Tom Studebaker was driving his two young daughters to their home in Jamul when he spotted something moving slowly onto Lyons Valley Road in front of them.
Studebaker was shocked when the UCO (unidentified crawling object) turned out to be an African tortoise.
He cautiously picked up the huge creature, measuring about 3 feet long and weighing a hefty 70 pounds, and lowered it into his truck. Then he detoured to the home of a neighbor with a pet enclosure, where they fed the tortoise lettuce and apples.
The next day, when Studebaker visited the local hardware store, his mystery was solved. Store owner Jeff Birren, a Jamul-Dulzura school board member, turned out to be the tortoise's keeper.
The fugitive was Clark, about 40 years old, who had been roaming the Jamul countryside for a couple of days after escaping with another tortoise apprehended the day before. Clark was caught about a mile from his home.
Birren belongs to a local tortoise rescue society and currently cares for six of the giant African tortoises. Still missing is George, a 40-pounder who escaped in June.
Studebaker's wife, Kelli, wonders: “What will we find next out here. A rhino?”
Palin meet & greet
Orange County probably will be as close to San Diego as GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin gets before the election, said Karolyn Dorsee, finance director of the San Diego McCain campaign.
Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain and Palin, the Alaska governor, will appear next Thursday evening at a fundraiser at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. As RSVPs grew, the event was relocated, first from a private home to a hotel, then to the performance center. The meet-and-greet tickets cost $1,000 to $2,500.
As of yesterday, Dorsee said about 150 San Diegans had signed up.
Meanwhile, real estate developer and GOP donor Mark McMillin has come up with a new twist on the “Women for McCain” slogan. McMillin is printing a bumper sticker that says: “Men for Palin.”
Next Padres catcher?
Ever since diehard Padres fan Maxine Gellens was hit in the face by a foul ball at Petco Park last year, the season-ticket holder has worn a stylish pink catcher's mask to games.
Gellens apparently has a dangerous attraction for baseballs. She was the recipient of yet another errant ball at Petco Park on a recent day. This time, a spectator about seven seats away was bonked in the head. The ball ricocheted into the aisle, bounced and then landed in Gellens' lap.
Without hesitation, she made her way to the injured fan and graciously presented him with the baseball, earning the applause of spectators.
After all, a Giants fan had snatched away the ball that sent her to the emergency room, so Gellens didn't even get it as a souvenir.
San Diego on display
The Travel Channel visited San Diego last week to work on a new show starring Bridget Marquardt, who co-stars in “The Girls Next Door,” the E! Entertainment Television reality show featuring Playboy's Hugh Hefner and his three girlfriends.
The new program, “Bridget's Beaches,” follows Marquardt to beaches around the United States.
Joining her during the San Diego taping was “The Girls Next Door” co-star Kendra Wilkinson, who hails from Clairemont.
Good citizens
About 150 members of the Fiesta Island Dog Owners group collected some interesting items as they picked up trash there on a recent day. Their take included: one pair of bright red underwear, several odd shoes, rebar and lumber scraps, one dead ground squirrel and several snakeskins.
After weighing in, the volunteers, grateful for use of Fiesta Island's 95-acre fenced dog park, learned they had removed more than a half-ton of garbage and debris.
Diane Bell's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Fax items to (619) 260-5009; call (619) 293-1518; e-mail to diane.bell@uniontrib.com; or mail to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Box 120191, San Diego 92112-0191.
