Thursday, July 23, 2009

North to Alaska!


We've had our tickets since January and are looking forward greatly to the trip. Two weeks in Anchorage and Ron's never been there! Our hostess, my dear friend Michele has a beautiful home and luxury accomodations for us. She's a fabulous cook as well. While we're there, I will be helping her with the celebration of life get-together for her husband, our very missed friend James W. Teegarden, who passed this last Thanksgiving. People are coming from all over the states for the event, he was an amazing man, wonderful husband and father and lived an incredible life. Michele's second house, in Nevada was being robbed at the very same time Jim was dying, a brutal rape of personal possessions, three generations of belongings, memories, collections. One of the crooks brought a pile of things to our antique store to sell not too long after the break-in. I immediately recognized things from her home, some of which I had either sold, gifted or made her, and called the police, after I had purchased the items from the meth-head.
About a week later, meth-head called to sell more items, and I knew I just couldn't keep buying back my friends things, so I arranged to meet him in the parking lot of a grocery store the next day. This was 3 days before Christmas. I called the police and told them what I was going to do, and at first they said that the detective assigned to the case didn't work on the weekends. I told them that since the crooks apparently did, and I really wanted the perps caught, they should consider a little overtime. The next day, I met with the detective for about 10 minutes and he told me what he wanted me to do, signals, etc, and off I went. My crook showed up on time with a truck full of my friends stolen belongings, I made the purchase, put on my sunglasses, and within seconds, he was surrounded. This is a very long and complicated story, so I am skipping over quite a bit, but just let me finish with the fact that three of the six that committed this crime are in prison now, the others on probation, over 2000 items were recovered, and my friend can finally begin to mourn the loss of her beloved husband. I am honored to have been of help, and would do it all again. And that's the end of the story for today.

3 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, what a heartbreaking thing for your friend to have gone through at such a tragic time in her life - my heart aches for her!

    And you, my dear friend, are very very brave, and a hero in my eyes!

    Thank you for posting your beautiful photos and stories here.
    And have fun in Alaska, but check in here often because I am going to be in such withdrawal from not being able to talk with you every day!

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  2. This is such a poignant posting and I am sure your friend will be very much looking forward to seeing you and your husband to share precious memories and celebrate the life of her husband. You really are a true, warm, caring person and tower of strength.
    Thank you too for your encouraging, positive post on my blog entry Lis.

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  3. oh my gosh! that was epic!

    it's a miracle that the thieves brought the stolen goods to your shop! that's awesome!

    i'm glad it all ends well for you and your friends.

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