About this time last week I was being informed that my
mother had had a heart attack. She broke her hip at age 84 and I've been her
caregiver since then. Suffice to say, as she aged my life outside the house
became to be lived in tiny chunks of time while she was napping. About a month
ago she was hospitalized then went into a nursing home. It became obvious I
would no longer be able to care for her at home. So I had to think about what
my life would be like after she passed. Geocaching looked interesting,
especially since I haven't had much opportunity to get out and
explore.
My mother passed peacefully in her sleep early Tuesday
morning. My son flew in Sunday and she was alert enough then to say "good-bye"
and tell us she'd had a good life. She was a couple weeks shy of her 92nd
birthday.
This morning I gathered up my GPS, packed my hiking pack,
and called Sargeant, my Miniature Pinscher, to "walk". Sophie, my Bulldog,
also wanted to go, but Bulldogs don't do well in the heat. We headed out to
Team Scotti's "Long Ball" cache. I could walk to the coordinates (and
have in the past) but took the car. Unlike some searchers, I knew where to
park (smile).
Finding the coordinates was easier than I expected. But
where was the cache? It was described as "micro" but I had no clue how small
or what it looked like. There were what I can best describe as plastic
"ribbons" in the area. I have no clue what they might mean but I haven't read
anything about ribbons being a cache sign so I kept looking. And thinking ...
where would I hide a cache?
What I found was a duffle bag, a couple jugs of water and
a notepad with blank pages. I wrote something like "If this is it, I found it.
-- WingRider" but I didn't disturb the duffle as there are many homeless who
camp in this area. Indeed, as I was photographing what I had found I was
approached by someone who looked like he might be homeless. I said I was
taking photos and Sargeant gave a protective growl. The guy left and I
continued taking photos.
I've written Team Scotti privately to find out if I really
did find the cache. If this wasn't it, I'll return and search some
more.
I had a great time, Sargeant was in doggie heaven
exploring the area, and I can't wait to go out and look for more! The
search was just what I needed this morning.
-- WingRider