The "Burgle" revisited

Things are getting somewhat back to normal around here.  The list of stolen stuff includes ALL of my camera equipment, all of the jewelry that Gina didn't have on at the time, three laptops, all of my software, two handguns, an old pocket-watch, Gina's passport, an ounce of gold formed into a pendant, Gina's ipod, ipod dock, a Garmin handheld GPS, Underwater housing and strobe for one of my cameras, a video camera, a couple of duffel bags, and a whole lot of memories.  The claim has been put into the insurance company (American Family Insurance) and we'll see how good they are to their customers.  

You know, for the most part, I'm not that worked up about the whole thing.  It's only stuff and we're insured.  However, there are some things that will never be able to be replaced.  The two handguns were guns my father gave to me when my parents moved from their home in Malad to be closer to family up here in the Northwest.  I spent many a Sunday afternoon with my dad up at the Malad "Junk Yard" shooting up tin cans and glass bottles.  I remember on winter afternoon when my dad fashioned a big pile of snow so that when he shot into it with this particular Ruger .22 cal he was able to find the expended cartridge so that I could have an undeformed bullet.  The .38 cal which was stolen was a gun he got after being deputized by none other than Ralph Burton for the sole purpose of being able to get his hands on this "police special".  He quit the "service" immediately after getting the gun.  The pocket watch had belonged to my grandfather (Charles Marshall Allen) and my parents had just had it completely rebuilt and refurbished.  It wasn't worth much in dollars, but it was inestimable in it's sentimental value.  There was also a one ounce gold pendant that my in-laws gave to my daughter when she completed her undergrad at BYU.  Eight years ago they stole a civil war era musket that had been my grandfather's.  Again, not worth much money wise, but invaluable in memories.  The sad thing about all of this is that I'm sure that the guns probably have been thrown into some nearby lake and the watch simply trashed.   Makes me sad. 

Anyway! we now have ADT in our house and in the next couple of weeks I will have a gate up at the end or our lane.  Live and learn. I told Gina we should just take any money we get from the insurance and put a down payment on a place over in Hawaii... plan for the future and all that.  I'm not sure she went for it.  We'll see....