Steven Helmer Publications

I debated going for a walk today, both because I knew the trails would be muddy after the rain we got and because of a pain in one of my hamstrings that likely is either from a pull or old age. Ultimately, I decided to go mostly because I realized the latter feels better if I move around and, as it turned out, it was a good day for photos too. The first discovery was the baby turtles that are finally hatching. I was able to get photos of two, including one with my cell phone for scale. The second discovery was the deer that is hiding out in the wooded area in the middle of the park. I figured there was one in there again because I heard something moving around last week but it finally made enough of an appearance for me to get some photos. I made sure to thank the deer for being ultra cooperative as I had to change positions multiple times to keep my camera from focusing solely on the trees and grass around it. Here are some of the photos: ______________________________________________...

There is talk of bad storms again tomorrow, so I made sure to get out for a walk with my camera today, while the weather was nice. I didn't see a ton on the walk but did get some photos, including one of a baby turtle, which unfortunately scurried away before I could place something down (like a quarter) to show how small it was in comparison. Anyway, here are some of those photos:

Happy May Day! The weather was beautiful today so I was finally able to get out with my camera again. Just in time too. The baby turtles are starting to pop out.

As a general rule, I avoid interfering with nature when I can. And, that was the case today too, when I came across this little guy (or girl) while on my walk. But, I must admit, I was tempted to help it out. It was quite a distance away from the closest body of water and had to climb up a hill to get to it. Instead, however, I decided to wish it luck and  let it continue its trek on its own. Of course, I still took a couple photos first.

When I first saw this little guy (or girl) while on my walk at lunch today, I thought it was dead. I walked right up on it and it didn't budge. However, when I (gently) tapped it with my foot and its head moved, I was able to confirm it was still alive. It must have just been too young to know better than to scurry away from a human. I was able to get some photos of it and then left it alone to figure out its path on its own. I didn't have a quarter (or any other change) with me so I included a photo of the turtle next to my keys for scale.