Lost … and Found.

I got home from going out to the Great Salt Lake to take some pictures and as I put my camera case on the counter I noticed my school keys were not hanging on the lanyard hooked to the case handle.

F&@%.  Yup, I said it.  At least once.

I rummaged through the trunk of the car, hoping that they had fallen off in there.  No luck.  That meant they were somewhere between my house and the Great Salt Lake, including a stop at Liberty Park.  I seriously considered just giving up here, assuming I’d never find them, and fessing up at school tomorrow.

First stop – Liberty Park.  I parked outside the park because, well, it’s Memorial Day and driving through the park would take forever.

There was a family gathering at the table I sat at and I went up to them and asked if they had seen any keys around the table.  They were incredibly sweet and even grandma helped search the grass around the area.  No luck yet.  I headed off to retrace my steps and they assured me that if they found the keys they would let me know when I passed going back to my car.  I went halfway across the park, asked if anyone had turned anything in at the concession stand, found a parks worker and she let me look in their lost & found, and even went to the Tracy Aviary gift shop.  No luck, nowhere.

I’m halfway out to the Great Salt Lake, on I-80 going about 90 MPH (145 KPH) when two Highway Patrol cars on the other side of the freeway flip on their lights and head off towards the median.  More cursing, lost keys and a ticket.  I pull into the right lane and slow down to a legal 75 (121) and the adrenaline rises as I see them in the left lane catching up to me.  Please, just let me get to the exit so I don’t have to sit on the side of the freeway to get the ticket.

My signal is on, I ‘m headed into the exit lane as they blow past me because it wasn’t me they flipped around for.  My luck is getting better, I start to feel like maybe, just maybe, I’m gonna find my keys.

I spent 20 minutes retracing my steps, deducing where I sat and the paths I walked, rummaging through dry grass and under rocks.  I’m about to give up and start up the hill back to the car. 

There they are!  Relieved that I found my keys and happy I took the time to come back out to look for them, I head home.

From now on, the keys go in the camera case.