We were following a local on a honda, guiding us along a back road beside the levees of the Mississippi, past sugar cane fields. There plumb in the middle of the road was a big turtle waiting to be saved.
I stopped and before long we were all admiring the baggy grandmother who didn’t pull her head in as usual but struck out with an agression and speed that surprised us. We were told it was an “alligator snapping turtle” and they get to 400 pounds and 3 feet across and can bite a finger off easily.
We were then joined by a Deputy Sherriff who offered to take us for a tour of the nearby church, gave us maps of the area AND said he would take the turtle for supper as they are great with sauce. We wondered if we should have risked getting on the wrong side of the law and saved our poor friend from the pot but then noticed the gun hanging from the belt and got chicken.
Other interesting “road kill” is the armadillo that some locals call Possum in a half-shell due to the way you serve it. Not intending to eat it but may have done already.
Thanks to those who sent my 94 year old mum a birthday card, it really made her day .
Comments are closed.