Created 13-Jul-10
Modified 16-Jul-10
I was driving along Highway 641 (I think) toward Interstate 10 at the Lutcher exit, having crossed the Veterans Memorial Bridge heading from Edgard in St. John Parish into St. James Parish on the way to Baton Rouge. Off to my right on the side of the road was a beautiful little bayou. I pulled off onto the shoulder of the road- a beautiful, accessible, pristine little swamp. The cicadas were in full voice. I took a couple of photos of the water and trees, and then I took photograph (5) specifically of the water, to capture the natural color of the water here in Louisiana, so that I could reproduce it in my paintings. I took photo (5) at 12:58 pm 7/12/2010. Exactly two minutes later, at 1:00 pm, I saw something in the water, and took the next photo (6). The water, which had been very placid and almost porcelein smooth had a visible current coming into it, moving at a different speed, not mixing, and it was black. Oil. I caught the first of it entering this freshwater bayou. In the photographs that follow, 6-11, taken during the next two minutes as I drove forward in my car, you can clearly see something black in the water. Where the black begans to taper off, at the leading edge, at 1:03, I saw an alligator swimming away in the water (photo 12, et. sec.) on the opposite side of the bayou. Wish I had had a better camera- all I had was my Blackberry Bold 9700 to take these photos with.
© Dixie Taylor