The Turtle Story

Did you ever have a wildlife encounter that made you wonder, What were they thinking? I had that exact thought last summer after a poolside incident that came rushing back to me this week. I was reading Kendra Coulter’s book; "The Tortoise's Tale". It is an autobiography told by a giant tortoise who observed the lives of the residents of a large estate in California. Writing an entire book from a tortoise’s perspective is no small feat, and after writing this newsletter, I appreciate her accomplishment even more. I know a turtle who has his own story to tell.

It was a quiet Saturday morning, and I was in my kitchen with a perfect view of the pool ... my little backyard oasis shared daily with birds, bunnies, chipmunks, and squirrels. Suddenly, I heard a faint splash. Oh no, I thought, someone’s in the pool. I looked out the window and saw nothing, but I knew I’d heard something. When I stepped outside, I found him: a small turtle, about the size of a saucer, swimming confidently under water.

My first concern was that a freshwater turtle had wandered into a saltwater pool. The porosity of his skin could cause an imbalance, but he seemed utterly unconcerned. In fact, he was enjoying himself swimming back and forth with surprising speed.

I called my daughter for help. We couldn’t leave him there. We tried to scoop him out with the skimmer, but he thwarted every attempt, rebelling instinctively against capture by jumping off the net. Eventually, we managed to launch him out of the pool, not the most elegant extirpation, but he landed safely in the tall grasses.

We didn’t want to leave him poolside, fearing he’d dive right back in, so we attempted to guide him into a pail. Traumatized, he retreated into his shell and didn’t fight back. Thankfully, he wasn’t the snapping type. My daughter scooped him up while I blocked his escape attempts with a stick. Now what?

After a brief discussion, we decided to release him into a scenic stream on the other side of the neighborhood. We carried him to the car, but at this point he frantically tried to escape — this was far too exciting for him, and honestly, for us. I wished he could somehow understand we were trying to help.

The stream was a lovely place for a turtle. We parked and carefully made our way down the rocky bank. When we released him, he didn’t hesitate. He was extraordinary and could have qualified for the Turtle Olympics. Within moments he was far beyond our reach, and he didn’t look back. I never imagined a turtle could move so fast.

That was our Saturday adventure: my daughter, me, and our uninvited pool guest. But what would the turtle say?

Writing that little monologue was harder than I expected. I have to give the author credit — I can’t imagine writing an entire novel from a turtle’s perspective. And now, as always, I’ll end with a few parting thoughts ...

Turtle and Tortoise Tales

A Fun Read A tale about the residents of a glamourous estate, seen through the eyes of a giant tortoise

Our visitor

Happy Ending I always like to write about a happy ending. An adventure with my daughter on a lovely day, and a turtle with a tale to tell.

I always feel a sense of melancholy at the end of August, perhaps because of the school schedule I experienced in my youth and with my children. But as we say goodbye to summer, we have autumn to look forward to, and the deciduous foliage in the northeast is magnificent. I will send some photos of the neighborhood as the leaves start to turn. In the meantime, savor the summer days and I will write again on Labor Day weekend. Best wishes always, Joanne