My husband, Hubert, and I planned a nice trip to California. Although it
would be a working trip, we anticipated some fun and relaxation. It began with
us spending a day with my 5th cousin whom I had never met before. We had a
great day visiting with him and his wife at Burney Falls State Park - a
beautiful place. We chatted for hours as though we had always known each
other.
We then drove to Jamestown where I did three days of book signings. The
first two were at the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. That is always
enjoyable as friendly families are there to ride the old steam train used in so
many movies and TV shows. Since part of my novel, The Seamstress of
Jamestown, involved the train first coming to Jamestown, it is a perfect
place for interesting historical conversations. The workers there are full of
old train lore, so I enjoyed the two day visit immensely.
The next day I signed books in front of the 1859 Historic National Hotel. Several chapters of my story take place there, including the true story of the origin of Flo, the ghost in residence there. I met other striving (or is that starving) authors and three town drunks, who were quite friendly and talkative.
Then south to San Juan Capistrano to fix up our family condo. We spent a
week unpacking boxes, cleaning, moving furniture, posting stuff to sell on
Craig's List, hanging pictures, and reorganizing every closet. Tiring but rewarding.
The trip home was to be uneventful and fast (for two old folks). We drove to
Lodi and stayed in our favorite hotel, Motel 6. That is obviously not for the
ambiance, but the price. We got in so late that we got the last room - a
handicapped room. It was actually large, very clean, and quite nice. We also
got the last spot in the parking lot. I made 4 trips to the car carrying in only
what we needed for the night. We both brought in our overnight bags. I brought
in my immersion mixer, measuring cup and spoon, ingredients for the Dr. Budwig
muesli, homemade apple sauce, homemade beet juice, box of pills, my purse, plus
all the meats & cheeses so they wouldn't go bad in the cooler in the car
whose ice was already melted. It was about 90 degrees. Hubert wanted the car to
cool down overnight so he left the windows cracked an inch. (I know, I know,
you can see what's coming...)
In the morning, after we drank our beet juice, I made the muesli for Hubert.
That was followed by him taking a plethora of pills with the apple sauce. I
went to the car and put our green tote bag in the back seat. I closed the door.
Something was wrong. I stood there and stared into the car.
The cooler was missing. It was one of those that you plug into the outlet
and keeps food cold while the car is running. I then looked in the front seat
& noticed the contents of the glove compartment strewn on the seat. The
truth was clear. I went back to the room and told Hubert we had been robbed. I
then went to the office and told the nice young gentleman there. The next few
hours were spent with him, a nice police officer, and the manager who came in
even though she wasn't scheduled. They spent much more time with us than I
could imagine is normal. They showed us the photos taken by their new cameras,
and posted them on Facebook and the bulletin board at the police department. We
couldn't have had more kindness and concern if we were staying at a Hilton or
Marriott. In the end, we lost the cooler, my laptop, and our GPS. I am very
grateful they did not see my camera on the floor in front of the passenger seat
- photos are a treasure to me. I am a little insulted that they didn't have any
interest in taking a box filled with my fascinating novel.
So, we've learned a few things that most of my readers probably already knew. Don't park near the walkway that goes
through to a vacant lot with bushes to hide a criminal. Don't leave
windows open in the crime-infested region of Hwy. 99 in California's central
valley. Fingerprints on a dusty surface cannot be lifted. The good news about
our innocence is that they didn't have to break a window to get in. The video
from the parking lot camera was interesting. A young man on a bicycle scouted the
entire parking lot. He left. He came back with a buddy who used a tool to break
in. They grabbed the items quickly and walked through the walkway and, hidden
by the bushes, and were not seen again.Wiser but poorer.
