Our First Meet!

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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....