We have kind of 'hung around' most of the day right here. Although, I did talk Jim into going up to Summerland Key for a community yard sale event.
these community yard sales are particularly fun because they offer to Jim and I a grass roots view of neighborhoods and houses. This was a particularly pretty neighborhood with most all of the houses situate on a canal and/or the ocean.
But before today, we had yesterday! And, a terrific turtle experience.
Our turtle tour started with the 2:00 p.m. group gathering in a room, with instructions to sit in our favorite 'gray' chair and listen to the tale of turtles.
Our guide was a cute and personable young girl and she held the attention of everyone (well, Lily veered off course occasionally.) I spent a lot of the tour with Gabby. It was amazing to watch her face as our guide described the turtles and some of their health concerns. Gabby's expressions would range from wide-eyed wonder to having furrows on her brow as she listened to how the turtles can be hurt.
Gabby also raised her hand to answer a question from the guide. She was fully involved in every way.
I must say that Lily would generally raise her hand when our guide would ask if the group had any questions. Once drawn out for her question, Lily would just burrow her hand in her mother's shoulder. Our guide enjoyed this and said she would be getting Lily to talk at some point in time.
Our tour then went to the operating room for the turtles, and then onto the ex-ray room.
Lots of turtles were without one or more of their flippers. Some of the turtles would be brought in because they were found floating. Many times this is because they have eaten something (things as strange as shoe soles) and had become bloated and subsequently 'impacted.' When this happens they feed the turtle Metamucil and lots of oil and they generally, after several weeks, are able to relieve themselves and can be put back in the ocean.
Turtle flippers often times get entangled in fishing line, the fishing line eats away at the flipper joint, resulting in the lose of a flipper.
Also, there were turtles that are called bubble butts. These turtles have been hit by a boat and their shells become bubbled and they cannot dive for their food. These turtles are experimented with putting different weights on the backs of their shells. Seems it is difficult to find a 'good' way to keep the weights on the shells as well as getting the right size of weight. The bubble butt turtles (not the breed, simply what their malady is called) spend their life at the hospital.
I was only able to take one picture of a turtle. Seems I was always at the back of the group! :) And, the picture I got was one of the last turtles we were able to see as everyone else was going out of the turtle area.
Some of the turtles were in tanks to themselves. One turtle, because he had become too aggressive at feeding time and other turtles because they were at some stage of recovery.
The tanks were large, in fact, the tanks that held the groups of turtles in various stages of recovery, were in what was called Hurricane Tanks 1 and 2.
I think I read correctly that this particular turtle hospital in Marathon was started in the 1980's by a couple. They bought a motel and the lobby is the gift shop and where we signed up for the tour. The ex-ray room and operating room were in a separate adjacent building.
The turtle tanks are at the back of the motel lot, along the ocean side.
When we left the buildings to walk back to the turtle tanks, our guide cautioned us to please stay on the gravel walk and please, please do not get in the grassy areas, because of fire ants, etc.
Well, this piece of advice sunk into Lily. When we were almost to the turtle tanks, the entire group spied an iguana. We all looked at it from afar, BUT, one lady walked on the grass to take a picture. Lily saw this lady, her eyes got big as saucers (I happened to be carrying Lily at this point) and she said "Amme, that lady is going to be in big trouble." Just shows you, you never know what little ones hear.
It was a great afternoon and I think everyone enjoyed the visit to the Turtle Hospital.
Once back at camp, Jim had returned from the Lee House and was sitting outside. We all got a snack and the girls wanted to go on the 'big walkabout' which means walking around the lake. I was game, Hillary said okay, she and Dad'n Dad'n would visit, so off we go.
Gabby had hidden her 'stick' and she was able to retrieve it. Gabby uses the stick to get moss out of the lake and Lily looks for flowers that Barbie will like. I only wish I had a tape recorder with me to capture the quick sound bites the girls throw out at me. Too wonderful......
Once we get back to the camper, Hillary says it is time to get home. Both girls pretty much crawl into the car with no problem. I think they are pretty well worn out.
Jim and I have a piece of Dion's chicken (he had picked some up on the way home from the Lee's) and have our cocktail sitting out here by the camper. Our friend Phyllis comes by with Jane, the dog, and asks if we are going to be out for a while and she comes back after delivering Jane back home. The three of us enjoy a nice long visit until after dark.
Now, for some pictures.....
Lily and Gabby in the lobby of the Turtle Hospital as they patiently wait for our tour.
We have driven by this sign many, many times. I really never thought I would be able to tour the Turtle Hospital.
To the left is the line of motel rooms. I understand the staff that works at the hospital lives in most of these rooms. And the white gravel pathway is the pathway we were cautioned, above caution, to stay on and not to get in the grass. The turtle tanks are at the very end of this path along the ocean.
An ocean view at the back of the turtle hospital. The tank buildings are to the right of this area. I didn't take a picture of the buildings because from this vantage point, all you can see is a chain link fence.
The iguana on the rocks that Lily and I stood way back from on the gravel path. Just up from us, Lily saw the lady walking on the grass and got very concerned, although, she thought it kind of funny that a lady would get in trouble and not a little girl!
This turtle tank was the only one I was able to get close enough to for a picture. This particular turtle, as you can see, is halfway floating and has his head way down under the water. Our guide said he had just had an operation, was on medication and that is why he was floating like this. She 'moved' him a little, he stuck his head up as you would expect a turtle to do and then moved around the tank and got back in this same position. So, our guide said not to worry, he would be alright, it was just taking him a few days to recover. There were turtles that were huge, 100 lbs or more, I just was not able to get pictures of those guys.
As we were coming around to the back side of the camp ground, Captain Bill happened to come by with Cudjoe, the pup. The girls, of course, loved Cudjoe and Captain Bill was more than friendly and kind to the girls as they loved on Cudjoe.
This cute little sign is on the backside of the campground. Gabby did not get her picture with Cudjoe because she was excited to have her picture made, alone, at this sign. She had no idea that Lily was standing behind her at the time!
As Gabby thought she had her picture made alone, she was anxious to scurry off. So, this left Lily, getting her picture made by herself! Oh, the stories we can tell.
Around the bend, on the backside of the campground, one of the campsites has a man made sandy area with a tiny little dock and you can see the little one man sailboat. Lily wanted to check this area out, so, again, she gets a picture by herself. Gabby has walked way on ahead of us.
This is one of the houses in the neighborhood of yard sales this morning. Fortunately, for my picture taking, there was this empty lot directly across the street. This house sits on the ocean.
Side of house and view of ocean at Summerland Key neighborhood yard sales.
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