A turtle here, a turtle there

I did one drive through at the strip pits this evening..there are several little ponds or big puddles of water that are right next to the road. Later in the summer when there is less rain, they dry up...that is why I sometimes refer to them as big puddles.
Right now they are full of life though...I first seen a turtle headed across the road, but it quickly hurried back to the water when I came along.
On down at the next puddle there is this mound in the middle of it...before I got within photographic distance, one turtle slid off into the water. But this one stayed...when I looked through my lens, I quickly seen the other two little ones. If you enlarge this, you can see them better...they are still out of focus though.

Also seen but no chance to photograph were Dickcissels, a pheasant, a bob white, a muskrat, and a deer. One thing I have not seen out there so far this year are the beavers. In previous years, I did not fail to see them any time I was through there. I almost always saw more than one...so I am really wondering what has happened to them. I was really hoping that I would catch a glimpse of one tonight...
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Lorelei stayed with us just a little while this afternoon while her mom and dad went to a meeting. She cried so when her mom left, but it only lasted a minute...she was very easily satisfied. Below is a shot her mom sent me last night...as you can see the fun is about to begin!
She really likes to climb...she climbed up in her rocking chair first thing after she got here. But Sarah set her down in it that first time, the rest of the evening she would get in it and set down. I have a clothes basket I use a lot of times turned upside down by my chair and if I have to get up, I set my laptop on it. So, I had set it there before they came...well, after her mom and dad got back we were sitting in here talking and she started climbing up on it and turning around and sitting down. She would sit there with her feet hanging over the edge and just laugh and clap her hands. (We clap our hands and tell her 'good job!' when she accomplishes things. )

While she was here she has this little book and each animal has a spot to feel...she brought it and got in my lap. As we went through it, she would take my finger and have me feel the fur. She is changing so much, sometimes I wish I could just press pause for a little bit.