School Supplies in Hogsmead

If you ever need to buy school supplies for your young witch or wizard, the best place to visit is Hogsmeade, a quaint English village located in the heart of Orlando, Florida.

There you can buy the black robes that pass for a uniform at Hogwarts, that foremost school of Magic and Witchcraft. Regardless of what House the sorting hat has assigned them to, you can find other necessary attire, such as sweaters, hats, and scarves, to match the colors of Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor. 

First-year students, and careless students who need a replacement, can find the wand that suits them best at Ollivander's Wand Shop. 

If your young witch or wizard is into sports, they likely play Quidditch. The older brooms Hogwarts assigns their students tend to pull to the side, and can prove truculent at times. For a more responsive model, I suggest the Nimbus 2000. What it costs you in money, it'll make up on the field. The increased performance might be enough to get him or her on one of the House teams.

Or perhaps your children look to the heavens for their inspiration. You'll find a wide variety of telescopes to help your children interpret the meaning of celestial movements.

Of course, every young woman needs her own mirror, if only to remind herself--every day--who's the fairest of them all. It's her, naturally. 

Dragon Dave

Shopping at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes

While all the shops in Diagon Alley drew our attention, one shop that we had to explore was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It was founded by two brothers who attended a school called Hogwarts. While one brother apparently died defending his school against evil forces threatening his school, the other runs the shop in his brother's honor, and serves new generations of Hogwarts students.

The building was packed with parents, and children and teens wearing robes and carrying wands. Perhaps they were buying all the supplies they needed before returning to Hogwarts for the second half of the school year. With products like Fainting Fancies, Exploding Bon Bons, Fizzing Whizzbees, and Nosebleed Nougat, whether or not their teachers and school administrators would have approved of all the items is another question entirely.

I'm guessing teachers would have appreciated one item though, a set of large, extendable ears. After all, students regularly claim that teachers never told them about subjects that end up on their final exams.

A staff member demonstrated this cute little toy on the counter. Being able to ride a unicycle, while balancing various objects, suggests this woman is a talented individual. But for some reason, I got the feeling that the counter attendants didn't like her.

In the end, we simply had to buy something to commemorate our trip to this colorful, fanciful store. My wife chose something called a chocolate frog. I don't know about you, but this is one time I hope that what we find inside differs from what is written on the label.

Dragon Dave

Stumbling Upon Diagon Alley

The architecture along one Florida road reminded us of England. After passing several shops, we noticed people entering and leaving a break in the brick wall. Intrigued, we followed them through, and found more shops selling attractive wares. Upon questioning a passerby, we learned that this hidden marketplace was called Diagon Alley. Imagine finding such an English-looking place in Orlando! 

One structure, which seemed afflicted by Florida's famous sinkholes, was Greengotts Bank. Either that, or the weight of the dragon atop it had caused the building's support pillars to lean diagonally rather than perpendicular with the ground. 

As we wandered the cobblestone streets, pleasant aromas led us to a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Peering inside, we saw long wooden tables, over which hung flags denoting four different Magical Houses. Their names, if I'm remembering them rightly, were Griffendoor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. It was well before noon, and even if we had been ravenous, the staff had not started serving lunch yet. Still, it was hard not to linger there a few minutes, and smell all that food cooking.

Diagon Alley hosted lots of shops for local craftsmen. One that was advertised as a Farriers, yet seemed more inclined to forge weaponry and armor than shod horses, was surrounded by a crowd of people. Some of them must have been competent wizards, or at least promising students. How else could I explain how the displays shook and moved when they cast their spells?

Lingering too close to a water fountain, a stone mermaid suddenly arose, and spit a long stream of water at me! It was a cool morning in Florida, and I found the wet clothes irksome. Disinclined to linger, I wandered off, ready either to explore more of Diagon Alley, or escape it somehow, if this was the manner in which its residents chose to welcome me.

Dragon Dave

12 Grimmauld Place, Florida

One morning, during our recent vacation in Florida, my wife and I decided to take a walk. We passed the many restaurants, hotels, and shops, for which Orlando is so famous. Then we turned a corner and found ourselves on an entirely different street. Suddenly, the architecture looked completely different. The sign on the building read Grimmauld Place. I stopped outside Number 12, where I saw a curtain twitch in the second-floor window.

A strange face peered out. I waved at him and smiled. If he saw me, he returned neither gesture. 

Then a double-decker bus pulled up, and a driver waved me over. He offered to give us a lift to someplace called Diagon Alley. It sounded like an interesting place to visit.

His friend inside the vehicle was likewise warm and welcoming, and kept up the wise cracks. But then we noticed that we could only see his head, not his body. This made us anxious, so we quietly slipped off the bus, and stole away. 

It was such an attractive place, and reminded us so much of London. I would never have expected to find a street like that in Florida. But then Orlando, like London, is a magical place.

Dragon Dave

A Gator's Visit to Gatorland

My wife and I have had our own alligator for nearly twenty years. He's part of the reason we grew interested in alligators and crocodiles. So when we visit a place like Gatorland in Orlando Florida, it's natural that he'd want to accompany us.

Gator enjoyed watching his cousins sunning on the warm wooden decks.

He enjoyed watching his friends swim in the rivers of the preserve.

(He took care to not fall in. Like us, he's not that much of a gator-lover).

He enjoyed looking around at the scenic beauty, and the local wildlife, even the birds (like the Egrets) that are drawn to Gatorland. Oh, and there was another form of wildlife he enjoyed watching soar above him.

He's not sure what they're called, but they looked like they were having a good time. Their raucous calls probably weren't mating rituals, but they must have communicated something significant.

And then there was the lunch, which he shared with his friends. He especially liked the corn dogs, as all gators like meat. But he also enjoyed sharing the Goldfish crackers and the Oreo cookies with his friends.

Dragon Dave

Gator-Sitting at Gatorland

You've heard of babysitting, housesitting, and even dog sitting, right? There's a sport that's growing in popularity in Orlando, Florida. It's called Gator-Sitting, and you can try your hand at it at Gatorland.

After the handlers tape up the alligator's mouth, they direct you to approach the alligator cautiously. When they feel the animal is comfortable with you, they direct you to sit on the alligator. Of course, you need to ease yourself down, as you don't want to startle the gator. At least, not if you want it to remain calm, and you want to get your photograph taken with the alligator. 

While the handlers try to keep out of the photograph, they need to remain close. No matter how well trained, alligators are still wild animals, and can react violently to the presence of humans. 

Especially if they're hungry.

This young lady had not yet placed her hands on the gator's mouth when it swung its head unexpectedly. The handler shouted for her to remove her hands, and she whipped them immediately to her side. It's a good thing she had fast reflexes. Duct tape may be strong, but an alligator's jaws are stronger.

Standing beyond the fencing, we heard novice gator-sitters tell the handlers that they came from all over the world, including countries in Europe and South America. So it seems that this growing sport is prompting more and more people to visit Orlando, Florida.

This doesn't mean that everyone is enthusiastic about trying their hands at gator-sitting. This young girl only sat on the gator after a good deal of encouragement from her parents, and kept her hands firmly to herself. Thankfully, she emerged unharmed from her first attempt at gator-sitting.

Personally, I can't blame her for not smiling. 

While I like alligators and crocodiles, I have no great desire to get close to them. Well, except for this large fellow here. He seemed so cheerful and welcoming that I felt comfortable sitting on him, even without his jaws being taped. Still, I didn't linger on his back. After all, I didn't know what he was smiling about.

Dragon Dave

Alligator Wrestling at Gatorland

At many zoos, you don't get to see the handlers interacting with the animals. Not so with the alligators at Gatorland in Orlando, Florida, where you can see real, live, people wrestling with alligators!

After welcoming you to the show, the handler will ask for a volunteer from the audience. He will then ask the volunteer to select a gator for him to wrestle. Then the handler will leap over the trenches surrounding the square sand pit, and pull the gator out of the water!

Naturally, the handler will respect the mouth, as not only do gators have powerful jaws, but their teeth also tend to be on the sharp side. So he'll sit on the ground, and control the gator's head, so it can't twist around and bit off his arm.

While the jaws are very strong, it takes surprising little strength to hold them shut. Shut is a good way to keep an alligator's mouth. But then, it's also a good rule for people, as we often say things without thinking, and those ill-chosen words can sometimes injure others as seriously as a gator's jaws.

Handlers at Gatorland take the time to build strong relationships with the animals in their charge. This keeps them in tune with their gator's moods, behavior, and capabilities. This relationship, based on trust and mutual respect, allows them to perform physical feats with their animals as practiced, graceful, and awe-inspiring as those of trapeze artists or ballet dancers.

But then, you reap what you sow in this life, don't you?

Dragon Dave

On Sketching White Alligators

They're called Leucistic Gators for a reason: this rare species has even less skin pigmentation than albino alligators. Lacking pigmentation makes direct sunlight harmful to them. Hence, they are kept in a environmentally-controlled enclosure at Gatorland.

It's interesting how artificial lighting affects our vision. The interior lighting seemed to imbue the Leucistic gator with color, as does the water he bathed in the day I sketched him (see yesterday's post). So I tried to imbue the gator in my sketch with that coloring. Oh, and I made two mistakes: 1) I gave my gator brown eyes, when Leucistic Gators, as a species, all have blue eyes; and 2) I couldn't get the dark water right, so he ends up looking like he's laying on grass instead. 

This photo, taken from our previous visit, gives you an idea of how colorful he looked while relaxing on the wooden deck.

Notice anything else? In the photo, the deck looks green. Yet when I sat there sketching, the deck looked light blue, without a hint of green. Strange, huh?

If and when I return to Gatorland, I'd be interesting to sketch the Leucistic Gators again. Perhaps I'll get closer to drawing them as they really are, color-wise. (Or lack-of-color-wise). In any case, if I want to see them, I'd better hurry up. There are only thirteen known Leucistic Alligators in the world, and none of them are female. But at least Gatorland has four of them, which gives me a good chance of seeing one upon my (potential) return.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links
Behind Blue Eyes (a short documentary on Leucistic Alligators)

The Leucistic Gators of Gatorland

While on vacation, it's tempting to flit from attraction to attraction, never spending more than the minimum amount at any. After all, there's so much out there to see, right? But my wife and I have visited Gatorland before, and on this trip, we wanted to spend more time there. For a little more than the price of a single-day ticket, we purchased an annual pass. It gave us the option of coming back again, and as an added bonus, we also saved money on food and in the gift shop. 

On our second visit, the weather was cold. So we hung out inside the White Gator exhibit, and enjoyed sketching our reptilian friends. There we learned that the White Gators are not Albino, but called Leucistic Gators. This term has to do with the reason behind their lack of pigmentation, but the only obvious difference is that these White Gators had colored eyes, whereas those of an Albino would be pink.

It was interesting to study our White Gators, and as other visitors stopped by, they even asked us questions about them. As my wife had read the signs, she handled the latter like a seasoned professional. But then, I have a high regard for her advice and counsel. 

After awhile, it was time to leave our new friends, as my wife wanted to warm up, and catch the Gator Wrestling show. So we left it to other human visitors to keep the White Gators of Gatorland company, and celebrate the holidays with them. 

But then, who wouldn't jump at the chance of spending some quality time with this adorable little fellow?

Dragon Dave

The Gators of Gatorland

At Gatorland in Florida, you'll see:

1) Lounging Gators,

2) Festive Gators,

3) Resting Gators,

4) Tasty Gators,

5) Gator-buddies, and

6) Bird-Loving Gators.

All of this begs two questions:

1) Do I naturally put alligators at their ease? Or...

2): Are the Gators at Gatorland just happy to see me?

Dragon Dave