Road Trip - Gatorland

It is difficult to believe that this REAL RETIRED HOUSEWIFE OF FLORIDA has been in Florida for over two years and visited Gatorland before Disney World (or Universal or Busch Gardens).   Gatorland opened in 1949 and has come a long way from the original roadside attraction.

   I picked up on the quirky humor even before we entered.

The humor continued in the park signs.

While we were at Gatorland, we saw the three shows.  Each show was about 15 minutes long and entertaining.

UpClose Encounters

 

There is more to Gatorland than alligators.  This show featured spiders and snakes.

 

 

Gatorland Wrestlin' Show

 

All I can say is don't try this at home.  Before and after the show, you can pay to sit on the alligator and have your picture taken.  Watching was good enough for me.

 

Gatorland Jumperoo Show

 

I recommend watching this show early.  We saw the first show and the gators were hungry.  We passed by on the way out and the handlers had to work hard to get the gators interested in more food.  Kinda like the last round at a buffet...lots of looking, little taking.  But it did give the smaller gators a chance.




 

Brian and I checked out all the exhibits, walked through the swamp and climbed the observation tower.  We saw lots of alligators, big and small. 

 

 

 

I enjoyed the story of Big Mack.

 





Froggy in Florida

When this REAL RETIRED HOUSEWIFE OF FLORIDA thinks of green, rough-skinned, big-eyed Florida creatures…the first answer is alligator.  Yes we have our fair share of alligators here, but this blog is about FROGS.

Brian and I inherited a wind chime when we moved into our new home. It is attached to the house, outside the lanai and has a nice sound when there is a breeze.

 

Brian noticed that the chimes weren’t sounding as clear and pleasant as they used to sound. So he got out the ladder and investigated. It turns out that there was a community of frogs living in the chimes!

He gave them an immediate eviction notice and sent them on their way.  The joke is on us, because they know the way back.  These frogs are great climbers.  They climb up the windows and hop over to the wind chime.  Yes, we have squatter frogs!  At night when we are watching TV, the frogs pop their heads out and watch us.  

I used a website of the Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation at the University of Florida to identify these frogs as Cuban Treefrogs, a non-native invasive frog that lives in trees, bushes or on buildings (Arboreal group).   The Cuban Treefrog is identified by its large toe pads.

I found another website by the United States Geological Survey where you can play frog calls.  The Cuban Treefrog sounded like the chatter outside our windows at night. 

Sometimes it is the small stuff that keeps a smile on a
REAL RETIRED HOUSEWIFE OF FLORIDA.