Falls and Finds

Niagara Falls called to me yesterday, so I jumped in my brilliant white steed and vacated my temporary hood to take in a glimpse of some of the magnificence the world holds. Lord knows I won’t find it in Buffalo. Although I was rip-roaring ready for a taste of something other than strip malls, grocery stores, and city parks, I had an ulterior motive for my pleasure jaunt. Attractions draw tons of people, and people tend to lose things (I know this all too well. Zeus be with you, S.B.!). Knowing that where there’s a heavier concentration of people, there’s a larger number of lost items, I set out on a gathering mission, hoping to wrangle lost money, phones, digital cameras, jewelry, or winning lottery tickets. My first find was on the side of the road before I even got to the falls – a Buffalo Sabres cap that was probably thrown out of a speeding car by an irate fan after Buffalo lost their playoff series to Boston. That will come in handy when I try to blend in with the locals. My second find was right outside Rodeo when we parked near the falls – an umbrella that would have been useful later in the day when it was pissing down rain. I don’t even use umbrellas, but damn it, I found it! On the leisurely walk to the falls, my head was down, eyes scanning each side of the path for anything shiny or faded green, but I put my search on hold and shifted into ‘nature is awesome’ gear when I came to the endless rush of seemingly suicidal water throwing itself over the cliff’s edge. I spent nearly an hour admiring the powerful combination of water and gravity, and nearly fifteen minutes with my elbows on the railing, my chin rested on my hands, staring longingly at Canada across the falls. So close, yet so far away. Resuming the hunt on the way back to Rodeo, I found nothing but candy wrappers, coffee cup lids, empty beer cans, and the occasional plastic bag (Want to see the most beautiful thing I’ve ever littered a path with?).
Later I would find a right-handed work glove, a pair of black socks, and a steering wheel cover, none of which I added to my personal inventory, for obvious reasons. Even though I didn’t find anything I could use, spend, sell, or pawn, I slept well last night knowing that eventually my new hobby will pay off. How much does a metal detector cost?