Thursday Turtles

This my friends here above is a clean turtle aquarium. Below is the unclean turtle aquarium, where we actually start todays journey, cleaning the turtles aquarium. Yuck, nasty, I know! (Be sure and see at the end of this post for a look back on Thursday Turtles-click on each one to look back)

Let the process begin, I start here with a net to fish out each turtle one by one. 

I place each one in a small clear plastic container. They climb over each other repeatedly to a settling stance waiting to see what's next. 

Using an old toothbrush, I lightly scrub their back to remove what amount of yuck I can. 

While they continue sitting in the container, I begin the process of dumping the water and washing the aquarium out. If you notice there are two rocks laying next to the aquarium. One is a floating rock, it's the big one, and the small one is a regular heavy rock. Both are removed and scrubbed down. 

I love to wipe the glass with a paper towel removing the water spots. 

Crystal clear, I start the process of putting water back into the aquarium. The aquarium is set back on the table on top of a black towel. I place the water hose into the aquarium slightly turning the water on. This process of putting water back into the aquarium doesn't take long at all. Usually I only fill it up half way. What does take a long time is the entire process start to finish and taking pictures of each step take even longer. 

Get me out of here!

Almost full!

Full!

They love when their water is clean. They swim for hours once they adjust to being back into the water. I did a video one day of them swimming around in clean water to my grandfather. He loved it!

A look back:

Meet the Turtles

Fred

Pedal

Sammy

Engine

Who's Bigger

Fred's Day

Spend the day with Fred!

When I was younger say around sixth grade I had a turtle who looked just like Fred. We found him on our front porch one day. Mom let me bring him inside. Where he lived in a white bowl on a bookshelf in my room. I put rocks found from our street along with water in the bowl. He was such a fun guy to have around. By say the time I was in 9th or 10th grade he went to be with Jesus. Sad! But it happened…

Often I prayed I'd find another one like him. 

Many, many, many years later I did. Well, let me say this, my youngest daughter found him. It was towards the later part of spring, school was about to be out. She was playing down by the pool probably chasing our dog. I heard the back door burst open. "Mom"! When I went to see what was up she was holding a bright green turtle who looked just like mine from childhood. My eyes sparkled. "Oh, babe!" He was precious. 

(this was the very moment she showed me at our back door)

After sharing my story of my childhood turtle my daughter decided to honor him naming her turtle Fred also. My childhood turtles name was Fred. Can you believe that! Moments of memories formed right before my eyes. 

Fred lived in a small bowl on our back porch for a few days. My soul was not as brave as my mothers. I wasn't about to let that turtle in my house.

On to realizing we should get a bigger bowl for Fred.

Leave it to my daughter to encourage me to stop at Petsmart one day. She picked out a 9 gallon glass aquarium for him. It was perfect.

See how much he has grown and changed in color. He was so bright when we found him now his color has darkened. His spots on his under side have smeared somewhat. He's truly one of a kind.

Below are additional pictures from the day Fred was found.

Look how bright green he was!

Above is the picture I posted to Instagram that day.

Below are additional things that happened on that day.

(down by the lake)

(keeping the sun off her back as she reads)

(our afternoon bike ride)

(things I was on a mission for, notice the date, the day Fred was found)

If you haven't already, you might like to read Meet the Turtles from last Thursday. Check back next Thursday to see which turtle I am spending the day with. 

P.S. Fred is celebrating my birthday with me today!

Do you have a turtle?
What's his name?
Or have you had one before?

Meet the Turtles

Fred - top left

Pedal - top right

Engine - lower left

Sammy - lower right 

Aren't they just the cutiest little things you've ever seen!? 

These little guys don't sit still long for anything.

My attempt of capturing their under side shells was an absolute challenge. 

As you can see the one on the lower right, Sammy, in the top picture is ready to flip at any moment. They are like babies learning to flip from back to front. They can and will flip over in a blink of an eye. 

They are listed in order from who was found first to last! 

I am amazed at their spots on the under shells how some of the spots are exactly the same on one side as the other. Especially, look at Sammy, on the lower right. His are a perfect match. Almost like it was a sheet of paper with paint on one side then folded in half to duplicate the spots.  

They love swimming in the aquarium here at the Murphy Lodge. 

Can you tell who's who once flipped over?

Art Journal Page 11

(click on the image for an up close look)

WE took a small day trip to New Orleans one weekend this summer!

I kept the maps to the zoo and aquarium which are used

here on this art journal page!