Turtle, part 2
The Star sent me across North Carolina a few weeks back to take pictures at the exhuming of Brenda Sue Brown near Lillington for her return to Shelby. It was a rather sad task, but I got to see some areas of the state I hadn’t gotten to in a while.
And I saved a turtle.
As I related in last week’s column, which I’ve got on my blog at jderrickstar.blogspot.com, I’d gotten there early and taken the extra time to explore a nearby state park.
Things had already started at the churchyard by the time I got back, so I just left the big turtle I’d found in the road in my car and got to work.
I left the windows cracked.
There’s a lot of neat stuff between Lillington and Shelby – including "The Last Hardee’s On Earth". Near Carthage, on the way to one of my old scout reservations, is a burger place. For years, as we headed down to camp, this was the last vestige of civilization before we jumped into the woody abyss. Now it’s surrounded by dollar stores and other fast food places, but I still stopped off for a milkshake….
There’s got to be a quote from "Casablanca" that fits right there. "Usual suspects?" No…. "Play it, Sam?" No…. "… for old times' sake?" ahh, good enough.
My old scout camp was closed, but I got a nice drive through the Uwharrie National Forest. I’ve stomped down around 150 miles in the Uwharries – two 50-mile backpacking trips that each lasted four or five days and a 41-mile ultramarathon that lasted 11 hours. That hurt in way’s I’d never even imagined possible.
On the southern edge of the woods I ran by the Town Creek Indian Mound. I studied these architectural Native American artifacts in college. This particular one is apparently not open on
Mondays and the gate was closed. At least half of it. I did a quick circle through the parking lot, just to turn around, and got a glimpse of man-made hill on the way out… before they could chase me off….
I got back to the Charlotte area and enjoyed dinner at The Flying Saucer. Around 80 beers on tap. And the food’s good, too.
It’d been a good day. I’d taken pictures of some very sad things, but it was aiding a worthy cause and the Brenda Sue’s family was very appreciative.
After things were finished at the churchyard in Lillington I got the turtle out of my car and walked down to a pond behind the building. Some of Brenda Sue’s family, who’d been crying shortly before, joked with me about the transplanted critter. A hissing turtle has very definitively a right end and a wrong end.
Set down by the waterside, though perhaps surrounded by a graveyard’s death and tears, at least this one’s a little better off.
It’s nice to get a little goodness out of it all.
And I saved a turtle.
As I related in last week’s column, which I’ve got on my blog at jderrickstar.blogspot.com, I’d gotten there early and taken the extra time to explore a nearby state park.
Things had already started at the churchyard by the time I got back, so I just left the big turtle I’d found in the road in my car and got to work.
I left the windows cracked.
There’s a lot of neat stuff between Lillington and Shelby – including "The Last Hardee’s On Earth". Near Carthage, on the way to one of my old scout reservations, is a burger place. For years, as we headed down to camp, this was the last vestige of civilization before we jumped into the woody abyss. Now it’s surrounded by dollar stores and other fast food places, but I still stopped off for a milkshake….
There’s got to be a quote from "Casablanca" that fits right there. "Usual suspects?" No…. "Play it, Sam?" No…. "… for old times' sake?" ahh, good enough.
My old scout camp was closed, but I got a nice drive through the Uwharrie National Forest. I’ve stomped down around 150 miles in the Uwharries – two 50-mile backpacking trips that each lasted four or five days and a 41-mile ultramarathon that lasted 11 hours. That hurt in way’s I’d never even imagined possible.
On the southern edge of the woods I ran by the Town Creek Indian Mound. I studied these architectural Native American artifacts in college. This particular one is apparently not open on
Mondays and the gate was closed. At least half of it. I did a quick circle through the parking lot, just to turn around, and got a glimpse of man-made hill on the way out… before they could chase me off….
I got back to the Charlotte area and enjoyed dinner at The Flying Saucer. Around 80 beers on tap. And the food’s good, too.
It’d been a good day. I’d taken pictures of some very sad things, but it was aiding a worthy cause and the Brenda Sue’s family was very appreciative.
After things were finished at the churchyard in Lillington I got the turtle out of my car and walked down to a pond behind the building. Some of Brenda Sue’s family, who’d been crying shortly before, joked with me about the transplanted critter. A hissing turtle has very definitively a right end and a wrong end.
Set down by the waterside, though perhaps surrounded by a graveyard’s death and tears, at least this one’s a little better off.
It’s nice to get a little goodness out of it all.
posted by John Derrick | 7:23 AM
1 Comments:
These turtle stories are among my favorites! I am always meaning to comment, but I never do. I heard you were leaving soon, to go to law school. Good for you!! But I will miss you. I hope you can some how continue your wittiness here!
Post a Comment
<< Home