I did not see OR feed any gators in Mobile.  But these kids 
were voracious about reading their own work compiled in the 2013 Young Authors Anthology sponsored by the Metro Mobile Reading Council.
These kids were attentive and sincere about wanting to become better writers.  
The made galimotos and wrote poems about them.  

These middle grade and high school students were selected based on their writing abilities to attend the afternoon conference.  Your main character is not just defined by physical attributes.  What does he or she need or want?  Your main character drives the plot.   So?  Why is his/her back pack torn and repaired with duct tape(be specific about detail).  What is the brand name covered up with black electrician tape and why?  Why is there a note in the backpack that says “Meet me at B. King at 10AM  SLJ Be there !  Why does this person carry $1.59 in a glasses case?  And what else is in that backpack?  4 matches, a flashlight, a tiny note book with 4 lines of a poem.   Who is this person? What if? ….fifteen young writers…fifteen new stories.

And a little history too.

Lots of food:  Think gumbo, fried crab claws, fried ochre, hushpuppies, fried green tomatoes, oysters, clams, shrimp, red beans and rice, Indies crab salad and a mufuletta sandwich.

And they catch a lot of oysters in Mobile.

And shrimp.

Got Beach?  Oh yeah…and plenty of shells.  Not enough pockets.

Just missed Mardi Gras:

But the flowers were in bloom in Fairhope in February:

And even if we did not see any gators

We did see some dolphins, some pretty big turtles and beautiful cormorants.

Thanks to a whole lot of dedicated volunteers, teachers, parents, librarians, students and community organizations donating time and money.  You go Mobile!