IT'S TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN

 

One of the stops in the downtown photo walk was the Old Courthouse, whose history is too long and rich to discuss here (although it's part of the Arch national park and well worth a visit). The ironwork on the outer fence is covered with turtles and there is a cute story. A 19th Century building caretaker named James Quigley had a pet turtle. It lived in the outdoor fountain in the warm months and inside the rest of the year. It was beloved by locals and its springtime return to the fountain was noted in the newspapers. It died in the 1870s and received an obituary in the papers. Quigley himself never did.                    

PILE ON

Our aquarium's inhabitants are not limited to fish. Anything approximately wet is within its scope. I don't know what species of turtle these are but they they seem to equally like company and a heat lamp.              

IT'S TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down

Seen at the St. Louis Aquarium.                    

BFFs

BFF is an acronym that my granddaughter and children her age use for Best Friends Forever. It may be aspirational but it's a sweet sentiment. Now that school is out for the summer, when her mom has to work and she is at our house it sometimes falls to me to keep her occupied. On Thursday, she and I went to St. Louis Union Station, once one of the great railway junctions of America. That went kaput, of course, but it has been redeveloped into a fancy hotel and a large, overpriced, entertainment center catering to families.  

The first thing she wanted to do was the aquarium. Not huge but fun for kids of her age. She was fascinated by these very friendly turtles who perhaps intended to be BFFs.              

That Road Trip

Our intention was to see several of the less visited beaches to the south of Tamarindo.  We made it as far as Playa Junquillal, the nearest. Although not that far away, the road access is worse, there is little population and the area has a remote feel.

The sea turtles we call leatherbacks lay their eggs here, as with Playa Grande just north of Tamarindo. It is an endangered species and their eggs are always at risk. The local children find them in the open beach and bring them to this area where the eggs are protected and nurtured. It's a a labor of love.                              

Reptile Smooch

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Still editing London pictures. For now, back in Bob Cassilly's crazy plaza in the industrial wastelands north of the Arch, first noted in February 10th's post. He has this thing for giant turtles and snakes. It looks like love to me.