Letterboxing Holiday--Day Three

Our final day of the trip turned out to be the prettiest as far as weather goes--No Rain! We started out by heading to Bane Park to pick up a seasonal box placed by Dewberry. When we pulled into the park, we realized we'd been here before, to get Mother of Five's TX SNOWMAN and a few others. We easily found HE'S LOOKIN' AT YOU! then headed off to find some more.

We headed out to Cole's Crossing where I had hidden HITCHIN' A RIDE back in June. I wanted to check on it as well as find BURIED TREASURE and try again to find GAS CHAMBER. When we got to the starting point, we saw a huge tree that was in the path which led to GAS CHAMBER. I was hoping that we could still manage to find it if we went the other way around the loop trail. So, we started out by finding my box first. BB followed the clues to the box and stamped in. Everything in the box was in good shape.

We went on around the path to hunt down some BURIED TREASURE. After BB found the hidey-hole, we claimed our prize. Next, we decided to continue around and see if we could find Baby Bear's box. We came across a couple of places where there was large amounts of forest debris on the trail, but we followed it back to a good starting point to find this box. BB followed the clues back to where the LB should have been, and I managed to spot the LB laying out in the open. I was glad I came back to find this one! Baby Bear's boxes have got a sense of humor to them! After stamping in and rehiding the box, we made our way back out of the trail and to the van.

We drove around to another part of Cypress and found three more Baby Bear boxes. One of them being RETIRED EAGLE. I'd been wanting to stamp into this box honoring Baby Bear's brother, and I was not disappointed. After all, what better way to honor a letterboxer, right?

We made our way to a pocket park in Cypress and stamped into FIRE IN THE HOLE. I didn't know what to expect from this stamp, but it is definitely worth finding!

For our last box of the day, we decided to go find a puzzle box that Blue Butterfly had solved a few weeks ago. We made our way back into the Houston area and found a great park with lots of different activities. We made our way around to the box location, but we couldn't find it. We were really disappointed to have missed out on the box, but happy to have visited this particular park. Finally, it was time for us to head home.

Letterboxing Holiday Trip--Day Two

Even after finding a few boxes on Saturday, we were still ready to find some more on Sunday! We left our hotel around 9 a.m. and hit the trail. We started out by finding three puzzle boxes. All three of the boxes had fabulous carvings and there is always an extra feeling of satisfaction when you've worked on a puzzle box and finally get to stamp in.

After working on these boxes, we ate lunch, then headed to Hockley. On the way there, we stopped and I bought a rain poncho, which is much harder to accidentally leave behind than an umbrella. We started out by checking on our boxes that we left in Kleb Woods last year. I had to pick up my Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree LB because it had been left open and wet too many times. If I'd had an extra logbook with me, I would have been able to replace it. However, I didn't want to leave a slimy logbook in my letterbox, so this one has been retired. Thanks to all those who visited this box.

On Saturday, most of the boxes we found were of a Halloween theme. Today, we were on Christmas. We found a TX SANTA, JOSEPH, THE THOMAS NAST SANTA, and A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF SANTA-JANUARY. I'm amazed at the carving skills and great ideas of some of these planters. They are all outstanding!

While we were in Kleb Woods, I left a little piece of holiday spirit, too. I hope those who find HOLIDAY BIRD
will enjoy it.

Letterboxing Holiday Trip--Day One

Blue Butterfly and I decided to make our annual holiday letterboxing weekend the weekend after Christmas this year. We have been wanting to get back to Telge for quite some time. The last time we visited Telge Park was for the Terrors of Telge gathering a few years ago. The Terrors of Telge also happened to be our first gathering to attend, so we hold that park dear to us.

Anyhow, BB and I left her home on Saturday before the sun came up and made it to Cypress a little before 10 a.m. We found a few boxes left by characters such as Mother of Five, whose GHOST IN THE GRAVEYARD we really enjoyed finding, Ira Boxer (has anyone actually ever seen this guy?) and we attempted a few more. It sprinkled occasionally, but we were doing ok. The good news about rain is that it keeps the muggles away :-)

We went back to the van, got a snack and a drink, and took a little break. After our break, we decided to go to another part of the park to find some more boxes....this time, I took my umbrella. Luckily, BB already had her rain poncho on. We went around and found a box by Pastry Princess and another box planted by Ira Boxer. We got a good laugh out of Ira's box. It was supposed to be scary, and I suppose it could be scary if your alias is Kid Kodiak.

Next, we had to cross the bridge to find a few more boxes. We accidentally found a box by Runs For Chocolate, but we'd stamped into that one in 2005. We were looking in the wrong place. Eventually, we found HALLOWEEN FRIENDS, and tried to find Baby Bear's I SALUTE YOU. After reading and re-reading and re-re-reading the clues, I handed them over to BB. She looked at them and figured out that we were in the wrong part of the woods. DOH! I couldn't believe it. Finally, we found Baby Bear's box...his 250th plant. Kudos to Baby Bear for planting so many boxes for so many of us to enjoy!

After logging into Baby Bear's box, we headed back to the main part of the park. When we stopped by the van again to grab a bottle of water, I realized I was without my umbrella. Maybe a nice letterboxer will find it...probably near a box...and put it to good use. We attempted four or five more boxes and successfully found three. We found and stamped into eleven boxes today. Thanks to all who planted such fun boxes for us to find!

Boxing Day!

In honor of Boxing Day, I did what any letterboxer would do....I got out and boxed! Since I am still at Blue Butterfly's house, I decided to go into Whitehouse and get some of JBK's September Holiday series boxes. There are five in this series and I was able to log into all except the coveted Chocolate Day box. There are no wild stories to relay about this boxing trip, except that I enjoyed stamping into these boxes on a nice day. The weather was perfect!

So Much Fun!

The EXCUSE TO GATHER meet was in Tulsa, OK this past weekend. I decided earlier last week to sign up for it and make the drive. I got off work early on Friday afternoon, and hit the road. I got stuck in Dallas traffic, unfortunately, but finally made it across the Red River. I made it into Tulsa at about 10:00 that night. I checked into a hotel, then checked my AQ mail. Safari Man had sent out some WOM clues that I should be able to find on Saturday morning. I went to the business center, printed out the clues, and found the park on the map. Luckily, I wasn't too far from the park and it should be easy to find. I went to bed excited about meeting all these new people the next day.

I woke up at the hotel and ate a little breakfast, then hit the trail. I found the park and followed the clues to the first box. After waiting for four or five joggers to go by (what were they doing out here anyway? It was COLD!), I snagged the first box. After stamping in, I followed the clue to box #2. While I was stamping in, a man came up to me and said, "I caught ya!" It was Safari Man! We chatted for a little while, then he had to leave to go get some things set up for the event. I stuck around and found the rest of the WOM boxes in the park.

After finally leaving the park, I made my way over to the event site. I was greeted by young Princess Minty, "Hi Lucy Locket!"

"How did you know it was me?" I asked.

"Your license plate says Texas on it!" she replied.

So, I went into the gathering room and met Okie Dog, Fishin Mom, Goofy Girl, Tulsa Gal, and said hello again to Safari Man. A little later, I met Adairmd. I also met the rest of Goofy Girl's gang-JerBear and Star Commander. We had a good time sitting around, stamping, chatting, stamping, and chatting some more. I even found a letterbox that was "hidden in plain sight".

As I was chatting with Safari Man, he gave me some advice on my route back to Texas, which I greatly appreciated. Then, he told me about a letterbox that I could pick up on my way home....even better!

After the meet was over, I went with Goofy Girl and Adairmd to find two boxes out in the wild. We had a good time stamping in with the cold and the cold wind! However, all good things must come to an end, so I had to leave Tulsa and head south.

Thanks to all the great letterboxers that I met in Tulsa. You made the drive worthwhile!!!

Excuses....Excuses.....

Goofy Girl, Lucy Locket, Adairmd, and Tulsa Gal peeking out of the bathroom.

I made a quick trip this weekend to attend the EXCUSE TO GATHER meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I met a great cast of characters there, including Safari Man, Okie Dog, Tulsa Gal, Goofy Girl, Adairmd, and others ! I'm spending today with Blue Butterfly, but I will write about my travels when I get home later on today or tomorrow. I had a fantastic time and want to thank everyone who was at the gathering for a great letterboxing time. As they say~letterboxers make a good impression!!

Dinosaur Valley

Mustang Sallie at Dino Model

I've been wanting to visit Dinosaur Valley for quite some time. I determined earlier in the week that I would make the trip out this weekend, and invited Mustang Sallie along. We hit the road this morning and made our way to Glen Rose and Dinosaur Valley SP.

Lone Star Quilter happened to place a LB here just this week. I was sure we'd be the first to find her treasure there. However, we opened up the logbook and saw that Gryzzled Gryphon had beat us to the punch on Friday. After stamping in, we wanted to go see if we could find some dinosaur tracks. We walked back over to the track site and discovered that we would have to make our way across the river on a rock "bridge". We gingerly stepped across from rock to rock and made our way over to the other side. After some searching, we finally found a couple of dinosaur tracks. We paid our respects to the dinosaurs who had come before us, then had to cross back over the bridge (with an audience watching us AND laughing at our slow progress) and get to the car so we could find some more letterboxes.

The "Bridge"

Next, we found HOWLING AT THE MOON, which was placed by DrooP. This is a bit of a historic letterbox since it was placed in the spring of 2004. We had a bit of trouble finding the right path, but we were successful and able to stamp in.

Finally, we found ST. PADDY'S TX HATCHLING and DINOSAUR TRACKS. Both of these were created around the dinosaur theme of the park. After stamping into these, we drove back around to the dinosaur models and admired their grandeur.

Lucy Locket at the Dino Model

Thanks to all who planted boxes there for us to find and thanks to Mustang Sallie for a fun day!

Thanksgiving Blues

This week, I had the Thanksgiving Blues. I ended up getting pretty sick the weekend before Thanksgiving and finally went to the Doc on Tuesday morning. I finished up work on Tuesday afternoon, then hit the bed for the next few days. I didn't get to celebrate Thanksgiving with Blue Butterfly, Stinky Monkey, Roarin' Lion, or Baby Sister. I was stuck in bed. YUCK!

Blue Butterfly came out on Saturday and visited with me and brought me a couple of treats. On Sunday morning, I was able to get out of bed a lot easier, so I headed to Tyler to find a couple of letterboxes. What better cure for an ailing letterboxer?

I started off by finding PINE COVE-TOWERS near Tyler. I had to search through the head stones to find my prize, and it was easy to get to. Next, I headed towards 155 and found two of Frogkisses boxes: SUMMER TIME FUN and 4 WHEELS. These are both nice boxes. I've really enjoyed finding FK's carvings this month. After this, I did a bit of shopping, then returned home....exhausted. Back to work on Monday!

Leisurely Sunday Afternoon Letterboxing

After Sunday morning church, and lunch, and some visiting, it was time for me to head back to Navarro County. I decided to go through Tyler and try to snag a couple of boxes. I thought this would be the perfect time to find SHORTY THE SQUIRREL, which is located in Downtown Tyler on the square. As I made may way to the square, I saw that there were very few cars and the plaza was empty. I made my way to the Shorty monument, paid my respects, then headed for the letterbox. Thanks to Nac Trail Cat for bringing me here! I've been to this part of Tyler LOTS of times, but didn't know about Shorty.

After packing up my things, I headed once again to the Tyler Rose Garden. This time, I was able to snag Silver Eagle's TYLER ROSE 2. It was a nice afternoon and I was able to get some pictures of the new winter flowers that the group had planted recently.

After that, it was time for me to head home. So I did. :-)

A One-Legged Doll and other Bedtime Stories

Earlier in the week, I talked Blue Butterfly into going to Longview to find some boxes there. She'd already found some of them, but I really wanted to stamp into some, too. So, I arrived at her house around noon, we ate lunch, then hit the road! We got about a mile down the road, and I discovered that I didn't print out the BUILD A DOLL Series. So, we turned around, went back...printed out the clues, then FINALLY headed out.

Our first stop was in Turnertown where we picked up JBK's HONKY TONK BLUES. Then, we headed out to Longview. My first find in Longview was TREE CLIMBER by Frogkisses. This was a cute stamp that is definitely worth finding. Blue Butterfly also checked on her box that is along that same trail and found it to be safe and sound.

Next, we hit the road and found BB's OLD TYME MILL and Frogkisses' SPRING SERIES. The spring series was great fun and it didn't take me long to figure out why Blue Butterfly enjoyed it so much. After stamping into these boxes, it was time for us to find the BUILD A DOLL Series.

We made our way over to the park and hit the trail. There were quite a few people walking on this paved trail, so we took our time in order to protect the integrity of the boxes. I easily found the skirt, shirt, and right leg. When we got to the left leg, I could not find the box. Since BB had been here before, she confirmed that I was in the right place, but the box was nowhere to be found. How sad! We went on down the trail and found the rest of the doll. I was able to put her together very nicely....except for that one leg.

There was one more LB for us to find on this trail --the RACE CAR box. By now, it was starting to get dark, and we knew we needed to hurry. We got to the designated place, but couldn't find it. We weren't able to do our usual "thorough" job, so we may have just missed it. Since the sun was setting, we needed to make the hike back to the car.

Lucy Locket in her Letterboxing Couture.

Navarro County Letterboxing

Today, Mustang Sallie and I decided to hit a few letterboxes in Navarro County. I have found most of them in the county, but Mustang Sallie hadn't, so we were off on an adventure. We started out by attempting PITCH IN! , but there were a few people playing catch in the baseball field next to where the LB is hidden...so...Next! We went downtown to find WOLFBRAND CHILI....the gate to the park is locked..so Next! We went to find Boots Tex's GOVERNOR SERIES in Jester Park. This box has been replaced and moved since I first found it....and we found it in place...WOO HOO! We even picked up a hitch hiker while we were there.

After this, we got on Highway 31 and headed out to Kerens. I hadn't stamped into THE HOME OF BIG TEX yet. I'd been wanting to do this, but it has been difficult for me to get out there. Anyhow, with Mustang Sallie's help, we made it to the Garden Park. We almost didn't find this box because it was camouflaged so well.

Next, we went to find GO BOBCATS! by Blue Butterfly. We made our way out to the City Cemetery and MS was able to stamp into this box. It was nice getting out of town this weekend, wasn't it Mustang Sallie??

Mustang Sallie in Navarro County

Tuesday Letterboxing

I took Tuesday off to attend a funeral and decided to do some letterboxing on my way home. I stopped by Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler and stamped into CASABLANCA'S SAM. This is a nice stamp by JBKokopelli. After that, I headed to the Tyler Rose Garden to get Silver Eagle's TYLER ROSE 2. I made my way around to the Idea Garden and found that there were some volunteers diggin up flowers and planting new ones. Oh Man! One of the ladies was super-nice and said they were replacing the fall colors with winter ones and that I should come back on Thursday to enjoy the new colors. Since Blue Butterfly had planted the box, I called her and let her know. I felt like they wouldn't be doing any work on the bush where the LB was, but I wanted her to know, just in case.

So, down the road I went and stopped in Brownsboro. I tried desperately to find NORWEGIAN SETTLEMENT, but couldn't make the clues work. I went farther into Brownsboro and located JENNINGS MOUNTAIN. It was an easy find and a nice piece of history.

After finding these, I headed West and finally made it home. It was nice being able to take my time and letterbox on my way home.

Scarecrow in the Idea Garden

Rows and Rows of Rose(s)

Athens Letterboxing

Lake Athens

I met Blue Butterfly in Athens on Saturday afternoon to have lunch and to deliver her LTC's that Batty Girl had so graciously made for her. We started out by having lunch, then decided to hit the trail.

Our first box to try to find was HORNET'S HIVE. As we were driving out there, BB said that she probably already had this LB, and as we got closer, I realized that I'd attempted this box already. Having BB with me on this trip, though, would confirm whether or not I'd actually looked in the right place the last time I'd been there. We pulled up to the designated area, and BB led me to exactly where I'd looked before and the letterbox is definitely missing.

After this, we headed out to find ROME TO ROME. This LB with a store-bought stamp is located on the grounds of a church and cemetery. We easily found this one, then went on our way.

Next, we decided to find FISHIN' AT GRANDPA'S. We headed out to Lake Athens and found this fun box with a nice view on the lake. We took our time stamping in, then headed our seperate ways.

Blue Butterfly stamping in.

Beastly Boo Bash!

I woke up a little earlier on Sunday than I had on Saturday and hit the trail! I started out by going to a local cemetery and picking up THE MICK and PASS THE BISCUITS, PAPPY. Both of these letterboxes are based on historic figures, which really makes my day.

After leaving the cemetery, I decided to head back toward Arbor Hills and pick up lunch. I found a place to grab lunch, then headed on over to the preserve. I was REALLY early, but I still had at least one more LB to find before the gathering. I found the tables that SoggyCereal had reserved, plopped my store-bought cupcakes down, and headed out. I was able to find ENDANGERED SPECIES OF TEXAS: HOUSTON TOAD....and what a treat it is. Queen Beeloved's carving is impeccable! I truly don't know how she does it!!

Green Pond

After stamping in there, I headed back up to the pavilion and found SoggyCereal busily setting things up. She had the clues for her limited-time boxes, and shared them with me. I decided after I took a little break to hit the trail and find these boxes. By this time, it was only around 1:00 and the gathering would be starting at 2:00.

There are four boxes in this series. At the first box, I came across a pair of red men's undergarments (could be the answer to Ryan's question...What's the strangest thing you've ever found on the trail). They were hanging on one of the bottom branches....very classy :->

Anyhow, I found and stamped into the first two, and while I was stamping into Box #3 (which was near my SHEEPISH box), GG spotted me and cruised on over to say hello. We chatted for a bit while I stamped in, and then he left me to go find the last box. I easily found the last box, which was planted near the green, spooky pond, then went back up to join the party at the pavilion.

I reported to SoggyCereal that I found all of the boxes and she let me know that by being the first to find them all, I had earned a prize! WOO HOO! I like prizes. I picked up a grab-bag and there was a block of the pink stuff in it....YES! That will definitely come in handy. I said hello to a few people and made some exchanges. Some people even got my RAMONA PT.

Lyon's Roar

SoggyCereal also had a couple of games to play. One of them was to make as many words as you could out of Scarecrow and the other was to guess how many candy corn were in the jar. I put down my guess of candy corn in between exchanging. I decided there might be 562 in there.

After a while, Soggy announced the winner of the Scarecrow contest, then gave a prize out for the person who'd driven the farthest to get there, then announced that there were 573 candy corn in the jar and that I had come the closest!! WOO HOO! A lucky guess! My prize for this was a pumpkin light.

My Prizes

Around 4:00, I called it quits so I could head back home. I'd had a great day letterboxing and doing the letterboxing stuff that we do at gatherings. I enjoyed the creepy-looking punch that Soggy provided for us, but it was time for me to go. I hope to see more folks at the next gathering I attend!

Stamps I earned on Sunday:

Pass the Biscuits, Pappy-LB

Endangered Species of TX-LB

The Mick-LB

Beastly Boo Bash Boxes (4)-LBs

kmbaker-exchange

Lyon's Roar-exchange

Penguin Patrol-exchange

Caleb of Lyon's Roar-exchange

Buggy Boo-exchange

Logan of Lyon's Roar-exchange

Tree in a Park-exchange

Ghostly Girlie-PT

Beastly Boo Bash-Event Stamp

Scary Dude-Cootie

Scary Coffin-Cootie

Scary Bat-Cootie

TX Flag Cootie

E is for.....-PT

The Day Before the Bash

One of the guide signs in the preserve.

I got up at the crack of 11:00 and headed toward Plano by noon. I wanted to find a few boxes in Arbor Hills Nature Preserve before the gathering the next day. I was looking forward to finding several boxes by Puddle Splasher. I started out by finding 400 TONGUES. After looking at the clue for the next box, I realized I'd probably passed it up. So, I back-tracked and found THE HAPPY DANCE.

I found this little guy near a letterbox.

By this time, I really wanted to plant the box that I brought along, so I found a nice place for it. At least, I hope it's a nice, safe place. I left A SHEEPISH GRIN under a rock and found a place in the round sitting area to write the clues out.

After reading over a couple of more clues, I decided to go about finding two more boxes, but followed the clues backwards. I made my way to MAY DAY and WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY GIRLS. The latter box led me to a tower with a beautiful view.

View from the tower.

There was one more box in the park, but it would have to wait until the next day. I left Arbor Hills Nature Preserve with a few great stamps and the gleeful anticipation of what tomorrow would bring.

Boo To You!

Well, I just got back a little while ago from the Beastly Boo Bash hosted by Soggy Cereal. I will have to write more in detail later, but suffice it to say, a good time was had by all. I enjoyed seeing a new park, and visiting with old friends and new.

First Box

This weekend, I stayed in Mansfield with a friend of mine. We got up this morning and headed to Katherine Rose Memorial Park to find WESTITUDE. It has been quite some time since the box was last found, but we wanted to look for it anyway. We arrived and there were quite a few people and dogs walking the trails. We carefully followed the clues to the bench where the box was supposed to be, but we couldn't find it. I was disappointed, but we had some shopping to do, so we moved on with our day.

On our way back to Navarro County, we stopped at Bluebonnet Park, where my letterbox PINKY resides. I hadn't checked on this box, nor had I heard from any finders in quite some time. I was hoping that it was still alive and well. When we arrived, there was a big birthday party going on at the pavilion, so we passed by them and headed straight for the trail. Luckily, I remembered where I planted the box, and it was easy to find. Not only was everything in good shape, but KM was able to stamp into her first letterbox today. Congratulations KM on your first find!!

KM stamping in at the Pinky Letterbox.

My Shoes Are Wet....

...because I followed in Puddle Splasher's footsteps!

I decided to take a trip up to McKinney today to find a few boxes by Blue Butterfly, Puddle Splasher, and Boots Tex. I left my home around 8:00 or so and was on the trail by about 10:00. I first went to Erwin Park and found the LET'S DO LUNCH SERIES. I met quite a few bikers on the trail, and they were all quite friendly. I also found MAKE A WISH...OR TWO and HORN 1867. The weather was quite nice and I enjoyed the morning at Erwin Park.

After finishing up there, I headed over to a local cemetery to find THE WIZARD OF GAUZE: WHO'S YOUR MUMMY? This was a fun stamp that had originally been carved for the Yellow Brick Road event, and was placed in it's permanent home in McKinney.

After this, I went to Towne Lake Park and stamped into FOLK ART SERIES: QUILTING followed by going to McLarry Cemetery and stamping into FOLK ART SERIES: PRIMITIVE PAINTING.

I headed to El Dorado Street to find the cemetery and find my final box for the day. The next box on my docket was one of Boots Tex's Governor Series boxes. I went in the wrong entrance, but it didn't take me long to make my way to the West side of the cemetery and find the appropriate landmarks. After I found the box and was leaving, I called Blue Butterfly to give her a report, but when I told her I'd found only one in that cemetery, she let me know there was another box in that same cemetery. I turned around and went back inside, and found another Puddle Splasher box. Thanks to Blue Butterfly for your help on that box!

Finally, it was time to return to Navarro County. I came home, kicked off my shoes, and admired my finds :-)

When is Lucy Locket coming home??

View from the trail at Erwin Park

Letterboxing Luncheon at LaMadeliene's

Blue Butterfly and I were signed up for the Luncheon at LaMadeliene's Event, which was originally scheduled for September 13. However, due to inclimate weather in our parts of the state, we were unable to attend. LUCKILY, the organizers decided to have the same event again THIS weekend, and we were able to attend.

BB made it to my house on Friday evening, and we headed out on Saturday morning towards Grapevine. We got there a little early and found the restaurant, and decided to go find a few nearby boxes before lunch started. We headed out to the Botanical Gardens, which were lovely, and found BOTANICAL GARDEN GRAPEVINE SERIES. There are two boxes in this series. By the time we finished up enjoying the gardens and the boxes, it was time for us to go to lunch.

We arrived back at LaMadeliene's and were greeted by Batty Girl. As BG was talking with us, the PrairieDiamonds introduced themselves. Batty Girl showed us to the tables she had saved, where we discovered that Gryzzled Gryphon had already arrived, and the usual letterboxer's frenzy began. Other attendees who arrived included: Oliver and Company, Janet and Cassie of Blooming Flowers, Soggy Cereal, and Mother's Love.

There were three Event Stamps for the occasion. Oliver and Company carved a lovely event stamp called GRAPEVINE LUNCHEON. Batty Girl brought along GRAPES AT LUNCH, which is a very clever stamp that only Batty Girl would think of carving! The last Event Stamp was by Soggy Cereal and is called LB QUICHE WITH IKE ON THE SIDE.

After spending a couple of hours at LaMadeliene's, Mother's Love decided to join Blue Butterfly and I as we found a few more boxes in Grapevine. We spent until almost 7:00 hopping around Grapevine finding stamps by various boxers. We had a good time together. At the end of the day, we ended up back at LaMadeliene's, ate dinner, then headed home.

Stamps I earned this day:
Botanical Garden (Grapevine) Series: Box 1-Butterflies & Bugs/Box 2-Resident on the Rocks
The PrairieDiamonds-Exchange
Grapes at Lunch-Event Stamp
Grapevine Luncheon-Event Stamp
Two Dirty Martinis-Oliver & Co.'s PT
Oliver & Co. -Exchange
Soggy Cereal-new signature stamp
Cassie of Blooming Flowers-Exchange
Flowers-Blooming Flowers PT
Let's Talk around The World-Mother's Love PT
LB Quiche with Ike on the Side-Event Stamp
Artist Series Two-Chagall's Bonjour Paris/Picasso's Petite Fleur/Dali's The Persistance of Time/Munch's The Scream
Flying Low HH
Recover Whale
Beep Beep: Roadrunner
Moose-chief
By Any Other Name
Hop On Over
In the Air
Putt-Putt

Letterboxing in Shreveport

Since I had a three day weekend last week, I decided to go out and visit Roarin' Lion, Stinky Monkey, and Baby Sister. I left on Saturday morning and stopped in Shreveport to find LOUISIANA BOARDWALK by Blue Butterfly. This was a nice little walk and I easily found this one. A few hours later, I made it to my final destination and spent the next day with my niece and nephews. I had a good time spending the weekend with them.

On my way back home, I called Blue Butterfly and asked her about a clue to 2 more boxes in Shreveport. She looked them up and called me back with the directions. I found THE GNOME'S HOME and MOVIE WATCHING BIRDS by JBanana. These were fun boxes and the carvings are outstanding. Thanks to JBanana for planting these boxes!

Baby Sister

Roarin' Lion and Stinky Monkey

A Potpourri of Thoughts

Firstly, I'd like to say a special THANK YOU to Wyvern of Potsdam, NY. I sent her a stamp for her Drive In/Drive Thru/Drive By event and got a very special present in the mail this week for my participation. Letterboxers are some of the most thoughtful people!

In other news, I've gotten a new idea for a personal traveller. From the beginning of my LBing career, I made a personal decision to have only one PT at a time, so if I am able to make this new traveller work, then RAMONA QUIMBY will be retired. She's had a good run, and I've had a lot of fun with her. I hope some of you enjoyed her, too. Anyhow, the new PT that I have in mind will have something to do with one of my favorite TV shows, THE OFFICE.

Completely off topic from letterboxing, I've been able to sleep at my own convenience for the past few weeks. Tonight, however, I will be forced to set the alarm and get up at a decent hour and report to work. No more late night movies. No more late night AQ surfing. Just me, watching the backs of my eyelids. I guess I have to pay for all these LBing trips somehow!

Happy Trails!

It MUST be obvious....

(Red, White and Blueberry Group Photo-July 2007)

that I enjoy letterboxing. I thought I'd written about this previously, but I checked my facts and realized that I hadn't. So, here's the story: I met a young letterboxer named Mr. Monster Jr. at the first TALKK Event in November 2006. Fast forward to the following July when I went out to the RED WHITE AND BLUEBERRY Event, also hosted by Mama Cache. I was working on solving a clue with Ducky D when Mr. Monster Jr. came up to me and said, "Lucy Locket, is this what you MAINLY do?" I told the young lad that Yes, this IS what I mainly do....for fun. I told him that I also have a job that I go to every day. He seemed satisfied with that answer.

Hwy 21 LBing Run

Blue Butterfly and I made plans to head out to Nacogdoches today. We also decided that we'd be a little more adventurous and hit a few other towns along Hwy 21. The first box we hit this morning was Nac Trail Cat's THE LAMPLITE PLAYHOUSE. This was a fun one to stamp into and easy to find. Then, we headed out about 2 miles off of Hwy 59 and found GARDEN OF GOOD EATIN'. This was Blue Butterfly's 600th letterbox! Congrats to BB on such a milestone!!

(BB at the site of her 600th Letterbox)

We found one or two more boxes in Nac and checked on a couple of my boxes, then went to Auntie Pasta's for lunch. After this, we decided it was time to head west on 21 towards Alto. We easily found a few boxes in Alto, mostly planted by JB Kokopelli. My favorite was THE OLD PEPPER TREE. I've passed that tree several times over the years, but never stopped to take a look. This time, I had the perfect excuse!

We made it to Mission Tejas SP in Weches (also on Hwy 21). Blue Butterfly had found most of the boxes here, but she had her sights set on THE PIPE BANGERS: FRAGGLE ROCK SERIES. She'd missed this one when she'd made a previous trip. So, we found TEJAS BELL and NABEDACHE first, then looked at the map so we could follow the clues to PIPE BANGERS.

We headed out on our trek and followed the map very carefully to the CCC baths. We read the instructions and began looking for the box. No luck. We looked for the proper arrangement of logs, but we just couldn't find the box. Blue Butterfly and I sat down on the bench as disappointment hit us both. We sat there for a few minutes and BB said, "I'm gonna try again". She donned her special box-sniffing gear and headed back over to the area where we thought the box would be hidden. Eureka! She found it! WEEE HEEE! We happily stamped in, then re-arranged the logs back to their original style for future finders. After this, we huffed it back to the van, then headed for BB's house. It was a great day for letterboxing.

(LL at the CCC Baths at Mission Tejas SP)

The stamps I earned today:
The Lamplite Playhouse
Farm House
Garden of Good Eatin'
POWs at La Petit Mont Rouge
The Old Pepper Tree
Why Is Mary Weeping?
Tejas Bell
Nabedache
The Pipe Bangers: Fraggle Rock Series
Astro Star HH

Friendly Birds

(The dipping vat where cattle were brought to be dipped as a safeguard against ticks)

I had to work a few days this week (I know....woe is me, right?), but of course I had Friday off. I was planning on heading out to Blue Butterfly's house so that we could do some letterboxing on Saturday, but I decided to take the long way out. My main objective was to make it to Mineola so that I could snag her BIRDS IN A TREE SERIES. On the way, though, I stopped in Canton and picked up THE DIPPING VAT.



I passed the historical marker for the actual dipping vat itself, and decided I'd take a look at it on my way out after having stamped in. So, when my LB duties were completed, I drove back to the marker and read the information, then walked on down to take a look at this actual piece of history. As I was about to get back into my car, a man on a tractor yelled, "HEY!" So I went over and talked to him and he asked me if I knew what I was looking at over there. I told him that I read the information on the marker, then we had a little discussion about it.



I hopped back in the car and headed toward Mineola. When I got into town, I first found GRANDPA'S POCKET WATCH by Wag Time, then headed over to the Nature Preserve.

I noticed a little garden near the parking lot and the trail head, and stopped to enjoy what few flowers were blooming. As I walked down the trail, I saw a little open-ended shack and walked over to investigate it. This housed a beehive that you can open and look into. They have a couple of steps that children can stand on to get a close look at the bees. Then, I headed down into the wooded area and found the boxes. There are several wildlife viewing areas and a couple of nice bridges in this preserve. I enjoyed finding these boxes and walking along this trail. After I finished up, I headed to Blue Butterfly's house and we prepared for our next day's adventure!

(I picked up a few hitch hikers along the way, unfortunately, I can't log any of them!)

Within minutes of each other....

I recieved an e-mail from Silver Eagle saying he'd been at the Watermelon Thump box on Sunday at 12:05 and he'd seen that I'd been there earlier in the day. The funny thing is, I'd been there between 11 and 12! If I'd have taken a little longer to get into Luling, we may have run into each other on our respective trips. Isn't letterboxing fun?

Letterboxing Excursion (What other kind is there?)

(LL at the Luling Rest Area)

On Monday, I had some personal business to take care of near Victoria, so I made a decision on Saturday afternoon that I would go down a day early and do some letterboxing in Goliad. I started out by making a stop in Waco on the Baylor Campus. I'd deciphered a clue and thought I could get pretty close to the LB. AND...I thought....College campus...early Sunday morning...I'll probably have the place to myself WRONG! When I got to the intended place, there was a young man there enjoying the beautiful morning and doing some reading. ACK! I walked around for a little bit, but the guy was determined to stay. I had to leave sans letterbox.



I made my way down to Luling so I could get the WATERMELON THUMP LB and the LULLING IN LULING LB. I realized before I got to Luling that the Watermelon Thump festival would probably be going on while I was there. However, I was on a letterboxing mission and may not stick around for long. As I pulled into Luling, my suspicions were confirmed about the festival. I'm guessing they must have some sort of Watermelon Queen because there were some signs saying, "Vote for Suzy" and "Vote for Molly". I'm hoping the contest was fair and not seedy in any way :-) Anyhow, I made it to the box and moved away all the spider webs and stamped into the box. This is a great stamp! After this, it was getting close to lunch time, so I decided to make my way to the LULLING IN LULING LB and to eat lunch at it's location.

I got onto I10 and made my way to the designated rest area. This is a REALLY nice place. I found the box, and stamped in, then went back to the picnic pavilions to eat my lunch. It was nice under the shade and there was a breeze blowing. Thanks to Dewberry for taking me here! After cleaning up my lunch mess, I headed back toward 183 to make my way to Goliad.

Goliad SP is only about a half mile from Hwy 59 and is extremely simple to find. I checked in with the very friendly staff there, then went to visit the mission. The mission is beautiful inside and out. It's rare in America that we are able to see architecture that dates back to the 1800's, so this was a treat. After admiring the mission, I hit the trail and found my designated boxes.

Boxes I found on 6-29:
Little Foot
Mission Espiritu Santo
Six Flags: Mexico (This was a fun one to stamp into because it's been in place for so long....I loved thumbing through the logbook)
I10 Box Stop: Lulling in Luling

(Mission Espiritu Santo)

New Box in Cypress

I wasn't able to find any boxes yesterday, but I managed to plant one. Hitchin' A Ride is planted on a nature trail that is in the middle of a suburban area. I even saw a rabbit hopping down the trail while I was there.

TODAY WAS FUN!

(Blue Butterfly stamping in)

Today, Blue Butterfly and I decided to hit the trail and try to make it to Barefoot Lucy's gathering. We knew we wouldn't be able to stay long (BB had prior commitments), but we wanted to have some LBing fun along with the rest of the gang!

We started out by stopping in New Summerfield and getting LAST FLIGHT and 4 FRIENDS. Both of these boxes have touching stories attached to them. After stamping in here, BB wanted to visit the Secret Garden NSISD box. We went by the school and she stamped into the box there.

Next, it was time for us to hit Jacksonville. We wanted to try to get two boxes near the Tomato Bowl, but ofcourse, with the festival in town, it was just too busy. We decided to eat some lunch, then headed to BEWARE: THE MYSTERY OF THE PICNIC AREA. This would be our first stop along our path of boxes to Barefoot Lucy's Secret Gathering Site. While we were stamping in, I noticed a van had pulled up behind ours. It looked as though someone was looking for the box! It turned out to be Maydelle Queen Bee and Bee Mom. Here we were...two sets of mothers and daughters stamping in to the box!

We chatted for a while and were able to exchange with Bee Mom, then we all hit the road to find the rest of the stamps along the trail to the gathering site. We finally made it to the site and BFL was awaiting us, along with Mother's Love, NacTrailCat, TX Pokey, SJZ....and probably some others that I'm forgetting (sorry!). Anyhow, it was a nice little gathering and we had a good time while we were there.
Stamps I earned today:
Last Flight
4Friends

BEWARE: The Mystery of The Picnic Area

Bee Mom-Exchange

Scout Hut
Pecan Picker
East Side
Some Tomato!
SJZ-Exchange
Event Stamp

(BB and Rosey the Hippo)

(Maydelle Queen Bee, Bee Mom, and Lucy Locket)

Possum??? Really??

Since I had today off, I decided to head towards Blue Butterfly's house. Of course, I found some boxes on the way and took my boxing buddy with me! I stopped in Frankston and found JB Kokopelli's POSSUM AND TATERS box.



After this, I stopped in Cuney and checked on OSCAR'S LUNCH. Rosey told me that she wanted to get a drink of water and stamp into the box, so I accomodated her :-)

Next, I moved on down the road to find SECRET GARDEN NSISD. This is a pleasant location for a box and I wouldn't have known about the historical marker there if JB had not led me to it.



This was a pleasant afternoon of letterboxing with my buddy Rosey!

A Boxing Buddy

This week, I received in the mail Rosey the Hippo from a Girl Scout Troup in New York. CathCainGwen set up Rosey's journey and I'm happy to host her for a couple of weeks. Today, I decided to go and check on a couple of boxes nearby and take Rosey along with me so she could stamp in, too. I started off by going to Community Park to Blue Butterfly's PITCH IN! However, the landscapers were around, so I had to move on down the road.



Next, I went downtown and stopped at the pocket park to check on WOLF BRAND. The fountain was working today, and it was just a beautiful setting. Rosey stamped into the box, then we moved on.

I headed for Petroleum Park to find the box there. I was saddened to see, however, that the bush where the box is supposed to be hidden has been cut down and the box is missing.