Up ahead I spied a turtle on a log, and I got out my telephoto lens to make an identification.  The carapace was high domed and shot with red, and where the plastron curved up on the sides were the black 'porthole' spots. This was a Florida Redbelly Turtle, Pseudemys nelsoni, and a new species for all three of us.  I tried to quietly sneak closer for a photograph, which proved to be rather difficult in a solo canoe with just enough current to put the craft in a tailspin.  I got a couple distance shots before the turtle blooped into the water.  Not the best shots, but it was a pleasure to see this turtle just the same.

We also spotted a Brown Water Snake, Nerodia taxispilota, coiled around a cypress knee, but like the Redbelly Turtle, it hit the water before we could get close.  On we paddled, spotting more turtles on logs here and there.  Every now and then a large fish would leap out of the water and make a big splash. 

We had put in the water around ten o'clock, and now it was approaching noon.  We hadn't made a lot of forward progress so far, but we were having a good time.  As our stomachs began to rumble and food came to the front of our minds, dry land began to appear to starboard - Billy's Island.