Maggie and Aaron, Grant

Maggie called yesterday to bring me up to date. She often talks with Mama but I do not always get those details. She told me that one day recently Aaron got granted “sunshine liberty”. That is, he got off work early because the sun was actually shining. It was bright and beautiful. In order to use the time to their advantage they went to Douglas Island.

Douglas Island is a tidal island just west of Juneau. At low tide the island is connected to the mainland by an exposed strip of land that disappears when the tide comes in. Maggie said they hiked a little but mostly drove around to see the sights. I was reading that one of the attractions is a real sand beach – the only sand beach in in that area – which is made of mine waste rock (tailings) that are accumulated there. There is a point on the island that is familiar to the locals where you can watch the whales. That would be fun.

She was also telling me she has felt the baby kick hard enough that it can be felt on the outside of her belly. Aaron has not been successful in feeling that movement yet but it will not be long before both of them are less enamored with such antics from their first child. Maggie still has about five months to go so there will be more than ample opportunity to get kicked and punched by the little one…at least for Maggie and Aaron. Still it is exciting to know a little baby is being “knit together” in her womb.

Cori also called because Grant had something to tell me. When they all went out yesterday Cori watched the car in front of her swing wide in the lane as if to avoid something. She was concentrating on that when Grant called out “Turtle!” He has spotted the box turtle in the lane so Cori turned back to “rescue” the reptile from almost certain death. After it finished peeing on her – a most unpleasant habit of turtles and frogs – they took it home to watch it crawl about the yard.

Grant told me the details in a non-stop narrative which was quite fun to listen to. When I asked if they were going to try to keep the turtle, he told me matter-of-factly that Sarge would not quit biting it. So the poor box turtle went from almost certain death to relatively certain death. At least there were no plans of a permanent relocation to the Mortenson back yard.

So now we know the answer to the age old question; why did the turtle cross the road? To let Grant find it and play with it until it made its daring-  albeit, cumbersome and slow - escape.

I hope mommy got some pictures so he can put them on his bedroom door.