Arizona, Ingrid's Corner

OH, NO….she didn’t?

by Ingrid
Monarch Butterfly

RV ParkI’ve settled into life parked in a RV Resort in Phoenix, but I’ll be ready to move on come the end of December.

After our time spent in Colorado and Utah, I miss that ‘in your face, knock your socks off’ kind of scenery.  Although I find plenty of beauty around the RV Park, it just takes a little more effort to find it.

Every day I make it a point to either bike or walk around the Park seeking out things to photograph.  Allow me to share a little incident story that happened during our second week at the RV Resort…….

It’s a beautiful Phoenix, Arizona, afternoon.  I go for a stroll around the RV Park with camera in hand; searching for life’s little beauties.  I’m in my own little world enjoying the flowering cacti, the ducks near the pond, and butterflies.  Oh, yes the butterflies.Monarch ButterflyI’ve attempted to photograph butterflies in the past with virtually no success.  Today is different.  I’m excited.  A few of these lovely guys held still long enough, allowing me to snap a couple of really nice shots.

I’d like to continue snapping away but nature calls.  I’ve already been standing with my legs crossed long enough.  I really gotta go!  I’m just around the corner from the pool and restroom.  I quickly head in the direction of the ladies room entrance on the street side.  After using the pool several times this week, I’ve gotten in the habit of using the restroom and showers.  The women’s restroom is off to the right and the men’s is off to the left.  Pretty easy.

Just outside the restroom, I stop.  Ooh, ah…..there’s another butterfly.  I cross my legs again and snap a few more photos.  Deep in thought, I quickly run into the restroom on the right, pick the first stall, put the toilet seat down and ahhh….relief.  Hum, I wonder, “Why was the toilet seat up?  Cleaning was hours ago”.  And just as my eyes got big with disbelief, I hear a man’s voice, then a second one.  “Oh no, I didn’t?”

Oh yes, I did.  I find myself in the Men’s Restroom.  The women’s restroom is on the right when accessing from the pool area BUT on the left when entering from the street.  Oops!Butterfly

Oh my gosh, what do I do now?  I scooch my obviously female, painted toed feet back in an attempt to hide them.  I really don’t want to be discovered.  It crosses my mind to step out, politely excuse myself, and admit my blunder profusely apologizing, but the camera slung over my shoulder screams otherwise.  “You couldn’t bring the pocket camera today, could you?”

RV ParkWell as it happens, I picked the stall at the end giving me a good visual of most of the toilet and shower area.  I peer between the stall door.  I see one of the men at the end who had just come from the pool and was preparing to take a shower.  Oh, no, no, no …..do not take off your pants, please.  Thank goodness he entered the shower stall with swim trucks on.

Then the other guy walks toward a toilet stall.  I quickly back toward the wall wondering if I should stand on the toilet seat so my feet are not seen.  Oh dear…..how long will I be stuck in here?  With both men behind doors, I do a final scan between the panels before bolting out of there.

With heart pounding, head down, I don’t slow my pace or look back until I’m well away from the restroom, not knowing and frankly not caring if anyone saw me bolt. 

I have my camera slung over my neck and am reminded of some of the other shots I was hoping to capture today.  There’s these really cute gazebos in the pool area and the lighting is perfect.

I walk back to the pool area, put my hand on the gate….I can’t go in.  What if someone saw me running out of the men’s room with the camera?  My mind runs rampant…..  “There she is.  Catch that women.  She was taking photos in the men’s room”.  Oh the shame!  I have two more months scheduled at this RV Park.  I envision the whispers and pointing fingers as if I’m wearing a scarlet letter; V for violator.

No, the desire to photograph anything is long gone.  I rush back to the safety of my RV with every intent of not telling a single soul about what just happened. 

Shhhhh…..please don’t tell anyone.RV Park

98 thoughts on “OH, NO….she didn’t?”

  1. Love your restroom story. Years ago when we were all younger some friends and I were doing a weekend trip from Chicago to New York for a conference, and it being before the opening of I-80 across PA we were on the PA Pike. Most of the restrooms at that time were the same, and the restrooms were all in the same order/direction upon entering — that is until you got to the far East end. Well, after driving through the night we got to that last rest area and 5 of us guys piled out of the car, turned in the same direction and found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the women’s restroom.

    Brings back fond memories of crazy days, cheap gas, and stamina no longer to be found.
    Cheers,
    Peter
    A retired photographer looks at life from behind an RV steering wheel.
    Life Unscripted

    Like

  2. Oh my, I feel your pain. I did that once in a crowded restaurant. I was a harried mother of three small girls and left the table to go the potty alone! I guess I just walked past the urinals without noticing them, because I didn’t notice my blunder until I was on my way out and “bumped” into the man coming in. The bathrooms entrance was in the middle of the biggest dining room (I was at Furrs). To this day, I am still mortified at my blunder. At least you got some beautiful shots for your trouble!

    Like

  7. omg! I DIED laughing at this! I don’t really know you, but somehow I KNOW you must have been mortified! It really was the camera that makes this incident so hysterically funny! How many times have we seen people perp walking over “taking pictures in the restroom”
    hahahahahahaha! you KNEW no good would come of that dang RV resort….but did he listen?!
    hahahahahahaha!

    Like

    1. If it weren’t for the camera, I definitely would’ve handled it differently. But like you said….cameras in bathrooms….I’d be the lady perp….lol. FYI….I’m in charge with our TX excursion after the 1st of the year 🙂

      Like

  10. Oh what a hoot. I can just picture you in there going crazy. You did a great job of making me feel like I was right there with you. Great job!

    The butterfly photo is awesome.

    Like

  11. Thanks for the laugh, last summer I walked in on a man sitting on the throne (family bathroom) he hadn’t locked the door, don’t know if he ever figured it was me. Just finished reading your blog all the way through, brought back some great memories of our visits to CO, my brother is a photographer out of CO Springs, he has taken us to some amazing places. We fell in love with the west the first time we visited Utah. Can’t wait till we can spend some real time there, not this year though, after Thanksgiving in Phoenix we are headed to the TX coast.

    Like

    1. Wow, you read my whole blog…..now I really need to hide….lol. We lived in Co. Springs and Pueblo West for nearly 18 years. Garden of the Gods is still a favorite of mine. We’re staying in Phoenix until Dec 26th then we’ll meander our way to Rockport TX taking in the coast as well for Jan and Feb.

      Like

      1. Love Garden of the Gods, always a stop when we are in the area, my borther has been there since ’87 so we’ve had lots of visits there. Looks like we are traveling the same routes. We have reservations in Port A 12/16 through 1/26 then wandering eastward along the coast, in April we’ll find out if we have to head back to VT for the summer, all depends on Dave’s job situation.

        Like

        1. My folks used to winter in Port A and loved it. We’ll be in Rockport. Let’s hope we have beautiful weather and are able to enjoy the lovely beach.

          Like

  16. I am still laughing after reading this post. I can just see you trying to gracefully sneak out of the mens’ room. You did capture some amazing butterfly shots. 🙂

    Like

    1. Yep, sometimes I wonder how I get myself into these situations. I was pleasantly surprised that the butterfly shots turned out pretty good. How’s that new camera working for you?

      Like

      1. I haven’t had much time to learn how to use it yet, but think I am going to enjoy it a lot. It is nice to have something besides a point-and-shoot, but without all the lenses to worry about.

        Like

        1. I look forward to your photographic posts exploring your creativity….perhaps your time and location after the first of the year will give you the opportunity 😉

          Like

  18. This reminded me of so many moments. Hubby was handicapped, so I had to help him in the rest room. At first we tried doing it in the mens room, but I was too embarrassed, so we switched to the ladies room and I’d tell hubby to talk in a high pitched voice. 🙂 I’m glad to see more places offering dedicated rest rooms for this purpose now (at parks and rest stops along the highway.) It’s actually rather funny how stodgy we are about that sort of thing. Your story was hilarious, but I can so relate!

    Like

    1. Things are so much more convenient these days with “Family” restrooms. When my kids were 8 (girl) and 10 (boy) I took them on a trip to Disney World (without hubby). I wouldn’t let those kids out of my sight and thus the son went into the ladies room with me. Some gals disapproved but I didn’t care. I wasn’t about to send my son in a restroom where I couldn’t keep track of him. Unfortunately child abductions happen every day at Disney. A family restroom sure would’ve been nice as with aiding your husband!

      Like

  19. Oh my gosh! That was a hysterical story…even the most embarrassing moments do make great stories once a little time has passed.

    Gorgeous pictures! What camera are you using?

    Like

    1. Thanks….. glad I could offer a little humor. I have two cameras. The majority of my photos are taken with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS19. Today’s butterfly photos were taken with a Lumix FZ47. A Canon DLSR is on my wish list 🙂

      Like

  21. Oh man, this sounds like something I would do..I usually manage to find some way to embarrass myself…Ideally, Al should have been going in as you were coming out…Now THAT would be FUNNY! When these things happen, it makes for great talk over a glass of wine….

    Like

    1. What’s even funnier is when I asked Al to go back over to the restroom with me so he could take a photo of my feet peeking out from under the door…..that’s where he drew the line…..party pooper!

      Like

  23. Now you did it. I almost wet myself I was laughing so hard.

    I remember when you first started blogging. Your blogs were interesting but not nearly as entertaining and well written as now. You just get better and better. Keep it up and thanks for the laughs.

    Like

  24. Too funny, Ingrid. I can picture you peeping through the crack of the door planning your escape. It’s a good thing you’d already, you know, or you may have wet yourself in your panic! 😉

    Like

  25. Oh no! You take such beautiful pictures! But I can imagine your embarrassment.
    Strangely enough, in Paris it is very common for women to go to the men’s restrooms if the women’s are occupied. Of course, there’s no showers involved, but even then, provided there is no real emergency, I would rather wait 🙂

    Like

    1. Thank you….the bright sun sometimes makes photo taking a challenge. Yep, sometimes there’s just certain things I don’t need to see and the inside of a men’s restroom would be one of those things!

      Like

  27. This made me laugh! We just pulled up stakes in Utah (Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville) and headed south to the Safford/Morenci area. Different beauty is right– I’m sure missing Utah!

    Like

    1. Utah is amazing. If I couldn’t call Colorado home, I’d want it to be Utah. Ah, the nomadic life…..some places just require more effort to seek out the beauty.

      Like

  28. You are not alone because I have done this and a few times on purpose (used the men’s room because the line is quicker, especially if I have to really go). Here’s to hoping no one in the park reads your post – ha! Happy Thursday:)

    Like

    1. Oh dear, hadn’t thought about anyone in the park reading my blog. I think I’ll keep a low profile…lol.
      Well….like you, I have been know to use the men’s restroom like in a Starbucks but that’s when its a single unit. A full fledged restroom with showers? That’s another story 🙂

      Like

  29. Crack me up…visions of you sliding those toes in. First thought you’d be standing on the toilet. Great escape…! And even better what a capture of such beauty. Those colors are so vivid and JUMP RIGHT OUT AT YA!

    Like

    1. I just knew if I attempted to stand on the toilet….one foot would’ve ended IN the toilet. So I ruled that out pretty quick. Ya know, sometimes the sun down here is so bright it washes out the colors in my photos. These turned out better than expected. One day I might even learn photoshop!

      Like

  32. OH this was such a great story. I started laughing and couldn’t stop. Have to share it with hubby. Where are you at we are in Golden Vista RV park in Apache Junction.

    Like

  33. That is such a classic Ingrid story! I’ve never met anyone who was asked to leave a resort before, but you might be the first. Hey, at least you didn’t just duck behind a bush….although that may have been safer. Thanks for the chuckle today!

    Like

    1. Yes, I do get myself into ‘things’. Al just shakes his head; no surprise to him. Oh and as for ducking behind a bush….only when its time to pee 😆

      Like

    1. Leaving Phoenix? This is the perfect time of year to be in the desert. There is indeed plenty of beauty in the desert but I do love my Colorado. Safe travels…hope your not going across ‘the pond’ for winter 🙂

      Like

  36. I saw that first photo and thought, “wow, you can really see how her photography skills are growing. Beautiful. And then… hilarious! Your story telling skills are growing too. 😉

    Like

    1. Oh, thank you so much. I always second guess myself, so I really appreciate the kind comment. When my husband just shook his head and laughed, I knew the incident was too funny not to tell 🙂

      Like

  39. My lips are sealed, Ingrid. I’ve also accidentally been to the men’s room a couple of times, and once got loudly berated by a very cross German guy, even though I wasn’t carrying my camera. 😀 Your butterflies are beautiful!

    Like

    1. Hum, usually German’s are a little more open minded….oh well, I’m sure he got over it….lol. I was pretty excited that I managed to capture a couple of nice butterfly shots out of the dozens I snapped….so thank you 🙂

      Like

    1. I knew I could count on you to keep my secret….lol. We are enjoying one of your favorite spots; Cattail Cove SP….posts forthcoming.

      Like

      1. trying to fit novel writing in between planning my daughter’s wedding. I’m not being very successful. Wedding’s coming up fast!

        Like

Comments are closed.