Lost Little Turtle??

On Sundays, we typically like to go to a park that is a little further from the house. It makes for a nice change. Today was about as close to perfect as a summer morning can be. The sun was warm but there was a nice breeze so the shady parts were super comfortable. Just the kind of morning when you need to be outside.

We got there and there were an older couple with two kids – pretty clear it was grandpa and grandma taking care of the grand kids. Anyway, they were looking at something in the grass and, on closer inspection, it turned out to be a little turtle. Just about the size of my hand so not newly hatched but not very old either.

Now, there are a couple of fishing ponds in this park but the turtle was nowhere close to them. But it was in the grass and seemed to know where it was going so we went about our way. After finishing the first loop, the turtle was nowhere in sight so we figured it had gone into the grassier areas.

After the second loop, we found it again only it had moved in the wrong direction and was currently on a large patch of concrete headed towards the bathroom building and picnic area. This was not a safe place. Too much dog, foot and bike traffic and not everyone really notices things in their path.

And, because of all the people around (I assume some stopped to look at him), it seemed like he had no idea which way to go. At that point, I knew we couldn’t leave him there. So we used one of the dog poop bags as a glove and I picked him up and we carried him across the parking lot to the first pond.

At first, I put him down too far from the water and he again seemed confused. I’m wondering now if someone found this guy somewhere else and just dropped him off at the park because it seemed like the best thing to do. I did pick him up again and then we walked to the edge of the water and set him down.

A couple of steps and he was in the pond. The last thing we saw was him diving to the bottom swimming as fast as his little legs could.

Hope that is where the little turtle wanted to go. Still seems like a better option than where he was.