Another Side Of This Life

 Mostly I write about motorcycles,traveling cars and that sort of stuff because I really love that.There is also a side of me that I don't talk about very often , my tortoises .I have three tortoises and have been caring for them for over 30 years now.They are wonderful little creatures that bring me a great amount of joy. I keep them in my little studio and hang out with them when I paint. When I'm not painting I'm in there through out the day,talking to them ,feeding them,cleaning up after them, and just making sure they are ok. Their names are Ted , Tess , and Smiley. Ted and Tess are small Chaco tortoises from the desert of Argentina I believe. They were about 10 years old and very neglected when we found them. Tess was near death. The vet said to put her down but we decided to help her  and here we are 30 years later and they are both doing good. Smiley is a Red Foot tortoise from the rain forest in central America or northern South America. She was captive bread and we found her in a pet store as a 4 inch baby . She was probably 1 year old . We bought her and raised her .She and I became very close and had a real bond between us. Over the years I made a nice large pen out in the yard for them in warm weather and built them good size homes in the room I use as a studio where they had the space to walk , climb,and hide in their hiding spaces. Life with these guys has been very good for me .I've developed relationships with all three of them and the amount of happiness they have given me is incredible.  This was Smiley way back in 2004 when we were moving. She was always wanting to explore.

Once we were here in the new place I built a  pen outside for them to hang out in and we all spent hours hanging out.

All three of them love to climb on the rocks and just wander around . Smiley passed away on Thursday Dec 12 2024 from kidney failure. It happened so fast.She was fine being her old self then didn't eat for two days and was gone. She was a member of my family for close to 30 years and I miss her so.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QFQI7rMtAZndm-hkCo4Em_ApNGJk_Nqc/view?usp=drive_link