"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Has This Ever Happened to You?

     Last week B and I took a little vacation on Cape Cod. We packed B's minivan to the gills with pretty much everything we own, including my Canon digital camera. As soon as we arrived at our rental -- a small house, but right on the bay -- I started taking lots of pictures, including many shots of the incredible view we had out our kitchen and living room windows, overlooking Buzzard's Bay, with the Bourne Bridge way off in the distance.

     I took pictures of the sunset. I took pictures of the fishing boats that came by in the morning, and the big container ships that passed by out in the channel. I photographed the seagulls that perched on our rocks. I took pictures of our friends who retired to the Cape a few years ago. And I took pictures of Falmouth, Hyannis, Brewster, Eastham. All beautiful pictures.

     And then, yesterday, when we went to pack up the car, I could not find my camera. I remembered putting it in the car the day before. It was in the back seat, I know. But I looked all over the back seat, under the front seat, all around the back of the car, even under the car in the driveway in case it fell out.

     Nothing.

     I called the lost-and-found at the Falmouth Visitors Center, and I phoned the police. There was no sign of any camera that had been turned in. The police officer on the phone was very nice. She took my number, in case someone came in with a camera. She suggested I try the local pawn shop. Really? I said. Oh, sure, she replied. I've seen it all.

    I didn't go in to the pawn shop. That seemed ridiculous. And honestly, I don't know why I'm revealing all this. It seems unlikely, but the camera must have fallen out of the car, somehow, maybe when I was grabbing my jacket or tossing in that souvenir I bought. I feel like a complete lame brain. But, come on, you've probably left something behind on vacation, at some point, haven't you?

     Meanwhile, these two pictures of Cape Cod are from a previous visit . . . because, obviously, I don't have any pictures to show from this trip.


13 comments:

DJan said...

It has happened to me more than once. The funny thing is, the camera has always turned up somewhere. I don't know how I could have overlooked it in the places that I found it. I do hope yours will turn up. Sending positive thoughts your way! :-)

Barb said...

I'm ashamed to say that happens to me. also with keys. However my blog pictures are always by phone lately because I dropped mine on the garage floor while taking yard sale photos. Gulp.Past warranty so it looks like sometime in the next month I will have to step up and buy a new one.

stephen Hayes said...

On a recent trip to Turkey I lost my pants, left them hanging in the closet. This was the first time I'd thought to be nice and neat but I walked off and left them hanging in the hotel. When I realized what I'd done I raced back but they were gone. I wouldn't have thought anyone in Turkey was fat and short enough to want MY pants.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your camera shows up.

denise said...

I went on a mini shopping spree when my first grandchild arrived. When I got back home, I realized I didn't have my credit card. I went through the hassles of getting a new one and setting up my automatic payments again all the while figuring the original card would show up but it appears to be truly lost.

Douglas said...

I rarely lose things on vacation trips but I have lost any number of things moving from place to place. Frustrating, isn't it?

Meryl Baer said...

Hopefully someone will find it and turn it in. My husband lost his briefcase on the subway in Hong Kong and figured he would never see it again. Someone turned it in. My niece left her iPad on a Megabus and a good Samaritan returned it.

Linda Myers said...

Somewhere between packing up on our last day in the Masai Mara in Kenya and arriving home in Seattle, I lost my walking shoes. It could have been anyone - including a person checking our luggage in Nairobi or Amsterdam.

I'm almost positive I didn't leave them lying on the bed in our tent.

Friko said...

Oh dear, how sad. And annoying. Could the camera have been stolen? I think people can open cars sometimes without leaving a trace.

I’ve lost many items, mislaid them, left them behind after carefully putting them somewhere where I couldn’t possibly overlook them.

Lame brain? Join the throng.

I hope it turns up, it’s shame to lose pictures.

Barbara said...

When my son got married I did all the flowers, worked with his wife, who is also an artist, on redesigning the family barn,to create the most gorgeous wedding I've ever seen. (I've seen and worked on a lot)
They had a fabulous photographer, but I wanted my own photos, too. I took tons of shots all day and night. Got back to the hotel and realized I didn't have my camera. We went back and scoured the entire farm! It has never turned up anywhere.
So here's my tip...for major life events...never take it from around your neck!
b

Anonymous said...

I'm very careful, in fact doubly careful with my property because I could never afford to replace what I could lose or have stolen. Nonetheless, despite all my proper planning, I did misplace my sunglasses this summer. I called everywhere. Nothing. So, reluctently I had to buy a new pair and new UV tinted lenses and forgo an eye exam to make up the deficit.
My spouse however often losses his iPhone. A very nice college student found it, called back the number (because I kept calling it to see if the person who had it would answer). She told me where she was and we drove back to the park to pick it up. She said she understands how valuable an iPhone can be. Since then, we have activated the 'find my iPhone, iPad etc.' app for these items.
Since you left your camera in your car, odds are very good someone opened the doors and stole it. We have been repeatedly advised that this is a new crime wave and not to leave valuables of any kind in plain site in a car.
Sorry for your loss.

Olga said...

I can lose things without even moving from one place to another. Somethings just seem to disappear--keys, scissors, camera, glasses. My glasses are the worst because I can't see without them so they are really hard to find.

schmidleysscribblins.wordpress.com said...

No, knock on wood. I am fanatical about my cameras.
Too bad you lost yours. Dianne

Anonymous said...

You should have checked the pawn shop, one year while my husband worked he found the 2 radios that were stolen from the same huyndai right across the street from where he worked, somehow the thieves managed to get into our tiny car and jack the radios, he found them both, thanks to God he put his social security number on each of them we got them back but he never ever put them back into the car..he told his boss if he could not get a transfer he was quitting this was at the 25 year work mark..He was immediately transferred nearer to our home..He never put another radio in that tiny car and we used it until almost 300,000 miles was on it..We are careful and never take anything to tourist places as the police in most of the towns we travel to in Washington tell us it is a paradise for people to rip off the tourists!!!!!!!!!!!!!!