Friday, May 30, 2008

Retiring the stamp -- Go find it

June 17 is our 36th wedding anniversary. That means it is time to retire the special-edition 35th C2B2 running whippet stamp.

So I've made a box and plan to plant it sometime the week before our anniversary. I'll post some clues and I'm really hoping one of you will be first finder.

But go before October. Winter in Mongolia is colder than you can imagine.

I leave Saturday for a two-week study tour of Mongolia with six other MU folk and some professors from other universities. We are studying the legacy of Genghis Khan, who the Mongolians call Chingaas Khaan and the 13th century Europeans called the devil incarnate. The guy on the short-legged horse wasn't as bad as his PR folks made you think. He outlawed torture, instituted freedom of religion and set up a postal service that had no peers for 500 years or more.

I'll blog about my travels at http://heardfromafar.blogspot.com. I get back July 16 -- but Cecile heads off on a trip the same time so we will celebrate the anniversary over the phone.

Clyde

letterboxing.org

I went to the Lbna website today and found myself a little flustered by all the St. Louis area boxes that are out of my family's regular stomping grounds...not that I resent those boxes, because when we happen to the eastern side of the state, I'm the first to suggest finding them. However, I wanted to suggest that the mid-MO-ers petition Mr./Ms. Lbna to add a fifth (Central MO) region to the Missouri map. This could perhaps include from north to Moberly/Macon, south to Camdenton, east to Warrenton, and west to Sedalia?

I only offer this as as an idea -- I know that the Lbna is administered by volunteers...and I don't want to take their work or time for granted -- does anyone know if we could provide some support in making such a change? Any thoughts?

Saying Hello in the Bizarro World

It looks like McMonkeyMom is following in the sad footsteps of Grace to You in moving away from the best community of letterboxers in existence. I hope she recovers from the loss better than I have.

In the meantime, the folks in Mid-Missouri have a little over a week left to find the letterbox placed in honor of her birthday last summer and write a greeting in it for her before she leaves. Looks like this weekend is shaping up to be a nice one…wouldn’t a little jaunt downtown be just the ticket?

You don’t have to be a Seinfeld aficionado to find this box…you only have to know two things about McMonkeyMom: her first name, and where she works (until June 5th, that is). To help you on your quest, I’ve updated the clue to narrow your search down to one block, and I added a hint that is a sure give-away.

If that’s not enough, send me your name on the back of a twenty dollar bill (Click and Clack are practically my neighbors up here) and I’ll give you another hint. :)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

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.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

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

Friday, May 16, 2008

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.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

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.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

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