On 8/6/21 my beloved mother passed away at her residence in Sebring, Florida. Thankfully, I was able to be by her side as I travelled from Ohio that day. While I won’t get into all the details of her health, I will say she was an absolute warrior and inspiration to anyone who was fortunate to meet her. With that being said, she was the reason I fell in love with turtles at an early age in my life. My mother was a florist designer for 41 years but she also was a lover of reptiles organically in tuned with plants such as frogs, lizards, tortoises, and turtles. She would create these beautiful vivariums in our home to house lizards and frogs but one day when I was 9 years old she surprised me with a Greek Tortoise that we named Mimi. We built together a beautiful indoor inclosure that looked like something out of a natural habitat magazine.
Later the next year we bought 2 juvenile Ornate Box Turtles we named Tucker and Tessy and I immediately fell in love with box turtles. Her passion for plants and my love for turtles was a beautiful combination we’ve shared for almost 40 years. I’ve learned so much from her as she’s left a beautiful print of nature and life on my heart and soul.
So, yesterday I decided to take a trip to the ocean near Bradenton, Fl. My mom would go to the beaches near there to collect shells for seascape arrangements she often made. She loved the ocean, collecting shells, minerals, and rocks, but most of all she just loved being grounded with nature.
So, I decided to collect some shells to create an indoor waterfall arraignment when I go back home to Ohio to honor her. I also wanted to reflect and celebrate her life with something she loved. As I finished at the beach, I began to return to my rental car where I found a wild female Gopher Tortoise grazing near a planted area along the beach. Out of my 30 years of traveling and site seeing in Florida Ive never seen a Gopher Tortoise. I truly felt my mom’s presence during this amazing encounter. I spent about 5 minutes with this awesome Tortoise and then I let it be on its way(irony…I think not). I do have a video of the encounter and at some point I will upload it.
I just wanted to share this celebration of life and the encounter of this beautiful wild Gopher Tortoise
Later the next year we bought 2 juvenile Ornate Box Turtles we named Tucker and Tessy and I immediately fell in love with box turtles. Her passion for plants and my love for turtles was a beautiful combination we’ve shared for almost 40 years. I’ve learned so much from her as she’s left a beautiful print of nature and life on my heart and soul.
So, yesterday I decided to take a trip to the ocean near Bradenton, Fl. My mom would go to the beaches near there to collect shells for seascape arrangements she often made. She loved the ocean, collecting shells, minerals, and rocks, but most of all she just loved being grounded with nature.
So, I decided to collect some shells to create an indoor waterfall arraignment when I go back home to Ohio to honor her. I also wanted to reflect and celebrate her life with something she loved. As I finished at the beach, I began to return to my rental car where I found a wild female Gopher Tortoise grazing near a planted area along the beach. Out of my 30 years of traveling and site seeing in Florida Ive never seen a Gopher Tortoise. I truly felt my mom’s presence during this amazing encounter. I spent about 5 minutes with this awesome Tortoise and then I let it be on its way(irony…I think not). I do have a video of the encounter and at some point I will upload it.
I just wanted to share this celebration of life and the encounter of this beautiful wild Gopher Tortoise