Where There's a Lake There's a Gator
We rented a place on Lake Spier in Winter Park. Completely lucked out with timing, and we couldn't be happier. There is a BBQ on the porch, AKA 'the big smoker' where we grill the salmon, meats and veg. We got a big tele on the wall, and we bought a juicer for our carrot and beetroot smoothies. Anastasia bought an inflatable kayak and every evening once it cools down, we do a lap of the lake.
Lake Spier & Osterley Safety Razor
The night before we saw an otter come out the lake, search around the banks for food and then cleave back into the water with barely a ripple in its wake. Grey stalk herons sit on the jetty rail to dry off. One even ate a fish whole by throwing its neck back like someone gargling mouthwash.
A gentleman came round to help us fix the headrest on the king size bed that had been inexplicably damaged during the move. I asked him if he thought there were any alligators in the lake.
Hungry heron on Lake Spier, Orlando
'Where there's a lake, there's a gator'
I asked the guys who were putting up the retractable mosquito nets, 'think there's a gator in that lake?'
'There's gators in every lake,' one replied pursing a cigarette in his mouth. 'They even have gator's in Disneyland. Small boy got killed there not so long back. They had the signs up, 'could be gators' but parents paid no mind.'
It's early days, but still no signs of gators in Lake Spier. Lake Baldwin is behind us. Dogs go in and out of the water, despite the signs warning of gators. According to the City of Winter Park.
A large alligator can cover as much as twenty miles over land in a night, showing up unexpectedly in lakes that did not previously have any alligators.
Lakeside properties on Lake Spier, Orlando
Viral videos now appear on my feeds (algorithms are a thing) of Floridians coming downstairs and finding Gators in their kitchens. I saw one video of a Gator scaling a protective metal bar fence.
So far no sighting of Gators, only the Gators bar in Baldwin Park. Which is where we watched all the 'soccer'. The word every Brit loathes. I ask the heavily tattooed barmaid behind the bar to put the 'soccer' on.
'Who's playing?'
'England.'
She calls her boss out who obliges me. We make small talk about soccer and how his TV set up, which is impressive, multiple flat screens at every vantage point playing every kind of conceivable live game, is on the blink. There is a pause.
'You ever seen a gator in Baldwin Lake?' I ask.
About the author
Peter Brooker is the co-author of From Tailors With Love an Evolution of Menswear Through the Bond Films and is also Editor-in-Chief of From Tailors With Love, a blog, vlog and podcast dedicated to men’s costumes and cinematic style.
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Above: Pete with his Osterley Safety Razor.
