Why did the turtle cross the road?

Sweet gum tree flaming in the meadow.  (The blustery wind and dark clouds yesterday morning made it look like a painting.  I helped it along with some tweaks in Photoshop.)

If there is any wisdom running through my life now, in my walking on this earth, it came from listening in the Great Silence to the stones, trees, space, the wild animals, to the pulse of all life as my heartbeat.

~ Vijali Hamilton

The Mysterious Woods across the street

Why did the turtle cross the road?
Just for the shell of it.

The day before yesterday, while I was out and about on my bicycle, I had the good fortune to meet a turtle crossing road.  Why was he crossing the road?  I’m not sure, but do know there seems to be a migration going on.  Birds are doing it, frogs are doing it, and now the turtles have joined in.

Male Eastern Box Turtle

After exchanging some pleasantries, I walked off in hopes that Mr. Box Turtle would continue to make his way to the other side of the road.  I waited.  And waited.  So did he.  I moved a little farther away.  He still didn’t move.

Who will blink first?

The reason I waited was to jump in and rescue him should a car come along.  There is very little traffic on the way to Raccoon Point, but it was near lunch time and sometimes the traffic picks up a little as people drive out to the Point to enjoy the scenery.  There seems to be good fishing out that way, too, as there are always a few people with a line in the water.

Maple in the Mysterious Woods

The stand-off could have gone on all day.  Rather than leave him in the middle of the road, I rescued him (he would say otherwise, but he’s not wise to the ways of cars or he wouldn’t have been standing in the road).  One of the cool facts about box turtles is they have a hinged shell, and they can retract into it when they feel threatened.  Mr. Box Turtle did just that, slamming his doors closed while being carried to the other side of the road.

Yellows

Hopefully that didn’t throw him off his planned route, and he’s now safely at the end of his journey or continuing on to wherever he was going.

Blending in

There are a lot of dead animals lining the roads here on the Eastern Shore.  On my last visit to Chincoteague, I was shocked at the number of dead birds (mostly large gulls) on both sides of the road going to the island.  I am not certain, but think they were hit by cars.  Near the Wabi-Sabi Ranch you will find dead snakes, dead frogs, and the occasional deer.  The frogs were a problem back in August.  At night they hang out on the roads, and when they hop, it’s usually towards the car coming at them rather than away from it.  We have our share of suicidal squirrels, too.

So, you see, it seemed best to help Mr. Box Turtle along so he wouldn’t become another statistic on the roads of the Eastern Shore.

Shelter  (Or shell-ter for Mr. Box Turtle)

One should pay attention to even the smallest crawling creature for these too may have a valuable lesson to teach us.

~ Black Elk

Enveloped

So ends the tale of the turtle crossing the road.  I know it’s lacking in drama, suspense, and excitement.  Turtles are pretty calm creatures that way.  Except for snappers, but this was not a Snapper Tale.

Thank you for stopping by, and helping Mr. Box Turtle along on his journey.  This weekend looks like a busy one.  M and I participated in a charity 5K this morning.  It was a beautiful day for a 5K.  I’ll tell you all about it soon.   Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’re going on a long hike.  How about you?  Any plans for the weekend?  Or are you going to wing it?

One of my favorite trees on the road to Raccoon Point.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

The end of one journey. (Graveyard by the church in the shire.)

Today’s joys:  A bald eagle sitting in a tree near the dock.  Autumn colors in the park where we participating in the 5K.  Friendly people.  Coming in under my usual 5K time.  The breathtaking colors of sunset.