When I checked my email the other day, I found a message from Lieutenant Jones at the Pasadena Police Department. The subject line was "BOXES AT THE BRIDGE."Immediately I knew why. Some commenters had hinted at it when I posted about buried treasure on Monday. At the time, the thought of real danger hadn't crossed my mind. But the police can't take chances with secret boxes buried under the Colorado Street Bridge—
I called the PD but Lieutenant Jones had gone for the day. So I responded to his email with as much detail as I could. Secretly, though, I hoped the police would call me the next morning so I could lead them to the boxes. Maybe they'd even let me take a picture.
YAY!
Above, Officers Mark Abare (left) and Bill Shipman (right) examine one of the boxes we found. The box from my photo was gone, but we found two still buried. From my photo, the police had expected bigger boxes. These little things didn't scare them.
It was a thrill. I felt like Miss Marple, allowed to come along on a big investigation. I cannot thank these gentlemen enough. They were as nice as could be.
But I'm sorry, guys. The boxes were empty.
Why would someone bury empty boxes?
NEWS FLASH, 9:25PM: I was in the Arroyo again late today. (Okay, that's not exactly a news flash.) The photo below was taken from where the officers stood, looking up toward where I took the photo from yesterday morning. The hillside's all torn and trampled. Hmm. I wonder if geocachers read Pasadena Daily Photo. Or maybe someone came looking for that Zeppelin CD.
34 comments:
Wow! A real life adventure.
What a lark. What a plunge.
And kudos to the PPD for following up on a lead so quickly and professionally.
They were looted just like the Egyptian pyramids and tombs.
Maybe there was a million dollars stolen? Maybe Bush sent his henchmen to steal Kuciniches Articles of Impeachment? Wouldnt surprise me....
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/16/harpers-magazine-bush-admin-worried-about-possible-criminal-prosecution/
Definitely if Im burying a box, theres SOMETHING in it. Looted!
Well....what a fabulous story. I missed the original post - loved that photo. I've no answer to the empty boxes, except perhaps they weren't empty - a short while back? Love the story tho. And good for the police in following this up so quickly. We should start calling you Detective Petrea, I think.
What a funny story!
There is soooo a TV series in this for you! You better file something with the WGA pronto.
I thought the boxes were bigger too!
When I was a freshman in High School, there was a young senior in my art class who was displaying the onset of schizophrenia. He's now fully consumed by mental illness. He's been homeless on the streets of Pasadena for years now. If I pointed him out to you, you would probably recognize him. He keeps to himself and has taken various positions in and around the Arroyo Seco. I wouldn't be surprised if those boxes belonged to him.
Palm, if that's true, I'm glad they weren't blown up. And it would explain a lot about their apparent random uselessness. I wonder if they were left in place.
I'm telling you, there's some kind of transdimensional sheningans going on here. Lonely wasteland, empty boxes … cf. http://tinyurl.com/5jfdl9.
Geraldo wasn't around was he?
Hey Petrea, what a great follow up post! I'd been wondering about these boxes. How exciting/interesting for you. What a cool photo oppurtunity! Its a shame they weren't filled with gold. The police surely would have given you a share for all of your hard work :)
Hooray! I can sleep at night! I know what wasn't in the boxes! Did you feel like Nancy Drew, Petrea? A real life mystery, how very cool..
Have fun with it!
Kinda neat and scary at the same time. Very cool they let you photograph them while working.
I beg your pardon, they were full of air. Or invisible beings from space. Whichever.
I see a potential cable tv series here...starring Petrea!
Drat! I guess nothing is better than something bad, but I still hoped for an amazing treasure. Or something like what was in the buried box at the end of "Shawshank Redemption." Brave of those police officers for just opening them without even using a stick to stand back! My heart would have been pounding out of my chest; guess I'm not good cop material. Thanks for sharing these mystery boxes!
I think someone who possibly saw your post recognized the area and emptied those boxes before the police got there.
What an adventure Petrea. Thanks for following up on this. You've gotten all our imaginations working overtime!
I just posted a new photo at the bottom of this post, showing a new development.
Susan, yes! Kudos to the PPD! I think they're pretty much on the ball.
You're probably right, shirtees, although Knoxville Girl could be right, too.
Detective Petrea. Jilly, I like it. I'll register that with the WGA. Not that anyone would steal it. What should we call the series, usE? CSI Pasadena? Blogger, P.I.? Or how about Blogger 5-0?
Palm, one of the officers mentioned having routed homeless people out of the arroyo in the past. Your acquaintance may have been one of them. They removed one of the boxes and left the other behind. Now I'm wishing I'd taken it.
Coltrane. I was Geraldo, see?
And they call ME Pollyanna, Marley!
Christie, I thought of you while I was there because you mentioned Nancy Drew! But I'm probably more the Miss Marple type. Or maybe Stephanie Plum. Yeah, that's it.
They were very cool, Jim.
I'm liking the TV series theme that's running here, KG.
I know, Katie. We get rattlers around here!
Lily, I think someone did see my post. See the News Flash I just added, and a photo I took as the sun was about to go down.
Kris, that is too funny.
Oh wow, this is so fascinating! Thanks for sharing the story.
It's lizard people, I tell you! Who else would be out there in the dark of night, obliterating evidence of their, um, herpetologic doings??? Lizard people, that's who.
Not lizards, Bernie - wombats!
Excellent adventure story, Petrea.
I love how the police went in so well-protected!!??
Empty boxes just to tease? I enjoyed following your adventures...
About your :one-eared" cat yesterday...check out Strangetaste's blog today (Saint Louis).
love his blog, bibi, thanks
(humming softly)
(lizards)
(lizards who are people)
(are the scaliest people)
(in the worrrrld …)
Could it be that somebody else had taken what's in them and burried the boxes again? :)
Hmm.
"Overblog"
"Murder, She Blogged"
"LIttle Old Lady From Pa..." maybe not
"Blog Squad"
"Boz and the City"
"Tales of Tryphena"
"P Files"
"Valley of the Blogs"
Maybe, Eki, but if so they buried the boxes somewhere else. They're definitely gone.
usEEEE, you made me LOL! I never LOL. I like "The P Files," but it's hard to pass up "Boz and the City."
Good 2 know you're always in the Arroyo. Maybe we'll get some pics of the Colorado Bridge Party this Sat.
Nobody said you could only star in one series... I hope you aren't on strike. We have a lot of work to do. (notice how I slip a career change in there...)
Mike, maybe we will.;)
Elaine, we are not on strike. How could we, when we have two TV shows to shoot?: "Bozzie, the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off, "The Adventures of Bozzie and Iscariot."
Ah, very current, very inside, in a retro sort of way.
This is a bit addictive.
"My Mother the Blog"
"Blog 54, Where Are You?"
"The B.O.Z."
"Bozanza"
"Blogs, American Style"
"Fantasy Blogland" twinned with "The Love Blog"
"Bloggy-something"
Okay, as everyone else has (I hope) unsubscribed from this thread, I'll go ahead with a few more detective or cop-oriented suggestions:
"Columboz"
"Hill Street Boz" (we have a Hill Street here)
"PPD Blues"
"Hairnet"
What drama! I am glad they were empty! I thought they were larger too!
Oh no empty. My overactive imagination of course assumed all sorts. Still kudos on the photos accopmanied and invited no less by the police. Your UK Bobby protocal would certainly not allow this.
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