Ode to Turtles
My lifelong interest in turtles rushed to the forefront on September 13, 2009. That day was the second for the Fort Klock Craft Fair. We were fortunate to have as our guest Tim Klock, a skilled chainsaw carver from Altoona, PA., and his son Elijah. Our site interpreters, Dave and Darla Klock had discovered Tim through Dave’s genealogical research. After several unique figures appeared from Tim’s chainsaw, I told him there were two parts of a long pine log down in the shed there at the Fort he could use. They were rather special to me since they were cut from a Stone Arabia forest. Tim began on the wood with no suggestion from me as to what to carve… Lo and behold, when he finished he had a finely executed turtle. He could not have come forth with any creature more significant to me. Turtles have touched my life from my very first memory. For 16 years I lived at Marshville, NY. The house was close to the bank of Bowman Creek. In fact, sometimes too close. A creek, like fire, can be frie...