Group Pictures of Hogwarts

Pictures!

Finally some pictures from the Hogwarts Spring Event! I had a superb time and wish that I could have camped overnight. The day started out chilly but ended up perfect. It was nice to visit with some familiar faces and meet some new boxers as well. Many kudos to Fox-Fyr for all of her energy and hard work.

Plant a Letterbox Day, Hole Plugging, and other ramblings

I was catching up on some letterboxing blog reading and I happened across a few posts that interest you.

The first is a reminder that next Saturday is Plant a Letterbox Day, so if you can try and plant one next week.

The second is something I thought might interest Clyde and a few others. It mentions something called "hole plugging" where boxes are placed without any clues at all.

So, there are a few more excuses to get out there and plant some boxes. And don't forget my letterboxing green contest, I can't wait to find some of those entries.

Happy hunting,
ahistory

What ever happened to us...

...I bet a few of you are wondering. I joined the group and moved up north near Hannibal. I am so sad to see you had the lb event in JC our HOME TOWN!!! We were busy with military stuff anyway. I hope some of you enjoyed our boxes there in Binder. I hope I understand that with the event going on there...that there will be many boxes to find. We visit quite often and wouldn't mind setting out. There are many other great parks in JC. Look forward to more boxes. We really miss it.

Our little one (Tadpole) must have been 9 months when we first took her out. I packed her in a carrier and we hiked our butts off. lol. Well today was so exciting to see her, nearly three, doing her own thing in the woods. She followed daddy and offered a "be careful over there" every now and then. She really enjoyed running back up the trail before he could catch her. We had so much fun today letterboxing in Moberly.

May 24, 2008

I've put together a letterbox that will only be available for a few hours on the afternoon of Saturday May 24, 2008. I've sent the clue to the people who I know have found "Where Eagles Dare," but I'm willing to send it to others as well. Please contact me or leave a comment here if you'd like the clue.

Hogwarts Express is Leaving the Station

Thank you all for a very successful Gathering. If you attended and did not get a thank-you e-mail from me or if I forgot to thank someone, please let me know.

We had 45 people in attendance, 26 boxes on the trails (including the Sorting Hat and all four bonus boxes) and at least 2 Hidden-in-Plain-Sight boxes at the Pavilion. Seventeen of the boxes will remain at Binder Park so if you mised the Gathering, you will still have plenty to hunt for (as always, keep your eyes open for bonus boxes). I will post the clues shortly on LBNA and AQ. Incredibily, a few stalwart letterboxers did find all 26 before they caught the train home. I loved the look on ahistory's face when he finally realized what the B-Hunters meant by their bonus clue of "the fox's flying purple topper." And some of you were wondering why I was wearing that crazy purple dragon hat all weekend.

The cold air Saturday morning finally warmed up to a sunny afternoon. And the weather on Sunday was perfect. Lovely trails (my favorites were the waterfall by Norbert the Dragon and the huge tree by the Whomping Willow). Good food (thanks for the morels, Ahistory; I hear I also should have tried the apples, C2B2; loved the M&Ms by the Outdoor Girls; and the deviled eggs were delicious). Lots of excellent letterboxers. I wish I had had more time to sit and meet with some of you, especially the newer folks. but I hope you all had a grand time...I did, especially once I had all the clues finally set out and could just enjoy the day.

The hayride was spectacular. Thirty minutes on the wagon on the way, with views of deer and turkey, a bonfire--thanks for the marshmallos and S'mores-- and the kids climbing trees, and a nice view of the night sky on the way back with another 30-minute ride.

If anyone has pictures, please send me copies.

Please also thank Jefferson CityParks and Recreation for co-sponsoring the event as it would not have been possible without their support. My contact there is Mike Bollinger and his e-mail is MBollinger@jeffcitymo.org

Fox-fyr

Letterboxing in the Bluegrass

I just recently returned from a business trip to Lexington, Kentucky. The weather was great and everything is green (well blue-green) and blooming. While there, I managed to find a few letterboxes and one hitchiker. Lexington seems to have a nice little collection of boxes to choose from.

The boxes I chose to search for had simple clues (I didn't have time to do much ciphering). I did not find all I searched for, but the attempts were worth it. There was one box I just had to give up on due to the really nice weather causing a large infestation of muggles in the box area.

My favorite search was in a city park on a disc golf course (I went in the morning that time). The box was supposed to be in a hollow tree. I found the tree, but I think the box was either gone or had slipped down too far in the hollow for my arm to reach (the hollow's mouth was about shoulder height). Had I only had BBQ tongs, I might have been succesful. I let the placer know of my trouble, but also my enjoyment of the search.

My biggest disappointment was a "ziplock baggy box" that had leaked. The logbook, which was in its own ziplock, was soaked and the prior stamps were unreadable. I did not have any repair or replace materials, but I took some paper towels and dried out the bags as much as possible and then contacted the placer. I was able to get the stamp in my logbook as well, so it was not all bad.

My favorite stamp was that of a box near Martin Castle (plug in Martin Castle Kentucky into Google for photos and history). Yes, there is a castle right amongst the horse pastures. The stamp was very tiny and a very fair depiction of the castle itself. I found a name and stamp in there from Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe, who some of you may recognize from the newboxers chat list. The bonus was my very first hitchhiker that I have found in a box. It is called Imagine and the stamp is a caricature of John Lennon. It started in Georgia.

It is nice to have a hobby that travels with you. Also, if you don't have time to spend half or even a whole day boxing, and you have 1/2 an hour or an hour, you can sneak a box or two in.

See you on the trail (or not, if you're stealthy),

J-Corn

Don't miss the train!

Be sure the jump aboard the Hogwarts Express for the 4th Annual Mid-Missouri Spring Letterbox Gathering May 3-4, 2008. All boxes and activities will be based on a Harry Potter theme. Those of you who have signed up on AtlasQuest.com's event page (under the toolbox drop-down menu) should have received a pre-trip packet via e-mail. Those people include Outdoor Girls (2), Ahistory, McMonkeyMom (3), One Mean Green Bean, The BHunters (4), Lnd-Crzr (2), J-Corn (3), C2B2 (2), SpankyKC (2), MO UR4Me (6), Apple (3), Craw and Joey (3), and Dragonfly2 (2).

If your name is not on this illustrious list but you would like it to be, be sure to sign up for the event or drop me an e-mail via difoxfire@gmail.com so that I mail send you a pre-Gathering packet of information.

The event will be atBinder Park in Jefferson City May 3-4, 2008. It starts at 10 a.m. Saturday and continues through 5 p.m. on Sunday. Highlights include Hunting for 20+ boxes, Hitchhiker Contest, Boxes Hidden in Plain Sight(HIPS), Raffle, Craft Actvities, Hayride and, of course, the famous mid-Missouri POTLUCK.

If you have ITEMS TO DONATE FOR THE RAFFLE or PRIZES FOR CONTEST WINNERS, please contact me. These could include first-finders clues to new boxes, carving materials or tools, homemade logbooks, lock-and-locks and other containers, camouflaged duct tape, ink pads, compasses and other letterboxing supplies. Hiking, camping,and other outdoor items are also appreciated. Some of the Gathering decorations may also be raffled off, so don't forget to bring your spare change. All proceeds will go to teward off-setting the cost of the event, so please donate to your favorite local charity (the Mid-Missouri Letterboxign Society).