Gayzer was really found one morning as my three daughters, Laura (7), Alli (4), and Charlie (1) came home from church with their grandparents.  The grandmother really did scream and make Gayzer ride home in a plastic bag.  He stayed with us for a few days where I took him to visit Alli's preschool class.  The teacher was a little scared of him at first, but was a really good sport and ended up letting him stay for the entire day.  He was safe in his box the whole time.  After that we took him to the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve where he still lives and is used as an educational turtle.  He sometimes travels to schools in the Auburn, AL area and often participates in programs on site at the Ecology Preserve.

Anyone can visit him at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve.  They are open 7 days a week during sunlight hours and admission is free.  Gayzer lives in the turtle habitat located near handicap parking and the amphitheater.  You have to look closely in the pen to find him, searching like Samantha's mom did in the story.  Look under the log and around the rocks, but most warm days he can be found if you look hard enough.  During the winter he still lives in the habitat, but burrows down under the leaves and hibernates.  We don't see him at all until the air warms up and he comes out again in the spring.