Stick 'em up!

A story from our vacation in Idaho - mainly told by my Dad - (the bold writing is my comments!) Well, let me think. It was on a Tuesday afternoon in McCall, Idaho. While the ladies were checking out some of the shops, Todd, Carter and I decided to take advantage of an ice cream shop which was located off the beaten path, between the buildings and near the alley. We placed our order and then moved around to the other side to await our delicious ice cream treats. I was thinking we might sit down on the two chairs nearby and set my favorite Canon digital SLR camera down on the ground beside the chairs. While Todd kept track of Carter, I went up to the window to get the ice cream, handing the first two to Todd then getting mine. Todd and Carter then headed down the alleyway back to the sidewalk so I just hurried to keep up. Bad news, I was totally forgetting about the camera. We were enjoying the ice cream and watching for the girls. Todd called Steph and we found out they were in a bookstore up the street where we soon joined them. After finishing our treats, I was helping Todd get the stroller out the door of the store and collect the paraphernalia (huh? guess that means all our stuff!) when it dawned on me - I didn't have my camera! I quickly told the nearest person (I don't even know who that was now) and ran down the alley to the ice cream shop. (I think it was me he told, I remember the look on his face, all I could think of was him leaving his first digital camera in a rental car about 6 years ago). The camera was gone. I asked the girls behind the counter but no one had turned it in to them and they hadn't seen anything. I realized then that it was probably gone forever. (c'mon dad where's your optimism?) I walked back to the sidewalk and looked around to see if I noticed anyone with a Canon camera strap over their shoulder or otherwise looking suspicious. Nothing. I walked back toward the store and broke the news to the rest of the group, feeling sheepish and careless. (When he got back w/o his camera I just wanted to cry, felt so bad for him) Todd and Steph were ready to leave town to head back to the house and promised to watch along the way for any clues. I expected nothing. I decided to walk back along the sidewalk just hoping to spot something or someone. Very soon, I looked down the sidewalk and saw Todd running toward me from a block away. (We had decided to stop and go back to the ice cream shop and as we drove by saw a guy walking w/o his shirt on, carrying something VERY suspicious looking wrapped in his shirt in front of him - I told Todd to "check him out".) I assumed that meant they had seen something so I started running toward him. (This was the best part, as I watched from the car I saw Todd running at the guy and Dad running from the other direction!! As Arja put it, they should have had lassos!) When we met, there was a guy standing there with no shirt on, in fact, he was holding his shirt with something wrapped in it. When he saw us, he said "Hey, it's you. I was looking for you." (Ya right, so I wrapped it in my shirt?!? Very odd story he had!) He then unwrapped the shirt and their was my Canon! He said he had picked it up at the ice cream shop so that no one else would run off with it. He tried to find us and when he didn't, he went back to the ice cream shop and asked if I had been there. They told him I had, but I didn't leave a phone number. (My bad.) He had left his phone number in case I came back again. He said he was a native of McCall and had come back there to live and work because of the good people. I first offered to buy him some ice cream but thought better of it since I thought the return of the camera was worth much more than that. He accepted my offer of a $20 bill and went on his way. I was very relieved to have the camera back; although I will admit to a fleeting thought that it would give me a good excuse to buy the new camera I thought I needed (wanted?). (Hmm... but then I couldn't "inherit" the old one!) Now I know that some might see the circumstances a little differently and perhaps my memory sees the best side of everybody but at least the missing camera was returned. (Good ol' Dad!)

This was definitely a "had to be there" experience, but I had to at least try and share the story! Hope you enjoyed it!