Letterboxing TeamKNORR

Contributing to the Delinquency of a Boxing Buddy

2008-05-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

We had a guest arrive a couple weeks ago, and we took him out with us on a picnic to the Dunbar Wine Cellars Park. I had carved a couple of stamps a couple weeks earlier, hoping to go on a picnic, but hubby had preferred yard work.... Anyway, we decided that a Sunday afternoon was a perfect time. I had found clues to two geocaches in the park because I still had a geocoin I needed to unload. We had KFC for our picnic, then we hit the trail in an attempt to find a geocache. We walked ALL over that park, with no luck. So, we got the clues out for the other one, and this one we found without too much trouble. I unloaded the coin, and I really don't care if I never do another one of these things. They are so much more trouble than letterboxes. Letterboxes are fun. Geocaches are frustrating. After that was accomplished, we then started scoping out the trails for good places to plant two letterboxes. We went way up on a hill to plant one, then the other was just off the trail by a unique tree. Overall, we had a very pleasant day and got our exercise in!

Anniversary Box

2008-05-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

Well, April 27 was my 12th wedding anniversary. It may not sound like much, but I'm impressed. It doesn't seem like it's been 12 years already. Hubby and I spent our honeymoon at my family's cabin. My grandmother commented that she remembered me always saying that was where I wanted to spend my honeymoon, and it came true. The camp has always been special. I love that place. Growing up, I used to dream of living out there by myself, writing books. Seemed like the perfect writer's retreat ;) I loved getting out in the woods with my Dad. He'd take us fishing. We'd take walks. He'd tell us about the plants and trees he knew. It was a very special place. It was the only place we ever went on vacation to. We didn't mind. My friends at home were always talking about the beach, and I thought they were crazy. I'd take the woods any day. The beach doesn't interest me in the slightest.

Anyway, hubby and I like to go out to the camp each year for our anniversary. Well, this year Mom planned to open it up that weekend, and the last thing hubby wanted to do was spend our anniversary at camp with three other people. So I rented a cabin in Ansted, WV. It's just about 40 minutes from where we live. Hawk's Nest State Park is there, with trails, fishing, birds and spectacular views. The cabin was small, cozy, and it had a hot tub, which hubby and I had never experienced before. I carved a letterbox for the occasion, determined to plant it that weekend.

I tried to make a tee-time at the golf course for Friday morning because it was supposed to be storming on Saturday, but they were aerating the greens. Unfortunately that started my weekend in a funk. So Thursday morning we spent time at Walmart getting fishing gear. We don't get much chance to fish when our son is around. He needs constant supervision, then gets bored within 10 minutes and starts throwing rocks into the creek. So I long for the chance for just hubby and I to go fishing. We got out to the cabin at 4pm, checked in then went to the grocery store. We got hamburger helper and pork chops. Hubby hadn't had pork chops in awhile. We put things away, went out to Dairy Queen then came back and hubby wanted in the hot tub. Now, it was pretty hot outside and the cabin had been shut up when we got there. The owner brought out a little window air conditioner, but it still hadn't cooled down much. I didn't enjoy the hot tub too much that evening. Hubby woke me up at about 6:30 the next morning wanting to get in the hot tub again, and this time it wasn't bad. It was cool outside (not cold) and the water was warm (i had turned it down the night before.) We sat out there listening to the birds, and hubby saw a deer (I was too short to see from where I was sitting)

We got geared up for fishing and went out for breakfast. Then we drove to every little store between there and US 19 trying to find tackle for him. We brought his pole, but when we were shopping at Walmart he didn't think about what he would need to fish. Men! We ended up driving into Oak Hill to the Walmart there to get him fishing stuff. Well, he got two lures and a $40 pair of boots. At least I got two new pair of sandals ;) The pair I had was almost three years old and were not comfortable any more. On our way back we stopped at the New River Gorge bridge visitor's center. Saw a filmstrip, bought a couple books for educating our son about the wilderness, then walked across the street to the locally-owned gift shop and bought a pound of homemade fudge. Mmmmm....

We stopped at Subway on our way back to the cabin. It had been looking like rain. That blew over and we decided to walk around the property. The owners said that there was a creek out back. Well, outback and down the mountainside through heavy brush. We started down the hill and hit an old overgrown road. We walked down it for awhile, finding coyote scat, bear scat, and what looked like the coyote's den in some rocks. We also found what looked like an American Chestnut (two actually.) After our walk we went back to the cabin. I was bushed and not really interested in fishing any more. We changed, ate a little something, and went back out to Dairy Queen. The night before we both had banana splits. This night we both had the chocolate covered strawberry waffle bowl sundaes. I always ask them to put chocolate syrup on mine instead of the hot fudge. Eating chocolate flavored rubber just isn't one of my favorite things to do.

We watched alittle tv and then hubby wanted to get in the hot tub again. We didn't get to bed until almost midnight. Which made for a little bit of a late morning. We decided to go to the Park to find out how to get to a body of water to fish. I hadn't seen any access roads. Well, the first one we stopped at, there was a gift shop and we spent quite a bit of time in there. They had the neatest shirts. They were white with black design, but when you took them out into the daylight bright colors came out on the design. We had to get one for our son. We walked up to where the old museum was, then down the trail. Ended up walking the whole length of the Loop Trail, which I'd never known about even though I'd been there a dozen times! After that we went to the Lodge. Visited the gift shop and got hubby one of those glass block that have an image floating on the inside -- of the Marine Corps emblem. We got another one that had a bride and groom in it for me ;) We asked the lady how to get to the water, and she showed us on a trail map. Then we went out and walked the Lover's Leap trail. It was a very short one leading to an overlook. While there we scouted out a spot for the letterbox. We felt it was an appropriate spot for our anniversary letterbox. After this we went back to the cabin. I was hot and tired, and really didn't care about fishing any more. We ended up pulling the couch futon out and napping for a couple of hours. I fixed the pork chops for dinner. I wanted Dairy Queen again, but didn't feel like running out for it. We pretty much watched tv and turned in early.

Got up next morning, packed car, went to breakfast, stopped at Lover's Leap and planted the box. We were ready to get home and see our son. It was Sunday, and this was the actual day of our anniversary. On the way home, hubby said he wanted to take me out to the woods. He wanted to take our son out to the woods. He missed him. I suggested that we go to Kanawha State Forest that afternoon. He liked the idea. We got home, the rest of our family was already there (probably arrived within 30 minutes of each other) unloaded the car, packed an ice chest, nature books, bird book, fishing poles, and took off with our son. Stopped at the store to pick up hot dog stuff, and off the the forest we went.

When I got home I had notices telling me that my Devil's Backbone and Cranberry Glades boxes had been found three times that weekend. Hurray!

Making the Best of It

2008-04-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

On March 11 my husband's mother passed away. This was something we had been expecting for the past two years, ever since she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Last September I had printed off clues for letterboxes in the area for just such an occasion. Going back for the funeral was an adventure in itself. We left early Wednesday morning, arriving at our hotel at about 6:30pm. We picked a hotel in the middle of nowhere, hubby not liking the city much, so we went ahead and ate there. I won't go into details, but from Thursday morning until the funeral things were a whirlwind -- family coming in from all directions, etc. Hubby forgot his suit so we made two separate trips into town to try to come up with something decent that didn't cost a fortune. Come Sunday, we were ready for some relaxation, so we headed out to go letterboxing. We went to Moon Lake Park, had a nice walk, found some wintergreen, and also the box hidden there. Interestingly enough, as we looked through the log book we found that two years earlier another boxer had sought out this box while he was home for a funeral too. After this we decided to try the Moconoqua Loop Trail boxes. There were three listed on this one. the clues weren't very clear, and the trail markings weren't clear either. We weren't sure which trail was the "beginning." We started on one end, but after awhile the clues just didn't fit with anything so we back tracked and started on the other trail. This one was practically mountain climbing. We looked and looked, but couldn't find the first box. When it started looking like the clues for the second box, we started looking for it, and found it without too much trouble. We went on to look for the third, but couldn't find it either. It started to snow, we probably only had an hour of day light left, so we gave up. We have to come back in July to close out accounts, so we'll have another chance.

We spent another day there, then headed back. We stopped at Hershey Park, but it was late in the day so we didn't hunt for the three boxes hidden there. The zoo was our priority. We spent the night at some friends' house, and then next day finished our trip home. We found two more boxes on the way -- the one at Sideling Hill and the one at the WV welcome rest area just across the border from Maryland.

Next time we go, hubby wants to plant several boxes in State Game Land 206 -- he grew up right on the border of this game land and spent most of his free time there. Lots of memories, and he wants to share them first with us, then with other letterboxers.

Valentine Letterboxing

2008-04-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hubby had to go out of town for a conference with the National Guard the weekend after Valentine's Day. There was a banquet, so I was expected to go too. Not that I was upset over having an excuse to go out of town with hubby and have the weekend paid for ;) On our way home Sunday we finally went out to the WVU Arboretum where there were several micro boxes hidden. There were two that we couldn't find. The area was kind of damp and muddy. Just as we were finding the last two boxes, it started to drizzle. On the last box, it held the logbook for the whole series, so this one took a little longer to stamp into. Hubby pulled up his jacket over his head and then leaned over me to give me some shelter from the rain. I was okay with stamping in the rain, but it was a sweet gesture. He then commented that the view was lovely out there, and I absent-mindedly agreed, intent on my stamping, but something in his voice called me to look up and I realized he wasn't talking about the outdoors! I had forgotten I was wearing a low and loose top ;) All around, it was a nice weekend -- after the banquet. Up til then hubby was busy. We didn't have anything to do on Sunday, so we got to sleep in and actually enjoy being at a hotel. Nice breakfast at the hotel. We had a leisure drive home after the trip to the arboretum.

The Future of WV Letterboxing

2008-02-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

I would really like to get a Letterboxing group started in WV. It would be nice to try to get things organized and try to really blanket WV with boxes. There are areas of WV that abound with boxes, but then there are areas that have nothing. I'm in an area where there is very little. It's not much fun to plant 100 boxes in an area and there is nothing for me to find! I am thinking about venturing out to the Eastern Panhandle during spring break and getting a bunch of boxes. maybe meet some more boxers along the way.... But, there is very little activity in WV, and I don't know of many boxers. I think I know of five. We'll wait and see.

Cooties!

2008-02-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, I was got. Not just once, but twice, and evidently by the same person! I listed my cootie finds on AQ. The sad thing is that they might be hanging out here for awhile. I could pawn them off on a friend, but she never goes to meets so she'd be stuck with it forever, or be forced to slip it back on me at some point. Gotta figure out how to move these puppies....

Our First Meet!

2008-02-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

Well, it's over! I was stressing out last week, but things went off just fine. Wednesday I had to set myself down and get to carving, because I didn't want my nightmare to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I got the event stamp carved. I wasn't sure how it would go over. I thought it was cute, but not having seen many event stamps except the one in The Letterboxer's Companion that was quite intricate, didn't now what others would think. Being a quiet, shy person, I didn't "interupt" all the conversation and do drawings like I had planned. Everyone seemed to be having enough fun just chatting and getting to know each other. WVBigBeard is a hoot and can keep you entertained for hours. I enjoyed hearing about his adventures, some of which I could relate to, but he told much better! I didn't my Mom's book stamped, but hey, I had enough to think about, making sure my son got his stamping done and my own. I'm trying not to encourage her "stamping by proxy" habit!

We got there probably an hour and a half early, and I went out to hide a bonus box. I tried to think of good clues that weren't real hard but didn't give it away either. Safari Man eventually went to locate the Library box, then the bonus box. He came back saying they looked everywhere they could think of but couldn't find it. I thought for a moment, did I make it too hard? About that time PioneerSpirit walked by the door and Safari Man turned to ask him if he found it and said "He's smiling, he found it!" and they went out again. I saw the stamp in his logbook later so I know he did eventually find it :) I sent my brother out later with the clues to see if he could find it, and he did say he didn't find it right off because when he went downstairs he said to himself "nah, that's too easy" and looked around some but then did find it where he didn't think it could be. But, my brother really isn't a good judge of clues because we think too much alike anyway ;)

It was nice to hear from Zandra that she appreciated my stamps I had carved at the boxes I have on the Midland Trail. I thought they were nice, but nothing spectacular, but it feels good to know that when someone else finds my box they are pleased with the stamp they find inside.

I did feel a little disappointed that I didn't do the prize drawings, more because I was afraid that others might be disappointed about it. Of course, I couldn't find out whether our groundhog had seen his shadow until this morning, so I will be getting those prizes out in the mail this week. But overall, I was pleased because it was so nice meeting such great people!

Mini-Meet Nightmare

2008-01-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

I had a dream last night that it was the day of the mini-meet and while setting up I realized I never carved the event stamp. Ooops! I'd better get to work this week :) I have two more stamps to carve for two more postals I signed up for, then I really got to commit to the meet.

What is Letterboxing?

2008-01-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

There has been some discussion and dissention lately on talk lists and in blogs about what activities are acceptable letterboxing and which aren't. This is the main reason I don't pay a lot of attention to what goes on on the main talk list. There are a lot of letterboxing snobs on that list who seem like they'd just as soon lynch me than make an exchange if we ever met on the trail. They want everyone to letterbox just like they do, and they don't care to take the time to try to understand where we are coming from or consider that we might have circumstances that lead us to approach it in a different way. If they want to make a 10 commandments list of letterboxing and become the letterboxing pharisees, then they should make their own list, create their exclusive club and leave us alone. If they don't like what the majority is doing, leave! I don't see where anyone who is involved with letterboxing trading cards or postals is shoving their interests down these guys' throats. As for postals not being letterboxes, well, they are -- they are just a different kind of letterbox. I like postals because it is a way to enjoy letterboxes during the winter when I can't get out and find boxes on my own. It also gives me the opportunity to enjoy a letterbox by someone I would probably otherwise never get to meet or find a box by them. But this is the main reason we have talk lists for these interests. Occasionally a postal may get mentioned on the main list, but it isn't often. As for criticizing AQ for including all these other interests, well, they are just providing a forum for the majority. If there are people who don't like it, they don't have to use it. If it majorly irks them, they can go off and make their own site and run it the way they want it run. Life is too short to be griping and judging other people -- especially when it isn't your place to do so. If you feel the need to criticize, just put your pack on and go take a hike!

Event Stamp Challenge

2008-01-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

I am having an awful time coming up with an idea/design for an event stamp. It's really starting to stress me out. This is the "big" item for an event! ugh.... It doesn't help that hubby and ds are underfoot. Dh has vacation this week, and ds has had school cancelled the past two days due to weather (yes, WVians are wimps when it comes to snow, at least those in Charleston) I haven't ventured out to the post office to mail out the groundhog day ballot or two postals that need to go back to their owners. Hopefully tomorrow....

Groundhog Day Ballot

2007-12-31T05:27:00.000-08:00

I changed my idea about the ballot just a little bit. I had intended for the people who attend the meet to vote AT the meet, but then I found out that February 2 is actually groundhog day, and by the time we are at the meet the little guy will have made his forecast. SO, I've turned the ballot into a postal. Those attending the meet can sign up to have to postal sent to them, they choose the groundhog or the shadow stamp, stamp the postcard included with their vote, mail the vote to me and mail the postal on to the next person. Of course, the ballot is listed on AQ so it can be claimed. I only have one participant signed up for the postal, and one person in NC has asked to receive the postal. Since it doesn't seem to be 'in demand' I'll send it to that person anyway. If more attendees sign up, though, they will go to the top of the list.

I am so glad that Christmas is over. I just was not in the mood this year. Majorly stressed out. I've never been stressed at Christmas. But I just had too many demands on me this year. I felt like I was being pulled from all directions. I need a vacation!

Hosting My First Meet

2007-12-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

I have never attended a meet before, though I've wanted to. They've just been too far away or at a bad time for me. So, I decided to hold my own. It is going to be February 2, The Groundhog Day Mini-Meet. I wanted something a little out of the ordinary. I'm working on an event stamp. I also want to plant some new boxes in the area. I'd like to have a game, but I haven't thought of anything yet. I've been told, though, not to bother with activities, etc. because everyone will be too busy stamping in to really care about that other stuff. I would like to do something, though, centered around the groundhog. I think I'm going to carve two stamps -- one with a shadow and one without, and have them cast their "votes" as to whether the little fellow will see his shadow or not. Those who guess right will get a prize. But so far that is the only creative idea I've come up with. I have nine signed up so far. I hope a few more will rsvp in the next couple of weeks, but nine is a good start.

Cross-Boxing

2007-12-04T03:53:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving we went to the cabin. While there I planted a bonus box near one I had planted earlier in the year. A bonus box is another box hidden in the area of another and the clue for this box can only be found in another box. We'll see how it goes. This has been my most popular plant so far.

On our way home we stopped at the Nature Center to get the box that had been planted just a couple months before. Hubby and I had found it when we went out to the cabin by ourselves at the end of September. I didn't have my logbook with me, or any of my boxing gear, so I wanted to go back, stamp it in red as it needed to be (it was a cardinal) and let our son get the stamp too. Well, the box was gone. We are going to try again in the spring just to make sure it was missing and not just us not giving a thorough search because of the snow ;)

When we were just half and hour from home we stopped by Kanawha Falls to stretch our legs and look around. For some time I had thought that this would be a nice place for a box. So I wondered off toward the wooded area. I saw a tree that had a broken limb that had hollowed out. I thought that might be a good place. As I walked around the tree I saw another hollow space, and as I saw it thought that it might actually go all the way through to that limb. So I stepped forward and peeked in, and there was a geocache! Ugh! I had toyed with the idea of geocaching at one point, because when I started letterboxing there were hardly any boxes in my area, but there were oodles of geocaches. Well, I did find a couple, but it just wasn't the same thing. Since then, I have also seen where geocachers have come across letterboxes in their hunt and haven't treated letterboxes very well. There have been some that have been very respectful. I can't say that it is very different even in the letterboxing community (sadly.)

But, I looked for another spot, and think I've found one. So now to just carve a stamp....

Updating

2007-11-07T10:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I've received all the postals in the newbie ring I was in, and sent the last ones on to the next recipients today. I am starting my own postal ring called Four Seasons: Autumn. I'm carving an acorn. I'm also carving a new sig stamp. I need to catch up with all my boxing buddies. I'll be pulling some in, I have too many running around -- it's hard to keep up. Sarge will be coming home after this next host. After this current host for Rupert I'm bringing him back and telling my mother that she is going to have to handle hosts for him from now on if she wants him to have any more travels. Doyle is my favorite, though I'm fond of Tweeter and Farley. I want Doyle to travel the globe.

I am really looking foward to going to the cabin for Thanksgiving. It's been a bit stressful around here lately.

Not Much Going On....

2007-10-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted, but not much has been happening. Last week we started planning on going camping this weekend, but it was calling for rain, etc. and we just couldn't get things pulled together. I still want to go camping. It's a little chilly, but I love the fall. I love the cooler weather. I guess it's the Scot in my blood ;) That and I was born at the end of November. I guess it's inevitable that I love the Autumn.

I'm in a newbie postal ring. I really want to get into postals, but haven't caught on to the signing up idea on AQ. Hardly anyone posts postals to the list any more. Some didn't interest me, others interested me but I couldn't answer the "fielding" question to qualify. Maybe I will have to start my own ring. But, I don't know how to set it up on AQ. Too much technology for me.

Tweeter, Sarge and Rupert are supposed to be headed to new hosts. Tweeter has arrived at his safely. Haven't heard about Sarge or Rupert yet. Someone has requested another boxing buddy, so I have offered the three I have here at home who have never gone out yet -- 3M, Sleepy Sheep and Hoshi.

I need to do some carving. It's been so long. I still have a sig stamp to carve for a friend of mine. I also found an image that would be great for his wife. It irks me that they are using store bought stamps. Since they are not artistically inclined, I have to help out. I did make the friend a micro stamp. I just need to do one for his wife too. I might do that one first.

Maybe this winter I will devote myself to carving and getting boxes ready to place. I'd love to have a "spring fling" at a local park with several letterboxes hidden. We'll see what happens....

Scrapboxing

2007-10-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hee hee. That's what you call creating a scrapbook about your letterboxing adventures ;) About eight years ago I did some scrapbooking, was even a consultant for a major scrapbooking company, but when I moved I didn't pursue it. My boxing buddy, Farley, has such a wonderful host right now, sending great pictures and entertaining anecdotes, that I just had to put them in a scrapbook. So now I've been bitten by the bug again. It's probably a good thing, because I have inherited all my grandmother's scrapbooks and they really need to be redone. Now that we know about such things as acid, lignin, etc. But, it will be a big undertaking. But it would be best to do it while there are still a couple of people around to ask questions.

Tonight we are going over to our friends' house for dinner and a little handyman help. Now that they are letterboxers, maybe we can do an exchange!

Farley in Touch

2007-10-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

I just heard from YT. They are back from Scotland, a little disappointed in the boxing department, but she had lovely photos to share. I will be adding them to his scrapbook and more info as I get it. I've also started a scrapbook for our family letterboxing adventures.

I had a rather disappointing weekend, and am very tired today. Hoping to relax, but we are visiting the cemetary and then this evening I have two meetings with the community center. Tomorrow, though, I might get to attend something interesting....

I need to start planning some more local boxes to plant, and also I want to hold a Spring Fling boxing event for April, so I need to plan that....

Not Much Going On

2007-10-02T16:39:00.001-07:00

Haven't done much letterboxing lately. Hubby and I went away for a week, but I didn't take my stuff with me. I don't think hubby really wanted me to. Of course, after getting out there I discovered that a new box had been planted in the area. We visited it anyway, and I just put a fingerprint in it for now. It is a cardinal, so I will have to take a red stamp next time. Yesterday we planted to more boxes. Yeah! One at Cranberry Glades and one at the North Bend Picnic Ground in the Monongahela National Forest. That was fun.

Now I am putting together a scrapbook for by boxing buddy, Farley. He has some great pictures from YT. Haven't heard from them in awhile, but last I heard they were headed to Scotland. I can't wait to hear about their adventures.

Take Me Away!

2007-09-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

I've been stressing out for the past couple of months, and last week I had a melt-down on hubby. So, we've decided to run away for a week. We'll be leaving Tuesday afternoon and hiding away in the woods. I am REALLY looking forward to it. There are two boxes I want to plant along the way, and one I need to check on -- it's had several visitors in the past month. I want to take lots of pictures in Marlinton and spend my winter carving to place boxes there next spring. Hubby is looking forward to the cooler weather and being able to use the pellet stove. I can't wait!

LaDiva

2007-09-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

(As reported by MinPinLovers)

La Diva was joined by Boxing Buddy Mango Bear and WebKinz Exchange Mariachi and we've been busy! Exchanges were done all around and introductions to our MinPin Mickey were made :) We planted a series called New York Is Charming and replaced a box and log that had gone missing. Another letterboxer found the stamp and returned it to me!!! We're heading out this afternoon to do some boxing in Ballston Spa. Enjoying our visit. Pics below. MinPin Lovers
First picture is our MinPin Mickey with the gang protecting our street.Second is a picture of the group exchanging and lastly is the planting spot for the first box in the series.

My Fault?!

2007-09-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Well, last Saturday evening I got a call from my friends who I just introduced to letterboxing blaming me for them blowing almost $200 on new tires. They were just kidding, though. They started out Saturday morning to find some letterboxes on their own about an hour and a half away, and halfway there ended up on the side of the road with a flat tire. Someone stopped to help them (I assume they put the donut on the car) and they went to Walmart where they discovered another tire with wires poking out, so had to replace two rather than just one. Their air conditioning wasn't working, so they found about 2 boxes and called it a day. We are planning to head back out that way to help them look for the boxes they couldn't find when it gets a bit cooler.

Yesterday I was in the area of Hurricane, and there is a new box in a park there, so I swung by to find it. This was the first letterbox I looked for and found all by myself. I usually at least have hubby, if not ds as well, with me.

I had hoped we would get to go to the cabin this weekend, but hubby has to work and also next weekend. Two and a half weeks from now is hubby's birthday, and I can't figure out what to do for it that will be special. I have an idea for a perfect gift, but I really need a vacation and need to get away for a weekend at least. We have a new tent, so I'm hoping we can at least go camping somewhere (hopefully near some letterboxes...)

Immersion Weekend

2007-09-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

Well, this past weekend was the time we had picked to help our friends develop this addiction called letterboxing. They came over Friday evening, we went out to eat and then went to find the Terra Salis letterbox. This is the first outdoor letterbox I planted, and they wanted the first letterbox they found to be one I had planted. The very first box I planted was in my mother's history library, but I had a store-bought stamp in that box, so I wanted them to find one of my boxes that had a hand-carved stamp. I had printed out the clues for the box and handed it to them as we entered the park. They said, "We actually have to find it?" to which I told them that I wasn't doing my job as a Lb trainer if I didn't take them out and make it do it themselves. I'm there to help correct whatever mistakes they might make. It took a little work, but they did find the box. We sat up talking quite awhile that evening. We got up (relatively) early the next morning, stopped for the Stone House box and continued on to Shoney's for breakfast. They had a little bit of a challenge on the Stone House box -- it required a compass. They weren't putting as much emphasis on the "follow a bearing of X" as they were the "pile of rocks" clue, so they started for a pile of rocks they could see, which was not exactly on the bearing that was given. I had to redirect them to the brush on that one.

From Shoney's we went on to Virginia's Chapel and planted a box. So, they got to experience the joys of walking around trying to find just the right spot, and then developing the clues to get them there. After this adventure we went on to Cathedral Falls (which is more appropriately a trickle right now) and had fun retrieving that box because half the county seemed to be there and the box was hidden in the open. We developed a "cluster maneuver" (you have to do strange things to keep a drill sergeant interested in this pasttime) in order to retrieve and later replace the box. We went on up the road and stopped off at The Mystery Hole -- a tourist trap, er, I mean -- roadside attraction that simply can't be missed. The scary part is that we were there about two months ago but the tour guide and ticket seller both remembered my son! I'm not sure that is a good thing.... From there we continued on to Hawk's Nest. This box had come up listed as missing, and we had found it once before, so we stopped to make sure it was actually missing -- and it was. We did take time to visit the overlook and do a little shopping in the gift shop. On up the road was another box, and after retrieving that stamp we rewarded ourselves with a stop at Dairy Queen. Yum....

Our trip continued into Fayetteville, under the New River Gorge Bridge, out to Thurmond, then we came home by way of Kincaid to plant the very first box I ever assembled, just hadn't placed yet. This one has a custom made stamp, due to the nature of the box -- which if you ever find it you will understand. We returned home, tired but pleased. They managed to come away with nine stamps and hopefully properly trained in the art of letterboxing :)

New Boxing Buddies

2007-08-25T11:10:00.001-07:00

I have three new buddies: Sleepy Sheep, LaDiva and Micro Mountain Monkey (aka 3M). I will be posting 3M's pic later. There is a story behind his nickname, and if someone can guess you will win a prize! My hubby is not eligible for this contest.

Actually, for Sleepy Sheep I had carved the stamp for another cuddly toy, but I was at the thrift shop this week and found this adorable sheep purse who looked like she was sleepy, so it was a great fit.

I won't be making individual blogs for these guys, just a little note on this blog when there is something of interest to share in their travels.

Adventures in Postal Letterboxing

2007-08-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well, last night I finished my carving. Got both of the stamps I committed to carve done, now I just have to hunt up the addresses to get them sent off. I got my BB for the UK. I wasn't sure if the one I ordered off the web would arrive in time, so I went all over Charleston looking for another cuddly toy I had seen the week before that I thought would make an adorable, pocket-sized buddy. They didn't have any more at the store I originally spotted them at, so the search was on. I looked in two card shops at the second mall we visited an no luck. I went in a bookstore and in the farthestmost back corner I found one. I snatched him up. At this point I still had him in mind for a back up. We went in a toy store, though, and I saw the same dog I had just ordered and it was much bigger than I had anticipated. So, I decided right there that my newly purchased buddy needed to be the one to make the trip over. I will let the secret out -- I had ordered a Shetland Sheepdog cuddly toy. I figured that would be the perfect buddy to send to the moors since YT tells me that the moors are covered with sheep. Oh well.

So, I got the buddy boxed up this morning in a small box because I wanted to keep the cost down -- for me as well as my UK host. The best box had printing all over it so I had to wrap it with brown paper. When I went to the post office, boy! He weighed the box and pulled out a huge form that was never going to fit on that box. So he had me get a padded envelope and address it to put the box in. After I filled out all the paperwork and we got the box put in the envelope, he put it back on the scale and it wouldn't accept the form, he had to get out another label, a smaller one. This would have fit on the box, but I knew the way my luck was going that if we took the box out of the envelope the computer wouldn't accept the small label it would insist on the huge form again, so we left well enough alone. The postal clerk was really nice and he offered to fill out the small form for me so I could go ahead and leave. So, the BB is on his way and should get there in plenty of time to go to the LB event with YT and meet lots of British letterboxers. Boy, do I envy him!

Some bad news is that on Monday morning there was a nasty electrical storm which fried our modem. I'm without internet connection right now, and am at the community center checking email. I will probably be offline until the end of the week. I may check email again on Thursday if not back online at home.

Carving Like Mad

2007-08-19T04:44:00.000-07:00

well, i carved some this weekend. i have four buddies ready to go: Micro Monkey, Sleepy Sheep, and LaDiva. One I just ordered off the web -- he was exactly what I was looking for -- so I carved his stamp too. I am just hoping he gets here by Wednesday so I can mail him to the UK. If not, I guess Sleepy Sheep will be headed over....

I just remembered I have two carving commitments on the postal group. I should get moving on those too. Ugh.

Dearth

2007-08-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

Not much going on. Been busy, busy. Between Avon deliveries and community meetings (i'm on the board of directors, and they have more meetings than most....) my son having starbase this week and needing to go to our sunday school teen's band camp presentation last night (an hour away, in ridiculous heat) i'm ready to crash this weekend.

Labor Day weekend our friends have scheduled an appointment with us to find their first letterboxes. I'm very excited about that.

Irish Ref did drop by to check out the Rand History Library LB the other day.

I have a stack of 4 boxes to plant, but been too busy and too hot!

I talked to another letterboxer in the area and I think we are going to try to get together to plan a little meet-n-greet in Charleston this fall.

I want to change my trailname. I'm really into sheep right now, and I carved a cute sheep face stamp. I want to be "Mad Sheep." I think that matches my personality a little better :) I'm sheep-mad right now -- sheep all over my house. Fortunately hubby grew up in a farming area, though it was mostly cows, at least he's used to animals being around. The plus side of my "flock" is that there isn't any sheep-dip!

Busy, Busy

2007-08-05T04:46:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy the past two weeks. First I went with hubby to his annual training for three days. I had hoped to get some letterboxing done, but when he got back each day he really wasn't up for driving around, and it was getting toward the end of the month and we still had a trip the following week, so I decided it was best to stay around the base. We did stop for a rest stop box on the way up, and I had another to get on the way back. It wasn't until I was home that I realized there had been two on the way home.

This past week we went to the family cabin with some friends to put a new roof on. The roof has needed replaced for the past 10 years but granny didn't want the headache of doing it. Now that she's gone, we used her money to get it fixed! I had hoped to introduce our friends' kids to letterboxing, but the guys worked hard all day trying to get the roof done in the shortest time possible, because we only had four days. I did check on a box I had planted the last time, and also checked on a hitchhiker I had set out. No one had found either.

I did get an email from a boxer who will be in the area earlier this week, they want an appointment to get the library box. Hopefully next weekend some other friends of ours -- the proselytes -- will be free to get their feet wet ;)

Proselytizing

2007-07-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

Well, while we didn't do any boxing this weekend, I did talk about it plenty with two different sets of friends. On Saturday evening hubby and I went to a friend's house to help them cut moulding and put it around the floor where they laid new flooring in the dining room. This is their first house, it is old, and there is a lot of remodeling to do. Hubby is a carpenter, so he's been helping them out and teaching the guy how to do these kinds of things for himself. While they were in the other room working, I sat in the livingroom with the wife (who was my roommate in college) and we talked about letterboxing and camping. Her hubby is a big camping fanatic. She, not so much. But he's wearing her down ;) She commented that he would love to go camping in New Hampshire and Conneticut, and wouldn't it be fun to do it together? I suggested we do a few local weekend camping trips together first, and why not combine letterboxing? Her husband has already purchased his stamp. She knows which one she wants, and they are going this weekend to pick out logbooks. She has said that they want their first stamp to be one of my planted boxes. We are going to take a Saturday soon to take them out on a day trip and get their feet wet, maybe even plant a box.

On Sunday evening we went to another friends' home for dinner and they asked about our letterboxing hobby. I had just happened to bring along my logbook ;) so I got to show them stamps I've collected and also the ones I had carved and planted. They were really impressed with the idea that you could carve your own stamps. I guess next time I go I will have to take my stamp carving stuff and do a demonstration for them.

JuJuBee and Cody's stay with us is drawing to a close. They've been here about a month. I wonder who our next guest will be?

Hubby is going away with the NG next week and I'll be going with him. I'm already printing out clues for boxes in the area and along the way. Now I just need to organize....

Boxing Bust

2007-07-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

Boxing with my family seems to be getting more and more of a drag. I had several boxes laid out to visit on our trip to the cabin, I even planned a different route to hit them, a way we've never gone before. By the time it was early afternoon, having only hit two of the five boxes planned, they were grumbling. So I didn't even try for the final three, headed into town, had dinner and went straight to the cabin. Didn't have a relaxing weekend either. Hubby kept talking about going to Cranberry Glades, so the next morning we got up and went out for breakfast. However, it was overcast and raining off and on, so we spent ALL day running around stores. We ate mid afternoon and went home. I was wore out and disgusted. The next day we waited until my Mom and brother came in before going into town. I had to go to the library to use the internet to place my Avon order.

BUT, I did carve a stamp while there, and we placed the box at Devil's Backbone -- a distinctive landmark my brother and I always watched for to know we we almost to the cabin (practically a stone's throw...) And, in honor of the 07-07-07 date, we placed our first hitchhiker. Mom took some pics with her digital, and when she gets back into town I will post a couple.

More Boxing Pics

2007-07-02T05:24:00.001-07:00

These are pics from our Memorial Day Boxing excursion. The first was from "Like a Hurricane" and the second was the 'reported missing' box "Red Rock." The last pic is from Cathedral Falls in Gauley Bridge. It sure was busy at that location, but it should have been renamed Cathedral Trickle because of the lack of rain we've had.

First Boxing Trip

2007-07-02T05:12:00.000-07:00

I got some old photos developed last week and on one of the rolls was pics of the very first letterboxes we found. My family has a camp in Pocahontas Co. WV and we have been vacationing out there for the last 35 years. So, I am very familiar with the area. Droop Mountain Battlefield and Beartown State Park were close by, so those were the boxes we sought first. That was back in 2005. Looking back at my logbook, I see that we went over a year before finding another box, but after that we've been hunting. This year is when I've really kicked into gear, especially since I've learned that I can carve stamps fairly well.

We went to my family reunion in Coal Grove OH this past weekend and I took the opportunity to place a box there, with our family crest image for the stamp. I hope I have lots of finders!

Drill Weekend

2007-06-26T04:33:00.000-07:00

Well, hubby had Friday morning off, and he used it to get ready for drill that weekend. I just learned that morning that a new box had been planted in our area. We were too busy with preparations to go look for it. However, I did drag my family out to a box (relatively) nearby after picking hubby up from drill on Sunday afternoon. We had a little trouble finding the location, but once there we found the box quite easily. The logbook was basically full and quite tiny, so no one got to stamp in, but we did use the box's stamp in all our log books. We are going to change "boxin-granny's" trailname to "absentee-boxer." She never goes boxing with us, instead she sends her stamp and book with my son and pays him for each stamp he acquires for her. Ugh!! Anyway, we had our two visiting buddies with us -- JuJuBee and Cody. They were quite excited to see some sites and finally find a box. Maybe tomorrow we can plant one.

First Plant!

2007-06-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty hot around here lately, so we got an early start this morning. After dropping hubby off at work, we packed up and headed down the road to the little park where we wanted to plant JuJuBee's first letterbox. Of course, all the nature distracted her a bit, but we were quickly back to the task and found (I think) the perfect spot.

New Arrival

2007-06-18T10:31:00.001-07:00

Our Boxing Buddy exchange "student" JuJuBee from Oregon arrived on Saturday. She has been having fun playing and getting to know Doyle's and Sarge's families. We plan on taking her out this week to find a couple letterboxes and hopefully plant one. We have a big boxing vacation planned for July 4th!

First Exchange!

2007-06-16T04:04:00.001-07:00

Well, on Thursday I got to meet my first real-live letterboxer (other than my family members I've dragged into this hobby kicking and screaming....) It was Penguin Patrol. She arranged via email to meet us and we opened the Rand History Library so she could hit our very first letterbox plant on her way through our state. It was so neat to meet another letterboxer. She encouraged me to go to an event soon to meet more -- assuring me that they are great people. Hubby and I are kind of the quiet, shy kind of people, so it may take a little bit of work to get us motivated to go to something like that. I do want to, but hubby having grown up in a swamp (literally) on a dead end road, well, crowds make him nervous. I'll keep working on him, though!

Boxing Weekend

2007-06-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I've discovered that boxing with my family can be a drag. They actually want to take breaks during the day and do silly things like eat!!

We left Thursday evening to get to our family cabin. We got up early Friday morning, went out for a big country breakfast (which, I assumed, would hold them all day) and then set out letterboxing. We hit two boxes at Anthony, WV on the Greenbrier River Trail. The first one was a combination letterbox and geocache. In it we found a treasure, and we left and exchange for it. When hubby was retrieving the box he got into some poison ivy. So, we headed down to the river so he could wash off, but he found some jewelweed, so he rubbed down with that. We went after the second box, and it was also near poison ivy. Hubby avoided it when he retrieved the box, but when he put it back he got into it, so more jewelweed was located! I'm writing this on Tuesday, and this was on Friday, and so far he hasn't broke out with a rash, so jewelweed works real well -- and here is a tip, you can almost always find it around poison ivy. While retreiving this box and stamping in, a black labrador puppy discovered us and wanted to get in the middle of what we were doing. I wouldn't have minded so much, but he had been doing what labs do best -- playing in the water. Ehw -- wet doggie!

From there we went up the road a ways to the Blue Bend park. We went on a hike for the box there. Hubby said it was about 2/3 of a mile one way, so I got my exercise in (a way for making up missing my Curves workout that day :) After that the natives started grumbling about food. We just ate 2 hours ago, what's up with this?? So we travelled to the nearest town, the place where we needed to pick up our next route to take us to VA. Hubby said, there is a store, let's go in there because it will be cheaper than eating at Hardee's. So, we went into the grocery store and left $45 later! Twelve dollars of that was fireworks (something that wouldn't have been there to tempt us in Hardee's.) They got things like chicken, fruit, etc. I got trail mix and jerky. Pack light, keep moving!!

From there we hit Route 60 to get to I-64 to pick up the VA Welcome Center box. Boy, that place was Grand Central Station! Fortunately we were able to drive right up to the box and do some normal activities to cover our retrieval of it. From there we headed for the Humpback Bridge box. This one had a note on it saying that the logbook was waterlogged, so I had come prepared to replace it. Well, when we got there, the clues were a little sketchy. We went one direction, and the spot was covered in poison ivy. Hubby had had his fill of PI that day and absolutely refused. I got a stick and poked and dug around in the spot but didn't feel or see anything. We walked in the opposite direction, and this section of fencing was covered in some kind of bush. Hubby did not feel inclined to crawl under the bush and hunt. What's up with this? Soldiers are supposed to be into this thing. I guess it is true -- my Marine is just getting old and cantankerous. We did cross the bridge (not in use for vehicles anymore) to appease our son.

From there we went to Hot Springs to find the 2 Brothers box. It was a drive-by, basically. At this point the natives were about ready to mutiny. My son asked "Is that the last box?" with a pleading tone, not a disappointed one like I would have liked to have heard. I reluctantly said, "Yeah" and headed for the cabin. I knew my Mom and brother had been at the cabin since at least 11am and at 4pm would be starting the pizza, so it was time to wrap up the day anyway. I at least have two left in VA for next time. The last one was a Confederate camp interpretative trail, so I'd probably want to spend most of the day there anyway.

On our way home on Sunday, I had several boxes picked out to hunt for. Out of the 8 sets of clues I had, we only found 4. One was MIA, and the other three were a little out of the way. We spent a lot of time at one location too. But I met my goal -- I wanted to hit 10 finds on Atlas Quest. I'm up to 16, so now I'm chomping at the bit to get it up to 20.

Buddies Checking In

2007-06-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I've heard from both of my hosts -- one for Sarge and one for Doyle, and they have both arrived safely and both seem very pleased. Sarge is staying with "cannonball" in MD and Doyle is with "jacks" in IL. I've already gotten a pic of Sarge meeting cannonball's buddy, Crabby, and will be posting to his blog. I hope to have a pic of Doyle soon.

Success!

2007-06-02T13:49:00.001-07:00

I got my two boxing buddies mailed out to their host families this morning, and my family went out letterboxing. We went out to Gauley Bridge, Hawk's Nest and Ansted. We found all the boxes. We left a hitchhiker and found another! That was really exciting. It was especially nice for me, because my family used to travel this route every year when we went on vacation to the family cabin out in Marlinton WV. We used to stop at Hawk's Nest and visit the overlook. We would drive by Cathedral Falls, but this was the first time I had ever stopped. It was a little crowded at Cathedral Falls. There was an Eastern Indian family there -- the lady was wearing a very pretty goldish/purple sari. It wasn't really a "Falls" but more of a trickle -- we haven't had much rain at all this month.

At Hawk's Nest we saw a couple with a big dog -- looked a little like a German Shepherd -- and my son commented for us to look at the dog that looked like a wolf. The guy said it was a wolf -- a Silverback Canadian wolf, five months old. They had rescued him from a trap. The wolf's parents had been poached and they had not been able to save it's sister. He was a very friendly dog, and as teething. He was chewing on hubby, who enjoyed it. The guy showed us its teeth -- it had two sets in the back. Hubby has been wanting a dog so bad for so long. He grew up with an Australian shepherd, but has always wanted a wolf. He fell in love with that dog. We had to say good-bye, but I was glad he had a chance to pet the dog and play with it.

After visiting Stonewall Jackson's mother's grave, we stopped at the local Dairy Queen, then headed home. I had had the itch to letterbox for a couple of days now, so I feel much better. NOW, I want to get a series ready to plant in Coonskin Park. I need to get more boxes planted in Charleston!!

Busy, Busy

2007-06-01T11:35:00.001-07:00

Well, I've been playing around with my blog and have learned how to create a blog for each boxing buddy and link them together. I'm quite proud of myself! I now have a set of links to the left of my page under "TeamKNORR Boxing Buddies" with links to each buddy's blog. They all have a picture of themselves, and will be adding some personal pictures soon. Keep checking back to learn of their adventures and learn a little more about them.

LB Weekend -- Putnum County

2007-05-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we hit two letterboxes today. There was one at the rest stop between Hurricane and Teays Valley. We went for that one first, but stopped at the west-bound area. The clues really didn't make sense, and we had no luck finding the box. I was a little disappointed because I figured this one would be the easy one. The other one we were going to find had been reported missing so we weren't sure we'd find one there. But, after about 20 minutes we admitted defeat and got back on the interstate. I got off at Hurricane and got back on the Interstate to head back to Teays Valley where we would get off to go across the Winfield bridge for our next box. Well, as we approached the rest stop on the east-bound side I wondered if maybe we hadn't been at the wrong rest stop. So, with nothing to lose, we stopped. Once we pulled up hubby said that this was the place -- the clues fit right in with everything he was seeing. We found the box in no time, and sat in the lovely spot where we could leisurely stamp in.

When DS took out the contents, I saw something not usually in a letterbox and asked him what it was. He handed it to me and I got really excited. It as a hitchhiker! This is the first hitchhiker we have ever found. I am currently trying to decide where would be a good place to plant it....

Also, while stamping up we saw a lovely bird, one we hadn't seen before today, and we had just happened to see one in our yard this morning. I do a lot of birdwatching at my window and have binoculars and a book that has lots of pictures and information on birds. I looked it up and learned it was a Northern Flicker. I thought it rather interesting that we would see the bird twice in one day.

After this, we headed to Winfield bridge where the directions for the next box started. Hubby got us started in the wrong direction -- toward Eleanor -- because he had worked at the Eleanor armory for almost a year and they called the location "Red House." But Red House was actually in the opposite direction. So, after a little while he commented something about heading toward Red House and I had to explain that it was in the opposite direction than where we were headed. We got back on track. This was a very challenging trail. About half-way up I did regret ever trying for this box, especially since we didn't know it would be there. However, we finally did get to where we where going, and hubby brought up the box. I was very happy to be able to email the creator and let him know that his box is not really missing afterall.

Well, fortunately there was a Dairy Queen in Eleanor, and that is right where I headed once we got back to the car. After a nice chocolate sundae, I was revived and feeling much better about the whole day.

Maybe we will hit another tomorrow....

Failed Plant

2007-05-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I got the "Clan Kincaid" letterbox all put together and we went out in search of Kincaid, WV to hopefully plant the box. Well, it took a little longer to get there than expected (WV roads....) and it was rather small, mostly residential. We scoped out the cemetary in hopes of planting there, but I think half the town was there mowing and weed-wacking in preparation for the Memorial Day weekend. With much disappointment we had to leave without planting the box. Hubby suggested we try again this weekend, but I have a feeling it will be just as busy through Monday. Hubby is supposed to have Tuesday off, so maybe we can take a trip then....

Boxing Buddy Doyle

2007-05-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

This is Doyle. He is a shy, unassuming little lamb. He is getting ready to travel the country in search of adventure through letterboxing. He has never been away from home, so he will be relying on some very friendly hosts to show him around. As you can see, he has his little backpack and is just about ready to head out! He will be writing home frequently and we will post updates as available.

First Letterbox

2007-05-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, with the help of my mother, we planted our first letterbox. The idea of the box was her idea, and I put it together, then she hid it. It is titled, "Rand History Library" and can be found on Atlas Quest or LbNA. I am working on another box, because I learned that today is International Plant-a-Letterbox Day.

Letterboxing

2007-05-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

I discovered letterboxing in approximately 2005. I really don't remember now how I stumbled across it. We got more active about it last year -- it took me that long to get the rest of my family interested. Now, by joining some online groups, we are branching out into "postal" letterboxing in order to experience places we probably wouldn't be able to visit otherwise. We want to share our experiences with you.