My mom had caught this baby painted turtle that was walking across the yard. (How Rich saw him is beyond me.) They decided to rescue him & make him a nice little home. Well, this poor little guy kept pushing against the side of the bowl toward the window through which he could see the lake.

After seeing how badly he wanted to get out, we let him go. I took him down to the shore & set him on a flat rock. The rock sloped gently into the water, giving him an easy access point. Picasso (ya know, he’s a *painted* turtle ;P) took his time & crawled to the water. Once he got swimming he shot off into the deeper water & disappeared.

Cute little guy! His belly is orange & red. Adorable! I’ll miss him, but he’ll be happier out there