Snapping Turtles in Haliburton, Ontario

A few weeks ago, it was the time when turtles are laying their eggs. We saw a lot of snapping turtles (or snappers) on the side of the roads looking for places to lay their eggs. I wanted to take some photos, so we decided to stop. They don't move very quickly which makes it easy to get within range for taking photos. I used an 18-200 mm lens so that I wouldn't have to get too close and disturb them. These were taken on Elephant Lake Road in Haliburton County, Ontario.


I looked up snapping  turtles on the internet so that I could find out more about them. The only real thing I knew about them is that we were a bit afraid of them and would move them out of our lake into another one whenever we found one. It wasn't too thrilling for us when we later moved to the very lake where we had put them into the water. 

Snapping turtles are the largest freshwater turtles in Canada. They are impressive to see, especially when you get up close and see how "ugly" or prehistoric looking they are. They grow to an average length of 20-36 cm (8 - 14.2 in) and weigh from 4.5-16.0 kg (10 - 35 lb).

Apparently, these turtles can live to well over 100 years old. They cannot pull their head and legs into their shell, so will snap at anything that appears to be a danger to them. However, it is still safe to swim in the same waters as the turtles because they have not been known to bite when in the water. 

 These females are at least 17 years old, as they do not breed until they are 17 to 19 years old. They  will lay between 40 - 50 eggs, which will hatch in the fall. The baby turtles are about the size of a loonie when they hatch.  

This female had not laid any eggs at this point, but was digging a very deep hole to lay them in. She is digging in the side of the road where the gravel is very soft and easier for her to dig in. 

I didn't realize when I started looking at information about the snappers that they can live for such a long time. Their life span is longer than most humans. The majority of us do not live to be 100. Our lives here on earth are shorter than this. We need to make the most of our time here on earth, and most importantly, we need to be prepared for when we leave this world. We will meet the Creator of this world and the Creator of us. 

But to all who did receive Him (Jesus), 

who believed in His name, 

He gave the right to become children of God

John 1:12

Dandelions

Dandelions ... most people hate them ... others like them. They are a weed, and usually are not wanted, especially on nicely manicured lawns. I enjoy the looks of the dandelions when they are bright and yellow and I enjoy the look when they look like powder balls and are ready to spread their seeds. I took these with some backlight from the sun, and then sprayed some water on them to see what they would look like. 

The following picture is actually a composite of two pictures . We tried blowing the dandelion while I tried to take the picture, but I couldn't get the timing correct. So ... when I saw this little seed by itself, hanging by a thread, I took the picture and put the two of them together as a composite.

When God created the world, He created the plants to have seeds and have the seeds grow into plants. What an amazing way to have things continue on. God provides for the plants and He provides for us. 

Come and see what God has done: 

He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man.

Psalm 66:5

Forget-me-not Water Drops

I had some time to try some more water drops. Originally I thought I could use a forget-me-not on the background to show as a reflection in the water drop.  I didn't have any success with that (will have to try again). So ... instead I put a few small flowers on the water surface itself, and took some pictures. Not all of them turned out the way I wanted, but I was able to get a few that turned out okay. I'll have to try some more using flowers and water drops.

I like this time of year. It's good to see the new growth around us, and the beautiful flowers that God provides and looks after. There is beauty all around us. We need to praise the One who made everything.

They speak of the glorious splendor of Your Majesty

— and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.

Psalm 145:5

Portrait Sketches

I've had this sitting on my desktop for awhile, and thought I would put it up this week. 

I worked some more on changing photos to sketches, and chose some portraits because I thought they could work well in this format. The directions (see a previous post: Bird Sketches) I'm following are easy to use, but it takes some practice to get the effect.  I've learned that you need to use a photo that is fairly light. It does not seem to work as well with very dark objects. I've always enjoyed sketching, so this is a good combination for me. Each of these have turned out differently as I'm learning and experimenting. 

Each of us is different, just as the photo-sketches have been different, mostly because I am still  learning. God has made each one of us to be unique. You and I can celebrate those differences and enjoy them. 

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8