Lost And Found

There are many things that can go wrong when you're new to motorcycling. Embarrassing breakdowns in gas station parking lots, stalling and dropping the bike while pulling out in a crowded intersection (Sorry, I won't be writing about that one for a while yet.), and of course losing the keys.

Thanksgiving morning rose warm and sunny with 50 degrees and clear skis. Perfect for one more ride. Unfortunately my keys were somewhere in my backyard. Or in the parking lot at Otto's. Or where ever they fell out of my pocket. Sometime after my Wednesday ride, after I garaged the bike, and after I ran errands across town, I lost them. I didn't realize this until well after everything closed for the holiday. Needless to say, I was a little anxious.

I began to retrace my steps on Friday morning. The backyard was a mess. A heavy rain and stiff wind had come in and scattered my remaining leaves, as well as the neighbors. The local strays had been using what was left of my piles as a community cat box. Who knew what was lurking under there now, and I wasn't relishing the idea of combing through it all with a rake. Besides, I had already checked the yard on Thursday. Nothing. So I headed out to Otto's pub and brewery. The staff was great. They looked everywhere, but found nothing. They took my number and promised to call if anything came up. By the way, their Red Mo Ale is great. Very crisp. Goes well with turkey and stuffing.

Depressed, I came home and began rummaging through pockets, coats, drawers, and toy bins (I have two daughters, anything is possible). Late in the day I began to accept the inevitable and started to read up on changing out the ignition on a slash-7.

Saturday morning promised another beautiful fall day, and I was still without my keys. A cold front had passed through during the night and the leaves had shifted. Tired of my brooding, my wife—who always finds things—offered to pitch in. We walked outside and there, in plain view, were the keys. Fortunately, I spotted them first. I don't know if I could have handled the added humiliation of missing something right under my nose.

I have lost a variety of keys over the years. Lockers, apartments, and just last month, the spare set to the car. Somewhere in the 20 feet between the driveway and our front door there is a set of VW keys just waiting to be found. And after today, I'm feeling pretty lucky.