It's Almost Here!

Yep, it's that time of year when a letterboxer's fancy turns to gatherings! In two weeks, the 6th Texas Annual Letterboxing Event will take place at Mission Tejas State Park. I'm lucky enough this year to actually take the Friday off, too! Blue Butterfly and I made camping reservations months ago and I can't hardly wait!!

Happy Trails!

A Day of Letterboxing Fun!

I got an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from a park ranger in Livingston SP. He said that my Hank Hill box was possibly in danger because the landscape had changed so drastically since IKE and they are about to start doing some clean-up on the trails.

So, I decided to take today to go down and see about rehiding HANK.

On my way down to Livingston, I made a stop in Madisonville. I was able to find Lone Star Quilter's MADISON QUILT BLOCK and Boots Tex's FIESTA DE HONGOS. Both of these were fun boxes.

When I got to the Livingston to find HANK, the trail was closed off, but I braved it and went through anyway. I was able to find my LB and everything was in decent shape. I looked through the logbook and noticed it was practically full. I wanted to try and find another place in the park for it, but many of the trails were closed for maintenance. HANK ended up riding back home with me and I will retire him. Hopefully, I'll be able to put another box there after they clean up the trails.

I found a couple of boxes in Livingston, then headed to Huntsville SP. I think this was my first visit to this particular park. I started off by heading toward a couple of boxes that ended up being in a portion of the park that is closed for the winter. This practically guarantees that I'll be visiting again in the Spring or Summer! Anyhow, I went off to another trail and looked for Ira Boxer's TACKLE BOX. I had a hard time with this one and couldn't find it. I think I was at the right stump, but I could have been waaay off. After looking for that one, I wandered around a little more, then finally got off the trail and headed out of the park.

I decided that since I'd passed the statue of Sam Houston so many times, that I better stop and take a closer look. So, I exited the park and headed straight to the Sam Houston Statue. I enjoyed admiring the giant along with a few other visitors.

Nightmare!

On New Year's Day, I decided to make my way to Fort Worth and snag Black Widow's NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS boxes. These are a couple of temporary boxes that she had in place for the holiday season. I decided to get up on Jan 1 while everyone else was still sleeping in :-) Black Widow did an excellent job of carving and making logbooks for these boxes and they were very cleverly hidden. Thanks Black Widow!

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.