by Linda Aksomitis

Spanish moss, dangling from the branches of the live oaks, reflected in the murky waters of the bayou as my swamp boat drifted silently forward. The strands, according to legend, are the beard of the brute, Gorez Goz, hopelessly tangled in the tree's branches as he climbed after a young Indian girl he'd purchased for a yard of braid and a bar of soap. The maiden, thankfully, escaped the embraces of her pursuer, but Spanish moss still decorates the bayou like grayish-green tinsel.

By night the moss brings an eerie atmosphere to the bayou -- in voodoo it's used in the Success Ritual, mixed with Frankincense tears, a candle, and a few other things, and burned to engulf your desires and carry your prayers to the spirits that be. And if spirits do live in the world, surely they dwell in the Louisiana bayous or sleeping waters.

I find Louisiana a fascinating place, from the Spanish moss to the plantation homes of bygone eras. But what I love most about Louisiana is the bayou: the waterways wending across the land, birds hooting and cawing at the swamp's intruders, the sun straining through the overhead canopy of lush green tropical growth, and the alligators, creatures that time forgot.

Captain Garry, my guide on the Cajun Critters Swamp Tour had dozens of stories to tell about the waterways that are home to hundreds of birds and animals. With over a 100 species of snakes alone, including the cottonmouth and two other poisonous ones, the bayou is an environment to be respected. My keenest interest however --and one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the bayou -- was the alligator.

I traveled along the waterways of Bayou Segnette, near Westwego, hunting these creatures with my camera. The Bayou Segnette State Park contains both marsh and swamp wetlands, with the creation of new canals changing swamp area to marsh. Bald eagles and red-tailed hawks soared overhead, along with Mississippi kites, red-winged blackbirds and cardinals whose songs carried through the trees.

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