair - they might have upped the fee to be part of the fair exhibit - too high for the little crafters to go and make a little money for themselves.
I hate when craft fairs turn out like yours did.
The lastest thing around here is people are buying stuff made in China and then taking the stickers off to sell as their own work. Jeesh!
I'd be really afraid of those gators. I'm told they can move pretty quickly....
Marianne No I didn't take photos of the artsy stuff. I don't think the artist would appreciate me taking photos of their items, I didn't even ask.
Thank you for posting this to Hit Me With Your Best Shots
These two are impressive! They really are living dinosaurs... just look at all those spikes!
Stephanie No, this is not with the zoom lens. I was about 20 to 30 feet maybe away from them. They were sleeping and down a slope so I felt fairly safe. Being a little nuts helps too.