Mosquito Plague

The big news here in Gainesville, Florida is that in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby, we’ve been hit by a mosquito plague and I am covered in uncomfortable and itchy bites.  They kept me awake for most of one night, such was the discomfort.

The joy of mosquito bites!

The reason for the mosquito plague is the massive amount of water that Tropical Storm Debby rained down on us not long ago.  Mosquitoes like standing water as a venue for their egg laying.  Even if it’s dry, the mosquito eggs can sit around for months, then spring into life when the rain comes.

By the way, for the linguists out there, the shortened name for mosquitoes in England tends to be “mozzies”, but in the USA they are more commonly referred to as “skeeters”.

Anyway, I am bitten to hell. 

A range of cures and reliefs have been offered to me for mozzie bites, ranging from dabbing the bites with gin, to tea tree oil.  The alcoholic cure maybe sounds the slightly more appealing, but I am using Cortizone at present.

I am spraying myself with “Off!”, when I go out, a DEET spray, which the skeeters don’t like (at least in theory!).

 

The mosquitoes are worst in the morning and at sunset.  Unfortunately, at the end of the last week, when I put the trash/rubbish out, the cat decided to make a dash for freedom and explore the neighbourhood.  Pets aren’t supposed to roam around where we live, so normally the cat spends its time shut inside, or out on the (mosquito-netted) porch.  Anyway, I went after the cat and eventually managed to retrieve it, but got bitten about a zillion times in the process.

We have mosquitoes in the UK, but there aren’t a lot of them.  There are midges up in Scotland which are maybe just as bad, or worse in some respects, although they don’t give you any tropical diseases!

I love Lake Alice, Gainesville, Florida

I love this place!  Ever since my first visit back in 2007, right through to the present day I have found Lake Alice, Gainesville, Florida to be a great place to visit.  It is amazing that such a beauty spot with its diverse wildlife could be incorporated within the grounds of the university in Gainesville.  Of course, the University of Florida is one of the reasons that Lake Alice is so wonderful, they manage to keep that difficult balance between keeping the place tidy and maintained and taking care of the animal life, but at the same time allowing the wildness to do its own thing.

Over the years I have managed to capture some great shots of Lake Alice and its animal life.

Lake Alice, Gainesville FL, in the daytime

Lake alice, Gainesville FL, in the evening

At the southwest end of Lake Alice is the Baughman Center, it’s kind of a secular all purpose functions building.  At one point, Abby and I toyed with the idea of having some sort of wedding event there.

The Baughman Center on the southwest bank

I love the wildlife that you find at Lake Alice.  There are some big old turtles there.

Big turtle at Lake Alice, Gainesville.  They have such funny little faces with long snouts!

Plenty of bird life.

Heron from a distance at Lake Alice

This bird was behaving peculiarly, I don't know what was up with him!

 Bats who occupy the bat houses, which are built and maintained by the University of Florida.  The bats emerge at sundown each evening and it’s a great sight to see.

The Bat Houses near Lake Alice - I have tried on numerous occasions to get a good photo of the bats emerging at sundown, but it is difficult as obviously the light conditions are poor and the bats move very fast, so all I end up with is a blurry swarm that looks more like a mist or cloud than bats!

But my favourite, of course, is the alligators (see more of my alligator pictures).  Abby (my wife) and I count how many that we see, each time that we visit.

The first alligator I ever saw at Lake Alice, Gainesville, FL.  You may recognize it as I used the image on the banner at the top of this blog (with a little help from Mr Photoshop!)

Introduction to Gainesville Florida

For those of you who don’t know, since December last year I have been living in Gainesville, Florida, a college town in north central Florida.  Gainesville FL is famous for its large university and the University of Florida Gators College Football team.  It also has a strong musical heritage and boasts Bo Diddley, Tom Petty and Stephen Stills as its creative offspring.  The strange but interesting Phoenix family also reside here.

Gainesville Politics and culture

Gainesville is a liberal oasis in a redneck sea.  If you enjoy eating in trendy little ethnic café restaurants and being served by vegetarian lesbian gothic wannabe rockstars, then this is the place for you.  In British terms, it is not a million miles away from places like Headingley in Leeds, or Brighton on the south coast.  (Don’t get me wrong, I do actually like the vibrancy and open-mindedness that young people can bring to a place.  If you ever put me in a redneck backwater or bible belt town, I would probably shrivel up and die.)

Things to do in Gainesville Florida

If you ever tire of eating in the trendy little ethnic café restaurants, you can watch the bats emerging from their bat houses at dusk beside Lake Alice in the grounds of the University of Florida (there used to be only one bat house, but that became so overcrowded that all the crap from the excessive bat population ate through the floor - so now there are two rather splendid bat buildings, one with a refurbished floor and the other wholly brand new).

Bat Houses

Or you can drink margaritas and eat tapas at Emiliano’s Restaurant.

Or maybe you would prefer to look for alligators at Lake Alice (I saw ten of them one morning, including a particularly impressive 12 footer!).

Alligator on the move at Lake Alice

Or chill out and enjoy the freshwater springs at Rum Island

Rum Island

Or if you want to experience some culture (haha!) you could try attending one of David Maas’ poetry events at the Laboratory Bar.

Plus, you might also want to pay a visit to the Harn Museum of Art.

One thing that I have not done, but would like to experience, is to attend a Florida Gators football game.

The Weather in Gainesville FL

The weather in Gainesville varies from being very hot to being extremely hot, depending on the time of year.  There were rumors of a snow flurry last Christmas, but I never saw anything and I am still waiting to see the photographic evidence.  Hurricanes are rare in this part of Florida, but now and then there are dramatic tropical storms that knock the power out for several hours and bring down trees.

Animal life in Gainesville

Animal life is varied and includes alligators, snakes, vultures, raccoons, armadillos, and yappy little dogs owned by ladies with oversized posteriors.

Summary

Well, that’s about it, as far as my introduction to Gainesville Florida goes.  I would recommend the place to anyone.  Especially, if you buy me a beer.