so apparently turning twenty three doesn't make you any smarter

Today I drove out to Clarksburg (a small town off of the river road, made up of mostly farmland and vineyards) to take some photos and to visit my friend Jess while she painted at a venue for wine tasting. I had such a good time talking with her that I stayed until she was done at five o'clock, helped her carry her paintings back to her car, and then got in my truck and drove off.

About ten minutes after she turned left and I turned right, a reflection off of the river caught my eye so I pulled over to capture it with my camera.



One minute later, I decided that it hadn't really been worth pulling over for since the best angle would be from a boat in the river, and seeing as how I didn't have a boat and I wasn't about to go swimming, I walked back to my truck to open the door and get in.

Only it wouldn't open. It was locked.

So I reached for the keys in my pocket.

But they weren't in my pocket.
They were sitting on the drivers seat.
Next to my cell phone.
Inside my locked car.

Inside my locked car that was parked in (basically) the middle of nowhere.
In a No Parking Zone.

Awesome.

I tried jiggling the handle in the hopes that it would magically unlock. I tried pounding on the sliding window on the back of the cab, hoping the lever would pop open and that I could squeeze through. I even tried dismantling my windshield wipers to try and pop the lock.

All to no avail.

And the cars driving by? They had no problem staring at me, but to pull over and ask if I was okay was just too difficult.

When I finally figured out that no one was going to step up and play the good Samaritan in this tragic comedy I call "My Life," I started walking to find the nearest house.

I hesitantly walked down the first steep driveway I saw to find a little family out in their garden, the little boy yelling up to me "who are you?"

I sheepishly admitted to being a complete fool, then asked if I could trouble them to use their phone to call my dad so he could come and rescue me. They were very kind and handed me a cell phone.

But there's no doubt about it-

They thought I was a moron.

And I felt like one for another hour while I sat on my tailgate, the daylight growing dim, the mosquitos biting my feet, and the cars just driving on by.



So. What can we learn from today?

Always, ALWAYS, have a hide-a-key.

Don't pull over and park when there's a sign saying No Parking. It'll bite you in the butt.

And make sure the photo you pull over to take is worth a two hour layover in Clarksburg.




sitting on my tailgate, stranded in Clarksburg