A Wealth of Lost and Found

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Laurence and Sally Martin of El Segundo gave up careers in aerospace and cable television, respectively, to run an antique shop. Now, 24 years later, they’re on to a third career – this time as reality TV stars.

For six months, the owners of El Segundo’s Studio Antiques have been traveling across the United States and Europe filming episodes of the new Travel Channel’s show “Baggage Battles,” which follows the Martins and other antique dealers as they purchase unclaimed property, including luggage left at airports, in search of hidden treasure.

This month, while coming back to California from an auction in Scotland, the Martins almost became their own suppliers.

“We flew from Glasgow to Newark and we were in a hurry to fly back to Los Angeles,” Sally Martin said. “We went through security and got to the gate and I looked at him and said, ‘Where’s the bag?’ We’d left it at security.”

Laurence, 65, and Sally, 58, found their luggage, but despite the close call they say they’re befuddled by what other travelers have left behind.

“You expect strollers and suitcases,” Sally Martin said. “But in Miami, there was a bronze bust, maybe 16 or 20 inches tall. How do you leave that?”

Whale Tale

At least once a week, Gary Horwitz takes to the ocean on a stand-up paddle board in Manhattan Beach to enjoy the solitude of nature away from his ever-ringing cell phone.

Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.’s downtown L.A. office managing director and his wife, Kamala, discovered the sport together about a year ago, and Horwitz said one of the reasons he likes doing it is because he sometimes encounters sea life such as dolphins and seals.

One morning in February, Horwitz, 51, paddled out into the water alone as the sun was coming up and thought he saw a dolphin swimming about 500 yards ahead of him. He headed toward it, wanting to get a better look. But when the animal surfaced again, about 15 yards away, Horwitz saw it wasn’t a dolphin; it was a whale.

“It was breathtaking,” he said.

Horwitz tried to follow the whale, but lost it after seeing it surface three times. He lingered on the water for another hour, reveling in the beauty of what he had seen.

“It was a really positive thing that happened to me that day,” he said.

Staff reporters James Rufus Koren and Bethany Firnhaber contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].

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