Turtle Encounter

A funny thing happened on my walk home from the grocery store today. I was almost home walking west on Skyline Drive as it bends around Chester Creek. There is a long stretch of sidewalk with the road on one side and a fence protecting pedestrians from a cliff on the other. I saw a car go around another car that was driving very slowly with the flasher lights flashing. I wondered if this car had some unique mechanical problem where driving slow was the remedy. Before I could think that through I saw, before me, a turtle on the sidewalk. The turtle was just marching proudly down the center of the sidewalk toward me. The turtle's head was held high and the steps were wide and jaunty. I just had to smile. As we approached each other I stopped to admire the turtle. This was not a painted turtle nor a snapper. It wasn't a map turtle. It wasn't a softshell turtle. This was not a Minnesota turtle. Maybe it was a tortoise. Or was it someone's pet turtle? The woman driving the car with the flashers on pulled up. She was wearing a mask and talking on the phone. I deduced she was protecting the turtle which was good because this turtle still had another tenth of a mile before it could move off the sidewalk down the big hill to the creek. I didn't want to deprive her of saving this creature so I saluted the turtle and kept walking home with a smile on my face.