Fleur de Lis' Letterboxing Journal

2009-01-25T13:52:00.004-05:00

Got out today for a little bit and found a nice local box - first one since August! Eeek. Life has gotten in the way, and my 'boxing partner can't do the longer walks anymore, so I'm somewhat limited as of late.

Still working on a big project behind the scenes, though. Shaping up rather nicely. I hope others think so too.

2008-06-24T17:54:00.004-04:00

We're in Rhode Island for the week, visiting my parents. We headed out to find a mystery box today that I occasionally work on (when I'm up in this neck of the woods). Found the starting point, started out, and then the sky opened up and it started pouring. Went back to the car, regrouped, got an umbrella, and tried again. Found most of the clue points, but didn't actually find the box. The skeeters were in full force and the thunder was rumbling overhead. I was convinced that we'd get stuck in a bad situation (especially since the weather forecast called for 60 mph winds and hail during this storm) so we left. Perhaps another day.

We did see this, though:

I don't know much about turtles, but I'm pretty sure they like to be near water. There was no water anywhere around, so I wonder if he took a wrong turn somewhere...

2008-06-01T22:12:00.004-04:00

Someone found Metamorphosis the day after I planted it. That's fast! And they found it on a day when tornadoes were predicted in Philly (but didn't happen, thank goodness).

Now if I can just get lb.org to accept my clue...apparently there's another box out there with the same name and it won't let me post. I can't be the first person to have come across this problem...?

2008-05-30T16:39:00.002-04:00

Planted a letterbox today. I've had the stamp carved for a good six months but never planted it. My first plant in a long, long time.

2008-04-25T12:29:00.002-04:00

There's a place we like to go to walk and find boxes, but goodness it always kicks our butts with the terrain. Went there today, and it was definitely a beautiful day for a hike! Unfortunately, allergies got the best of me later in the morning and I'm a sniveling mess. Waiting for the allergy meds to kick in.

On a planting note, I have so many ideas floating in my head - I just need to find the time to get them on paper. I think the challenge with planting for me has always been finding the final place to put a box. With my first few boxes, I picked a general location and then found a suitable place for the box, but I've never been happy with those final locations. Now, I'd rather wait and find a place that would be perfect for a box, and then go carve, write clues, etc.

2008-03-17T21:43:00.001-04:00

I'm working on a letterboxing project with a muggle/noxer/whatever you want to call him. I'm really excited, and it's just getting started. Hopefully it will turn out as well as I hope...

2008-03-15T16:05:00.001-04:00

I am on a mystery box CRAZE lately. If it has clear directions, I don't want it! I've been making myself crazy with some of them, but also I'm really having a blast using the ol' grey matter to the fullest. I need to get this all in now anyway, because once spring really comes, I'll be out in the garden and away from the computer until autumn!

2008-03-08T21:29:00.001-05:00

Working on a couple of different Mapsurfer puzzles at once...I'm going to need glasses after this is all over.

Wish it wasn't so muddy out, so that I could go and do some actual finding instead of armchair searching...

2007-08-04T17:59:00.000-04:00

Replaced the logbook for Black Diamond today - finally! Thanks to Lightnin' Bug for putting in a temporary logbook last year.. I can't believe how much that one "trail" changes every time I visit it. Today, it was a tree blocking my entire path. I had to get a bit creative to get around it. I'm thinking of pulling the box and finding a better place for it, as I constantly get reports that the clues aren't exactly as is. The box isn't difficult to find, but the landscape certainly does change from season to season. While I'm at it, I need to recarve Mother, as that stamp is an embarassing display of my lack of artistic talent!

2007-06-23T10:15:00.000-04:00

Found my first Mapsurfer box last weekend! One down, many more to go...

Replanted The Watcher today.

My dining room table is covered with carving tools, ink pads, etc. I need to get going on my project and get that planted and out of the way. But first, a nap...

2007-06-08T20:14:00.001-04:00

We're heading out tomorrow to do some serious boxing. I'm going after a couple of mystery boxes that piggy-back off of some known boxes that I have yet to find. I think I've figured out what I could thus far and hope that the rest will make sense once I get there.

That being said, my printer ran out of ink! I'm contemplating writing out the clues to other boxes in the area by hand. In the dark, of course, because the lightbulb blew out in the computer room and I only have the glow of the monitor to guide me.

I was all ready to plant my mystery box tomorrow as well, but then I realized that I need to wait until after the weekend is over, as there will be tens of thousands of people in the area for an event this weekend - I don't want it getting muggled it's first day out!

Wish me luck tomorrow...!

2007-06-03T18:00:00.000-04:00

Posting twice in one day - I must be excited!

Finished recarving The Watcher as well as another mystery stamp whose clues will be in very limited distribution (read: only available to a select few). It's a really nice stamp - a bit artsy a la my Lance Armstrong hitchhiker, where you kind of have to stare at it and then voila! I see it now... I just have to make the logbook, and then hopefully I can plant it tomorrow or Tuesday.

Also formulating a stamp idea for a bonus box off of The Watcher. The clue for the bonus box has the potential to give away the entire area (and thereby not making it much of a mystery), so I think I'll email it to those boxers that have listed their Watcher find via AQ or email, instead of just posting it as a mystery to the mystery. In any case, The Watcher should be replanted no later than the end of next weekend.

2007-06-03T12:52:00.000-04:00

So...last wrote in this thing a year ago. Can't say I've done much boxing since then. Only recently have I returned to thinking about it a lot. Who knew that it would take 3 years to get the house really in order and my garden self-sustaining so that I could actually leave Philly on the weekends!?

Recently found some boxes up in the Allentown area, and then found some over by Valley Forge. Doing some work on some Mapsurferian puzzles, and I think I just figured out She Turned Me Into a Newt. I have to actually go and find these boxes now - I've found that I tend to solve the puzzles for the sake of exercising my brain, but then I don't follow through and get the box!

On my To Do list:
* Pull my Ben Franklin series for some much needed maintenance and stamp recarving
* Recarve/rehide The Watcher, as it's definitely gone missing
* Hide some new boxes
* Purchase new letterboxing journal, as I've filled my original one up (only 113 finds, but I'm definitely not in it for the PFX numbers!!)

It's good to be "back"!

2006-07-16T21:57:00.000-04:00

Once again - wow. I haven't updated in forever! To be honest, the last LB that I found (before my recent streak) was in November. We've been busy with the house, trips, new jobs, etc. Plus it's hard to make time for it when your former LB partner is no longer very interested in the hobby!

I had the chance to find some boxes when I was visiting my parents recently in RI, and I got the bug again. I even ran around in a skirt and heels to find a Der Mad Stamper box while at a conference in OR. Last night I had a dream about finding a hitchhiker hostel. I definitely have the fever again!

2005-09-18T12:56:00.000-04:00

Went to Ashland last weekend to visit the in-laws. Did some maintenance on Black Diamond and Mother, and changed the clues a bit to reflect some changes in topography. Also left a little present there... I'm hoping to carve a Centralia stamp this week and plant it up there when we go back to the area this weekend for a christening.

I also slightly modified the clues to my Ben Franklin series, as it seems people are getting hung up on my mention of Statesman and not using their noggins to find Founder and Inventor.

We were in RI over Labor Day to visit my parents. It was really nice, and I took my parents 'boxing! It was my dad's first "find" (even though I've been doing this for almost 2 years). I think he liked it, and hopefully they'll do some finding of their own. He even came up with a trail name for them - The Tall and Short of It (my dad is 6'5, and my mom is 5'3)! Go parents! I also found my 100th stamp in the form of a HH while in RI. It's a good thing I don't keep track of my PFX count, or I'd be sad that it took me almost 2 years. But I don't really care - I'm in it for the fun and outdoors, not the number of finds.

In any case, I've barely been 'boxing. Gas prices are just too out of control for us to justify taking random drives to find Tupperware right now. It stinks!

2005-05-30T17:32:00.000-04:00

Two fun pictures that Catbead emailed me awhile ago - turns out two of my HHs went and visited two of her boxes - both with the same theme.

Ace of Diamonds HH and LB

Ace of Clubs HH and LB

Thanks, catbead!

2005-05-30T17:09:00.000-04:00

Wow - it's been awhile, huh?

Finally got out boxing today - first time in 2 months! We found the Dog Day series by B&E, who always tell the greatest stories! Left behind a little surprise at one of them...

Last time we went boxing, we found The Persistence of Winky, in honor of the Dali exhibit at the Philly Museum of Art. That took a lot of stealth, as there was a constant stream of people going by. While there, we found The Velveteen Rabbit HH - which has been around since December 20, 2002!!! Rubaduc apparently thought this fun little guy was gone for good, since he hadn't been heard from in a year or two! I don't understand why people don't report on the HHs that they find...

My entrant into The Great Hitchhiker Race, Lance Armstrong, came in second, narrowly being beaten by WWI Flying Ace. I hope this isn't a bad omen for the real Lance in this year's Tour de France!

And finally, I have got to go and maintain my Ben Franklin boxes. I haven't visited them since planting them a year ago, and I have no doubt they need some upkeep.

2005-02-12T19:50:00.000-05:00

I got a fun surprise in the mail today! The Who's Got a Bug Up Their Butt? Hitchhiker Hostel PLB arrived at my doorstep this morning. What a fun fun box! It's the first and only PLB I signed up for and I was not disappointed. It's a really fun box to look at aesthetically speaking, and then there were a ton of goodies inside. And imagine my surprise when I found my Ace of Spades HH in there!! I hadn't heard from that little guy since mailing him to Team PresSinOn last year. I'll let him stay in the box though - I'd like to see it travel around some more.

I'm also really impressed and fascinated by the logbooks people have created and the little pouches they've made to transport the HHs around. The creativity of people in this hobby never ceases to amaze me!

2005-02-05T20:12:00.000-05:00

What a gorgeous day!! I had every intention of getting outside and doing some letterboxing, specifically planting a new WoM box and doing some recon on a mystery box, but I guess it wasn't in the cards. I took the dog for a long walk and by the time we got home (after walking up the 12% grade hill to our home) we were both beat! Not to mention the Excel spreadsheet I'd made for the mystery box didn't open and I didn't feel like hurrying to piece together the clues again before I left. I may try to run out and hide the WoM box tomorrow - I'd love to get it going. I haven't carved it yet, but it's a different kind of box so I don't have to do too much carving.

In any case, this weather was a tease because I want it to be Spring already!!

Also, go Yanks!!!

2005-01-15T17:09:00.000-05:00

We were able to get out and find the rest of the 12 Boxes of Christmas series on Thursday night. We got there around 7:30 pm and saw only 3 people (all joggers) the entire time. We beat the rain, cold, and crowds, and completed the series. It was definitely a bit difficult in the dark, as stumps and rocks and trees didn't just jump out at us as they might during the day, but we had success. Hooray!

Also got out today and returned to Evansburg for the rest of Raindeer's series, but it seems as if 2 of the boxes are gone. I hope they're not and that we just didn't see them. It seems like a lot of his boxes go missing, which is a shame! It was good to get out and run the dog and be outside, in any case.

2005-01-01T16:12:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!

As last New Year's Day was gorgeous out, so was today - 65*!! We went (minus the dog) to find Mizscarlet's 12 Boxes of Christmas series but only found one - there were SO many people out on the trail that even though we were trying to be stealthy, we had to pass the first one by (too many people) and couldn't poke around enough for the third (too many people). We felt that we were actually attracting attention do our suspicious poking around so we're going to go back on another day.

Coming home, we grabbed the dog and took him to find Wizardland. It started out a bit hairy, as Joe fell and I thought twisted his ankle (but didn't); lost his sunglasses (I found them); and the dog HATED his new collar/leash/training thingy, so we were hindered by him rolling around trying to get it off. We did find the box, though - out in the open (argh!) - and we were first finders! My first first finder!

My first boxing-related resolution is to get out more and enjoy the hobby. I've been too focused on the house/work/dog/wedding that I need to remember to get out and enjoy the fun things in life! (I also need to pay more attention to this journal, as the updates have been few and far between.) However, if Team SuddenTurkey can go out boxing a week after their newest addition to the family was born (massive congrats to you!!) then I can put aside house cleaning (a la Hikers and Hounds and enjoy the hobby!

2004-11-28T13:59:00.000-05:00

Well it's been a long time since I've updated. Unfortunately, life has seriously gotten in the way of letterboxing. Between a new house, new job, planning a wedding, and rain (boo!), I feel like I haven't boxed in ages. I barely even have time to read my Yahoo groups anymore! I think that what needs to happen is to schedule time into my weekends to box. I need to plan it instead of waking up Saturday morning and hoping that I will have time in my day to do it. It's especially rough now that the holiday season is upon us, and weekends are really booked. I need to remind myself, though, of how much fun I have boxing and how happy I am when I'm out there, and do as the Pepe's do - just get out there and box!!

2004-09-29T18:46:00.000-04:00

Also realized that N.E.S.S #3 put my PFX count at 100! A milestone reached.

2004-09-29T18:42:00.000-04:00

Went boxing this afternoon up here in RI with my mom. We found 5 boxes with minimal work. Three were thanks to the von der Insels and their great letterbook series! One was a relative drive by, and the fifth was close to my parents' house. Unfortunately, it was also extremely out in the open. Whether or not the last finder didn't rehide it at ALL, or a noxer found it and just left it, I'm glad I found it and rehid it well. It's a shame that so many boxes these days are going missing or not rehidden well!!

2004-09-28T18:04:00.000-04:00

Haven't updated in a long while...been busy with the new house! We did get out and get a box on Sunday - first time out boxing in over a month.

Good news, though - the Lance Armstrong hitchhiker that is my entry in the Great Hitchhiker Race was found first! It was found last week by Keegan the Airedale Terrier and moved along the same day. The only other racer to be reported found thus far has been Turbo Slug, but I know Lance is much faster than that critter :)

2004-09-15T13:57:00.000-04:00

Ben Franklin - Statesman is officially missing. Looks like someone took it, because I found no traces of it nearby (as if an animal took it). My first missing box. It's not a milestone I've liked reaching!

2004-08-23T12:13:00.000-04:00

We went to Norristown Farm Park yesterday because it's pretty close and I figured we could get in, get the 3 boxes, and get out. Boy was I wrong! The clues, first of all, are so creative (and wonderful), but you have to use your imagination to "see" what the author sees.. Took us about 20 minutes before I was finally sure that we were headed in the right direction to the first box. Then, of course, we did end up taking a wrong path and had to climb through the forest, over a creek, and into some brush just to get back on track. We found Spiral Galaxy after a lot of searching and then headed off to box #2. Unfortunately, we must have overshot it (by a lot), because we found ourselves on a trail that really wasn't a trail anymore. By that point, it was closing in on 7 pm and we decided to just stay on the non-trail and get back to the car. Easier said than done! The non-trail became way too overgrown for us to continue on, so we backtracked and went through a fence into a field. There'd been a sign saying not to do that, as there was a bull and some other livestock roaming the fields, but Joe didn't care - he didn't want to walk ALL the way back around to the car. Through the field we tromped, with me telling him to hurry up the entire time, and looking around for a bull to come charging at me! The only animals we ended up seeing were deer, but it was a nervewracking 10 minutes for me! We'll go back and get the other 2 boxes, but maybe in the winter when there's a lot less undergrowth to deal with.

2004-08-17T22:36:00.000-04:00

After leaving my friend's house today, I ran and checked on Ben Franklin - Scientist since I was in the neighborhood. The area flooded, and I couldn't find Ben at first, but after about three minutes of searching I found the box, dry as could be :)

I also found the Mint Eagle microbox, since I was in the area. What a cute little stamp :)

2004-08-16T21:29:00.000-04:00

According to this site, I'm a "him". Is there something I don't know about myself..?

2004-08-14T17:25:00.000-04:00

Checked on Mother and Black Diamond a few minutes ago. The squeeters are vicious! And we heard some gunshots, which scared me... Joe said it could be some jerk trying to scare people, or hunting small game. Either way, there's now a note for those clues to be careful and wear bright colors!

Letterboxers are the nicest people! Black Diamond was triple bagged, and not from me! It was also under many rocks - I guess someone noticed that I'd posted awhile back that an animal had dragged out an HH hiding there. Mother was also under many more rocks than I originally left it. Thanks so much to all who take the time not only to find these boxes (amateur attemps on my part) but to ensure their future safety!!

2004-08-11T18:38:00.000-04:00

Two sets of clues I recently read for somewhat local boxes that I think are just so creative! The Underwear Drawer and Splel Cehck.

No, I did not spell the second box incorrectly :)

2004-08-11T07:17:00.000-04:00

The Watcher has been found! Congrats to Team SuddenTurkey for being the first finders for this mysterious gent!

2004-08-09T20:03:00.000-04:00

I think I could be letterboxing for 10 years and still get excited hearing about my boxes being found. Poison Ivy reported that Kayak was found this past weekend in good condition. Thanks for the report, PI!

2004-08-08T16:28:00.000-04:00

The Ace of Spades Hitchhiker was found! In the first report back to me, Eagle Bob and Teapot Marie wrote that they found it in the Lock Rock box. It seems that it was transported in June by ARC & Sassy from its original spot on the Perkiomen Trail (where I planted it in April). Thanks again, Marie and Bob, for letting me know that my first hitchhiker is still out there somewhere!

2004-08-06T18:56:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we drive up to Lawn Guyland for my great-aunt's 90th birthday party. I'm not a big fan of LI at all, but to get me through it I'm hoping to find a box or two. Granted, there are only two boxes in the entire county we'll be in...! I told my sister to bring her 'boxing gear so that we can go together. I'll also be bringing my carving materials - I'll hopefully have some time to sneak away from the party and carve a stamp, then ask my cousin to bring me somewhere to hide it. That'll make the county count a whopping three!

2004-08-03T21:55:00.000-04:00

Hmm..I'm wondering where Mark Pepe's usual Monday goodies are...?

2004-08-01T16:10:00.000-04:00

Last week, NattyBumppo and I figured out Homage. Unfortunately, since our schedules conflict a lot and because August is jam-packed for me, Joe and I went and searched for it sans Natty yesterday. What a walk it was! I enjoyed myself because I had the end goal in mind, but Joe had no idea it'd be that long of a walk (3 miles one way maybe?). It was 88 degrees out and our water was gone halfway to the box. Mental note: bring bikes next time.

But we did find it and it was well worth it for me! We stamped in and walked back, deciding to leave Mad Hatter's Hitchhiker Hostel for another day. Joe was too tired, and I didn't even have any HHs with me, although I would have loved to just see it. So now the quest is on to find a HH, or I'll just carve one myself, to go and exchange there!

2004-07-28T17:45:00.000-04:00

The Great Hitchhiker Race (name still pending) is taking shape! Lightnin' Bug emailed contestants this morning (myself included) and we'll soon make up some rules. My entrant is going to be Lance Armstrong (allez Lance, allez!). Other known contestants thus far will be Hikers & Hounds Speed Racer and Lightnin' Bug's Turbo Slug. I'm laughing just typing this! It should be great fun, and I hope that Lance wins the maillot jaune in this race!! :)

2004-07-26T18:23:00.000-04:00

The Wolter Family from Michigan emailed me to let me know that they found Kayak. I assume it's safe and sound, and they weren't the first visitors either! Even better - they enjoyed the area and the sights and sounds - one of the best parts about letterboxing! Thanks for letting me know that Kayak is still afloat in western PA :)

2004-07-24T20:11:00.000-04:00

Finally went and checked on The Watcher. I was afraid that it might have been washed away in all of the rain we've been having! But I guess I hid it well enough that it was A-OK. No visitors yet, but I do know that some people have figured out the location (and notified me via email). Guess it takes time to get there!

2004-07-24T14:59:00.000-04:00

This work thing is interfering with my letterboxing! I'm so tired lately, especially mentally (where it counts) that I think it's time to retire (although I'm only in my 20s, so I doubt that'll really happen) so I can letterbox full time.

Took a nice walk to check on Boards and Bridges this morning. The Raindeers have "officially" adopted this box, since Pico lives in Chicago now, but its only a mile down the tow path from my apartment, so I can't help but check on it now and then :) No HHs to find, but there were more stamps in it since last time I checked. And unfortunately, the last person to find it (this morning, in fact!) didn't replace it very well so I hid it better.

I'm considering creating a new HH to celebrate a certain cyclist's 6th Tour de France win tomorrow... ;) I'm not a great carver, though, so I don't know how to create a stamp about him without actually carving him...

Time to eat more carbs... I need more brain fuel as I'm doing a lot of work on several Mapsurfer boxes right now. I WILL find them..oh yes I will! *insert evil laugh*

2004-07-23T21:36:00.000-04:00

A big thank you to Irene of Hikers & Hounds who paid me an amazing compliment the other night... I'm glad that you appreciate all the hard work I put in to my Ben Franklin boxes (especially the log books...those took me days!). I don't do this hobby for anyone but myself, but it makes me want to do that much more when someone likes my boxes so much!

Now if only it would stop raining every weekend so that I could go out and find some and check on the ones I have out there...

2004-07-18T19:51:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm making slight progress on the box I'm currently working to solve, Homage. It's hard, though, to turn my brain on after I've let it turn to relaxed mush over the weekend. I need a crossword puzzle or three to get back in the zone and intelligently thinking again. In any case, it's fun to work on this box since it is such a challenge. The majority of letterboxes are quite easy to find - it's not a criticism, just a reality.

I have had a couple of people email me with either very good or correct guesses about The Watcher. Assuming it doesn't rain as much this week as it did last week, I'll go check it to make sure it hasn't vanished - it would stink to solve a mystery box and travel to its location, only to find that it's no longer there!

Still haven't checked on my Ben Franklin boxes, even though I've had reports that some of the actual boxes desperately need replacing! I blame the aforementioned relaxed mush state for my laziness this weekend.

2004-07-10T20:54:00.000-04:00

I have decided that ShredMTB and the Mapsurfer have a conspiracy to frustrate the hell out of me!

2004-07-10T19:34:00.000-04:00

Today we went to the Washington's Crossing, PA, gathering. It was a good time! It was my first gathering, and I was definitely a bit shy. I exchanged a lot of stamps, chatted, and Joe and I found a few boxes. Joe was itching to take a bike ride, so while he did that I went back to the pavilion and exchanged some more. I was absolutely bowled over by people's creativity! Judy (SowSewBizzy) brought her Apologies to Martha and Mr. Potato Head PLB that many of us stamped in to. I won't give away the details, but it's obvious that she put a lot of thought and work into it!

I didn't end up stamping in to any of the hitchhikers in the gathering hostel - I guess I'd rather find them by surprise. It was actually hard not to stamp in, because some of the stamps were so cute, but I feel I'd be cheating myself if I did. So..hopefully someday I'll run across them again.

Thanks again to Irene (Hikers & Hounds) for putting together a great, fun-filled day!

2004-07-09T20:19:00.000-04:00

Blogger has been a royal pain! I've tried to update several times and it just wasn't working. C'est la vie!

Tomorrow is the Washington's Crossing Gathering - my first! I'm excited..can't wait to find all of the stamps and meet new people, although I am quite shy :o

2004-07-05T21:32:00.000-04:00

Blogger doesn't seem to be working very well..I can't view my blog, nor the blogs of many other people. At least I know it's not just me. I hope they fix this (or whatever it is fixes itself) soon.

Saturday, on the way from one family visit to another, Joe and I stopped in Allentown and hunted/found two boxes that Lightnin' Bug had not yet published the clues for. I'd received the clues earlier than most for correctly guessing what the first box, Pass, Set, Spike was in reference to. I was hoping to be first finder, but Raindeer beat me to it. I actually pulled a little Seinfeld when we opened the first box and saw his stamp - I clenched my teeth, raised my fist in the air, and said "Raindeer!" (instead of "Newman!" for those of you who understand my reference). All in good fun, though :)

2004-06-30T22:04:00.000-04:00

I wonder if Kayak has had any visitors yet. A few people emailed me saying that they were going to search for it... It'd be nice to hear about my boxes from time to time...!

This is the part I like the least (if I dislike anything at all about the hobby) - not hearing about my boxes and HHs. I know it's all part of "the game".. I guess I just wish that everyone would be as conscientious about Contacting the Placer as I am...

2004-06-30T21:56:00.000-04:00

The upcoming holiday weekend means THREE days of letterboxing! I know that, as usual, we won't take advantage of all three days, but even two days of boxing would be great! We were invited to my sister's birthday picnic on Sunday, but anyone who knows anything about driving to the Jersey shore on a summer weekend, let alone a holiday weekend, knows that driving there means sitting in about 7 hours of traffic. I think I'll pass :)

My Ace of Hearts HH was received by my sister and then sent on its way in NJ. I also heard that the Ace of Diamonds was received by Team PresSinOn (along with the old You Can't Touch This HH log), but it seems that one of their members has sustained an injury, so it'll be some time before they head out. That's okay - speedy recovery, NeverEnuff! The only HH in that series left is the Ace of Clubs. I have an idea what I'll be doing with it... just have to carve it first!

Finally, after reading on the LBNA talklist about transferring images to carving material, I think I will try what seems to be the easiest - "ironing" on laser printed copies of pictures. At this point, anything will work better than my quasi-tracing method at the moment, which usually results in my freestyling the drawings. Not good!

Maybe I'll go check on my Ben Franklin series this weekend too...I'd love to see how many "hits" he's received :)

2004-06-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

I wanted to go letterboxing this weekend and try to get up to Allentown to get some boxes (including a box whose clues have not yet been published!). Unfortunately, we can't get out of our neighborhood, as there's an arts festival going on today and tomorrow. No driving, and we didn't think ahead to park the car elsewhere! Guess I won't get the aforementioned box early...ah well.

2004-06-18T17:41:00.000-04:00

Today Joe and I went to search for the Who is the Author? series up in Doylestown, PA. We found #1 after first overshooting it (we always either overshoot or stop too soon!!) and stamped in. #2 we had to save for later, because on of the park maintenance trucks and driver were right in front of it.

On to #3. Found it easily. We pull out the box and sit down to stamp in. As is my custom, I start looking through the logbook and all of the people who have stamped in before us. Imagine my surprise when all of a sudden, I see Joe's handwriting. Turns out that while I thought he was at work for hours yesterday, he drove up to Doylestown, scoped out the series, and wrote in the third box log: "Hello Kathryn! I know how much letterboxing means to you! So I skipped out early and beat you to this one... But while I have you here and before our vacation on Saturday: Will you marry me...? Love, Joe"

Then he got down on one knee and presented me with a ring. Of course I said yes :)

I was shocked, to put it mildly! Especially since I've wanted him to propose this way for months, but never actually told him! He thought it up all by himself :)

What a happy, happy day :) I still can't stop smiling!

Oh, and I ripped the note he wrote out of the logbook so I can keep it... :)

2004-06-16T18:33:00.000-04:00

The Ace of Hearts Hitchhiker was created and sent to my sister in New Jersey. I hope she's still letterboxing! lol If not, I guess I'll get it back and retry here in PA. I also created an Ace of Diamonds Hitchhiker that has been released into the world. I'm sure we'll be hearing about that one soon :) So with those two done, the only one left is the Ace of Clubs. I think I left that one for last because it has more curvy lines than the other three, and I'm still not such a great carver!

2004-06-14T22:28:00.000-04:00

Something I just posted to the LBMA list about feeling like I'm the Black Hole for hitchhikers(!):

Do you ever check up (online) on the HHs you've found and then moved on?

There are about 7 now on Wanda and Pete's site that end with me, and I've moved along every single one of them! I KNOW that some of them must have been found, because I've heard reports that so-and-so found xyz box last month, and I left abc HH in xyz box.

Maybe people who find them just aren't posting that they've found them? Am I the only one with this problem?

2004-06-14T22:17:00.000-04:00

I just signed up for my first Postal Letterbox! Catbead and Leapin' Lizard's Who's Got a Bug Up Their Butt Hitchhiker Hostel PLB just sounds too good to pass up. More details are available in post #41976 on the LBNA talklist.

I have to admit - I used to think that PLBs were "cheating" in a way... although the concept is a fun and new idea, there seems to be little work involved in "finding" the box. I doubt that this foray into the world of PLBs will have me signing up left and right to receive them, but the aforementioned PLB should be a fun intro into that sub-group of letterboxing.

What do you think?

2004-06-13T21:03:00.000-04:00

Planted Kayak today in letterboxing-poor Western PA. Like I said earlier, I really like the stamp I made for it!! Hope it fares well since it is a really wet area. In any case, we'll definitely go back to Ohiopyle because it was SO much fun camping and kayaking! I can probably plant more stamps then too :-p

2004-06-10T15:44:00.000-04:00

Random Thoughts

I just finished carving a new stamp for a new box I'll place on our camping trip in western PA this weekend. I'm proud of the stamp - I think it was the new medium I used that made it MUCH easier (Staedtler MasterCarve vs. Speedball white stuff). I'm completely out of materials to make a new logbook though, so I guess I'll have to venture out into the heat at some point tonight!

Not sure if I'll make a Flight 93 stamp yet...

Finally, after not carving for about a month, I took out my Speedball carving tools and noticed that some of the nibs are rusty! I don't quite understand why...they were just in a box and not exposed to water or other elements. It makes it even more difficult, now, to put the nibs in and out of the handle. I wonder if I'm the only one with this problem...?

2004-06-09T21:45:00.000-04:00

Boxing This Weekend

We're headed to western PA this weekend to do some kayaking and camping. I definitely want to carve a stamp to place in the park where we'll be, so I need to do that tomorrow!

I also found out tonight that we'll be 10 miles away from where Flight 93 crashed in a field on 9/11, and 2 miles away from where those coal miners were trapped underground for days....

So it looks like I really need to get motoring if I'm going to get out one "normal" and at least one commerative stamp tomorrow!

2004-06-04T22:00:00.000-04:00

It was brought to my attention tonight that someone has been trying to contact me about my Ben Franklin boxes, but I never received any email. I'm wondering what happened, since I just tested it and I received my email! Hm... Well all I can say at this point is, if you don't hear from me, try again! I love hearing about my boxes and would never ignore anyone who wrote to me...

2004-06-01T22:31:00.000-04:00

Ben Franklin Receives Visitors

I still can't get over the excitement I feel when I hear that one of my boxes has been visited! I just read a post on the LBMA group by Irene (of Hikers & Hounds) that her friend went and visited Ben and on the way ran into some other letterboxers! I can't wait to go and see who's checked in and to see their stamps and what not. I guess it also means that the Butterfly HH is on its way, since I left her in one of those boxes.

Raindeer also wrote me this week and said that he visited Black Diamond and was the first finder to Mother. I hope he took the little trinket I left! :)

I need to get some materials to create a new logbook for the You Can't Touch This HH I found at Black Diamond, and then send the old logbook back to Team PresSinOn. I remember chuckling at the HH image when I saw it last month in a logbook, and now here it is waiting on my counter - ready to get moving again!

And in final thoughts, I hope that the Pepes are having a lot of fun on their vacation, but I can't wait for them to return! I really enjoy reading Mark's almost-daily comments on this hobby!

2004-05-29T23:46:00.000-04:00

Mount Misery

Tomorrow we will try for this box, after a small BBQ in Vally Forge to celebrate my birthday! I think I'll also go for a few more boxes in Norristown - after all, I can guilt my s.o. into boxing by using the ol' birthday excuse :-p

Monday..hmm. Would really like to box as well. I was briefly considering going into Jersey for the Terra Cotta Tangram, but then I realized that to go near the shore on Memorial Day weekend would be crazy! I'll leave that for another day.

2004-05-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

To Use or Not to Use...That is the Question

Well we're back from our mini-holiday, with minimal boxing news to report. I went to check on my first planted box, Black Diamond and found that the animals had gotten to it a bit! The box itself and its contents were fine (save for a small chunk taken out of the box) but a poor HH left with it was soaked through and is pretty illegible now. I dried it out and am awaiting further instructions from its owner.

I completely forgot to bring the new inkpad for Black Diamond!

I planted a new box in the same area. Mother is now awaiting visitors. But I forgot to reprint a first finder's certificate so there is currently only a small token for the FF. I was certainly forgetful this week!

Finally, I wrapped both of my boxes in plastic Ziploc bags before leaving them. Hours after we left, however, I was still thinking about that - if I should have left them unwrapped or not. To use plastic bags or not - that is my question. Black Diamond survived the winter and wildlife just fine sans bag, but the HH in a bag did not. I think I'll be worrying about my little boxes until I hear about them again...

2004-05-21T22:05:00.000-04:00

Thanks again to Mark Pepe for creating the Letterboxing Newbie list over at Yahoo Groups. Since I began this hobby, I've been wondering what "magnetic north" vs. (I guess) non-magnetic north was. I didn't want to email anyone privately though, and I certainly didn't want to post to the main LBNA list lest I start a flame war. So, I asked my question on the Newbie list, and Steve of Rayvenhaus and Isoceles were kind enough to point me in the direction of an answer and/or give me a straight answer. So now I know..and now alls I have to do is find my darn compass! :-p

Before we head up to Ashland on Sunday, I have to reprint out a little First Finder's cert for my Mother box to be planted, since I feel that the original one I printed was too large. I also need to remember to bring baggies and what not in case my Black Diamond needs some TLC. I can't wait to see who has stamped in there!

2004-05-20T15:21:00.001-04:00

We're going up to Ashland in a few days to see Joe's parents - I'll hide my second Schuylkill County letterbox then. I was going to carve another one, but it looks like we'll have to return to Philly earlier than expected for a work-related meeting. So as much as I'd like to monopolize our time up there with letterboxing, I'll save my uber box planting for next time!

In other news, I can't find my compass! Argh!

2004-05-16T17:11:00.000-04:00

New templates = new look! Fun! More more interesting, in any case, than the drab blue/white that I had going before.

2004-05-09T20:56:00.000-04:00

Planted my last 2 Ben Franklin boxes today - yippee! I hope they last and are a source of enjoyment for many people.

2004-05-07T18:07:00.000-04:00

3 of my 5 boxes planted - too bad a rogue thunderstorm hit us or I would have been 5 for 5! There's always tomorrow, though! The clues for the planted 3 are on my P F X page. Please let me know what you think!

2004-05-06T14:43:00.000-04:00

My Ben Franklin series is done! It took many, many hours and some crazy logbook ideas, but they're done! I was going to plant them today, but I didn't sleep well so I'll forgo letterboxing today in favor of a nap. Tomorrow, I'll plant.

I also realized that I can't go and plant half of my On the Drive series this weekend due to the enormous Dad Vail Regatta - probably not a good idea to box in the midst of tens of thousands of people :p I'm lucky that I didn't plant those microboxes yet, as they surely would be tossed in the midst of the massive post-regatta cleanup that occurs!

2004-05-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

I have two logbooks for my Ben Franklin boxes done, and working on the third. The third is taking a bit longer than I though, though, because I decided to get a little creative with the shape :) I'm glad to be doing it though - part of the fun of doing Laurette's Sunday Drive series was seeing how she matched each logbook to the stamp - all were so beautiful and creative! So I'm hoping that even one person will recognize the work I've put into my books and think they're also creative or cool or fun :)

2004-05-02T21:49:00.000-04:00

Looking through my letterboxing bag today, I realized that I still haven't passed on Butterfly. Not that I've had the cute little hitchhiker forever, but I feel bad holding on to it. More incentive to get out there, then.

This week I'll scope out locations for my Ben Franklin boxes. It's supposed to be disgustingly rainy and stormy tomorrow, so I'll start to make the logbooks for those boxes. Hopefully Tuesday and Wednesday will be nicer and I can find some nice spots to hide them :)

2004-05-02T16:39:00.000-04:00

I planted a mystery box today - my first! It took forever to plant it, but that's okay - it was a nice day in spite of the thunderstorm predictions :)

2004-05-01T22:59:00.000-04:00

Wow!

In reading some posts from the LBMA site, apparently someone found my Black Diamond! Nathan (aka Cyclonic) was kind enough to report that he found it, and wasn't even the first finder. I didn't think it'd ever have hits, since it's SO out of the way of everything! But he said it was in good shape (phew- no water damage!). I'm so excited! Albeit a tad bit bummed because I don't like the ink pad color I left :p but that's okay.

Hooray! My day is made!!!

2004-05-01T18:41:00.000-04:00

We didn't hit the trail today; instead we chose to get in some much needed R&R and laziness :)

I did however get some new carving material - hooray! I'd run out and have been itching to carve. I wanted to get some of the Speedball pink stuff (technical term :)) but the Utrecht downtown didn't have it. They had some white stuff but it looks a bit crumbly..guess we'll see. I also got a linoleum block to try - also looking forward to seeing how that carves!

I have my theme for my urban microbox series - just have to find some designs (since there is no way I can freehand draw), trace, and get going! I need some film canisters too - looks like I need to buy some film!

I wonder if Kodak sales have gone up since letterboxers came up with microboxing...I certainly don't need that much film, but it's the only way.... :)

2004-04-25T19:57:00.000-04:00

I wasn't feeling so great today due to the turmoil at work and tomorrow's big, horrendous court appearance, so Joe and I ran out for two quick LBs. We managed to find and stamp in to Dex Dogs and Charli Dogs. It was a pretty cloudy and chilly day, but it was good to get out and walk around (and around and around!). The stamps are really cute too. We left a little surprise in one of them ;) I feel safe saying that, too, because I know no one reads this :-p

2004-04-24T20:15:00.000-04:00

What a glorious day for letterboxing! Joe and I parked in Collegeville and road our bikes along the Perkiomen Trail to just south of Green Lane. We picked up our final PT letterbox, Sunrise, and found a hitchhiker! Butterfly came to us all the way from Maine. Hopefully I can release her within the next week or so. In any case, the PT between Collegeville and Green Lane was great! The prettiest part was near and next to Grateford Prison - a bit of irony, I guess. Some of the hills just about killed me - Lance Armstrong I'm not! I think in the future, I'll stick to the flatter part of the PT.

On our way back from Sunrise we passed by 3 other PT boxes that we'd already stamped in to earlier in the year. We re-stamped into some of them (unless there were a lot of people around) since The Raindears have since replaced their store-bought stamps with fun hand-carved ones!

And finally, at some point today ;) I released my first ever hitchhiker, the Ace of Spades (mentioned in my previous post). I hope the card has good luck along its way and that I get to hear about it from time to time.

2004-04-23T18:51:00.000-04:00

I am so excited!

While making the logbook for my new Ace of Spades Hitchhiker to be released this weekend, I thought of an idea for those people who manage to collect the other Aces (Diamonds, Hearts, and Clovers) - I will soon plant a Joker letterbox, and clues to this box will only be accessible to those who have found all of the Aces.

I'm still working it out in my head, but I think I'll definitely plant one or two Aces as standard letterboxes, and leave the other two as hitchhikers.

I'll have to see how this plan continues to form - it'd obviously be quite difficult to access all of the stamps if one or two of them are randomly floating around. But that might make them more coveted....

2004-04-23T16:59:00.000-04:00

I decided to spice things up a bit on our letterboxing bike ride tomorrow - I'm going to create my first hitchhiker. I just printed out my design, and thank goodness Mom sent me some tracing paper to work with - I'd been freehanding since I started carving.

I also have to run to Michael's tonight to get some more carving material, as I'm almost out. I want to carve my personal stamp myself, instead of using the store bought one I've toted around since I started this hobby. Mom sent me pages and pages of Fleur de Lis she'd drawn on the computer, so I just have to trace and carve. It's nice having an artistic mother, since I certainly don't have the artistic talent in the family!

2004-04-18T19:31:00.000-04:00

What an absolutely gorgeous day! 77 degrees - not at all used to this type of weather. We took advantage of it, though, and went searching for some letterboxes. We headed up to Tyler State Park and had a bit of trouble along the way - we had to take some major detours because of streets closed for regattas. Then we got lost. When we finally made it it was such a nice walk! Despite the massive amounts of horse manure everywhere, it was a nice new "find" as far as places to go.

Unfortunately, Joe and I didn't find Covered Bridge #1, but from looking at the LBMA list, it seems we're not the only ones. We found what we thought were the right spot(s) but to no avail. We had more luck with Covered Bridge #2 and left a little surprise :) We'll have to head back up to Tyler to try again for CB#1 and the other box in the main area of Tyler State Park.

If I have time this week I'm going to try to plant some microboxes - I have the spots, just have to carve the stamps.

2004-04-11T19:10:00.000-04:00

I made a new box last night, before we went to visit Joe's parents for Easter. The carving came out okay...especially since I free-handed it and didn't trace anything. And considering I'm such a bad "artist".. :) In any case, I was going to plant it this morning and then check on Black Diamond, but I was so exhausted this morning that I didn't get the chance. And then we left. Next time, I guess, although I'm itching to get out and plant!

I also have to mail Mary her filled VA I-95 microbox log, though I first want to look through it myself! :)

Rhode Island boxing was so easy and so much fun...things down here in PA are not that way - boxes are spread out, far driving everywhere...'tis a bit frustrating!

2004-04-08T18:33:00.000-04:00

I bought a lot of new plastic boxes yesterday so now I have no excuse to not start planting. I just have to make the logbooks on my series of 5 and then figure out where to plant them. I have so many new ideas for new boxes that I'm constantly having to email myself just to make sure I don't forget. Does this ever happen to anyone else?

In any case, the weather is getting much nicer and warmer now in Philly so I should be able to find some (hopefully) good spots. I just get nervous because it really is urban letterboxing, and I don't want any malicious people finding and destroying a box I've put so much time in to.

2004-04-07T19:49:00.000-04:00

Just got back from our long day! It was mostly drive-by boxes, in a nice secret series :), but it took us awhile! One of the boxes was missing, which is sad, but the others were beautiful! My mom's favorites so far, and they definitely top my list for creativity! On our way back into Bristol we stopped off and quickly got Cool Librarian's READ box, which is also a bookcrossing junction - a "sport" I should definitely get into, being the avid reader that I am.

Tomorrow is Westerly, I think...we shall see if my ideas about a few mystery boxes are correct. Probably not, but we shall see....

2004-04-06T23:04:00.000-04:00

So tomorrow we'll head out, in between shopping, for a WoM series where Mom can rest her tired feet and drive me around. Should be fun, hopefully with little traffic, and we can collect 7 boxes!

I think I'm giving up (temporarily) on Dancing Men. It's frustrating me too much. And I'm sure, as is my habit, I'm overanalyzing the clues. So what do I do? I start looking at some of the Mapsurfer boxes. As if Dancing Men wasn't hard enough! The Library really interests me...I'm already thinking about it too much! On a happier Mapsurfer note, Joe found a letter in a box down south for Wordplay - that makes two letters we've found! Lol...

2004-04-06T17:19:00.000-04:00

What a windy day! Didn't get as many boxes as I'd like, but Mom is sick with bronchitis so it's a wonder she can get out at all. We found Fort Adams, Castle Hill, and Fast Passage today. Fort Adams was so windy I truly thought we'd blow into the water! The view from Castle Hill was breathtaking, and it was a nice (but big!) stamp. Fast Passage boasts a gorgeous stamp - I'm still in awe! We also found Wally Hitchhiker at Fast Passage - Mom's first, my third! Hooray! Now where to take it....

I'm thinking I might run out for another box or two..a couple of simple ones. I'm really itching to get some more!

Mom is now mapping out, on her computer, a WoM series that someone sent me. I think we're going to do it tomorrow in between shopping - must get in as much letterboxing as possible! I truly am addicted, as she keeps telling me... :)

2004-04-06T12:51:00.000-04:00

Getting a late start again! Can't seem to wake up early - my mind knows I'm on vacation and is catching up on all the Zzzzs possible!

Heading out with Mom again for 5 boxes - hopefully we'll get all 5! More later when we return...

2004-04-05T16:11:00.000-04:00

So here I am in Rhode Island, visiting the parents. I was aiming to get a LOT of letterboxes during my short week up here, but I'm finding that's not as easy as I planned. I am tired, beat, exhausted. It's not so easy to get up early and go boxing all day, just for the sake of getting more Fs under my belt. Mom and I did, however, get three today - her first three, in fact! We went to Mount Hope Farm - it was a much longer walk than I'd thought it would be but it was very beautiful. The stamps were really nice too :) I had a slight scare when we walked by some swans - I was attacked by a swan when I was younger so I'm pretty afraid! And our only weapon was Mom's inhaler - lol!

I'm thinking about going out for a short drive while Mom rests and getting one or two more..we'll see.

2004-03-30T17:17:00.000-05:00

Oh this is bad. Very bad. I have no pride left. I've done it now.

I emailed Pete asking for a hint to Dancing Men. Whether or not I'll get such a hint, I don't know (although I'm more inclined to think he won't send one my way). I do have to stop obsessing about this box! I really think it's the time limit I have - that I rarely get up to Rhode Island, maybe once a year - and that I don't want to have to wait another year before getting it :)

One thing is for certain. This is my last Mystery letterbox for a long while!

2004-03-29T08:39:00.000-05:00

What a disappointing weekend as far as letterboxing goes. Joe and I drove to Washington's Crossing State Park in NJ and parked - planning to ride the canal path and pick up a few boxes along the way. I had clues and maps for Bowman's Hill, Winahawcawchuck, Battle of Trenton - 1776 in PA and Along the Canal in NJ. Online, it looked as if all the boxes were accessible from the bike path - however, we quickly learned that this was not the case! Or maybe it is the case but I was too tired from biking to notice... We could have probably picked up Along the Canal but by the time we got to Lambertville we'd biked over 20 miles and I just wanted to get back to the car!

I'm super excited to go to Rhode Island next week! My parents don't realize that my primary reason for visiting them is to go letterboxing! I still have to figure out which boxes I want to pick up... and of course, continue my work on the elusive Dancing Men.

And finally, I printed out some I-95 boxes for Joe today - he'll be heading south this week and a few boxes along the way will break up the monotony of the drive for him, I hope!