[Leica] LHSA Boston Meet :-(

[Photovilla@aol.com]

<<Hi luggers. My apologies for posting this so late but my computer has been

down most of the week.  I, unlike most of the rest of you who attended the

LHSA meeting did not have a good time at all :-( This was not the fault of the

LHSA nor most all of the wonderful people I meet there and the fine cameras

and conversation that were abundant.  No the problem is fourteen hundred and

fifty dollars disappeared from my table or pocket.  I am hoping who ever may

have come across this unexpected largess will be forthcoming in returning it

to me.  I am hoping a good Samaritan found the cash and is just waiting to

find out to whom it belong.  I am hoping against hope that we LHSA people do

not have a thief in our midst.  I would not expect it in such a group.  Any

help will be appreciated

John Shick>>


John,

I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune. 

I too had a problem during this weekend, which I have already forwarded to a 
few members privately, whom I thought might be able to help. 

I am "missing" a pair of 10x42 BA binoculars that I took on this LHSA weekend 
to sell at the swap meet. New in the box actually. 

After calling the hotel and searching hi and low in my car and where I 
unpacked, I did determine that they are, in fact,_ gone_ for sure on Monday 
morning.

I have still been hoping that someone else at the show might have picked 
these up by mistake and would discover this and then report it to the LHSA 
who is aware of my loss of them. So far no luck. Same with the hotel's "lost 
and found"...though I wouldn't count on an item like that making it to a lost 
and found.

I have been really chastising myself for "carelessness" in "losing" these 
this weekend, but certainly a part of me wanted to say they were indeed 
stolen and I should curse the culprit instead. (Liz and I are not careless 
- -we are high-key NYC dwellers after all- and we have never lost another piece 
of equipment at a show before. Though we have through the mail and out of the 
store unfortunately!)

I have been on the fence about mentioning this publicly because I was assured 
that nothing has ever been stolen at this meet by Bill (and a few others) and 
thus I didn't want to start passing unpopular ideas around what is essential 
a large portion of my buying public after all...but I'm mentioning it now 
because perhaps it is NOT as outlandish as it first seemed that it could have 
been stolen not just lost. 

If this is the case, it should be brought out that things are not as cozy as 
they seem and thus people should remain wary as they would anywhere else. 
Again, I am not saying that for sure this is what happened to me, but it is a 
possible scenario that has become more likely in my eyes in reading John's 
post of his misfortune.

Needless to say, it is split milk for us both now, but I think next year I 
will go just to the swap meet to buy-and listen to the lectures-and leave the 
expensive gear at home safe and sound. Too bad.

heartfully,
Rich