You know how people compare Mitch McConnell with a turtle?

[cab67]

23. handsome animal.

I have a soft spot for eastern paints. They were one of the two species we used to catch when I was a kid in New England and New Jersey. The other was the wood turtle, which in my opinion remains among the top 5 most attractive turtles in the world.

Around here, we get Midland painted turtles. Just as beautiful. But my turtle catching days are pretty much over, so I admire them as they bask on logs.

There used to be "turtle races" in Chester, NJ, when I was in junior high and high school in nearby Flanders. They'd lower the turtles into a large wooden bowl-like structure, and the first turtle to reach the rim won. Most of the turtles in the races were eastern painted turtles - they're really common out there.