nicholas got a tortoise for his birthday last year from my dad- ‘big daddy’ and named him franklin. he was one of the coolest pets i have ever owned. franklin never ceased to amaze me with his instinct to survive – which is a great skill to have in our house. one morning he was out grazing in our backyard and managed to push the gate open and wander out. we looked for weeks for this guy, hoping that we would find him somewhere. i’m sad to say we never did. we will never know what happened to franklin but he will not be forgotten- he holds a special place in a little boy’s heart that will be there forever. where ever you are franklin- we miss you! 