That time we saved a turtle...#wednesdaywalk

I have to say despite the heat and humidity, I actually really enjoy going out for a run by myself on the 4th of July.  It is very quiet out in the neighborhood because most serious runners join in on the race (60,000 or so participants give or take).  The streets are pretty calm, too, since most people take the holiday to sleep in and enjoy a day off, especially when it is in the middle of the week like this year.

Last year I did a similar route around my neighborhood.  I have a few main options depending upon how far I want to run.  As I was coming back around to less than a quarter of a mile from the house I came upon this guy hanging out in the road.

Since I was really close to home, I hurried back to go grab @dksart for a rescue mission.  He's not one for running, but he is usually game for a nice walk (thus I figured this counted toward @tattoodjay's #wednesdaywalk theme).  We almost didn't make it back in time as the single car I saw that morning passed by just as we were getting back and almost ran my new little friend over!

@dksart scopped him right up (he was not very big after all) to take him (or maybe her?) to the other side of the road as I have always heard is the right thing to do.  That was the direction the fella was headed on his own.

However, as we got to the opposite side of the road we realized it was not really an ideal habitat given that beyond the main street it was all houses and neighborhoods.  We did not see any other members of the turtle family nearby, so @dksart decided the best home might actually be closer to our own.  There is quite a bit of wooded land behind us with plenty of access to water.

I have to say this was probably the first and only time I've seen a man walking a turtle...

We ended up dubbing him "Bob".  He seemed to settle in just fine back behind the house.  At the very least I never saw him in the road again (alive or otherwise), so I hope we did right by him to put him in a safer part of the neighborhood.

Kind of in a similar thread--I wonder how many other animals I have saved by not eating meat for the last 5 years?  This holiday in 2013 was the last time I ate meat.  I'll write a post that is a bit more in depth to celebrate my "veggie-versary", but I definitely reflected on it today.

I hope everyone celebrating the holiday has a safe rest of the day as you enjoy some fireworks, time with loved ones or just a day off of work!