Just an Ordinary Rock...

My Dodgie has the uncanny ability (very likely inherited/learned from his dad) of finding fauna in places that most of us would totally miss seeing them. Case in point, the turtle Dodgie pointed out to me in the creek bottom. (Yup, our parent's Missouri creek bottom.) I thought I was taking a photo of a lovely rocky creek bed. Dodgie immediately told me he didn't think it was a rock, but some living thing. I believed him because there was no way I was going to find out in an up close and personal kind of way what exactly it was. (Can you spot it in the photo below?) 

Dodgie told me that finding out what it was wasn't a problem as he would wade in and pick up that rounded "rock" to really see what it was so I didn't have to. He said it was all well and good because he had already fallen in the creek and was wet; and besides, he liked to be wet and in the creek so he could discover all new things. I couldn't argue with that kind of logic...(neither could any of you!)

Gently he lifted the "rock" and proved what he thought all along - a turtle!  Specifically it was a  a ~Red-Eared Slider~, (We know this as over the years, because of his insatiable curiosity, Dodgie's dad (my brother) has developed a first-name-basis relationship with the folks at the Missouri Department of Conservation. I'm sure he's bugged the heck out of them, but it has resulted in lots of good identifying info.)

I, of course, thought it was a common snapping turtle which would turn and bite my beloved Dodgie's nose off.  Dodgie, of course, told me I didn't know my turtles and there was no way this was a snapping turtle and it would not ever bite his or anyone else's nose off...thankfully he was right!

(Mr. Turtle was released, unharmed, back to the wild 

soon after this photo was taken.  Dodgie hiked up the 

hill, took a shower, ate dinner, and went to bed to 

dream the dreams boys do of turtles hiding in streams) 

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!