Our September virtual Turtle gatherings brought together members from across the United States and Europe for another entertaining day of conversation, club updates, Turtle stories, and a little friendly competition.
We held two gatherings this month, one at 3 PM and another at 8 PM, giving members in different time zones more opportunities to join in.
The 3 PM Gathering
Our earlier gathering included several of our Turtle friends from the Netherlands and featured a wide-ranging conversation about pets, wildlife, travel, Freemasonry, and, of course, the Turtle Club.
One of the more heartfelt moments came as Chiel-Jan shared the recent loss of his dog, Pinot, who had been part of his family for 18 years. That led to a thoughtful conversation about the remarkable bond people develop with their dogs and other animals.
The discussion eventually wandered into hunting, wildlife, birds, dogs, cats, turtles, and even some interesting stories about military aircraft and aviation in the Netherlands. As usual, Turtle gatherings have a way of covering a lot of ground.
We also heard about plans involving several of our Dutch Turtle friends who will be traveling to England as part of the formation of a new Masonic lodge under the United Grand Lodge of England. We hope to hear more about that adventure โ and perhaps see a few pictures โ at a future gathering.
There was also talk about the need for some proper Turtle cigars, which may require a little Turtle procurement adventure of its own.
A Look at the New Turtle Directory
During both meetings, Dave demonstrated the newly improved TurtleClub.us member directory.
What were previously separate directory systems have now been brought together into a much more useful member directory featuring an interactive map.
Members can now explore Turtle locations, view profiles, identify different membership levels, and use the private contact system to reach other Turtles without publicly displaying personal email addresses.
The directory now includes more than 3,000 member profiles, and improvements are continuing.
The next major piece of work involves the Turtle Ponds. We are working to improve the Pond listings, connect them properly with their Master Turtles, and eventually make the Pond system work more closely with the new directory and map.
The 8 PM Gathering
The evening meeting brought in Turtles from around the country, including members joining from Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and other locations.
Members caught up on local weather, sports, travel, Turtle activities, and plenty of the usual Turtle conversation.
The new directory demonstration also turned into some valuable real-world testing.
A couple of members discovered that they could not properly edit their directory profiles, giving us some specific account and permission issues to investigate. That kind of feedback is extremely helpful as we continue refining the new system.
If you are listed in the Turtle Directory, take a few minutes to find yourself, check your information, add or update your photo, and make sure everything looks right.
Turtle Race Winner!
Of course, no gathering would be complete without a little Turtle competition.
The evening group held another Turtle Race featuring contenders including Speedy, Flash, Turbo, Rocket, Blaze, and Storm.
This month’s winner was:
Justice Morgan!
Justice earned a free Turtle Club T-shirt and will be receiving her prize after sending us her preferred shirt size and mailing information.
Congratulations, Justice!
Marathon Turtle Gathering
We also talked about the upcoming in-person Turtle gathering in Marathon, Florida, scheduled for October.
Plans include visiting the Turtle Hospital and spending some quality time together in the Florida Keys.
The original hotel group booking deadline has passed, but members who are interested in joining us should still reach out. We would love to have more Turtles come along if accommodations can still be arranged.
Join Us Next Month
One of the best things about these gatherings is that you never quite know where the conversation will go.
One minute we’re talking about Turtle Club website improvements, the next we’re discussing dogs, wildlife, airplanes, baseball, Freemasonry, Florida travel, or how someone first became a Turtle.
That’s part of what makes the Turtle Club fun.
Our virtual gatherings are held on the third Tuesday of each month, with both afternoon and evening opportunities to participate.
Watch your email and TurtleClub.us for the next gathering information.
Until then, keep spreading the word, keep meeting fellow Turtles, and remember:
Once a Turtle, Always a Turtle!
