The Phone Episode

Yesterday started out as a wonderful day with my BFF and our grandchildren at Harkness Memorial Park. A perfect day for the beach, sunny, hot, and the water was crystal clear and fairly warm. All five children had brightly colored bathing suits and were playing with all the pastel colored buckets and shovels we had carried in. We had a large beach blanket, a striped beach umbrella and coolers full of food to snack on. The children were having a great time in the water, finding special rocks and shells, building fairy houses, and scooping up the large jelly fish that were floating by. They even found the remains of a sand shark and until Diane shushed them, were screaming “SHARK”. Everyone on the beach took notice, as Lily held the headless, two foot long carcass by the tail. All the while, I was snapping photos with my Iphone. I love taking photos and capturing moments. The photos were beautiful, so colorful, action packed and I was excited to post them. BUT..... somehow, I had put the phone in my "top" and somehow, at some point, it fell out, I hadn't noticed. Sometime later, I thought I would check for messages. Hmm, couldn't find the phone. Checking all the bags for the third time, I asked Diane to call my phone.......nothing. Just then, Diane's granddaughter came running up, "Look what I found in the water!" Ugh....... yes, it was my phone. It had been sloshing around in the waves for at least 45 minutes. Needless to say, it was dead. I didn't panic, but was feeling a bit sick in the stomach. We have all heard horror stories of people that have lost their phones. My phone had been found, but was useless. All my contacts, all of my photos...... gone. The phone was only one year old and I was still making payments on it. Of course, I had opted NOT to get the insurance, so I was out of luck. We let the children play for another hour or so, then packed everything and everyone up and hiked back to the car for the ride home. Once home, my granddaughter let me use her phone to call Verizon to see if there was a way to take the battery out......”no”. They suggested putting the phone in a bag with rice, which my Lily had already done. The next suggestion was to put a fan blowing over it. Lily ran and got her little 3” fan I had picked up for the kids at the Dollar store, put new batteries in it and packed it in with the phone and rice. Due to all the events going on in August, I needed my phone desperately. We have a major family gathering for my folks 75th Wedding Anniversary in ten days. Family and friends need to be delivered and picked up from Airports, there are appointments for my Dad who was just paroled from the hospital, visiting nurses, therapists, etc. There are Grandchildren to be cared for and phone calls to family and updates to be conveyed. I drove to the Verizon store and explained what happened. The young salesman was quite sympathetic and shook his head slightly when I asked if there was any hope. So, I had to bite the bullet and spring for a new phone. It took a little over an hour to retrieve all of my contacts, settings and photos. I was disappointed that I had lost the photos that were taken at the beach... they were gone! Any phone calls or messages from Tuesday were also gone. It’s been twenty four hours since the phone was retrieved from the salt water. Sad to say, I have to let go........The rice and the fan were a valiant effort but I have to call it. At 1:30pm Weds. August 10th, 2016 my Iphone 6 has been officially declared deceased. Parts and pieces have been harvested to save severely incapacitated damaged Iphone's of other family members.

Chatfield Hollow State Park

It was six am. I’ve had my coffee, read my news, caught up on social activities and fixed myself an omelet with sharp cheddar cheese, downed a second cup of coffee and knew I needed to get out of the house. After getting dressed and grabbing a pair of socks, I put on my flip flips, filled a water bottle and off I went to Chatfield Hollow State Park. It is one of my favorite places to walk in the woods. The trails are well marked, the vegetation is always changing and I was in search of mushrooms. It had rained most of the day yesterday and after finding a cauliflower mushroom growing in the yard, I thought that I would seek out more and take some photos.

It’s a short drive to Killingworth where the state park is located and being so early, it was not difficult to find a parking spot. I put my socks and hiking shoes on and I was off in search of mushrooms. Just about everyone at the park that early in the morning, is there to walk their dogs. There’s every kind of dog imaginable, most very well behaved and leashed but there’s always a few that bark incessantly. The light was filtering down through the trees, still wet from the early morning rain shower. The forest floor was soggy and slick and I thought it best to stay on the road for a while. Passing the swimming pond, a grey herring was perfectly still, eyeing it’s prey in the still water. The fragrance from all the flowering shrubs and trees was intoxicating and although I was ever watchful for the mushrooms, I did not spy a single one.

The stream was full from yesterdays rain and the sound of the water cascading over the rocks made me want to sit for a while. The ferns were changing color as the breeze, drifted them in and out of the sunlight.

I thought back to a time when our family would come for picnics in the park. The children would run and explore, fall in the stream, roast marsh-mellows on the campfire. I wonder now, if we could get everyone together with the grandchildren and do the same. Times have changed. Reflections and water plants make me hover for a bit and take more photos. The bright green moss slowly creeps along the rocks and up the trees. The wild iris’s are just past their prime by the stone wall.

it’s one of my favorites.

A yellow butterfly, stops for a rest at my feet and then circles me a few times before fluttering away. I’m thankful my niece Jen is enjoying the walk with me. I think of her often.

The pines, so straight and true are sending billowing clouds of yellow pollen, that comes to rest on everything.

The rain puddles that have slowly seeped into the ground have been outlined in the sticky yellow powder.

Circling the red clapboard nature center with its massive stone chimney, overlooking the pond, I’m dreaming how nice it would be to hunker down inside, during the long winter months by a warm fire.

As I walked out, along the road to the parking area, I realized I had not found one mushroom anywhere, but was not disappointed. I passed a small group of students, embarking on their end of school field trip, backpacks hanging heavy, bug spray and suntan lotion permeating the air. I climb up the hill, turn and snap a photo, smile and hope they love their time in the forest as much as I do.