Watching turtles ...

This afternoon, Debbie and I went to Tinicum Marsh (officially the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge), where I indulged in one of my odder pastimes: turtle watching. There is a favorite bench of mine there, at the edge of the woods by the water. About 20-odd feet from it, sticking out of the water is a fallen tree trunk onto which from time to time turtles climb. Turtles are not the most active of creatures. Indeed they excel at sitting motionless, their heads raised upwards, taking in the sun. They are wonderfully instructive in how to, as the Zen master put it, sit quietly and do nothing. It is also interesting how quickly they can slide off the log and back into the water. I find it wonderfully relaxing to watch them. Overall there were about five of them today and when they weren't basking in sunlight, you could see them gliding through the water, their heads proudly above its surface.