Cherokee County

Yesterday after the birthday party, Blue Butterfly, PS Guru, and I loaded up the van and headed out to Rusk State Park. BB and I needed to get the rest of the boxes that we missed at the gathering while PS Guru wanted to take a few pictures.

We arrived in the late afternoon and immediately picked up Letterboxing Coyotes. This is a fun, innovative box. Even the physical box itself fits in with the theme of LB'ing Coyotes. After stamping in here, we went on down the trail to find Baja Oklahoma, which our friends HappyDays had left for us to find. We had a bit of trouble because their landmark sign was missing, but we managed to seek out it's hiding place. After returning this box to it's rightful place, we headed up to find our good friend, Box Car Willie. After seeing this stamp, we are DEFINITELY looking forward to finding more of the Music Box series.

We had one more box to find, but we'd forgotten to print out and bring along the clues. BB and I decided that we'd read through the clues for General Sherman enough times that we may actually be able to find it. We made our way down to the appointed RR track, estimated where it may be, and began the search. After only about two minutes of looking, BB pulled our prize from the track.

After stamping in here, we located PS Guru and headed to Maydelle to eat at the famous Big Bertha's. The three of us enjoyed the All-You-Can-Eat Catfish. While eating dinner, we decided to try and head for ID Fairchild State Forest while there was still a little bit of daylight left. There are two boxes in that forest and I also wanted to try and plant my Camp Out box.

After paying our bill to Bertha's niece, we headed toward the forest. We found the trail head and BB and I began our journey. We easily found the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker. After stamping in, I left BB to do the obligatory rehide while I went off in search of a hiding place for my box. I found a nice place for it next to a good landmark. By the time I'd gotten it hidden, BB had caught up with me, so I gave her the clues and she stamped in.

By the time we were finished with this, it was getting too close to dark to try for the Loblolly Pine box. We'll definitely have to make another trip out in order to stamp in there!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROARIN' LION!

Today is Roarin' Lion's 5th Birthday. Now, when he counts his age on his fingers....he can go all the way to his thumb!!! (Something he was excited about a few weeks ago.) After we attend the big birthday party today, Blue Butterfly and I are going to sneak off to hit those boxes we missed in Rusk. I think it will be a great day with family and boxing.

Camp Out & Coffee Break

I have two new boxes that are ready to be planted! Camp Out and Coffee Break are two stamps I carved last weekend while making myself stay at home instead of going out boxing. I was going to try and plant at least one of them today, but had to change my plans. I may go out and try to find a couple of new local boxes instead. I also heard a rumor that Blue Butterfly has a new series which will be planted soon. I can't wait to go find it!

Galveston Boxes

Blue Butterfly and I spent a couple of days boxing in Galveston last week. We stayed in a hotel that had a MAGNIFICENT view. We even stayed on the west side to enjoy the sunset. Our first day of 'boxing, we found Tribute to England Series #7, Celtic Cross, and Pirate's Puzzle. We looked for a few more that day, but were unsuccessful.

Day two of the adventure found us at the Corps Woods catching up with Felix. Other boxes we stamped into included Kemp's Ridley, Hiding from Putty Tat, and Sylvester. We were impressed with the stamps and locations of each of these. We attempted a few others, including Running Rain's Lightening Bolt Scar. We found the box and log, but the stamp was missing.

We also visited the state park in Galveston, where we'd camped a few years ago (prior to boxing). I planted a new box there, although I'd definitely advise extra care in retrieving it. There are signs at the start of the trail head warning of poisonous snakes. The box is called Watering Can. I'd love to hear about it if you stamp in!

Happy Trails!

How Do You Spot a Letterboxer?

On Monday, Blue Butterfly and I faced the rain and cold to do some boxing in the greater Houston area. We started off by putting together Mother of 5's Texas Snowman. We'd had so much fun putting together Mr. Bones back in October that we didn't want to miss out on this one. MO5 didn't let us down! While we were in the park, we also stamped into Gleeful Grinch and Wile E. Coyote. Blue Butterfly also got some nice duck pictures while we were there.

Next, we moved onto find a mystery box and a WOM box or two at an undisclosed location....

After eating lunch, we were back on the road to capture a few animals from Birds of a Feather's Runaway Circus Series. Out of the 8 stamps, we were only able to find 6 of them. As far as we know, the leopard and the lion are still out there roaming around somewhere. We hope that someone will be able to capture them soon! While in the park, we also found Runs for Chocolate's first planted box, Seven. This box was planted in honor of Lance Armstrong.

This was a great day of boxing!

Cooties!

The day after the event, Blue Butterfly and I left for the Houston/Galveston area to spend a few days there boxing. On Tuesday evening, Blue Butterfly was digging through her back pack looking for something, when she pulled out an unexpected surprise...A COOTIE! Neither one of us had any idea she'd been bitten by this cootie. Now she just HAS to attend another event soon so that she can pawn it off on someone else!

The Event-Part 2

On Saturday morning, we got up and Blue Butterfly made some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Soon after, we hit the trail to find the Frye Team's Pecan Festival LB. While stamping in, we met another letterboxer named Strawberry. She joined us while we were stamping in at the edge of the lake. Soon after, Silver Eagle, Baby Bear, and their gang happened by. Baby Bear told us he'd just planted a box on the other side of the lake and told us where to find it. After we'd stamped in at the Lion King, we headed to the pavilion to join event fun.

We stamped the event stamp, beautifully carved by Baby Bear, and logged in with the event log. We then began meeting everyone, exchanging, and performing "secret codes" that would get us those coveted personal travelers. The big moment came for me when I was able to meet and exchange with the mysterious Grizzled Gryphon.....then watch him do a plie!

We had a great time at the Texas Boxcar Letterboxing Event this weekend. Everyone was very friendly and we can't wait to participate in another event soon!

The Event-Part 1

This weekend was the Texas Boxcar LB Event in Rusk State Park. Blue Butterfly, Roarin' Lion, Stinky Monkey and I camped at the park on Friday evening. I arrived early, set up the tents, and found BB's Crash at Crush box. After the rest of my team got to the campground, we found Lone Star Quilter's Underground Rail Road-Jacob's Ladder and also ran into Silver Eagle, Baby Bear, and their gang. After stamping in, we headed back to camp in the rain.

As night time came, we made a campfire, ate dinner, roasted marshmallows, then headed for bed. Roarin' Lion and Stinky Monkey told us a few scary stories, so we returned the favor and scared them a little bit, too. We finally all settled down so we could get rested for all the activity that the next day would bring.

More to come later.............

I'm Too Excited to Sleep!

I work in education and today is the last day of school before spring break begins. (We are lucky enough to get one whole week plus an extra Friday off.) I must be extra-excited about getting today over and done with because I woke up about an hour early this morning. It was almost as if someone walked into my room and shouted, "LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!". I was up and ready to start my day. I even got an idea for a box to plant while I'm on break. Let the countdown to spring break commence!

One for Three

Today, Blue Butterfly drove out to Nacogdoches to try for three boxes. First, we went down to the SFA Azalea Garden where we enjoyed the beautiful flowers and she stamped into Monkey Business.

Next, we headed down the road to find Number Four. The last time we were here, BB and Roarin' Lion were not successful at finding this stamp. Unfortunately, they were using the clue I'd printed out when I found the box a few days before. I failed to check to make sure the clue was updated, so the box was not accessible to us on that day. However, BB made sure she had the right set of clues and we headed right to the cemetery where the box is located. When we got there, however, there was a lady sitting close to our landmark who was bird watching. BB took a few pictures, but it looked like bird lady was going to be there for a while. We decided to head off to Pioneer Park so BB could find my Viva! Mozart box.

As we pulled into Pioneer Park, we saw a man sitting at our picnic table. OH NO! BB and I walked around the park and took some pictures, but picnic table guy did not seem to be going anywhere. BB decided to try again another day. We headed once again to find the Number Four box (third time's a charm, right?). As we pulled in, we saw that bird lady was still there.

It was a little disappointing for us to not be able to locate two of the three boxes. However, the good news is that we spent some nice time together and had a great time in the process.

ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL THE GATHERING!

Rusk State Park

As the TX Boxcar LB Event is approaching, boxers all over Texas are making preparations for the big day! Blue Butterfly planted a train-themed box in Rusk State Park this weekend. Crash at Crush commemorates a very unique day in the Texas Railroad Industry. I'm looking forward to finding this box myself!

On a personal note, I made the event poster this evening. I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like with the event stamp and all the personal stamps on it!

Vivaldi's Autumn

Today, some of the members of the Texas Music Boxers (yep! that's us!) went out to Lake Striker to check on my Autumn box. The last person to stamp in was in November, but Autumn was alive and well, safe and dry. After we checked on the box, we hung around the lake for a little while. Roarin' Lion wanted Blue Butterfly to teach him how to skip a rock across the water. If you've ever tried this, you know it's not an easy task! However, RL kept at it and finally he made one do two skips. We had a great afternoon together at Lake Striker, even though it was too cold to swim!

TX Boxcar LB Event--Coming Soon!

The 3rd Annual TX Letterboxing Event is quickly approaching us! Boxers all over Texas (and even from Oklahoma!) are preparing for the festivities. Blue Butterfly, Roarin' Lion, Stinky Monkey and I can hardly wait until the day arrives! Less than three weeks to go....yeeaaahh!

Monkey Business

There was recently placed a new box called Monkey Business in Nacogdoches, TX. This box is located in the SFA Azalea Garden. I was luckily the FF of this box! I can't wait to visit the garden again in the spring when the Azaleas are blooming.

New Companion

I have a new letterboxing partner named Tony. I adopted him (with the help of Blue Butterfly) in San Antonio. He has his own blog and his own stamp, so be on the lookout for Tony! Oh...don't worry...he's very friendly!

McAllister Park

On our way out of San Antonio on February 19, Blue Butterfly and I stopped in at McAllister Park to find a few boxes. We found Baby Bear's Peanuts first. Then we set off to find the Texas Memories Series placed by the Scoutdogs of Indiana. Though we were freezing (I can't imagine boxing in snow!), we scouted out each location and were rewarded quite well with the artistry of Longhorn, Cowboy, and Spanish Dancer.

By the time we were finished here, we went to lunch, then continued North to Holland and Florence. We've been just WAITING to finish out the Texas Passport Series and these were the last two stamps we needed to be complete. First we went to Florence. We had a little trouble finding the cemetery, but BB stopped the car in front of the police station and he directed us right to it. Finding the box itself to more time than we'd anticipated, but we were happy to stamp into Florence.

After leaving florence, we drove through to Holland. BB was gracious enough to get out in the cold and retrieve the box and bring it back to the car while we stamped in. We were so excited to have completed the TX Passport series!

We had a wonderful time in the central part of our state boxing last week. We are very excited about the upcoming gathering in March and can't wait to meet all our fellow boxers!

Only 200 Miles To Go.....(or is it?)

After finishing up with the cookie series, we headed to Austin to hunt down Baby Bear's Bevo and Oakwood Cemetery by Gingercat.

We found the one by Gingercat first. This was a great stamp and it's in quite a unique hiding place. It was great fun to find this hidden treasure. After rehiding, we headed to another part of Austin to find Bevo.

BB and I easily found the stamp. We were once again in awe of Baby Bear and his carving skills. We packed up our things and began to head South towards San Antonio, but before we got out of the parking lot...we had a flat tire. OH NO! BB turned the car around and we got to work. BB's car is fairly new, so we've never had to change the tire on this car and had a bit of trouble with part of it. I enlisted the help of a very nice young man who came to our rescue. Mystery guy helped us not only take the hub cap off, but finished up the job, too. After we thanked him over and over again, we headed south and hoped to find a garage who would repair the tire. We got just a few miles down the road and found a Sam's Club. BB whipped out her Sam's card and the gentlemen got to work on our poor pancake of a tire. While we waited inside in the technology section, the tech. sales person asked us if we needed any help. We politely told him, "no thanks", but inquired as to about how far we were from San Antonio, our final destination. He replied with, "Oh, it's about 200 miles." WHAT???!?!?! 200 MILES FROM AUSTIN TO SAN ANTONIO?? I'm not sure he understood the question.

San Antonio-New Boxes

This week, while attending the TX Music Educator's Convention in San Antonio, TX, Blue Butterfly and I took an afternoon to plant a couple of new boxes. We hopped on a bus and made our way to Brackenridge Park where the SA Zoo is located. We stopped at the train station to ask directions to the hiking/biking trails and made our way into the woods.

We walked together for a while, then went our seperate ways. After we were both finished, we met back at the start of the trail and exchanged clues. I went on the hunt for BB's Go Spurs Go!, a dedication to San Antonio's NBA team. BB searched out my box, Swingle Singers, which is in honor of the a capella singing group started by Ward Swingle in the early 1960's. I chose to do a Swingle Singers box because Blue Butterfly and I had the pleasure of attending one of their concerts last year in San Antonio.

Happy Trails!

Cookies! YUM!

Several weeks ago, the Busy Bees Family put out a series called the Cookie Caper Series. This was a series of boxes, some of which are cryptic, that could be found in/around Georgetown, TX. As you find each box, you are to pick up clues from the box in order to collect a bonus stamp and a special meeting with Batty B. This seemed like a very exciting opportunity fo Blue Butterfly and I and we worked out our schedules so that we could take a week day off and find those Girl Scout Cookie boxes!

We got to the Austin/Georgetown area on the evening of February 14. It was dark, but we decided to at least try and find the box located in Austin. What did we have to lose? So, we pulled up to the Girl Scout Council and saw only one car in the lot (phew!). We snuck around the back, just to see if there was enough light or not. THERE WAS! We snuck down and nabbed the box, then headed back to the van to stamp in. We were SOO excited now that we'd found the first box, we didn't want to wait to find the others! But, we decided to be patient and play it safe. We drove north to Georgetown and found a place to sleep for the night.

After we checked into the hotel, we got a local map and mapped out our course. We made a note on the map where each box would be located, then called it a night.

We got up bright and early the next morning and ran all over Georgetown chasing these fabulous GS Cookie boxes. Batty B did a fantastic job with carving, hiding, and writing the clues. We got more and more excited as the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. While we were hot on the trail of those delicious cookie boxes, we also found Silver Eagle's Pocket Wocket and North Star's King of the North. We were delighted to find these boxes, too.

After the last piece of the puzzle was in place, we made a call to Batty B. She wasn't available at the moment, but a left a short (though excited) message telling her we'd completed the series. She returned my call and gave us directions to her bonus box. So, Blue Butterfly and I were on the road again to meet the generous and creative Batty B.

We told Batty B how much fun we'd had that day and she told us stories about encountering other letterboxers through this series. She also told us that no one had ever finished so early in the day! We were pleasantly surprised to hear that!

Thank you SOOOO MUCH Batty B for creating such a great series and for sharing so much with us!

New Markers

One day last week, Blue Butterfly called to tell me about some new markers she found at a local arts/crafts store. As she was giving me the story of finding her new treasure, I was also pumping her for information.....what aisle were they on?.....how many markers are in the package? .....will they still be on sale next week? ....then she gave me the good news that she'd picked up a package for me, too!

Thanks for the great new markers, BB! I loved trying them out this weekend and I'm very proud of the results!

Adventures in NE Texas

Blue Butterfly, Roarin' Lion, and I enjoyed some time together yesterday by heading up to Greenville and Paris to stamp in with some of Catpawz' boxes. Our first stop was in Oak Creek Park. The wind was blowing pretty hard and we were having a hard time with our log book pages, but it was worth it for this nice stamp. After packing up from Oak Creek, we drove over to Forest Park cemetery. We found the area of the cemetery where the box is hidden, but there were some maintenance people close by. So, we decided that I'd hop out of the van and retrieve the box. I made an attempt at it, but had to go back to the van to re-read the clue. BB and I read it together and she pointed out to me that I was probably at the wrong bench, so I tried again. I went straight to the correct bench this time and nabbed the box. We went to a picnic table on the other side of the cemetery to stamp in. After we completed our mission and replaced the box, we headed to the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum. This was an interesting place with memorials to American wars and an exhibit about cotton. As I searched for the box, I thought I might not find it, but it was just buried a bit deeper than I'd anticipated. This was another great stamp by Catpawz.

While we were at the Museum, we picked up a brochure about a local store/deli called Puddin' Hill. Our stomachs were growling, so we decided to try the local establishment. We made our way to the store and placed our orders, then went back to the eating area. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch there and would certainly visit this quaint little country store the next time we roll through Greenville.

After lunch, it was time to head to the Greenville Sports Park. As we pulled in, we saw a VERY nice playground that Roarin' Lion was just begging to play on. So, BB and RL played while I searched out the box. We were not disappointed with this stamp, either. After I retrieved it and stamped in, BB and RL returned once again to the castle to play and I returned the box to it's hiding place.

Next, it was time for us to leave Greenville and find Paris. BB and I already have a few of the Passport Series stamps, and we definitely wanted to add Paris to our collection. About an hour after we left Greenville, we pulled into the Paris Civic Center and were delighted that there weren't any tourists out by the tower. We easily found the stamp ..... which is now one of my favorites. RL enjoyed seeing this particular stamp. After stamping in, we took some pictures, then headed back to our neck of the woods. We had a great day together. Thanks to Catpawz for hiding these great boxes for us to find!

Viva! Mozart

On January 27, 2006, W. A. Mozart would have turned 250 years old. The world is celebrating this anniversary, but no other city in the world will have the types of festivities that Salzburg, Austria will have. This is the city where Mozart was born. I have a special place in my heart for Salzburg and all it's glory as I spent a semester there at an American School.

Mozart's Geburtshaus, or Birth House, is having a special exhibit called Viva! Mozart. I have taken part of the logo to make a special letterbox in honor of this famous Salzburger. The Viva! Mozart box will be out for this year only.

Sunset

This evening after getting off work, I decided to scout out a new location for a box I recently completed. I was unsuccessful at finding the perfect place with the time I allotted myself, but I managed to catch a nice sunset on one of East Texas' water ways. Look for the clues to my newest box to be posted soon, but for now....just enjoy the sunset.

400+ Miles

Saturday was an interesting day for me. I started out with going to Frankston to pick up Blue Butterfly's Pine Hill box. After finding this one, I trotted on down to Elmwood and checked in with Elmwood Gardens. Having carefully studied my map earlier, I'd printed out clues to boxes in Corsicana and Whitney. I didn't really think I'd make it out to Whitney, but you never know....when it comes to boxing....the possibilities are endless!

Anyhow, I left the community of Elmwood and made my way through Palestine to Corsicana.

Once in Corsicana, I hunted down the right address to find Petroleum Park. This is a nice tribute to the oil industry in Corsicana. I wasn't able to linger, though, as I needed to find this "pocket park" in the downtown area where Wolf Brand is located. I had a little trouble finding the correct street (even though I'd passed right by it and missed it), but once I found the street, the address was easy to locate. I was pleasantly surprised by this little park. It is kind of like an oasis in the middle of the businesses of downtown Corsicana. This park has three or four stones with inspirational quotes on them. I spent quite a bit of time here.

After I FINALLY forced myself to leave the pocket park, it was only a little after noon. I took out my map and measured the approximate distance to Hillsboro....only about thirty miles. No problem! Whitney is only a few miles on the other side of Hillsboro...I'm guessing maybe ten. So, I headed west again. As I made my way outside of Corsicana, I saw a sign that says Hillsboro is 40 miles away. This was a little more than I anticipated. However, I did make it to Lake Whitney SP with plenty of daylight left. I found Silver Eagle's Lorax box with no problem. This box was the main reason I'd driven the extra distance....I haven't been able to resist one of SE's Dr. Seuss boxes!

After checking in with Lorax, I went back to the trail head to search out Gone Fishin'. I followed the instructions, which said to look for trail marker number 8. As I walked around, I easily found 1-6, but alas, no 7 or 8. I did however, come to a bridge and decided that this MIGHT actually be the bridge where the box is hidden. I turned over virtually every rock that fit the description, but there was no box. Continuing on the trail, I saw some great birding in the area. They were flittering and fluttering all over the place. I tried to get a good picture of a few, but I'm not quite quick enough for those little critters. As I came around the trail, I did not see markers 9 or 10 either, but did see 11. I'm not sure if I did something wrong or what, but Gone Fishin' is still a mystery to me.

I got back in my car and chose a route to come back home. There was no need to go back the way I came, so I decided to head south and go through Waco. I even found the TX Ranger Museum on my map! However, I do not have the clues for it. Blue Butterfly had found this box previously, but she was out of town. Could she possibly remember where that box was hidden? If she did remember, would I be able to follow her instructions? hmmm....I took a chance and called her when I was about 20 miles from Waco. She'd be happy to help me! AND she wanted me to go find Baby Bear's Don't Mess with TX box, too. We'd just tackle one box at a time...after all...it was starting to get dark. When I got to Waco, I found the TX Ranger Museum and gave BB a call. She easily led me to the right place, but I had a little trouble uncovering it. I was there while the employees were leaving for the evening and the box is very close to the back door. I did manage to nab it and replace it though, and I'm glad I did. This is a nice stamp and I hope to go back sometime so I can actually go into the museum.

After finishing up, I called BB again and asked her if she knew where the suspension bridge was located. She couldn't remember how to get there, but she remembered the general direction from the TX Ranger Museum. I followed the Brazos River to the West, and BINGO! I found a suspension bridge. In no time, I was on the phone again (and the sun was VERY low by now) and she led me right to this box, too.

After stamping in, I finally ate a little dinner, then made the dreaded drive back home. I made a total of seven finds and missed one box. I had a terrific time with my mini-tour and will be ready to do it again in a few weeks!

Mini-Tour

I ventured out this morning with the intent of finding two boxes, but I took a few more clues with me just in case....and made an "emergency letterboxing call" to Blue Butterfly so she could help me out with a couple of boxes. I ended up stamping into seven boxes and unable to find one. I'm too worn out at the moment to share all the details, but I'll certainly make a point of it tomorrow. Until then, Happy Trails!

Three New Boxes!

Blue Butterfly has been very busy this weekend, as she planted two new boxes and posted the clues to her Tres Cruces box that she planted last weekend.

The Tres Cruces box is planted at an historic church and cemetery in Nacogdoches. This church even has a historic tree where the congregation used to meet, but the tree was heavily damaged during Hurricane Rita that blew through last fall.

The two boxes that were planted in Anderson County this weekend were Elmwood Gardens and Pine Hill. Elmwood Gardens is located outside of a garden by the same name in Palestine. Pine Hill is planted outside of a golf course in Frankston. This box was planted in memory of Roarin' Lion and Stinky Monkey's great grandparents who used to own this golf course. I can't wait to go out, find, and stamp in to these boxes!

Friday the 13th!

Blue Butterfly planted a box in the cemetery of Old North Church in Nacogdoches last weekend. She decided she wanted to write the clues a little differently, so I hunted out the box today to help her with the clue re-writing. As I was stamping in, I realized that I was in a cemetery....on Friday the 13th....as the sun was fading into the horizon.

Check back again soon for clues to Tres Cruces!

Happy Birthday, PSGuru

PSGuru is a member of our family who sometimes goes with us on our letterbox outings. He usually doesn't hunt for the boxes, but he does hunt for photo opportunities. He also helps us out by carving stamps to plant "out in the wild". Thanks, PSGuru and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

SFA Forest: Open Again!

Today, I followed Blue Butterfly and Roarin' Lion around as they stamped into a few boxes. The boxes we visited today were some that either I had already stamped into myself, or they were boxes I'd hidden. We had a fun time traipsing through different places in Lufkin and Nacogdoches. We even visited the SFA Experimental Forest which has FINALLY re-opened after Hurricane Rita blew through the area.

BB also planted a brand new box today, so check back again soon for a link to the clues.

Close Encounter

After leaving work today (the first day back after my two week vacation), I stamped in at Number Four, which was placed within the past week or so. I was surprised to see the stamp of The Boxalots, who had been there today, too! I'm hoping they've stamped into some of my boxes while they were in the area. I can't wait to go check on them soon!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I wanted to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. Thanks to all the letterboxers who have planted in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. I have thoroughly enjoyed finding your treasures this year. I was even able to attend a small gathering of letterboxers in the Houston area at the Terrors of Telge Gathering in October. It was great meeting all of the attendees and sharing with others who have a passion for/addiction to this great hobby. An extra-special thanks to Blue Butterfly for finding out about letterboxing and for sharing this journey with me.

I celebrated the induction of 2006 by finding a box this morning! (How else would a 'boxer celebrate?) There was a new box planted in Nacogdoches over the weekend, so I stamped into Confetti at the SFA Azalea garden this morning. I didn't expect any flowers to be blooming in January, but I did find one particular white flower. I did not find a sign indicating the name of the plant, so it will remain a mystery to me.

May your finds be plentiful!
May your carvings be delightful!
Happy Trails in 2006!

100th Find

This morning, I got up a little early...ok, I confess...a LOT early, and headed south to do some boxing along Hwy 59, in The Woodlands, and in Lake Houston State Park. The weather was perfect! I had a good time following in Runs For Chocolate's footsteps as I collected items from her runner's goody bag. I had been anxious to see what her visual aide would be...I had in mind several different things, but the most obvious answer eluded me. It was a nice surprise. I enjoyed finding this series in Northshore Park. As you can see in the picture, it was a quite foggy in the area this morning.

After leaving North Shore Park, I headed down to the Montgomery County Nature Preserve and stamped into Baby Bear's Bedtime Stories. This was a nice trail, although I did have a hard time deciding where I should park. It was quiet and a gentle breeze was blowing. I highly recommend this find, too, as you will enjoy the scenery and get a little chuckle when you see the stamp.

If you were to follow the the routes to the boxes I found, you will see that I didn't find these Montgomery County boxes in the proper geographic order, as I did some "circling" in this unfamiliar territory. That being said...I am proud to say that I did stamp into every box I set out to find today. So, I went to the Alpenhaus Restaurant and stamped into The Pretzel LB. This one was my 100th find! I was thrilled with reaching this land mark before the year was out. I guess I will always have a special place in my heart for my first LB (Gibraltar of the Confederacy) and also my 100th.

After doing my tiny celebration with NUMBER 100, I went to the HEB Market and found Runs for Chocolate's Jacksonville Tomato Festival box. This box was carved by The Frye Team and hidden by RFC in our TX Festival Exchange. Even though I'd gotten a sneak preview (THANKS FRYE TEAM!), I wanted to officially stamp in.

After finishing up with all of these fantastic stamps, I ate lunch and was on the road again by noon. I headed back toward Highway 59 and headed South. I stopped in Splendora and picked up The Frye Team's Katrina Prayer Box. This is a very thoughtful box the Fryes placed in an appropriate location. The Frye's dedicated this box to those who were victims of the hurricane that struck TX/LA this year.

After jumping back in the car, I headed further south to Lake Houston State Park. Don't let the name fool ya...there is no access to the lake at this park. I checked in with the park ranger who told me that the hunting ban was back in full force (apparently they'd allowed a temporary hunt for the past few days), so I was free to hike anywhere in the park. I took the bridge over Peach Creek and headed towards the Polka Dots' Peach Creek Ranch. This was a well done stamp, and as far as I could tell, I was just the second person to stamp into it. As I was leaving the trail, I ran into some Boy Scouts who were entering the trail on their bicycles.

I headed back across the bridge and took the Magnolia trail to Baby Bear's Texas Twilight. This box was placed in April 2003, so it was like a treasure chest when I opened up the log book. It was also a terrific stamp. After I finished up and re-hid the box, I headed back North. I did stop in Livingston to pick up Hoppin' Down 59 by the Frye Team. Again, I had imagined this stamp would look like several different things, but I was surprised by what the picture turned out to be.

Thanks to: Baby Bear, Frye Team, Polka Dots, and Runs for Chocolate for giving me a great letterboxing day. I had a great time and hope to do it again soon!

A Weekend for Boxing

Blue Butterfly and I decided to take Friday afternoon off, drive to the D/FW area and find a few letterboxes. We started out by visiting the Dallas Arboretum, where BB's Flowers, Leaves, Birds & Trees is located. Even though I'd previewed the stamp before it was hidden, it was nice to be able to stamp in to this box. After leaving the arboretum, we went around White Rock Lake to find the one of Celtic Lions' Missing Keys. This search produced a pleasant hike and a great log book. This box has had many visitors and its great to see the personal stamps of other letterboxers. After stamping in here, we decided to help out the Lions again because they'd misplaced another key on another part of the lake. This location was a little more difficult to find, but we enlisted the help of the Dallas Park Services and a nice gentleman directed us to our destination. The boats, the sky, and the water were all beautiful to see and we did successfully find the other Missing Key.

Saturday morning, we rose early and headed to Kane Park in Arlington. We found Kantexan's Into the Woods and A-Bear's Pepper. Some rather large dogs who were not leashed happened upon us and jumped up on us, but the owners finally came around and called them off. This made us a little skiddish for a while, but we decided that nothing would scare us from our precious letterboxes! We searched and searched for Butterfly Hello, but we could not find it.

After finishing up with Kane Park, we decided to tackle Kantexan's Jazz Quartet Series. We started off in reverse order with the Piano. This was a nice park and a clean trail. We took note on the sign that all pets must be leashed and breathed a short sigh of relief. We found the Piano with ease, then headed south to find the Bass Guitar. The Bass Guitar was not difficult to find, but we did have a hard time opening the container. We finally got it open and were pleased to find our prize. So, we were off to the Drumset! We got to the park and found it difficult to locate this particular box. We searched the branches of two trees that fit the description in the clues. We could not find this box. Then, I got the idea that it may have fallen out of the tree and onto the ground, so I started searching under the leaves on the ground. EUREKA! I found the box. BB and I were so happy that we'd found the box....especially since we were so close to cutting our losses and going on. So...we open the box and there is a logbook, but no stamp. We were disappointed again. I searched the ground again to make sure the stamp wasn't there, but to no avail. So we stamped in and re-hid the box in the tree, and went off to find the Tenor Saxophone. BB and I found the Tenor Saxophone with little to no trouble and admired our new Jazz Trio.

Was our boxing day complete? No way! Next we went down to Cleburne State Park where we risked life and limb to pick up the Texas Tour Bus. This was also BB's 100th find...CONGRATULATIONS BLUE BUTTERFLY!!

We then drove through Joshua and picked up BB's Screechin' Owls. We also picked up a hitch hiker here. On our "way home", we stopped in Italy to pick up the Texas Passport Series-Italy stamp. By this time, Flopsy was getting anxious and wanted to join us in finding the box. So, we let him out, and as you can see in the picture, he was a great help in locating this box. Continuing back towards East Texas, we dropped in on the East Texas Arboretum (with only about a half hour to spare before the sun went down and the garden closed) and pick up the Texas Passport Series-Athens stamp. I hope to go back to this garden in the spring time when the flowers are blooming, as I'm sure it will be gorgeous.

That was our last stop of the evening. We finally made it back home at about 7:30 p.m. (after having started boxing at about 7:00 this morning). We are tired, but we are thrilled with our finds and our adventures for the past two days.

Merry Christmas and Happy Trails.

Personal Traveler

As a young reader, I was a big fan of Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby series. Her attempts at doing the right thing, and just plain having fun often get her in trouble, but there is always a lesson to be learned. As a tribute to Ramona, I have carved out a personal traveler with her likeness.

If you'd like to get a good impression of Ramona, just ask me, "Did you see Ramona Quimby playing on Klickitat Street today?"

Fun News

I received an e-mail from the Frye Team today saying they found my Land of the Little Angel letterbox. It's always fun to hear from some one who has found and enjoyed your box.

Later this week, Blue Butterfly and I are going to take a trip to the DFW metroplex to do some boxing there. We have been busy mapping out our route and making our big plans. We can hardly wait for our newest adventure!

FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY

There will be a special letterbox at the San Augustine ISD band concert tonight. The box will be disguised as a Christmas present under the first pew of the church. The gift tag will read, TO: MIKE TYSON. Please do not stamp in while inside the church. Re-hiding the box is optional. If time doesn't allow you to stamp in before the concert, return the box to me on another day.

Cradle of Texas

I was finally able to plant my Cradle of Texas box this evening. I've been trying to do this for most of the past couple of weeks, but have been unable to. After getting off work a "little" late tonight, I risked getting frost bite in my fingers to plant the box. I am a little worried about it, because there are Christmas lights on the bush where the cradle is now living, and it might get discovered when the clean up crew comes through. I'll hope for the best and just pray that finders won't get discovered finding or rehiding!

Happy Trails!

Land of the Little Angel

This afternoon, I was fortunate enough to head south to Angelina county and plant the Land of the Little Angel LB. I decided to hide Angelina on the campus of Angelina College, where there is a nice nature trail. This was my first time to visit this trail, and I was not disappointed. There isn't a map of the trail, but there are several options for different loops as you hike the trail. I hope you will enjoy the hike as well as the box.

Look for a box to be planted in San Augustine, TX sometime this week. Happy trails!

Black Friday

Today was the traditional holiday shopping frenzy known as "Black Friday". However, my profits today were not in gifts, but in Letterboxes! Since I've been laying on the couch due to illness for the past week or so, I was finally able to get out and box! It was quite a profitable day. I drove out to Fairfield Lake State Park in Fairfield, TX and searched for three boxes. I found Oh Deer! and Horton which were planted by Barefoot Lucy and Silver Eagle, respectively. After searching the tree stump and the ground all around it, I was still unable to locate Baby Bear's Texas Tour. I was disappointed, but that's part of the game sometimes.

I ran into a few families on the trail and saw a group of men and boys fishing on the lake's shore. One man said, "Good morning....oh..is it still morning? I haven't been paying much attention to the clock today." I told him that losing track of time was a good thing to do today.

After hiking back around to the trail head with my secret treasures, I packed up my things and shuffled south to Buffalo. I visited Harriman Park to find Shuffle Off to Buffalo, which is a finely detailed stamp. I also picked up two stamps in the Branding Iron Series: Pate Ranch and Lipsey Ranch. It was a great day for hiking, boxing, and just losing track of time. My Black Friday wasn't a shopping marathon, but a letterboxing mini-marathon and I can't wait to do it again soon!

Angelina

Angelina County is the only county in the state of Texas which is named after a woman. It is located in East Texas and is named after a Native American Woman who served as an interpreter for French explorers and converted to Christianity through Spanish Missionaries. She even traveled to Mexico with these priests, then returned to her village to help keep Christianity alive.

I have created a box in honor of this "Little Angel". I want to plant it this week in her county, if time (and my health) will allow. I hope others will enjoy this meaningful tribute to one of Texas' founding mothers.

A Great Day for Boxing

Today, I met up with Blue Butterfly and we drove to Tyler State Park. There were two boxes in the park that I had yet to find, so BB accompanied me even though she'd found these particular boxes already herself. We had a nice, cool breeze as we walked around the lake in pursuit of two boxes: Camp Fire and Tyler State Park. The sky was over cast, making for a beautiful cloudscape. There were boy scouts hiking, families biking, fathers and sons fishing, and multiple pairs of people navigating the lake with paddle boats and canoes. The stamps I collected are quite impressive. This was my first experience finding stamps by Northstars, and I hope to find more of their boxes soon.

25 from 100th Find

When I counted all of my finds after the Terrors of Telge Gathering, I realized that I'm about 25 boxes away from my mile stone 100th box. I'm generally not into talking about how many I've found, since I'm in it for the adventure rather than the accounting portion of the game, but it does excite me. I will have the whole week of Thanksgiving off, so perhaps I will be able to get closer to that short term goal and do a little celebration dance! I guess I'll just have to "get out there and box!"

SFA Forest Still Has Roadblocks

While we were out and about in Nacogdoches yesterday, we drove out to the SFA Experimental Forest to see if it was open yet. Unfortunately, Vivaldi's Winter is still behind a locked gate and is inaccessible. However, Blue Butterfly did manage to get a little ways down the trail and took a few pictures of the damage that was done.

The Zoo Crew

Yesterday, I tagged along with Blue Butterfly, Stinky Monkey, and Roarin' Lion as they found some of my boxes. When we looked through the logbook of Vivaldi's Summer, I found two new signature stamps I 'd never seen before, so that was a pleasant surprise!

I'd also gotten a notice that my Recycle box was missing. However, I checked on it and it was safe and sound. It survived the downtown Christmas decorating crew, so I'm confident that, if future finders re-hide well, it should be in dowtown Nacogdoches for some time to come.

Terrors of Telge

Blue Butterfly and I attended our first letterboxing event this weekend....and we were not disappointed! We left my house early on Saturday and headed south to Cypress, TX and hunted for boxes in Telge Park. We were delighted to find boxes and stamps from people whose work we don't normally get to see. We found all the pieces to Mr. Bones, and put him back together quite nicely. Although, I have to admit that I stamped his torso upside-down, so poor Mr. Bones is basically dancing on his head in my log book. We also found Park Angel, Puppy Love (which was no easy find), and I Love Bananas, but I'll Settle for Some Bugs. After this, we took a lunch break and then came back to the park for more.

After lunch, we searched for and successfully found The Great Pumpkin. By the time we got back to the playground area, it was about 10 minutes before 3:00, so we decided to see if there were any other boxers around. We met up with TeamKing and helped her set up her things. She showed us the traveling event stamps, so we got right to work! As we were stamping in, others arrived including Birds of a Feather, Baby Bear, Silver Eagle, Mother of Five, The Frye's, Runs for Chocolate, and Asterisk. We had a great time exchanging and talking about boxes we'd found and other letterboxing adventures. We were, of course, a little star struck when we met Silver Eagle and Baby Bear, but we tried to keep ourselves together.

After everyone had finished with the stamping, Sea Dove passed out some clues to a box that he'd planted that very day. Everyone went their seperate ways to find the various boxes. We happened to be the first to find Sea Dove's CFBL. We stamped in and shared our find with others. We then got back on the trail to find A True Goblin and Wanted: A Few People with a Good Neck on Their Shoulders. We exited the park and said goodbye to the Frye Team, and decided to try one more box in town. Unfortunately, it was getting too dark by the time we got to the other park, so we called it quits and headed back north.

Our first event was truly a great experience. We enjoyed meeting other boxers, exchanging with them, stamping into the various event boxes, and finding the boxes in the park. We can't wait to do it again soon!

The Blood Center of East Texas

Even though I haven't been able to find any boxes lately, I was able to plant one today. I carved this stamp a few weeks ago, but was unable to plant it until today. This stamp is the logo of The Blood Center of East Texas. Although I chose to plant this box on the La Nana Creek trail rather than on the grounds of the center itself, it's not very far from the center. I hope those who find this box will enjoy the walk.

I also drove out to the SFA Experimental Forest to check on Vivaldi's Winter. Unfortunately, the forest is still closed. They are still cleaning up after Rita.

No Finds This Week

Due to cirumstances beyond my control, I have not been able to go boxing for the past couple of weeks. I also don't see myself finding any boxes next weekend, either. However, I hope to make up for lost time on October 29 when Blue Butterfly and I attend the Terrors of Telge Gathering in Cypress, TX. We plan to find a few boxes on the way down to the Houston area, then of course find all of the stamps hidden in the park when we are there. I'm awfully excited as this will be my first event to attend. Meanwhile, I'll have to occupy myself with other tasks....

You Found It!

I opened my e-mail yesterday to find a pleasant surprise from a new letterboxer. A Chicago-area boxer stamped into my Winter box over the weekend. It's always nice to hear from someone who appreciates your efforts, but it's even a little more special when the boxer has come such a long way. Thanks to this boxer from Chi-Town for checking in with us here in East Texas.

Ellen Trout Zoo

This morning, I got up bright and early and made arrangements to go find some boxes with Blue Butterfly and Roarin' Lion. We drove out to the SFA Arboretum, where BB and RL followed the clues to the Texas Blueberry Festival LB. Then, we hopped in the car and drove to Lufkin to visit the Ellen Trout Zoo. Some parts of the zoo were still closed due to damage incurred by Hurricane Rita, but we still had a great time. As soon as we got there, BB hopped out of the car and snagged the Ellen Trout Zoo LB. This was a big relief to me, as I was being spied upon when I tried to stamp into this box on a previous visit to the zoo. After stamping in, we rode the train around the zoo and over the lake. This was quite a fun ride, and I have to say, the train ride was more extensive than I anticipated. It goes around the zoo, across the lake, through the woods, and back again. After disembarking the train, we headed into the zoo itself. We marveled over the giant snakes, the swimming hippos, and the gorgeous giraffes. BB and RL were able to sneak in a stamping session with Hippi and they oohed and aahed over this delightful stamp. We had a fantastic time today while out letterboxing. I can't wait to do it again soon!

Reflection

Letterboxing has become a great pastime for me and for my family to do together. We have a fun time looking up the clues, deciphering them, and then FINALLY opening up this gift that a stranger has left for us. We've also discovered the fun of leaving a gift for others to find and it's hard for us sometimes to decide which is more rewarding...the discovery of the letterbox and the new location, or planting a new letterbox and eagerly awaiting a notification that someone has found your little treasure. We've only been disappointed a couple of times when the letterbox we are searching for seemed to have eluded us, but we are still out there on the trail to discovery. It's too late to stop us now! Which box is hiding and just waiting for me to come visit it? I hope to find out soon!

Blueberries!

I was finally able to find a suitable hiding place for The Frye Team's Texas Blueberry Festival LB. I hid this amongst the plantlife of Stephen F. Austin's Arboretum. This arboretum has several acres of plants to visit, including an azalea garden which is nice in the spring. You can find the clue to this box on the LBNA or Atlasquest websites.

On another note....I checked on my Spring LB today. I was really worried about this particular box because it is very susceptible to being washed down a hill during a major wind/rain storm. However, it was fully in tact and in its safe hiding place. I opened it up and guess who had stamped in? Of course! The infamous P-Quest. The mystery continues!

Mystery Boxer

In the spirit of Maxwell Smart (aka Agent 86), I am on a mission to find the identity of a potential mystery letterboxer. This boxer, who claims to be from the Denton area, stamped into one of my boxes in Nacogdoches, TX. This wouldn't seem so strange EXCEPT that he/she stamped in the day after a very bad storm passed through our area. This means, that as everyone else was fleeing to go North, Mystery Boxer headed SOUTH! The Mystery Boxer even mentions how he/she "cleaned up" some of the debris that was on top of my box post-Rita. I will go to the edge of the Earth to find this boxer! ......Would you believe...to the edge of Texas? .....Would you believe... to the edge of East Texas?

Cherokee Nation

Cherokee Nation is a fantastic stamp planted by the Celtic Lions. Blue Butterfly and I traveled to Rusk in Cherokee County, TX to retrieve this box. It is located in the Footbridge Park, where you can also find Catpawz's Gephyrophobia. We were very impressed with the artistry and detailing of this stamp and both of us agree this is our best stamp thus far. We were also surprised to be the first finders and gladly claimed our special certificate and medallion. Special thanks to the Celtic Lions for doing such an outstanding job on this stamp.

Killough Monument

The weather took an unexpected turn for the better in Eastern Texas today, so I WAS able to actually go out and find a box. Blue Butterfly and I ventured out to the small town of Mt. Selman, TX and visited the site of the Killough Family Massacre. The Killough Family, who were early Texas settlers, were gathering their crops one day when they were suddenly and unexpectedly attacked by Native Americans. Many were killed, some were kidnapped, and even fewer were able to hide. The survivors who hid were rescued by a friendly Native American a few days later. This monument is a tribute to these early settlers.

The box was planted here by Barefoot Lucy. Even though I lived in this area for many years, I have never visited Killough Monument, so I thank her leading me to this historical place. It was a fascinating and educational experience.

Rita

As Rita hurled through East Texas yesterday, I took refuge at Blue Butterfly's home, about an hour north of where I live. Even though we did get a lot of rain and wind here, we were lucky enough to have our power stay on without interruption during the storm. I hope to make it back to my home later on today to survey the damage to my city. To those of you who were severely struck by this storm, I wish you a speedy recovery.

Withdrawal

From the way the weather is looking to shape up this weekend in East Texas, it doesn't look like I'll be able to do any boxing this weekend. We are supposed to be highly affected by Hurricane Rita and it looks like the rain storms and 75 mph wind will keep me indoors this weekend. I guess this means I'll just have to do some extra-hard boxing next weekend. See you out on the trail!

See Ya Later, Alligator!

This morning, Blue Butterfly, Roarin' Lion, Stinky Monkey and I drove a couple of hours to Powhaten, Louisiana to Alligator Park. We set out to find the Mission Impossible at Alligator Park LB. This is a great park with friendly people. They have scheduled feeding times during which there is always a narrator giving you fun and interesting information about the life of alligators. They also have birds, turtles, goats, and other animals. After we finished the questionnaire, we turned it into the gift shop for our prize. We were lucky enough to be the first finders and proudly claimed the FF prize, an alligator necklace. Thanks to The Boxalots for a fun adventure and a great stamp to add to our collection.

Box Exchange

I recently signed up to particpate in a Letterbox Exchange with other Texas Letterboxers. This was started so that letterboxers who wouldn't normally see carvings of certain letterboxers could be exposed to them. I was fortunate enough to recieve a box from The Frye Team. The Frye Team used the Nacogdoches Blueberry Festival as their choice to fit into the "Texas Festival" theme. The carving is outstanding and I can't wait to hide this box in the Nacogdoches area. Kudos to the Fryes!

King of the Wild Frontier

This morning, I made another drive to Houston County and checked in there with Davy Crockett. This is a box that was placed by Baby Bear in the county seat of Crockett as a part of his Texas History series. Baby Bear does a fantastic job with his stamps and I'm proud to say that I've now stamped into two of his TX History series and am looking forward to stamping into more.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons-Concerto No. 4: Winter

I was lucky enough to get out this afternoon to the SFA Experimental Forest and plant Winter. This is a nice little forest with a paved hiking trail and several benches along the way that you can rest on. I believe this trail loop is less than one mile long. You can find the clues to winter on the LBNA website.

Snow is Falling

I FINALLY put the finishing touches on Winter from my Vivaldi series. I should be placing this box by the time the weekend is here. Look for it soon!

New Blog

Blue Butterfly now has her own blog and you can find the link to it in my side bar. Good luck Blue Butterfly!

In The Jungle

Since today was a holiday, I was able to get out and do a little letterboxing this morning. I woke up bright and early to discover that the Frye Team had planted new boxes in Lufkin, Diboll, and Livingston. I decided to go hunting for the boxes in Lufkin and Diboll and save Livingston for another day. I visited the Ellen Trout Zoo in the hopes of discovering the Hippi and Ellen Trout Zoo letterboxes. I've never visited this particular zoo before, but found it quite enjoyable and took a few nice photographs. I stamped in at Hippi and claimed the First Finder's certificate. As I exited the zoo, I swung back in to find the other letterbox. I climbed out of my car and pretended to take a few pictures as I spotted the place where the box should be hidden. The next thing I know, a truck with what might be two maintenance workers (maybe not, but definitely some sort of zoo employee) pull up and park at the entrance. They are watching me. So, I take a few pictures, both real and fake, hoping they'll get bored with me. This didn't happen. So, in order to protect the integrity of the box, I had to leave, stampless.

I got back on Highway 59 and headed into the town of Diboll. I pulled into the History Museum, but much to my dismay, it was closed on this Labor Day holiday. I successfully found Crawlin' Down 59 and replaced it with no spies watching me.

All in all, it was a good day for letterboxing. The boxes I've mentioned can all be found on the LBNA website. This family does a great job with their stamps and I've thoroughly enjoyed finding their boxes.

Tag Along

Today, I was a tag-along as Blue Butterfly and Stinky Monkey went on a boxing adventure. They stamped into some boxes that I had either already found, or had planted myself. I had a good time with this dynamic duo. We took a walk through the La Nana Creek Trail. We heard a rooster crowing while stamping in, so Stinky Monkey and I turned into roosters ourselves :-) Needless to say, we had a fun and silly time today while out in the world of letterboxing.

Three Day Weekend

I hope that all of you out there in letterboxing land have a safe, happy, and productive Labor Day holiday. I hope to get out there and find a few boxes myself!