Home Again

 My time in California came to an end before I knew it, and there I was, sitting at the airport waiting to board the plane. (and writing this post to help keep me awake!) On my last few trips I have flown the "red eye". The plane generally leaves around 11 PM and arrives in Tampa around 7. Some people look at me like I am crazy for doing this....and, perhaps I am! But, I find that I am tired when I fly during the day, and I've wasted the whole day. If I fly at night, I'm tired during the day, but I don't feel like I've wasted a day. Another plus...the plane ride seems to be that much faster as I try my best to sleep most of the way. 

A friend who has traveled extensively recommended that other folks who anticipate long plane trips buy a "Trtl" travel pillow. I bought one and I'm a believer. I don't have to carry around a bulky neck-roll type pillow which still allows my head to flop forward. The Trtl is made of a plastic frame covered in fleece. The fleece wraps around your neck and attaches to the base of the brace with velcro.

And look what happens when you put the Trtl on: you are suddenly 40 years younger, 20 pounds lighter and beautiful! Hahaha!

The pillow worked its magic and I slept fairly well. Before I knew it, an announcement came on saying we would be landing in Tampa in 25 minutes. 

As the plane approached Tampa I spotted the sun rise. It was beautiful, despite the dirty window!

I was tickled by the plane's path upon our approach. Seriously?! 

It looked like we circled and zig-zagged all of the way up the bay! 

I took a quick jaunt through the Tampa terminal, 

passing the iconic flamingo art installation.

Last week I saw that the artist had returned to touch up 

the flamingo's toenails! 

So, despite my having slept "fairly well",

I'm thinking my eyes are telling a different story!

Time to head home and get a nap!

La Tortuga

 Today, May 23, is World Turtle Day. How appropriate that the pups and I came across a turtle (tortuga) on our morning walk! After sniffing a bit, and a low growl from Gypsy (I have never heard her growl before!) the turtle was given a lift back to the pond from whence he had come. (Judging from the scum on his back.)

A little research tells me our turtle was a Pseudemys Nelson or a Florida Red Bellied Turtle. He appreciated his lift back to the pond, and within moments of my putting him down about a foot from the water, he scooted in and disappeared under the pond scum. He may have been thinking, "Damn, I really wanted to go to the reserve on the other side of the street, not back to the pond! Now I'll have to start all over!"

Coincidently, I have been working on a quilt with turtles on it! Here are four of the 17 turtles I have made for the quilt. It's a pattern I purchased in Hawaii almost three years ago. I've carted fabric for it from here to there and back again, and then when I decided to make the quilt for a color challenge, I discovered the colors were not quite right... and I had to go out and buy more fabric! 

It's time to get back to sewing! 

Post Script: I completed three blocks for the "waves" of the quilt. I'm enjoying the process. The center of the waves are made through traditional piecing. The rest of the block is made using a paper piecing technique. You can see the three color chips on the center block on the bottom. 

Eleven more to go. 

I've already decided that I will call this quilt something like,

"There's always one!"

I plan to have one turtle swimming against the stream, and another turtle climbing onto the quilt. 

Happy World Turtle Day to you!

Turtle-iffic

We visited Jekyll Island and enjoyed a tour of the club and cottages. Beginning in the late 1800's, a club was begun for the wealthy. Members bought into the club for $600. A large clubhouse was constructed, and several of the members bought additional property to build "cottages". The cottages were not what most of us would picture when we hear the word "cottage"!

Indian Mound Rockefeller Cottage

Moss Cottage

As we were leaving the clubhouse,  having enjoyed a fabulous buffet, we stopped by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. I loved the center and I am so glad that we visited. The center is relatively small, but it is packed with information and hands-on activities that invite attendees to learn more about sea turtles, the environment  and our role in protecting and sustaining plant and animal life. While going through the displays you learn about the lifecycle of the sea turtle and the different things that can impact the turtles, things that I had never considered such as the temperature of the water. Speaking of temperature, It is interesting to note that the sex of a turtle is determined by the temperature while they are nesting!  (Later we learned that the same thing is true with alligators.)

When you arrive at the sea turtle center you are given a card entitled "My Sea Turtle Journey". As you go through the center, learning more about the life of a sea turtle at each station, you randomly select a stamp for your card and the stamp determines your life as a sea turtle. 

I was hatched under an artificial light situation, which means that upon hatching I might become confused and not know which way to go to get to the sea. I was a female turtle and I migrated to New England because I got caught in currents. I have to be very careful to make my way back south and not get caught in cold water as the season changes. If the water gets too cold my body functions will slow down to the point where I won't eat and might not even be able to swim. Most turtles have some sort of organisms that live on them. Some of these organisms don't impact their health and may even be helpful, others are not. I ended up with leeches which would suck my blood and could make me weak. I lived to be a juvenile turtle which means that I lived to be about 15 years of age.

We attended a "Meet the Turtles" presentation. If you happen to visit the Center, be sure to stick around for this presentation. It was very interesting. Our guide told us about each turtle; how they arrived at the center, what their condition was and how they were doing. 

A few of the tanks had mirrors angled over the tanks so visitors could see the turtles.

Most of these pictures are Kemp's Ridley turtles. When they tried to migrate to warmer, southern waters, they were caught in the "elbow" of Cape Cod. The water turned cold and the turtles' activity slowed down. They could not eat, and they had difficulty swimming. They were rescued and sent to the Georgia center for rehabilitation. 

As the waters near Jekyll Island warm up, the Kemp's Ridley turtles will be released.

This Green Sea Turtle was also impacted by cold water. He was finding it difficult to swim, so he was placed in a wading pool within the tank so he didn't have to expend energy to try to swim to the surface of the tank to breathe. As he gets stronger, the wading pool will be lowered, and eventually taken away.

The turtles at the center receive a number and a name. The turtles who were rescued in the Cape Cod area have Ben & Jerry's ice cream names. Popsicle is one of them. Dredge was rescued by.... a sea dredge!

In addition to the sea turtles, The Center rescues land turtles and fresh water turtles. Many of these are also on display until they are strong enough to be released.