Shlomo Sees Himself

One of Ben's two turtles, Shlomo, sees himself in the wall of his terrarium. It was an existential moment.

Actually, both of Ben's red-eared sliders are named Shlomo. I thought it was a good move, as you really can't tell one from the other anyway.

The Mini-Cooper of Tanks

Ben came "home" to celebrate a friend's birthday, and I suggested that rather than taking the bus back to Philly Saturday night, I'd drive him back on Sunday.

On the way up US 95, I decided to make an impromptu visit to the Army Ordinance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. I'd taken the kids when they were quite small, so long ago that Ben doesn't remember the trip.

Here, Ben stands by a French Hotchkiss H35 Light Tank, a machine that may have been as dangerous to its operators as to the enemy. But newly renovated in that very cool paint scheme, Ben thought it would be nice for tooling around Philly.

Update 7/8/2008: Whoops, I insulted this tank - but not by much. It's actually a Renault R35. Why does it not surprise me that the French made crappy pre-war tanks?