Another Lesson Learned

Andalusian Male Osprey

Decided to take a chance and headed back to Lake Luxembourg today for checking on how the bald eagles were doing. I dedicated an entry two weeks ago about how this location seems to be bad luck for me.

Finally got the big lens calibrated to where it’s acceptable, as seen in the top photo. I might send it to the manufacturer to get it set perfectly, but, as I mentioned in past entries, I’d hate to be without it.

Arrived at my spot where I normally park and walked down the road to get a glimpse of the nest. Another photographer was there, and he began a discourse all about the eagles, showing me pictures on his phone.

He then proceeded to talk about the Tullytown Cove eagles, for whom I’ve dedicated a board at Pinterest; foxes on Pennsbury Road nearby the cove, where I went the other day—didn’t see the cubs, but saw them on his smartphone, by golly—and sundry other spots of which I was familiar.

One thing I did learn from this fellow was that the Lake Luxembourg bald eagles have three eaglets this season. He showed me a nice photo of all three of them peering over the nest. I’ve only been able to get shots of two of them at a time; likewise was the case today:

Returning to the Cooper after satisfied with the photos taken of the nest, I found that the passenger door was left ajar. I thanked my lucky stars that no one had found it that way and stolen my camera bag and lenses that were sitting on the front seat with my smartphone.

Taking off my hooded, zip-up sweatshirt, as it had gotten warmer out, I tossed it in the car with my camera, shut the door, and walked over to the driver’s side to head over to another spot in Core Creek Park. The door was locked and so was the passenger door. I had forgotten that my keys were in the hoodie’s pocket, sitting inside the car.

Man did I go off on a tirade of obscenities, calling myself every name in the book for having locked my keys inside the car with my cellphone. Thank goodness common sense won out after my considering to break one of the windows to get in.

Now what in the hell am I going to do? The nearest phone was a few miles away at a farmer’s market. I don’t think the park has pay phones anymore, and I really didn’t want to have to go up to a stranger’s house to ask them to use their phone.

A fisherman pulled up across the road, whom I asked if he would let me use his phone to call a locksmith after explaining to him about my dumb luck.

The guy was extremely nice and inquired if I had Triple-A, which I don’t. He said, “I do. I’m not going to let you have to pay $100.00 to a locksmith when AAA will do it for free.” The kind man called for me and told them I was his father, who locked his keys in the car.

Triple-A dispatched a local outfit who came out in a flash. Using a device that slips between the doorjamb and window, the locksmith inflated what is called “a bladder,” and opened up a space big enough for him to insert a long, hooked pole to latch onto the door handle for pulling it like one would do to exit the vehicle.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t unlock the doors due to Mini Cooper’s anti-theft system that won’t allow the doors to be unlocked without the key-less entry or the key itself. I had a sinking feeling after that.

The fisherman suggested the locksmith fish out my hoodie, lying on the passenger’s seat, inside which the keys were in the right front pocket. The merchant was successful and I was able to unlock the doors finally.

My bad luck turned to good. It was as if my Guardian Angel had manifested. After tipping the locksmith, I tried to give the fisherman $20.00, but he refused to take it. “What goes around, comes around,” he said. “Remember to always keep your phone in your pants’ pocket.”

“Also, always keep your keys in there too,” I said.

We both laughed and shook hands. He went across the road to fish down by the lake. I took my camera out to snap some more photos with a friend who happened to stop by during all of this. Had the fisherman not been around, she would have helped me out. Two guardian angels showed up for me. Today was actually my lucky day.

All’s well that ends well. Hopefully my luck has changed at Lake Luxembourg. We’ll find out the next time.

Thanks for stopping in to visit and for your continued support.