You already know GatorD from his recent Lens of the Day, but we thought you’d like learning more about the man himself. Enjoy our interview!
What brought you to Squidoo? My daughter has been on Squidoo for a bit (mamabush) and she encouraged me to join. She knows I love to write and express myself. I am so full of thoughts and questions, if I don’t write I feel like I am going to explode. I respect my daughter so much because of her activities being a mom of 5, homeschooling them along the way, and being so active in her writing, I figured I must give it a try. So here I am, struggling, learning, but enjoying it very much.
Your bio screams “adventure!” and your first lens echos that theme. You want to let us in on any surprise lens topics we should expect in the (near) future? Well, like I say I am FULL of things I want to put in pen, so my subject matter is broad and sweeping. However, I am working on a couple of things now, one is my love for the Everglades and things to see and do there. With a nickname of Gator D that should not take you by surprise. Some call me an expert on alligators but really I am just a student of them and the glades itself. I have been exploring them since I moved to south Florida as a young boy.
I am also preparing something for pirate costumes for Pirate Festivals and Halloween. This one is just a fun thing for me. I love pirates (I am a pirate 200 years too late!). Here on Ft. Myers Beach we have Pirate Fest each year and there is a huge Pirate Fest in Tampa each year. Others throughout the region too so I feel like doing something on this.
Just a couple ideas out of dozens I hope to do over the coming months. Oh, and I do Dolphin Tours and Sunset Tours. Dolphins are one of the most amazing creatures on the planet. That should come as a hint to you!
If you could travel to one place you’ve never been, where would it be and why? I have been fortunate in my life to be a world traveler. I spent 25 years in the federal government and covered most of the globe, however, I have never been to Australia. One of the most fascinating people I have ever followed was Steve Erwin, the “Crocodile Hunter”. Oh how I loved following his adventures and seeing how much in love with nature and its marvelous creatures he was. I was saddened to see him called away so young with so much more to do in his life. A great humanitarian and conservationist. He was one of my heroes and to visit his home land and see and experience some of those things would be marvelous. A dream come true!
What can Squidoo do for you? To be honest with you Squidoo is so new to me I am not totally sure yet! Here’s what I want first and foremost. To write. To expel some of the thoughts, energies and excitements that bubble up inside me from time to time in a way that maybe by expression can be seen and even enjoyed by others, or at least can be something that others can say “oh yeah, been there done that!”. To allow my writing to express what my mouth seems to struggle with. You know what I mean?
Fiction or non-fiction? In today’s world there is a fine line between the two. In literature, I prefer fiction simply because the world is such a harsh place if you hear about it on the news or read about it in the news paper or periodicals. We are totally encompassed by the non-fictional world of crime, punishment, hate, war, destruction and violence in everything we see and hear on a daily basis. I like fiction because it can take me to places that I wish for, that I had once, that I hope for again.
