How The Turtleback Journey Began
When my twins Grant and Grace were in second grade, Grant and his classmates were given the task of caring for several Diamond Back Terrapin turtles that were rescued in the great marsh of Sandy Neck on Cape Cod.
All year long we followed their progress and when spring came it was nearing the time when they would be released. Grant developed quite an interest in turtles and soon asked if we could get one at home. I explained that turtle's belong in the wild and only if they were threatened was it okay to take actions to care for them. Grant was persistent but I held my ground. I told him that, “If it were meant to be then a turtle would find us.” Later that week as I was mowing my lawn I suddenly ran out of gas and as I stepped off the mower right there in the middle of the lawn under my feet was a baby turtle the size of a quarter. I looked around and thought; what on earth are you doing here? I also thought that he had been left there by a predator of some kind. As I looked at the little turtle I said, "well you found us! I am sure you are here to teach us something, I just don’t know what!"
When Grant returned home from school that day I was happy to make the introduction of the baby turtle to my son. He had manifested his turtle, and we promptly named him Tucker. We converted a large fish tank that wasn't being used and then made him a home. He was a painted turtle and he seemed to be very tired but otherwise healthy. We consulted with my son’s teacher (a registered and trained professional) and she provided us with the food and instructions we would need to care for him while we waited for him to reach a size when he could be released into the wild just like the Terrapins. A year passed and Tucker had grown and it was now time to release him. We said our goodbye's and we felt good that we had given him a second chance at life. We had learned that every turtle counted and that a single action by a single person could help to make a difference.
After the release of Tucker I started to notice turtles more often. There were the chance encounters with them as we were biking, we found ourselves on Turtle Cove Road and we began to notice turtle decals on countless cars. We stumbled upon random books and movies, even paint colors that where named after turtles. Then people started sending me turtle figures and telling me turtle stories. I discovered that there was a whole population of people who loved turtles. Often times they don’t know why and they can’t explain it and the best they usually come up with is that turtles are just cool! The Rock Band I play in had decided to change our name, and Turtleback was what we chose from our list of potentials. I started to research turtles and quickly came upon the significant role they played in ancient tribes from across the world. They clearly held a sacred and mystical place among these tribes and I believe they hold a similar place in todays culture. The more I learned about turtles the more I realized they were a large part of life here on the Cape and beyond.
As this continued over the following years and the encounters continued it seemed clear that there was a message that was being sent and indeed Tucker the turtle was teaching us something. We have tried to convey that message with Turtleback Ltd. As we continue to learn and explore. We hope that you hear the message that Turtleback is sending so you can begin your own journey to Give Back, Go Deep and above all remember It's All About The Journey!
