Thanks!

I wanted to take the time to say thanks to Sea Dove and Boots Tex who both helped me out by doing some maintenance on some of my newer boxes in the Houston area. Special thanks to these letterbox rescuers!

On January 25, there will be a mini-meet in the Tyler area hosted by Blue Butterfly. This meet will be held at one of the local restaurants and we should have some fun meeting some of the new letterboxers from the area.

As you can see, I was feeling a little nostalgic and I attached a picture of Stinky Monkey from two years ago.

Happy Trails and Happy New Year!!

Pictures from Weekend Before Christmas

Lucy Locket stamping in.



Blue Butterfly stamping in.



Nightfall at Kleb Woods.



Water Lilly at Mercer Arboretum.

Weekend Before Christmas-Part 2

On Sunday morning, we were itching to get over to Memorial Park and find some of the many, many boxes located there. We were only staying about 4 miles from the park, so it didn't take us long to get there. We started off by going to the Arboretum so that we could first find Baby Bear's Parting the Waters #1. We easily followed the clues to his box and wondered what the other half of this joke would look like...but it would have to wait!

Blue Butterfly had already found A Box of Legos by MO5, but I was dying to get it myself, so we wandered over and stamped into this fun little box. After taking care of that, I hid Fireworks, which is a carving by Mama Cache. I gave the clues to BB so she could stamp into her first Mama Cache production.

After completing our mission at the arboretum, we went down the road to the mountain bike trails. We had lots of fun finding various boxes, mostly from the Yellow Brick Trail event that day. BB had already found some of these, but she humored me as I found some of her favorites. One of the most pleasurable boxes is A Texas Tornado in Oz. It's one of those boxes that has the complete package: location, stamp, and logbook all tie together for the theme of the box.

We took a short break for lunch, then hit the trail again. We scouted out where our next adventures would be so that we could be somewhat organized. We eventually finished up at memorial park, then found a mystery box. After finding the mystery box, we looked on the map to try and find the 11th street park for Dewberry's Box of the Month. We had two maps, but none of the streets from the clue were listed on either map. I decided to use our greatest resource--a local letterboxer. I got Mother of 5 on the line and she was happy to give us directions to 11th street park. Thanks to her, we were able to log into our last couple of boxes for the day. By this time, it was pushing 5:00 and we needed to head home.

Our trip was a pretty successful one. We visited many boxes by many different carvers and had a jolly good time. Merry Christmas to all the letterboxers out there!

Weekend Before Christmas

On December 22, Blue Butterfly and I arose quite early and made our way to the Houston area to find some letterboxes. We started out by finding a few WOM boxes....boy were these boxes fun to find! We had such a great time trekking through the woods to find these fabulous boxes....special thanks to the secret friends who shared their clues with us!

After we finished those boxes, we headed to Mercer Arboretum. We'd been there for the Candyland event last year, but there were still a couple of boxes we'd not found. We started off by finding Mercer Monarch by Silver Eagle. We enjoyed looking through this historic logbook...especially when we found Mother of Four's signature stamp! After replacing the butterfly, we headed off to find Elmer by Baby Bear. The stamp in this box is broken, but you can easily get a good image from this little guy. After wrapping things up at Mercer, we headed west to Kleb Woods.

We got to Kleb Woods, and finally figured out that there are two very different parts to Kleb Woods, so we hopped back in the car and headed to the other entrance. By now, it was pushing four o'clock and we knew we didn't have a whole lot of daylight left. We found Mother of Five's Build a Nativity: Mary and saw that some fellow letterboxers had been there that very day! How did we miss them? By the time we stamped in, we decided we better go ahead and hide our own boxes, then trade clues. After hiding and finding the new boxes, we headed to our hotel for a long winter's nap.

A Few Changes

I've been taking the time to make a few changes on my blog this weekend. I don't know if they have enhanced the site or not, but maybe the changes will be good. We'll see how it goes and how many more changes I decide to make!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, our family had our traditional Thanksgiving feast at Bluebutterfly's house. After cleaning up our mess and visiting for a while, BB took me to Hogg Park in Rusk to find a few letterboxes. Boots Tex has one of his Governor Series there that I've been wanting to snag and there are several others in that same park.

We got to the park a little before 4:00, and we knew we were on a time crunch because the park closes at 5:00. Blue Butterfly had already found most of these boxes, so she was there to help me out if I had some trouble. The first one we found was NATIVE BORN-TX GOVERNOR SERIES by Boots Tex. I don't know what Boots' secret is, but he does an amazing job of carving these governors and other characters that he puts out into the wild.

After this, we had to decide whether to find JBK's November Series or another letterboxer's WOM series. Once we looked on the posted map to figure out where we were and looked at the time, we decided to head out for the November Holiday series. There are five boxes in this series, and we were only able to find four of them. For some reason, the first box eluded both of us. We had lots of fun finding the remainder of the series. JBK does an excellent job of finding interesting holidays and putting them together with meaningful carvings.

By the time we finished stamping in, there was 11 minutes left before closing time. We ended up taking the long way off the trail and finally arrived at our vehicles a few minutes past five. Luckily, we didn't have any trouble exiting the park and we each got back home safely.

Thanksgiving Eve

I took Roarin' Lion and Stinky Monkey back home yesterday, but we also found some letterboxes on the way! We started out in Athens and found ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL. The boys really enjoyed the art work in this letterbox.

Next, I took them to the CHILDREN'S PARK LB in Tyler. They had a lot of fun running around this park, climbing on waterfalls, crossing bridges, jumping across the creek, and looking at the fish.

After dropping them off at their house, I drove through Troup and found Blue Butterfly's GO TIGERS LB. I've been wanting to get at that one for a long time, and was glad to finally be able to stamp in!

Happy Thanksgiving !!

Pictures From Yesterday

I was having a difficult time uploading yesterday's pictures to my blog, but I was able to be successful this afternoon!

The two pictures above are from the Tyler Rose Garden.

This picture is from the Children's Park.

A Good Day for Letterboxing

I have this week off due to Thanksgiving break, so it was time for me to catch up on things that have gone undone for quite some time. The first priority was to have a couple of repairs made on my car. So, I took my car to the shop, and after everything was fixed up, decided it was time to find some letterboxes.

My first stop was the CHILDREN'S PARK LB, which is placed in a lovely, peaceful park on a very busy street in Tyler. I enjoyed all of the sculptures and reading the dedications on the plaques. The LB was easy to find and I had no trouble stamping in, as I was the only one around to enjoy the scenery.

Next, I decided it was high time I'd found Silver Eagle's TYLER ROSE LB. This one is appropriately placed in the Tyler Rose Garden. When I was in high school and junior college, I was a part of the annual Rose Parade because my band always marched in it. As I walked among the garden today, I enjoyed the sights and the aromas of the lovely flowers. That being said, I easily found the box and had no trouble stamping in discretely.

My next box to find was not too far away. I drove a couple of streets north of the Rose Garden and found a nice little park where JKC had planted EAST TEXAS STATE FAIR. Thanks to JKC for bringing me to this park, which I probably would never had known even existed.

After that, I headed out to pick up Stinky Monkey and Roarin' Lion. They are on Thanksgiving break, too, and will be staying a few days at my house. Who knows...we may even be able to do some letterboxing together!!

Hopping For Letterboxes

I let Blue Butterfly know earlier this week that I might be visiting her for the weekend, and we decided that we'd take a letterboxing detour while we were together! I met Blue Butterfly in Jacksonville at the crack of noon today, and we got started on our adventure. We really wanted to find a box placed by Baby Bear and we also wanted to find one of BT's Governor Series.

We decided to head for ID Fairchild Forest first, where A GOOD DAY FOR MY WIFE is planted. Unfortunately, our "shortcut" turned into a longer ordeal and we finally had to pull out Blue Butterfly's GPS system in order to get to Maydelle. We were relieved to finally hit Highway 84 and made our way to the appropriate place to follow Baby Bear's clues. Luckily, our feet didn't get wet when we hopped over the creek and we made it safely to the other side. (Is there anything I WON'T do for a letterbox?) Thanks to Baby Bear for planting another fun box for us to find!

Next, we went to Rusk State Park, but of course, it's not a state park any more. Blue Butterfly needed to replace a logbook in her CRASH AT CRUSH LB, and we also decided to visit/check on others' boxes in the park. Finally, we went and found Lone Star Quilter's box, RAILWAY TO HEAVEN. This one was kind of difficult to locate because the box had been moved to an alternate location....probably from recent rains. Luckily, we did find it and were able to replace it back in it's original location.

Our next stop was to be at Jim Hogg Park to stamp into one of Boots Tex's governor series. However, when we got to the park, there were loads of people there for the PIONEER DAYS celebration. We decided it would be best to save this box for another day.

Louisiana Event

It looks as though there will soon be another Lousiana LB Event! Mama Cache is hosting TALKK 2007 in Jackson, LA. I was lucky enough to meet Mama Cache and Company at their first ever event....the original TALKK in Baton Rouge last year. This event is being held in conjuction with the Highland Games and sounds like there will be lots to see and do. I'm sure Mama Cache would also love for you to bring a box to permanently plant in the area!

http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=491

Henderson County Letterboxing

I decided on Saturday evening that I'd have to get out and go letterboxing today. It's hard for me to get out and letterbox during the fall, and my schedule is busiest in October. Therefore, I knew that if I didn't take advantage of today, it might be a while before I was able to get my fingers inked up!

So, I was ready to leave my house by the crack of 10 and headed to Athens. I visited the Kiwanis Park there and stamped into DON'T ROCKET TIL YOU'VE TRIED IT. This is a nice stamp dedicated to a piece of playground equipment in the park. Next, I headed to Central Park and stamped into the TVCC CARDINAL. I had this particular park all to myself, but decided to go ahead and move along. I went back past the Kiwanis park and visited the Athens City Cemetery. I stamped into UNITED WE STAND and WE REMEMBER.

Next, I headed to Purtis Creek State Park, which was the site of a gathering a few weeks ago. First, I stamped into CATCH OF THE DAY. I was able to get a nice view of the lake while I stamped in, and I knew that MY catch of the day wouldn't smell.....well....fishy! Next, I went deeper into the park and located WATCHING WILDLIFE. After this, I stamped into BEE CAREFUL, UGLY DUCKLING, and JUST DUCKY. I was really impressed with the fun carving of Bee Careful.

After that, I was finished with my finds at Purtis Creek, but knew that I must drive by Goshen Cemetery on my way home. I decided to stop there and stamp into CAPTAIN ZACH'S BOX.

Finally, I gave up letterboxing for the day and headed home. I drove through a couple of towns (unexpectedly) where I KNOW there are some more letterboxes, but alas, they will have to wait for another day.

Cedar Hill State Park

This morning, Blue Butterfly and PS Guru picked me up at my place, and we headed north to Cedar Hill State Park in Dallas County. Our mission was to find a couple of boxes by LSQ and Boots Tex. We made our way to the park and dropped of PS Guru at Penn Farm while we went on our hunt. We soon discovered that we only printed out one of the clues, so we would only be able to find MOOSETAKE ON THE LAKE. We easily made our way to this stamp and enjoyed the artwork that LSQ had left for us there. She also led us to a great view of the lake.

While I went on to hide my own new box, I left BB to take a few pictures and explore on her own. I hid CHIP! on another trail in the park, then met back up with BB so she could follow the clues and stamp in to this new box. I hope to have the clues to his hiding place posted soon. Happy Trails!!

Pioneer Village

I had the afternoon off today, so I ventured out to Pioneer Village in Corsicana to pick up THE PIONEER BOX by Adams Trails. I've lived in Navarro County for about a year now, but had never visited this historic park. The village's buildings house a great deal of memoribilia from Texas history and Navarro County's history. Exhibits include The Carriage House, Navarro County Hall of Fame, the Lefty Frizzell Museum, and many others.

Rhyme Time

Since I had a free day, I decided to head out to Athens and pick up a few of Adams Trail's boxes. I stopped off in Malakoff first to try and find the box that is hidden at the Community Center, but I couldn't find the designated tree, so I had to give up on that one. I headed on into Athens and found Cain Park where TEXAS LONGHORNS and CANDI CAIN are hidden. It wasn't too hot out there and I only saw two people walking the trail while I was there.

Next, I headed over to the Arboretum. Blue Butterfly and I had been here before, but we were in a hurry that day, since we arrived with only about thirty minutes left before closing. This time, I was able to take my time and enjoy the scenery. I parked my car, took a look at the map, then wandered around the flower gardens for a bit. There were lots of butterflies floating about in the flower gardens, and I enjoyed watching them duck in and out of the flowers. After this, I walked down to the children's area. There are several play houses for children to enjoy. I finally got onto the trail and found all the boxes I was seeking: THIS LITTLE PIGGY, LITTLE MISS MUFFET, HUSH-A-BYE BABY, THE BIG BAD WOLF, PUSSY CAT PUSSY CAT, and THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN. The weather was just right and the rain stayed away while I enjoyed my afternoon at the arboretum.

Trip to Midland

On Wednesday, my colleague and I made a business trip out to West Texas. It was my first time to go to this part of my beloved state, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The landscape there is MUCH different than what I am accustomed to seeing in Central Texas, and I was definitely not disappointed with my new experience. In addition to visiting with others who are in my line of work and getting new ideas to take back to my job, I was able to find a letterbox! My colleague was kind enough to ask me if I wanted to find an LB while I was there, so I (of course) took advantage of it. We found ACME BOOTER by Wills World. This letterbox is safely hidden under a bridge on the Midland College campus. I'm very proud of my first West Texas Letterbox stamp!

A Special Saturday

Saturday was kind of special for our letterboxing team. It was Blue Butterfly's birthday AND we we attended a wedding shower for one of my cousins. I met Blue Butterfly and Stinky Monkey in Tyler, and we drove to the hall where the wedding shower was going to be. We had a great time before, during, and after visiting with family. But you don't really want to hear about that...after all, this is a letterboxing blog.....

After taking the time to visit a couple of family member's homes that afternoon, we went on a mission to find a couple of letterboxes. We'd already scouted out the park where PANCAKE CAPITOL OF TEXAS was hidden, so we zipped on over there and stamped in. The weather wasn't too hot and we really enjoyed ourselves at this park.

Next, we headed over towards Gladewater to find TSS BIRD: MOCKINGBIRD. This was hidden in a lovely little cemetery near a precious angel statue. Thanks to JBK for planting these boxes for us to find. We had a good afternoon of letterboxing together!

Thanks, Gramatrick!

I just wanted to publicly thank Dewberry and her team for going the extra mile in rescuing my box entitled PINKY AND THE BRAIN: THE BRAIN box after the recent heavy rains and flooding in central Texas. The box had washed away from it's hiding place, but Gramatrick managed to find all of the pieces except for the log book. Thanks for going above and beyond to help out a fellow letterboxer! I am sincerely grateful!!

....the State Where I Was(n't) Born...

On Saturday morning, after a good night's rest at Miss Emily's Bed and Breakfast, I decided to try and find a few letterboxes before the big event. I headed out to find LOUISIANA SEASONS: LONG HOT SUMMER, which is located in a cemetery. When I arrived, I got out and looked around, trying to figure out where I was supposed to be headed toward, then a car pulled up. I pretended to be interested in the graves and walked slowly around, re-affirming that I saw the right place. The people got out of their car and went into the section of the cemetery where I needed to be--AND it started raining. I took out my umbrella and continued to stroll along in the cemetery. These people were putting flowers on a grave, so I made a loop back to my car and decided to try again later.

Next, I tried making my way to Rocky's Video, but I happened upon Curry's pharmacy first. I went in, and after waiting in line, I gave the young man the secret password and he brought me my prize. By the time I was finished stamping in, it was time to head to the Event. I pulled up to the designated area and was greeted by Mama Cache and Company. We began pulling out our letterboxing equipment in order to get personal travelers and the event stamp. A few minutes after I arrived, Big M also joined in the fun.

We had a great time stamping in and enjoying the nice weather and one another's company. The event stamp was FANTASTICALLY carved by Mama Cache.

After the event, Big M and I went to find a few boxes. I told her about my bad luck with the SEASONS box, so we headed there and I was able to stamp in this time. Next, I found BASEBALL SKUNK, which was planted by Big M. Now, it was time for both of us to find some boxes that neither of us had stamped into. We found ROLL E'M and BRIDGE OUT (EAST) and BRIDGE OUT (WEST). After working so hard, we needed a break, so we headed to Mama Cache's house and visited with her and the gang for a while.

After leaving MC's place, we decided to go out to the Mary Ann Brown Nature preserve. Big M wanted to stamp into the boxes I'd placed on Friday, and she volunteered to help me find a box or two I'd missed stamping into. We got started and Big M followed the clues to both of my IN SEARCH OF: boxes. (If you ever meet Big M, ask her what she found at the In Search of a Brain box....cuz I'll never tell!) We continued around the trail and found a bench to rest on while we got a peaceful view of a small pond. Big M decided that this is where she wanted to plant her box. She got to work scoping out a hiding place while I continued to rest at the bench. After she found the perfect hiding spot, we continued around the loop.

Somehow or another, the pair of us got a little confused and we looped right back around to the pond! Hmmm...we're not sure exactly what happened, but we decided to try again. This time, we followed the trail correctly and found Boxdn's BOX #8 S.C. box. We even found a turtle along the way! I was thrilled to be able to stamp into one of Boxdn's boxes. This box has been in place for about three years and has a rich history. However, the log book was quite damp and it was impossible to stamp into. Big M decided to take it home, dry it out, and bring it back. After this, we continued around the trail and headed back to Big M's place for a little repast.

I had quite a fun day at the event and going out to find LB's with Big M. Part of the fun of letterboxing is coming back with some great stories to tell, and I definitely accomplished my goal!

The stamps I earned on this day:

Half and Half

Fire Off! - Babadge's PT

Cottontail's Harvest - Cottontail's PT

Red, White, and Blueberry Event Stamp

Livin' in the Sticks - Mama Cache's PT

Irish Blessing - Mama Cache's PT

Dreams - Big M's PT

Clyde the Cowboy and Bart his Buckin' Bronco Hitch Hiker

Cottontail's Love - Cottontail's PT

Geaux Tigers! - Mike V's PT

Hey Fightin' Tigers - Mike V's PT

Roll 'em

Louisiana Seasons: Long, Hot Summer

The Head Hunter LB

Bridge Out (West)

Bridge Out (East)

Something Special Event Stamp

Give Me Louisiana - Chippy's PT

Baseball Skunk

Podling Slave~From the Dark Crystal

Please Pass the Honey, Honey Hitch Hiker

Box #8 SC

Bonus Box

Skeeter-Cootie

Hookey Walker

Give Me Louisiana!

On Thursday morning, I got up bright and early and left from Blue Butterfly's house to start my Louisiana Road Trip. I picked up a few things at the grocery store, then I headed East towards Shreveport. I planned to take a break when I got there, stretch my legs, and find a couple of boxes. However, as I was leaving, it started raining. By the time I got to Shreveport, the rain was coming down VERY hard, so I had to forego the Shreveport boxes for now. After a few hours, I finally made my way to the library in Zachary, LA. I found the children's section and asked the clerk for the LAGNIAPPE LB and showed him my LB pass. It took him a second to realize what I was referring to, then he gladly handed it over.

After leaving the library, I headed north to the Mary Ann Brown Nature Preserve to find a couple of boxes there. Mama Cache is the owner of an LB that I put together, so I was off to find "my" box, which was a first for me. I couldn't wait to see where she'd hidden BEE HAPPY. MC's clues were very well written and easy to follow. I was thrilled to be able to stamp into BEE HAPPY.

After returning Bee Happy to his hiding spot, I went back to the trail head to start on my find for THE LADY. This is a box that was planted by DrooP, who is a letterboxer from Southeast Texas. This box has been in place for about three years and has a rich history.

After re-hiding THE LADY and congratulating myself for having such a productive letterboxing outing, I decided that this was the place for the two boxes I'd brought along. I found places to hide In Search of: A Home and In Search of: A Brain. I hope these two boxes will have many visitors!

My next stop was in the town of Jackson. I stopped there to grab something to eat, re-write my clues, and change clothes before meeting Mama Cache & Company. When I arrived at our meeting place, I was greeted by all my old friends from Louisiana. Mike V was quick to tell me about some WOM boxes in the area and shared the clues with me. One of the clues was a brain teaser, but luckily, Ducky D was smart enough to help me figure that clue out and I was rewarded with a fun adventure and a great stamp! Thanks Ducky D!! I also met a few new letterboxers: Veritas, Mi, and Sun-Yi.

After the party and the letterboxing, we all went downtown to watch the fireworks. We had lots of fun watching the sky light up and listening to the live music.

Stamps I earned on Friday:

Lagniappe LB

Bee Happy

Fireworks Event

The Lady

Happy Birthday Event box including: birthday cake, shiny candle, the balloon, ice cream & a surprise

Felicia Naveat Cheesebox

Flip Flop

Veritas-exchange

Mi-exchange

Sun-Yi-exchange

Louisiana Highway Hitch Hiker

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABADGE!

My good buddy Babadge had a birthday this week, and I was invited to the party!! I had great fun while eating cake, drinking birthday juice, visting with friends, helping put together a puzzle, and ....of course...finding a few letterboxes. Thanks for letting me come to the party...and once again...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

P.S. -Thanks for letting me stamp into your personal traveler. It's such a cool stamp!!

The Thunder Rolls....

I found out yesterday afternoon that I'd have today off, so I decided to make a little trip to Palestine to find some letterboxes! Even though there was a chance...ok...a big chance of rain today, I decided to take my chances and hit the trails. I started off by finding Barefoot Lucy's COLUMBIA OF THE PINEY WOODS. This box is hidden in a nice little "old fashioned" park in downtown. I enjoyed finding the box, and exploring the park a bit before moving on.

Next, I made my way toward the courthouse to find another one of Boots Tex's Governor Series box. I easily found THE RAILROAD MAN. Once again, there was no one in this cemetery, and I was able to take my time, enjoy my surroundings, and leisurely stamp in. I also enjoyed claiming another one of BT's hand-made first finder prizes.....THANKS BT!

Now, it was time for me to find Davey Dogwood Park where Silver Eagle and Baby Bear have recently hidden new boxes. I'd been here before to find a box by BFL, so I was fairly sure of where I was going. While driving through the park, I did happen on a deer who was eating on the side of the road. I stopped the car to try and get a picture of him, but he hopped up the hill. It was a great surprise to see such beautiful wildlife!

I followed the directions through the park and easily found both boxes. Silver Eagle shares his love of literature and nostalgia with GO DOG GO! and Baby Bear shares his sense of humor with ARE YOU THINKING WHAT I'M THINKING? There I was, alone in the woods, opening up tupperware, and laughing out loud. I'm glad no strangers met me on the trail while I was doing that!!

All the time I was at Dogwood Park, I could hear the thunder clapping. I wasn't too worried, though, because the sun was shining. I went down a new trail and planted BLUEBERRY SCOUT: DOT. I hope she enjoys her new home. I think she's been hanging out with me since mid-January! Luckily, it only sprinkled on me a little bit while I was at Dogwood Park. However, when I got in my car and started to pull out of my parking space---the clouds let loose all that precipitation they'd been holding inside! The rain came down hard. I'd timed it just perfectly!!

132nd FA Regiment

This morning, I went into the office for a little while, but on the way I stopped to grab a letterbox! The 132nd FA REGIMENT LB was planted in March, but I hadn't the time or the energy to get it, so I saved it until now! This box is cleverly hidden in a cemetery and the placer gives great historic information about the regiment.

The cemetery was peaceful and quiet, so I was able to enjoy leisurely stamping in and taking a look at some of the flowers that were blooming.

We've been Everywhere, Man

Ok, maybe we haven't been everywhere, but letterboxing has certainly taken us to fun, new, exciting places that we may not have visited otherwise. Today marks the second anniversary of the day Blue Butterfly and I found our first box! That experience has led to lots more excitement and adventure! Thanks to all who have planted boxes, found our boxes, and even agreed to exchange with us. Here's to LOTS more fun and adventures to come!!! Happy Trails!

Life is a Highway.....

Roarin' Lion and Stinky Monkey spent a couple of nights with me this week, and we had a lot of fun. Today, though, it was time for me to take them back home. They wanted to "find some clues", so before we headed back to their house, I took them to stamp into THE TEXAS GOVERNOR'S SERIES-THE PEOPLE'S PATH. They enjoyed this stamp, but SM was quick to notice that part of the governor's memorial had come off and was laying to the side.

After finishing up at Oakwood cemetery, we headed East. I took them to OSCAR'S LUNCH-which happens to be one of my boxes, but the boys hadn't yet stamped into it. They were eager to climb up the steps and, of course, beat me to the top. When we found the box, they were excited to see their old friend Oscar and couldn't get their green markers out fast enough. As we were leaving, a man stopped by to fill his thermos up with the cold, refreshing water that flows from the rocks.

After dropping the boys off and playing with Baby Sister for a while, I headed back to Jacksonville. I stopped by Country Charm Candles and did a bit of shopping and stamped into MAY SERIES-MOTHER GOOSE DAY. The clerk was very kind. I told him I'd go out on the porch to stamp in, but he insisted I stay at the counter and do it, since it was so hot outside.

After putting everything back in the box, I left to go find MAY SERIES-MEMORIAL DAY. The park was easier to find than I anticipated, and I easily found the box. There was a nice wreath placed at the Veterans Memorial, which I believe was probably placed on Memorial Day.

Next, it was off to Love's Lookout to find A MOTHER'S LOVE by Monarch B. This was another great stamp hidden at this beautiful location. Thanks to Monarch B for carving and placing this one!

Estes Park

I recently traveled to Boulder, Colorado to attend a wedding of a friend of mine. It was my first time to ever see the beautiful mountains of Colorado. Though I did not get a chance to letterbox while there, I wanted to share a couple of pictures. I hope to get back there one day and stamp into all the boxes hidden in this beautiful locale.

Jester

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to take a leisurely Saturday morning to go find one of Boots Tex's boxes, which he'd planted in a nearby cemetery. The box is entitled THE PEOPLE'S PATH-TEXAS GOVERNOR SERIES.

I enjoy finding Boots Tex's boxes-he has outstanding carvings and he teaches a history lesson with just about every box. Thanks Boots!

A Few Comments.....

A few months ago, Mama Cache wrote me and asked me to participate in her "Box of Chocolates, with Love" Event by carving a stamp. I happily obliged. Today, I received in the mail a wonderful booklet containing an impression of all the stamps that had been carved for this event, along with a Thank-you note. Thanks to Mama Cache and Company for such a fantastic gift!!!!

As you have probably guessed, I haven't been able to seek or hide any letterboxes lately. I'm hoping that things will slow down some in June so I can get back on the trail. There may even be a chance for me to find a box or two next weekend, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Blue Butterfly has a box in Navarro County called PITCH IN!, whose logbook is full. BB gave me logbook #2 to place in this box for her. I went by the park today, with the intentions of FINALLY accomplishing this task, but the groundskeepers were there, so I'll have to try again another day.

Happy Trails!

SNOW!

It's an Easter Miracle! Believe it or not, it is snowing today in East Texas! This is a rare phenomenon at ANY time of year in this part of the country, but in April....it just can't be explained!! Here are a few pictures of us having a grand time in the snow today.

Roarin' Lion and his first encounter with the powdery white miracle.

Roarin' Lion catchin' flakes.

Lucy Locket and Roarin' Lion

Great Friday

Today is Good Friday, but since I'm not working today.....I'll call it GREAT FRIDAY! I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to be doing today...probably mostly relaxing. Tomorrow, Blue Butterfly has plans for us to do some letterboxing...so it will be a great weekend! On Sunday, I'll spend time with my family, including BB, Stinky Monkey, Roarin' Lion, and Baby Sister.

TAG PHOTO

This is the photo from The Arkansas Event. Thanks so much to The Purple Ladybug for sharing! Front Row: The Atoy Adventurers and The Purple Ladybug. Back Row: Lucy Locket, Blue Butterfly, Webfoot, and Shiloh.

The Arkansas Gathering

On the morning of the very first Arkansas gathering, Blue Butterfly and I got up and hit the University of Arkansas in North Little Rock. There was an intriguing series there that we just didn't want to miss! After we FINALLY found the Fine Arts building, we stamped into A Study in Picasso by Nancy Drew. Unfortunately, the third box was missing, so we really missed out on that one.

After grabbing coffee and muffins, we headed to Burns Park. After getting the map of the park, we drove around and found Shiloh and the gang already busily stamping away. Shiloh greeted us and offered the Event stamp. After meeting Webfoot and The Purple Ladybug, the race was on for personal travelers. I had a great time talking Children's books with Webfoot, and I'll be picking up a book she suggested very soon!

After chatting for a bit, I was anxious to find some letterboxes, so I dragged Blue Butterfly away. We started out by finding Burns Park Covered Bridge by Shiloh. We were following Webfoot, who was following Barefoot Lucy.

We made our way around the loop, and caught up with Barefoot Lucy. (We decided to skip one box, so we passed Webfoot on the way). After much discussion and a little confusion, we found Burns Park Rock Gnome. We also took this opportunity to sit down and have a little rest before continuing on to the next box. After replacing the box, we headed out for the last one in the series. We easily found Field of Mushrooms, and while we were stamping in, a couple asked us if we had a trail map. No, we didn't, and we weren't exactly sure where we were, either! We'd just passed a sign that said Trailhead, so that looked sort of promising. By this time, Webfoot had caught up with us and so I hid the box and we asked her if she knew where we were....she wasn't quite sure, either! She just knew we were about 2 miles into the loop. BB, BFL, and I took the gamble of following the trail head sign. When we got to the trail head, BB was pretty sure she knew how to get to the covered bridge, so she led us there. Thank goodness she knew the way!

After making our way back to our van and getting a drink, we decided to hide our boxes. TAG Trip LB and Go Razorbacks! are hidden safely in their new homes in Burns Park. After hiding these, we went back to the pavilion to share our clues with fellow letterboxers, chatted for a bit, then headed Southwest towards home. It was a fun event, and a great day for finding letterboxes.

Stamps I earned on this day:

TAG Event Stamp
Shiloh-Exchange
J.W.-personal traveler
Arkansas is a natural-personal traveler
Webfoot-exchange
The Purple Ladybug-exchange
Burns Park Covered Bridge
Cleopatra-exchange
Lizzard-exchange
Field of Mushrooms
Burns Park Rock Gnome
A Study in Picasso-3 boxes
Go Razorbacks

THANKS TO SHILOH FOR HOSTING THIS EVENT!

The Natural State

Blue Butterfly and I left the Sooner State this morning and headed East to Arkansas. We had a plan to visit Lake Catherine State Park to find Baby Bear's box here and for me to leave a box. When we finally pulled up to the appointed trail head and were getting out our clues and gear, I heard some one shout, "Hey....what are you doing here?" I was thinking to myself...surely this person isn't talking to us.....but this person WAS talking to us! It was Barefoot Lucy! We visited for a minute or two, and discovered that she hadn't found the one and only box in this park yet, either. She kindly joined us for our journey to find Chip.

After braving the suspension bridge (don't worry, it wasn't too long) and stamping in, I asked BFL if she wanted to wait while I planted my box, but she kindly declined. I left her and Blue Butterfly by the suspension bridge, and told BB to wait here at least ten minutes while I tried to find a place to plant my box. I planted Terk, then headed back down the trail to meet up with Blue Butterfly and give her the clues. When I got about halfway back, I met her and let her continue her journey. She easily found the box and stamped in.

After this, we decided we still wanted to go farther down the trail so that we could view the waterfall. We were very pleased with our decision once we got there. It was a nice, secluded, peaceful little place.

After enjoying the waterfall, we headed back to the trailhead and made our way to North Little Rock to prepare for tomorrow's event!

The Land We Belong to is Grand....

Blue Butterfly and I woke up to a beautiful
morning here in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. We went back to Beaver's Bend SP, but this time, we hit a different area-The Lakeview Lodge. We found two boxes here and I planted The Tooth Fairy LB.

After this, we drove through some beautiful mountains, going after one of Silver Eagle's boxes. When we made it to the arboretum, however, the road was closed, so we had to be on our way.

The next stop was in the town of Antlers. There is a letterbox here in the Antlers spring where the Native Americans found this spring and marked it with a set of antlers. Tomorrow, we are headed East towards the TAG Event.

Beavers Bend

This morning, I met Blue Butterfly at her home in East Texas. We promptly (and I do mean promptly) left to head North to Broken Bow, Oklahoma. BB did a great job of mapping out a plan for our TAG Trip, and it all started with a visit to Beavers Bend State Park.

What's the first box a Texas Letterboxer to find in Oklahoma? Well, a box from Baby Bear or Silver Eagle, of course! We started out by finding the Snow Bear LB, then we headed down the trail to find the Beaver's Bend LB. We were not disappointed in finding our fellow Texans' boxes here! We felt right at home stamping into these familiar boxers' treasures. As we strolled along the Mountain Fork River, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and watching fathers and sons fishing. We greatly enjoyed the gentle roar of the water rushing downstream. We also managed to find Playin' Pooh Sticks LB and Sooner State before we headed off to another part of the park.

We drove around and found the Square Dance LB on a nice little trail close to another part of the river. After this, we attempted to find a couple of more trails, but it was only in vain. Tomorrow, we have another adventure prepared by Blue Butterfly....I can't hardly wait!!

Marching in March

Yesterday started out as a rainy day. We weren't sure we'd actually be able to go find any letterboxes. We packed up the van and headed to Tyler to take the little ones to Discovery Science Place. We'd all been here before, but this time they had a great new exhibit on sound that we really enjoyed. After playing indoors for almost two hours, we headed south towards Jacksonville. The rain had passed, and we were hoping it would hold off until after we'd discovered all of JB Kokopelli's March Holiday Series.

We made our way to Nichols Green Park and started marching down the trail. The first one wasn't too difficult to find. For the second one, I had to balance myself on the side of a hill (I'm sure that was a sight to see!) while retrieving AND replacing the box! I was certainly glad that no one had any visual proof of my unique acrobatic talents!

We successfully found all of the boxes in the March series. Poor Stinky Monkey also had a run-in with a hillside and a vine that his leg got caught under, but he's no worse for the wear. After collecting all of our March images, we stopped at another park and found a puzzle box.

After getting cleaned up, I headed over to spend some time with Stinky Monkey and Roarin' Lion's sister. She's so sweet, I just had a hard time putting her down.

Tomorrow is the day that Blue Butterfly and I will leave for our TAG trip!! Happy Trails!

TAG....You're IT!

Spring Break 2007 has FINALLY arrived!! Blue Butterfly and I have been making plans to attend an event entitled TAG (The Arkansas Event) on March 17. We've decided that we'll do some letterboxing close to home on Monday with Roarin' Lion and Stinky Monkey. Then, we'll get up early Wednesday morning and head North to Beavers Bend in Oklahoma. We plan to make it to North Little Rock by Friday evening...and ofcourse we plan on finding letterboxes (if possible) between our destinations. My fingers are already itching to have some misplaced ink stained on them....this is gonna be fun!

Happy Trails!

Washington-on-the-Brazos

After getting a great night's rest in Brenham, we headed off to the Birthplace of TX Independence. LSQ and Boots Tex had planted a few boxes at the WOB State Park, and we wanted to get them before the celebrations began. We started off by finding THE LAST PRESIDENT. As we were stamping in, I noticed three familiar gentlemen walking in the area-it was Silver Eagle, Baby Bear, and Clueless Collector! They were here to get the same box we had. It was fun running into them again-this time on the trail.

After this, we headed to find a few more boxes. Lone Star Quilter's LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET SERIES was amazing. BT and LSQ always seem to have great stories to go along with their letterboxes, and this one took the cake! I think its one of my favorite series now.

While on the trail again, we ran into Gingercat and Skyebird. They were also there trying to increase their F Count. Then, in the visitor's center, BB met BarefootLucy and Lightning, who were about to head out to find a few boxes, also. It was a great day for letterboxing and I hope everyone enjoyed the boxes and the weather !

TX Wildflower Event

The day had finally arrived when I could pack my things and head to Lake Somerville for the Fourth Annual TX Event ! By the time I got to the camp site, Blue Butterfly already had the tent up and everything ready to go for our evening. We finally went to bed, then the next morning, at about 7 a.m., Blue Butterfly went out and planted two boxes, HAT TRICK and A LITTLE BLUEBONNET. After she got back, we cleaned up a little bit and I went to look for her box while she headed out to look for mine. After having successfully found them, we packed up our chili and headed to the appointed pavilion. When we got there, we checked in with the event stamp and poster (Thanks Baby Bear for another OUTSTANDING Event stamp!), then got on with exchanges and personal travelers. People arrived and shared clues to the boxes they'd planted that day, and everyone busily copied the coveted new clues.

At about noon, most people stopped and ate a little lunch, then Silver Eagle and Baby Bear broke out the Letterboxing Trivia Game. The game had 35 questions concerning worldwide letterboxing trivia. The questions were provocative, and well researched. Thanks to Baby Bear and Silver Eagle for adding this bit of educational fun to this year's gathering.

After this, I decided to attempt to solve a puzzle box placed by The Gryzzled One. As I was trying to solve it, I heard someone call my name. It was Dizzy Monkey! I'd met Dizzy Monkey at the T.A.L.K.K. Event, and since she lives in Austin, she decided to come to our event. She and I talked for a minute or two, then Baby Bear directed her to the Event stamp and advised her to go ahead and stamp in before the exchanging frenzy began.

Soon, it was time to find some letterboxes. Blue Butterfly, Dizzy Monkey, and myself headed out to find three boxes. Of course, we had to attempt the Gryzzled box first. We made our way to the area and prayed that we'd deciphered the clues correctly.....Dizzy Monkey reached under the hiding place....EUREKA! The box was there. After this we found FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON by Silver Eagle, and WILDLFLOWER FRIEND by Baby Bear.

Blue Butterfly and I hung around the pavilion and chatted with other letterboxers as the crowd dispersed. One of the highlights of the evening was exchanging stories with a few letterboxers that we admire and respect. After finally dragging ourselves away from our letterboxing friends, we packed up our campsite and headed to Brenham for an overnight there (in a nice warm hotel). We had letterboxing plans for the next morning and wanted to get close to our appointed park early!

Stamps I earned at this event:
RFC's Personal Traveler/ LSQ's Personal Traveler/Batty Girl's Personal Traveler/ Dreamcatcher-Exchange/Puddle Splasher's Literary Traveler/ Boots Tex's Personal Traveler
I picked these for you-Event Stamp /Hat Trick/Wildflower Friend/ A Little Bluebonnet
Flowers for Algernon/ 4th Annual TX LB Event Stamp/Element-Exchange Batty Girl-Exchange
Soccer Chik-Exchange/Boots Tex-Exchange/Ice Cube-Cootie/Lone Star Quilter-Exchange
Gingercat-Exchange/Wild Flower/Adams Trails-Exchange/SkyeBird-Exchange

THANKS TO SILVER EAGLE AND BABY BEAR FOR HOSTING SUCH A GREAT EVENT!!!

Anticipation

It has been said that anticipation is half the fun of a trip! I'm
certainly having a great time waiting and planning for the TX Wildflower Event, which is THIS WEEKEND!! I'm going to meet Blue Butterfly down at Lake Somerville on Friday evening after I get off from work. For the past couple of Saturdays, I haven't been able to do any letterboxing, so I've got all this letterboxing energy bottled up inside of me and I'm ready to go!!!

If you're heading down, don't forget to check out my Fragrant Flower!

Happy Trails!

Rusk Redoux Redone

This afternoon, Blue Butterfly and I made our way to Rusk to attend the Rusk Redoux Redone Event. This time, the weather was much more cooperative! I was pleased to meet a few new faces and match them with the stamps I'd found in logbooks. I also watched a bit of a carving tutorial that Barefoot Lucy gave to Trail Cat. The fire was nice and cozy and the food everyone shared was excellent! Thanks to all who attended. I enjoyed visiting with you today!!!

Stamps I earned today:

Last Train-Event Stamp

Trail Cat-Exchange

TX Dragonfly-Exchange

TX Dragonfly's Personal Traveler

JKC-Exchange

Blue Butterfly's Literary Traveler-(why it took me four months to stamp in on this one....I'll never know!)

February Holidays

This morning, I drove into Rusk County to pick up Stinky Monkey and Roarin' Lion and to meet Blue Butterfly. On my way in, I stopped and planted a box near Jacksonville called Oscar's Lunch. This is at a neat little roadside park where there is a fountain of natural water coming out of the rocks. Many people stop here to fill up their jugs to take home.

After hiding this box, I met up with my trio of boxers and we headed to Love's Lookout to find JB Kokopelli's February Holiday Series. We had a lot of fun finding each of these boxes. Even though we've been to Loves Lookout several times, we had no idea that this particular path existed. Thanks to JB for giving us a new discovery in our own back yard!!

This Weekend

This weekend, Blue Butterfly and I plan to do a little letterboxing with Roarin' Lion and Stinky Monkey on Saturday, then attend the Rusk Redoux Redone on Sunday afternoon! We're excited about getting some new stamps and meeting new friends this weekend.

One Month to Go!

It donned on me today that there is only one month left until the TX WILDFLOWER LB EVENT in Lake Somerville State Park. I definitely need to start getting together the information for clues and everyone's personal travelers! I'm super excited about attending this event.

Click here to see details for
TX Wildflower LB Event