During a residency in Florida, I walked the boardwalk in this park many times. Another writer said he’d bought a season pass—only $20—and that seemed like a deal when each visit cost $5. More importantly, I made friends with geckos during my walks. They puffed out their red necks, and I pretended the show was just for me.

After declaring I’d never see any wildlife—all I’d seen was the shiny butt of an armadillo disappearing into the brush at midnight—I was rewarded with a sighting of an entire animal. While walking through the dunes on a boardwalk, I heard a crunching sound to my right. I looked down and saw a turtle calmly eating his way across the dunes. He paid me no mind at all, so I watched him for a long while. That experience let loose a number of sightings: manatee, dolphins, herons, and palmetto bugs the size of the Empire State Building.

A new environment invites play and creativity. If you don’t normally live in Florida and you can get away from the cement-covered theme parks, Florida turns weird. Animals skitter. Insects rattle leaves. The birds have winding necks suitable for eating fish and are nothing like those itsy bitsy birds in Maryland. The strange landscape provides an ongoing source of material. Any unfamiliar landscape can provide a way to escape your known home and move into new territory in creative projects you undertake.

What geographic areas have inspired you in your work?