Green Turtle
This is just a close up of a gourd I just finished
- mainly because the photo that I took from farther
back had too much glare. (I do need to work on my
photo skills). The actual size of this gourd is about
10 inches tall, 12 inches in diameter - sturdy and
stable.
Green Turtle was inspired by photos from my niece (and
goddaughter) who is in Australia right now. Soon she
will be returning from this very special class that
she has had the grand opportunity to take -- courtesy
of Stanford University (and her Dad, too, of course).
I don't know what Holly is heading for, but I have
no doubt that it is something good for the world. She
has been snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef near
a place called Heron Island and had the opportunity
to travel along with at least one green turtle. I suspect
that the turtle harbored no affection for Holly, although
maybe some mild interest. Green Turtle mom's lay their
eggs on the beach and never stick around to get to
know their children. So, like a typical reptiles, they
probably do not have the gift of compassion. But if
they could only know Holly, they would love her!!!
Whether they have compassion or intelligence or not,
they sure have some top notch navigational skills.
They spend a lot of time traveling great distances
across the ocean until it is time to lay eggs. Then
the Moms go back to their exact place of birth, bury
their eggs in the sand, and leave them to fend for
themselves. It was ironic that I turned on the TV last
night and caught a quick glimpse of a National Geographic
special (by chance) showing baby Green Turtles making
a made dash for the ocean right after hatching. They
seemed extremely vulnerable, but many made it!
You might wonder why they are called Green Turtles,
because the gourd shows this guy as orangish and brown,
mostly. In fact, there is nothing about the outside
of them that is anything close to green. It turns out
that people who eat these turtles learned that the
color of their fat is, in fact, green. I prefer not
to think about that too much.
The money for this gourd will go to UNICEF, or M.O.R.E.
I am also open to having to a different non-profit
that you desire, as long as it is for a good cause
such as human rights, environmental protection, or
public health.
Margie Lopez Read