Random Photo Thread: The Sequel

[Kayelle]

Is that a turtle or a tortoise? Turtles live in water not on land.

 

[RPCookin]

Is that a turtle or a tortoise? Turtles live in water not on land.

It's definitely a box turtle, which, while not a tortoise, is still a land reptile.

From Wikipedia:

Box turtles (also known as crescent turtles) are turtles of the genus Terrapene native to North America (United States and Mexico). They are also known as box tortoises,[3] although box turtles are terrestrial members of the American pond turtle family (Emydidae), and not members of the tortoise family (Testudinidae).

 

[Kayelle]

It's definitely a box turtle, which, while not a tortoise, is still a land reptile.

From Wikipedia:

Thanks Rick. After I asked the question I went investigating also. Might know there's lots of questions and answers here with some interesting reading..
Box turtles are...Turtles? | Tortoise Forum

At any rate they sure are cute although we don't have them here. We had pet California Desert Tortoises when my boys were growing up.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Is that a turtle or a tortoise? Turtles live in water not on land.

Turtles can be found on land, though. Ponds and small lakes abound in our area. Like people, turtles often look for a bigger, better home (pond). Every spring, a local organization puts up signs that warn "Look out for turtles" at points along the roadways where there are a lot of ponds. Every once in a while you'll see a splat mark on the road. Someone wasn't watching...

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Turtles also like to bask in the sun...

 

[RPCookin]

The box turtle is exclusively a land dweller. It would have to be out here, since from where I found him, he would be days, if not weeks, from the nearest standing water, and that's even if he knew where to find it. It was 14 miles in a straight line to the South Platte river, and that would have been his best bet if he was actually looking for water. Fortunately for him that's not his preferred habitat.

 

[RPCookin]

For my first 17 years, all of our summertime household water came from one of these. From the time I was big enough to carry the pail, it was my job to fetch water from the pump, which was in front of my aunt's cabin, about 100 yards from our clapboard summer cabin on Balsam Lake, Wisconsin. Prime the pump, refill the priming can, then fill the pail and lug it back to our kitchen.

We didn't even have electricity until the late '50s. I remember many an evening playing cards with my mother and grandmother in the light of a kerosene lamp. Strangely, we never felt underprivileged, even though we were by far the poorest summer residents that I knew. Our only watercraft was my grandmother's canoe while all of my friends had motorboats, yet the canoe was important in our circle of summer friends. It was commonly towed around the lake behind a boat, then we fished, or hunted turtles or frogs, from the canoe.

It was really a rather idyllic time in my life.

 

[Addie]

For my first 17 years, all of our summertime household water came from one of these. From the time I was big enough to carry the pail, it was my job to fetch water from the pump, which was in front of my aunt's cabin, about 100 yards from our clapboard summer cabin on Balsam Lake, Wisconsin. Prime the pump, refill the priming can, then fill the pail and lug it back to our kitchen.

We didn't even have electricity until the late '50s. I remember many an evening playing cards with my mother and grandmother in the light of a kerosene lamp. Strangely, we never felt underprivileged, even though we were by far the poorest summer residents that I knew. Our only watercraft was my grandmother's canoe while all of my friends had motorboats, yet the canoe was important in our circle of summer friends. It was commonly towed around the lake behind a boat, then we fished, or hunted turtles or frogs, from the canoe.

It was really a rather idyllic time in my life.

As a Girl Scout in my childhood, our summer camp also had one of them. We always went camping towards the last two weeks of August. The mornings were always quite chilly. We started alphabetically as to whose turn it was to go out and prime the pump. It never got to me initial K. Yea!

My mother also had one outside the summer kitchen. When canning began, that was the only time it went into use. The first priming was always done with boiling water. We did have running water inside the house kitchen. It was a soapstone sink and the faucets were attached above in the wall.

 

[Dawgluver]

Anyone know what kind of mushroom these are? They're prolific under our pine trees. I'm thinking they might be a kind of bolete, they have a honeycomb gill pattern. And I don't plan on eating them.

 

[taxlady]

For better identification, you could pick a few. Put some on white paper and others on black paper. Next morning, see what colour the spores are - the ones that fall on the paper.

 

[Dawgluver]

I thought about just frying up a few for DH to try. Oh wait, not a good idea without a positive ID. Boletes are edible, but these don't quite look the same as the pics in my mushroom book.

 

[Addie]

For better identification, you could pick a few. Put some on white paper and others on black paper. Next morning, see what colour the spores are - the ones that fall on the paper.

What would that tell you?

 

[taxlady]

What would that tell you?

The colour of the spores is often listed in mushroom identifying books. Sometimes it's the only easy way to tell apart two similar looking 'shrooms.

 

[RPCookin]

Today was Labor Day, so we labored planting 9 trees. Fortunately my 93 year old father-in-law came over with his Ford tractor with the post hole auger mounted and made shorter work of the job than it otherwise would have been.

 

[Kayelle]

Here's just one picture from near Taos New Mexico. I loved the constantly changing puffy cloud formations we seldom see here. More pics to follow in the trip story when it's completed.

 

[Dawgluver]

Pretty!

Taos got me thinking, here are my new Taos boots:

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Nice picture Kayelle!

 

[taxlady]

That picture, wow!

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Ooo, cool boots, Dawg!

Kayelle, I love that photo! And puffy clouds. When we lived back home I would lie on my back and watch them drift by - even as an adult. The kids and I would spend a lazy summer afternoon saying "that one looks like..." and "don't you think that one over there..." for an hour or two. Great memory. We still see nice clouds on occasion, but nowhere near as often or as artistic as the ones back home. Big difference in having the prevailing wind some across Lake Erie or across the Berkshire Mountains, I guess. At least here I can lay on the futon and look through the sun room's glass ceiling. A bonus for my old bones!

 

[Cheryl J]

Beautiful pic, Kay....and I love that bridge, even though I'm kind of afraid of heights. LOL. We get clouds like that often here - your pic reminds me to not take them for granted and to look at them through fresh eyes.

Pretty snazzy boots there, Dawg!