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

Baby Girl

On Tuesday, I was at the hospital waiting for my niece to come into the world. While I sat in the waiting room, I made use of my time by carving a stamp in her honor. Look for it to be planted soon in a town near (or far away) from you!

A Murdered Logbook....

As I mentioned previously, I'd gotten a report from The Gryzzled Gryphon and others that the logbook in my Swingle Singers LB had been purposefully damaged. Someone came in and tore each one of the index cards in half. I was definitely disappointed when I heard the report, but when I actually saw the logbook on Saturday, I had to keep my emotions in tact. I'm not quite sure why a person would go in and do this. The one thing that I am thankful for is, that they left all the pages (as far as I could tell) in the box except for my "cover page". Luckily, I was able to put the pieces together and tape it all back together. I've had many visitors to this box in the year that it has been out in the wild. Visitors from the following places stamped in to this box located near the zoo in San Antonio, TX: Boise, Idaho; Monument, Colorado; San Antonio, TX; Price, TX; Battle Creek, MI; Seguin, TX; Nashville, TN; Coryell County, TX; Bountiful, UT; Houston, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Dale City, VA; Massachusetts; Chicago, IL; La Vernia, TX; El Paso, TX; Odessa, TX; Bristol, RI.

Weekend Trip

Last Saturday, I got up bright and early (ok, dark and early) and head south towards Lake Somerville State Park. I wanted to FINALLY plant my Fragrant Flower LB and then head over to San Antonio to do some box maintenance.

After Mapquest took me on a wild goose chase to find the park, I called Blue Butterfly, who looked up Silver Eagle's directions for me and I easily got to the park. I started out by finding Sandi Box's Texas State Symbol #1-Small Mammal. It was sprinkling a little bit and there were several trees whose branches hung low over the trails and I had to do my best to go under them. Every time I touched a branch, though, I got a little shower from the water that had collected in the tree.

After stamping in, I headed to another part of the park and found a nice place to hide my Fragrant Flower LB. After that adventure was over, I headed West to San Antonio.

After getting to the zoo parking lot, I discovered finding a place to park was going to be a challenge. I finally gave up and headed down the street to park, then walked back. The last time we were at the park, there were some renovations going on, but they are all completed now and the park is even nicer than the first time I visited. I found my box and opened it to discover exactly what GG had reported to me. The log book was in pieces. I'll post more about the logbook situation another time. However, I collected the pieces of the logbook and replaced it with another. Then, I headed over to find Blue Butterfly's Go Spurs Go! LB. I collected her nearly full logbook and placed a new one inside. I can't wait for her to see her logbook from that box!

After that, I headed to Southside Lions park to find Corazon and Sunsnake's new series: Girl Scout Camp. I started off by trying to find Girl Scout Soup, but couldn't seem to put my finger on the right tree. I decided to head off for the next box, and easily found that one. When I got to the Square Knot box, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get it as there was a large group of young men at the picnic pavilion. However, I was able to spot one of the landmarks that Corazon described, and didn't have to go near the pavilion. This was a fun series, and I'm DEFINITELY going back again (someday) to try and find that Soup box! Thanks Corazon and Sunsnake!

FRAGRANT FLOWER-CLUE

The FRAGRANT FLOWER LB is located in Lake Somerville State Park. It was planted in honor of the Texas Wildflower Event held in March 2007.

To the park: From Brenham take Hwy 36 North through Somerville to Lyons. Turn left (west) on Hwy 60 and travel approximately 8 miles. Turn left on Park Road 57 and go 4 miles to entrance. Stop at the main gate, pay the fee, and get a map.

To the box: Make your way to the Post Oak Camping area. As you drive down the main road of this area, notice a sign for HIKING TRAIL and FAMILY FISHING POND. Continue down the road and park at the Rest Rooms, then walk back up the road to the hiking trail.

Head East on the trail, away from the fish pond. Take this trail to a CAUTION sign. At this point, turn around and take 25 steps back down the trail, in the direction you just came. You should have a topless tree on your right. Face this tree.

Look to the right of this tree about 4 steps off the trail. Your flower is blooming behind this small pile of logs and twigs tucked under the main log. Please rehide carefully and let me know the condition of my precious flower.

Mythical Creatures Series

The very talented Mother of Five has issued a call to TX Letterboxers to create stamps for a new series....and I answered! I carved a stamp to participate in the "mythical creatures" series, which she plans on planting in Feb. or March. I'm super-excited to see all the carvings and unique boxes that will be a part of the series. I do have my stamp finished....my logbook finished....I have it all in an envelope...now I just have to SOMEHOW find a way to get to the post office while it's open!!

Three Boxes on Sunday

I decided on Sunday afternoon, that I'd finish up the TRIBUTE TO JOAN: SEVEN DWARFS series. I printed out the clues and mapped my route before leaving Blue Butterfly's house. As I was discussing my route with her, she reminded me about her new box, JOE ROUGHNECK. So, I decided to circle by there first, then head out to New Summerfield/J'ville. I found all three of these boxes in good condition. Happy Trails!

Rusk Redoux

I mentioned in a previous post that I'd be letterboxing no matter the weather for today, AND I MEANT IT!! Barefoot Lucy told Blue Butterfly and I that the event was basically cancelled, but we could still get together with her and JB Kokopelli to chat and exchange.

BB and I left her house a little early and hit Rusk to find a few boxes planted by Dewberry from the March gathering. The first place we hit was the Jim Hogg Park. Unfortunately, the gate was still locked when we got there, so we decided to try another time. Next, we hit a trail behind a historical marker to find STILL DREAMIN'. This was a great stamp carved by an out-of-state boxer.

We tried for one more box (missing), then found a snack and headed to the park. BB checked on her CRASH AT CRUSH LB, then we joined BFL and JBK at the pavilion. We exchanged, got the Event Stamp, and earned personal travelers. We were there for almost two hours just chatting about letterboxing. I think a good time was had by all.

Blue Butterfly and I stopped and got some lunch, then went after JB Kokopelli's JANUARY HOLIDAY SERIES. These five boxes were a lot of fun for us to find. Even though it was cold and raining, we managed to find ways of stamping in and still keeping all the boxes and log books dry. As you can see in the picture, BB is utilizing the back of her van with the back gate lifted as shelter for the precious letterboxing paraphernalia!

After finishing up with that series, we called it a day and headed home.

Stamps I earned today:
January Holiday Series (5)
JB Kokopelli-Exchange
JB's Personal Traveler
J's Personal Travler
Texas Polar Bear Event Stamp
Still Dreamin'
Mockingbird

Snow Day!

In my area today, I could hear a loud cheer from school children who were in their homes and found out that today there would be no school! There was ice on the roads in Navarro County, and it was deemed unsafe for the school buses and other vehicles, so we got an unexpected day off.

I'm looking forward, however, to Saturday, because rain or shine (or snow or ice), I'll be at the Rusk Redoux Gathering hosted by Barefoot Lucy at Rusk State Park. I can't wait to sip hot chocolate by the fire and chat with other letterboxers. This is gonna be great!

Rainy Days

I'd been planning for this three day weekend for quite some time. I was going to go down to San Antonio to find some boxes and do some maintenance on my Swingle Singers box and BB's Go Spurs Go! box. However, mother nature picked this weekend to let down a lot of rain and some freezing temperatures, so I am stuck at home.

In an effort to take my letterboxing energy and put it to good use, I've carved a few stamps this weekend. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to call most of these boxes, or where I'm going to plant them. I guess I'll just have to wait until a bright, sunshiney day to get loose on the trail!

Joe Roughneck

Unfortunately, I didn't get out and letterbox this weekend. However, my letterboxing partner-in-crime planted a new box near Kilgore. The box is called Joe Roughneck, and it is a tribute to the oil and gas industry in Texas. I can't wait to go out and find this one myself! Happy Trails!

Wildflower

I got busy last night and found the artwork for my "flower themed" box for the Wildflower event in March. I followed up this morning by carving my precious flower. I can't wait to plant it! IF I'm able to go down to Somerville before the event, I'll probably post the clue here on this blog. Be sure and check back for a post entitled FRAGRANT FLOWER-CLUE before you head down. Otherwise, I'll just hide it when I get there and make the clue available at the gathering. Happy Trails!

The Stamps I Earned....

I realized a little while ago that I failed to mention what stamps I earned while at the Candy Land event. So, here they are:

Hansel and Gretel-Event Box
M&M-Event Box
Everlasting Gobstopper-Event Box with Slugworth Bonus Stamp
Candy Land-Official Event Stamp
Vogel Family-Exchange
Hummingbird Family-Exchange
Scoop
Cookies
Gingerbread #1
Candy Land Kids
Mr. Mint
Queen Frostine
Lord Licorice
Grandma Nutt
Princess Lolly
Jolly
Gloppy
King Kandy
Sweet Caroline
Sweet Caroline Bonus Stamp
Silver Spoon and Master Explorer-exchange
The Pinata Box
Santa's Sweet Tooth
A Ssssnake Story
A Sweet Baboo

The Candy Land Event

The day finally arrived for the event that we've been anticipating for the past month or so. Yesterday morning, we got in Blue Butterfly's van at 6:00 a.m. and headed down to Humble for The Candy Land Event.

We estimated it would take us about three and a half hours to get to Mercer Arboretum, then we got on the road. We stopped in Livingston so that I could check on my HANK HILL box and the rest of my crew could stamp into it. This was a nice diversion after having been in the car for a while. The boys got to run around and burn off some energy and I got to see all the wonderful boxers who'd visited my box.

After getting on the highway for a little while longer, we arrived at the designated pavilion and were greeted by Mother of Five, Dewberry, and Sandibox. We presented Dewberry with our popcorn that we brought to share, and she rewarded us with a bonus clue for bringing a treat.

We sat at the "sweet treats" table and discovered there were some LB's hidden right there inside some of the candy boxes, so we got busy! Dewberry also let us know that there were several gingerbread men who'd gotten loose in the park, and if we saw them, there was a letterbox hidden near them.

After finding a few boxes and meeting a few people, it was our turn to start the Candyland game! We were super-excited to get our packet of clues from Gryzzled Gryphon, who also told BB and I about having found our boxes in Breckenridge Park in San Antonio (Thanks GG!). We started our game by collecting the CANDYLAND KIDS, then headed for our life-size game board. The boys had a lot of fun looking for the next colored square, near which we would find another Candyland figure. We earned 8 boxes in the Candyland game.

After finishing our game, we took a little break. We ate some sandwiches and talked and exchanged with other letterboxers. Then, it was time for us to go try to find a couple of more boxes at a different part of the park.

When we drove around to the other side of the arboretum, the first thing Roarin' Lion and Stinky Monkey noticed was the playground. We told them that if we hurried, we'd have time to play for a while before we left. We hit the trail and discovered the Busybees, RunsforChocolate, and Sandibox stamping into the pinata box. This was when I remembered that RFC was going to hide a box that day, and I hadn't recieved the clue from her yet! So, I asked her for the clue, and she kindly obliged me. When she was telling us where the box was located, I realized that this was going to be a temporary box, and that I wouldn't have time to get it that day. I was a little disappointed, but I understand that I can't get every stamp at every event.

That being said, we offered to let RFC and Sandibox take the images from the stamps we were planning to leave in the PINATA BOX. Then, we joined Batty B and oohed and aahed over all the candy/prizes located in the box. This one was a real treat!

After the PINATA BOX, we headed down the trail to find SANTA'S SWEET TOOTH and SSSSNAKE STORY. We ran into GG again and chatted with him for a moment, then we were on our way. We stamped into both of these boxes. As we were finishing up, a couple came walking down the path, so I told BB to go ahead to the playground while I waited for these non-boxing people to get out of sight. I re-hid that box and when I got to the car, BB was there with RFC. RunsforChocolate was nice enough to come back to the park and let us stamp into her temporary box before she went home. We really appreciated this extra effort that she went to in order to give us her special sweet treat. THANK YOU RFC!

After stamping in, Stinky Monkey and Roarin' Lion FINALLY got to play on the playground. They enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks to everyone at the event! We had a great time and enjoyed meeting old friends and new friends!

Today's Event

Blue Butterfly, Roarin' Lion, Stinky Monkey, and I had a rip-roarin' good time at the Candyland event in Humble today! We left at about 6:00 this morning to make our way down there, and finally got back to BB's house at about 9:30. We had a BLAST, and I really want to thank Dewberry, Mother of Five, and Sandibox for showing us a grand time today. I'll definitely add in more details later, but now its bedtime for me!!

Counts

Soooo....I went through my logbooks this evening and took a little inventory...just for fun. Here's what I came up with:

Traditional Finds: 307
Hitch Hikers: 20
Events Attended/Stamps: 7
Unofficial Event Stamps: 15
Exchanges: 62
Postals: 2
Personal Travelers: 43
Cooties: 4

I've also: Planted 26 boxes of my own
Carved 2 stamps that others planted
Planted one box that another 'boxer created
....and I carved two stamps this week that have yet to be planted
I also managed to attend one event and failed to get the Event Stamp for it....I'm sure I'm the only letterboxer in North America who would do something like that!