tee wally on the menu

Like slowing down on the highway to watch with morbid fascination a car accident, we stood as silent as the grave on the platform at bird city to witness a deadly confrontation. While snowy egrets, once endangered, squawked through a showy mating spectacle on the platforms far behind us, we watched as Tee Wally was being sized up for his own personal extinction by a huge biggun' gator. Perhaps the big fellow was just protecting his morsels of bread still waiting for his frightening array of teeth, or perhaps Tee Wally (Tee is the French/Cajun word for petit or junior) was a welcome addition of protein, but whatever the reason, Tee Wally was in danger.

It was very obvious. The big fellow, estimated to be around 7 feet long, had stopped being interested in floating near the platform set up by the McIlhenny Family of Tabasco hot sauce fame at Avery Island’s Bird City and took notice of the nearly imperceptible movements of an algae covered piece of wood that crept nearer to us. Janet and I after all, while safely ensconced behind the railings of the platform, were foolishly tossing bread into the water and felt our hair bristle with fear each time the big guy moved to snap up our offerings. Near the edge of the water was one crumb and he fully displayed his unnerving length in retrieving it before slipping back into the water to become another innocuous bump on a log bedecked with algae, albeit one who’s nostrils flared and who’s sinister looking eyes seemed unaware of anything.

But then Tee Wally invaded the big fellow’s realm and slowly, slowly, slowly the monstrous alligator moved. First he rinsed off the algae covering him by dipping into the water and then nosed his way toward Tee Wally (our pet name for the critter). The little guy had now completely stopped, his entire puny length outlined by the green growth of the lagoon. Tee Wally seemed to know the gig was up and he began to move one of his hind legs in the opposite direction of the behemoth just before all hell broke loose. In a flash and a cascade of water the huge alligator moved twice its length in a frightening display of speed and malevolence, but Tee thankfully was gone. With his little corner of the lagoon now freed of any distractions the beast settled once again beneath our little perch on the platform, perhaps praying that we’d be adventurous enough to want to get a bit closer.

Lured by the scents of Tabasco sauce wafting through the air we fearfully ventured down route 90 to Avery Island for a great excursion. It was our second day in the Lafayette area and we witnessed no less than 2 car accidents on the overburdened main route on the way down and resolved to avoid it on our return. After the Tabasco tour where we watched them bottle Tabasco for the Japanese market we settled in at the tasting bar in the country store. It wasn’t until security was called in and removed me and the straw that I employed to taste EVERYTHING that we ventured into the Jungle Island and Bird City part of The McIlhenny homestead. While others raced through the 200+ acreage of the cultivated property, home to several types of bamboo, an 800 year old Buddha, azaleas that sadly had turned green months ago, obviously frisky snowy egrets and, of course, gators. It was our first up close exposure to these critters and we soon discovered they liked day old LeJeune Bakery French bread.

More later...thanks for reading!
-greg