This Got My Attention! « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

This Got My Attention!

This Got My Attention!

It may have been that I had forgotten that you were forced to check your photo rollers or large backpacks on the planes for the short flight to Homer. Or it is possible that either they used to allow regulation roll-aboards like my large and sturdy ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0, or that they flew larger planes. But that is no longer the case. I was forced to check my roller bag for the short hop flight. And that privilege only cost me $75 as that was my third “checked” bag. They do not allow you gate-check your photo stuff.

The Ravn Air flight was delayed about 35 minutes. We flew on a Penn Air plane. When we got to Homer, it took about ten minutes for the bags to come out. My two Samsonite Spinners came right out. In a jiffy, all the bags were claimed. All but my Think Tank bag, the one with well more than $30,000 worth of SONY gear in it. We eventually found a baggage guy who said something to this effect: “that should never happen.” Duh!

Steve, who was being helpful, said “I will have your bag here tomorrow, hopefully on the first flight. BTW, I am off tomorrow.”

Before the IPTs I am doing four days of Bald Eagles with good friends and former students — they are both too talented now — Clemens Van der Werf and Greg Gulbransen. Clemens got to Homer on Thursday morning. Greg was delayed en route from NYC to Seattle and he missed the last flight to Homer, the one that I was on. He got to spend the night in Anchorage. Clemens kindly picked me up last night. We meet at 6:40am this morning to meet Greg’s early flight. Either my rolling bag will be on the plane or not. Time will tell.

Am I upset? No, not at all. Will I be upset if the bag does not arrive on the first flight? No, not at all. What would the point be? If worse comes to worst, I will deal with that when it happens. And again, I will not be upset. You gotta love The Work of Byron Katie.

And BTW, if you wish to learn more about the origins of the worse comes to worst idiom, click here.

These Just In

5:15am Alaska time: Greg Gulbransen is working with the folks at Ravn Air to try and find my missing Think Tank bag. It is not in their baggage area and the manifest shows that it was on the plane to Homer last night. So as of now, the $30K plus bag with my SONY gear has apparently disappeared into thin air. According to Greg, the folks at Ravn Air are currently panic mode. You gotta love it.

5:54am Alaska Time: Just got off the phone with Steve Elkins at Bedford. He is holding a contingency stop-gap order for me: two a9 ii bodies, a 200-600 G, a 70-200 f/2.8 GM, and a 1.4X TC.

6:22am Alaska time: no word on the missing bag. My. resting pulse standing is 68.

7:35am Alaska time: my missing bag was located in Kodiak, AK and should be in Homer at some point today.

7:40am: The bag will be arriving in Homer today at 4:12pm if all goes well.

I was blessed to have attended the 2017 School for the Work and to have me Byron Katie.

The Work: A Simple Yet Powerful Practice

As we do The Work of Byron Katie, not only do we remain alert to our stressful thoughtsโ€”the ones that cause all the anger, sadness, and frustration in our world — but we question them, and through that questioning, the thoughts lose their power over us. Great spiritual texts describe the what — what it means to be free. The Work is the how. It shows you exactly how to identify and question any thought that would keep you from that freedom.

9 comments to This Got My Attention!

  • Best of luck my friend, upon reading I said a prayer your gear would arrive.

  • Hope you recover the stolen, er lost bag and gear. Worry about what you can control if you need to worry. Be a fountain not a drain. (Rex Hudler’s mom, ex MLB player and TV commentator) God Bless you and your trip and your IPT. May the Eagles surround you all with incredible shots. Can’t wait to see some of ’em. Hey #1 is you might get all new gear! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • avatar jeffrey

    Sounds like the Ground crews all had their daily dose of Stupid pills.
    SORRY could not help my self, it is prevalent today!!!

  • Hi Artie, Could it be that amongst your fellow photographers someone has a body and a lens you could use? We often carry spare kit, so maybe you could lighten someone else’s load. Even if spares yield a combo not normally used for Eagles, that could lead to unusual and interesting photos, perhaps including the IPT participants. Just a thought. Best wishes and I hope your bag turns up soon.
    Clive

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Yes, I will be photographing today with some of Clemens’ spare Canon stuff. We’ll see if I remember how ๐Ÿ™‚

      with love, artie

  • avatar James Saxon

    Good luck on retrieving your bag with all your gear. You are much calmer than I would be at this point in time. Even when your gear is insured it is frustrating to lose it especially at the beginning of a trip.

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Thanks, James. In The Work we learned that frustrating is a choice. While doing The Work this morning I made a list of the good things that would be the result of my bag being totally lost.

      #1 was that I would be working with a lot lighter gear bag ๐Ÿ™‚

      with. love, artie

  • avatar Larry Peavler

    Ravn is the bottom of the barrel. I flew one from Nome to Gambell, AK. The entire inside was duck taped.

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Driving from ANC to Homer takes 7-9 hours and can be beyond harrowing in a snowstorm.

      Otherwise, Ravn it is. They all were very nice and concerned and they did find the bag ๐Ÿ™‚

      with love, artie

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