Car break-in.

The following letter to my photography teacher will explain "Car break-in".

Congrats Carol! How exciting to have been acknowledged for your California Wildflower Hotsheet website, and to have been acknowledged in the WSJ. I love it when people who are anonymously always of service get recognized at a larger group level. You deserve the recognition. I feel so lucky to have you as my teacher.

Yesterday I was out on a 4 hour training hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. My husband was kind enough to follow me while I parked my car at the Whitewater Trout Farm. He then drove and dropped me back at the I-10 Freeway where the PCT passes under the freeway before heading north and then west up into the San Bernadino mountains. From my first step on the trail I was blown away by the color display in the normally dry, brown mountains. Splotches of gold and purple continually caught my eye higher up on the hillsides every direction I looked.

The wildflowers were a bloom like I’ve never seen before. The over grown trail was sometimes scary but exciting to walk on (hidden rattlesnakes). Everything looked different because of the atypical abundance of color. Normally dry and brown hills and mountains were blanketed in green. Blooming mustard grew well into the trail. Yellow, deep pink, purple, low, high, big, small….wildflowers were everywhere. When I got higher up on the trail I was presented a Mary Poppins-like view of hills covered in POPPIES!!! As I rounded trail bends, the brilliantly blue sky complemented the orange poppies beautifully. I couldn’t believe I was out hiking and not out photographing with all my camera equipment. I did however snap off many photos as I hiked with the little Sony I always have on me.

I got back to my car only to find that two back windows had been smashed in. Glass was everywhere. My heart sank. I had said to my husband before we left home, “I really should take all my camera equipment out of my car. Nah, it’s safe there!” I hadn’t followed my intuition, and ALL, I mean, ALL my 4 lens, filters, shutter cable release, cleaning equipment and camera were gone. The thieves left the cheapo tripod. My home owner’s insurance deductible is $2000! Oh well, that’s half the expense.

I am sick. These next two weeks were going to be spent photographing wildflowers.

But….

At least I had finished my assignments!!!

I called Carol Davis for consolation. None of my other friends would have understood the loss I am feeling. Thank you Carol Davis.

Linda Jeffers

A big thanks to my hubby for coming back to stay with me for the 2 hours until the police arrived.