turtles - big and small...

More wildlife found in our yard a few months back - either a very very small turtle or a very large hand - I'll let you decide.  I was amazed to spot this little guy near our AC units while on the riding mower. I have found larger ones and even accidentally killed one of them with the mower.  With the small creek running behind our home, we seen snakes and turtles quite often during the warmer months.  I am continually and refreshingly reminded of the beauty of nature by living just outside of town surrounded by acres of woods - something I missed growing up in the heart of Dallas.  I need to make a concerted effort to take regular prayer walks like I previously have done and not take our land for granted.

Above is a larger turtle that our mini Dachshund Dexter was barking at repeatedly and had "trapped" in its shell - he was definitely acting like a true hunting dog - although his breed was designed for badgers he still did a good job with this turtle.

Above is the smaller turtle on the run - "darting" across our sidewalk back into the abyss of safety afforded by the woods.  Not a bad photo at all for my simple point and shoot Nikon Coolpix S210.  I have debated several times finally upgrading to a DSLR camera but want to make sure that I would truly put in the effort involved in photography to make it worthwhile.

jxibalba