Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

After stamping in Grand Gulf Mortar, (this was Baby Sister's first box) we headed to the levee at Catfish Row where there are lots of fun things for the kids to enjoy. There's water sprinkler, playground, and you can drive through the flood wall and view the river. There is a box here, but we weren't able to stamp in this time. I told them we would come back another day. I got this priceless photo while we were there:



We walked back over to Catfish Row,where we had fun rolling down a grassy hill. Even Baby Sister got in on this one.



We finished our day at yet another playground where Baby Sister had fun!

Grand Gulf Park

Just a few miles down the road from where my little boxer's live, is Grand Gulf State Park. Great history and there is a box by Corazon within a short distance of the park. I loaded up all three munchkins and headed out for a day of fun and a box or two. The boys especially enjoyed the park. There are historical houses to explore and to explore, and a 75 ft. tower to climb.




Stinky Monkey thought this was great!!! Roarin' Lion was a bit reluctant to make the trip up without me, but I told him Baby Sister needed to stay on the ground. They both made it to the top while Stinky Monkey enjoyed the view, RL decided he was ready to come back to earth!


He quickly discovered a trail head close by, so we all had to take a short walk. It was so nice to enjoy a day of fun.Mom and Dad had bought binoculars for the boys, which came in handy "out on the trail"



I asked Rl to take a picture of me and Baby Sister before we moved on to the box, and SM decided I needed rabbit ears.....he IS a Stinky Monkey!

Jack-O-Lanterns!

Roarin' Lion, Stinkey Monkey and Baby Sister.


We had been to visit Stinky Monkey, Raoarin’ Lion and Baby Sister back in July, and had a great time. I decided it had been way too long since I had a hug from them and took off for Mississippi Friday Oct. 10th. This time, I took their Letterboxing bakcpacks so we could try for at least one box on this visit.I knew they would love to carve a pumpkin, so I made a stop at Wal-Mart and purchased all the necessary tools for the job. We had a blast! Baby Sister tried to get in on the act as much as possible. Here are the results of the artistic abilities of Stinky Monkey and Roarin' Lion. Future stamp carvers for sure!

Roarin' Lion






Stinky Monkey

Bright, Cool Morning

Cooler tempertures always brings out the 'boxer in me. I love it when the Summer begins to fade away to Fall and cooler days. Today was just one of those really nice unexpected days, that is perfect for to be out on the trail. There was a couple of boxes that I have wanted to find for a while, but just haven't taken the time to print out the clue and venture over to where they are located. Finally today, I had a free Sat. and wanted to find The Lost Rose and The Tomato Farmer. The family history is what drew me to these boxes, and I must say, the location was a quiet, out of the way place that I enjoyed. I was there just at the right time to capture the sun streaming throught the trees. Needless to say, I lingered here and taking in the natural beauty and watched a racoon scurry across the road.


Other boxes I stamped in today:
The Whistler
A Tale of Two Cities
Pete Lammons
Gunsmith to Millions of Cowboys

I timed it just right to grab some lunch and drive over to my favorite spot in Cherokee County....Love's LookOut! A nice breeze was blowing across the picnic tables as I enjoyed the my lunch, the view and quiet reflections.

Daingerfield SP

Psguru and I decided to take a trip up to Daingerfield SP Saturday and find some boxes that have been planted there for at least a year. I thought this would be a good place to go find some boxes and PSGuru could take pictures. We were not disappointed in the boxes or the park. Even he commented how nice it was. Beautiful lake and the trails are well maintained. I was looking for a series by JKC, Texas Wildlife Series Box #8 is missing. I hope these boxes last a while, but the placer isn't actively boxing, and I am afraid they will go by the wayside. Another one they palced is Danger! Which is also missing, but neither box has been updated even though several people have "attempted" at least one of them. I hope my email will encourage an update on their boxes. We had a great time and thankfully, again no rain. It did pour down on the way home, but I had all my images and wasn't bothered a bit. Now, it's back to work for me next week!

Bethlehem Baptist Church Est. 1854

It was after 4:00 when I left Mckinney and made my way to Farmersville, to find two boxes in the cemetery beside Bethlehem Baptist Church.



Boots Tex placed Brother Ben here and Lone Star Quilter The Quilter's Cross. I enjoyed to drive here as, I passed several big ranches (on the way in and out), and the views were really nice. I was still hoping it wouldn't rain before I stamped in these boxes and I could call it a day, and head home. The grass was wet, but no standing water, so I made it pretty good in my flip-flops. I found and stamped in Brother Ben, and was about to stamp in The Quilter's Cross, when someone pulled up to the church and got out. I hurriedly got the image in my logbook and put it back safely. An interesting fact about this church, is, Brother Ben was Boots Tex's Great-great Grandfather! Thanks for placing these boxes!

Letterboxing in Flip-Flops? Never!

I read recently, that one boxer on Atlas Quest, always boxes in flip-flops. Now, that is one thing I said "Oh no, not me. Are you kidding? What about snakes, creepy crawley things you see on the trail, plus thorns, stickers, PI? Well, never say never! The trails at Erwin Park were so wet and muddy, I had to walk off the trail to make it where I wanted to go. So, by the time I got back to the van, my boots were heavy with mud, so I decided to take them off and wear, yes, you guessed it, my flip-flops. Leaving Mckinney, I was headed to Farmersville to stamp in a box there, so I thought I could make it in the "open-toed shoes" to get a box in a cemetery. There was one more box I wanted to get, before I left, but after I read the clue, it was back down a trail I had just been on, ggrrr!!! and I had already taken the boots off before I read the clue....what a mistake! There was no way I could get back down the trail in Flip-flops, so I decided to wait another time for that one. I had a great time in Mckinney, and hope you all make it there soon to enjoy a beautiful park and nice boxes.

"Unique By Nature"

"Unique by Nature" is a slogan on the water towers in Mckinney. It was my first trip there and I was looking forward to finding a few boxes an planting the ones I had in my backpack. Almost all the way there, it was raining. I was determined to at least plant the boxes I had for this trip even if I did not find any, but, as I got closer to my destination, the rain stopped and it was a cloudy, nice day. My first stop was at the Historic Pecan Grove Cemetery (est. 1870). I easily found World's Worst Driver and Old Leather Coat: James Throckmorton Nice! As I got there late in the day, I decided the rain may not hold off, so I headed over to Erwin Park to find a hiding place for my boxes.




Nice park with well kept trails that I enjoyed hiking. I only wish it had not been so muddy, because I would have liked to make the hike a little longer. I hid a series of three boxes Let's Do Lunch and made my way back to the trail head. I had one more box I wanted to leave here, so I headed down another trail to place Make a Wish....orTwo. This is a shorter walk, and there is a view from here that everyone will enjoy. It was nice once again, going to another location that I may have never traveled to if it had not been for Letterboxing.

Sunday Houses and the LST

Psguru and I wanted to get away for a week-end, and I told him I would love to head down to Coldspring and find some of those "dog" boxes that have been calling my name. With Lucy Locket's help, I found the link to the Sunday Houses in Coldspring. The owner, Linda is a very nice lady and we made arrangements to rent one for our stay. These are very nice, comfortable houses (there is even Sat. T.V.) very clean and it was quiet. Just what we needed to re-charge and have a nice week-end together. Double Lake Rec. Area and the Lone Star Trail are just a couple of miles away, so, we took advantage of the lake and trails.







I had a priority list of boxes I wanted to get, and anything after that was just icing on the cake :) We made our way down Saturday Morning, and I hit the trails while Psguru took photos of the lake. It was very hot, but I had plenty of water with me and I had a great time finding some of the boxes left after the gathering in march. Thanks to all of those that placed boxes and especially to Dewberry and friends who donated all those neat stamps (and Dewberry planted) for our stamping pleasure. It was a added bonus to collect stamps from Letterboxer's in other states.
One of my favorites was Lone Star Quilter's Easter Egg Basket! The only thing that could have made it better, was for Stinky Monkey and Roarin' Lion to be with me. They would have loved finding those eggs!

Special Stamp- Rosado Mariposa

Back in May (2008), SHH and Triple T set out on an adventure of a lifetime. They traveled over 8000 miles and visited 17 states. They were able to meet and exchange with a large number of letterboxer's and see this great country. MoWizLiz decided to make a contest out of their exchanges and one winner would get a stamp by SHH and the other by Triple T. I got brave and entered the contest and WON!!! WOOHOO!! I guessed the closest to the number of exchanges SHH got while on the trip (at least to the Stone Mountain event).
SHH was kind enough to send me a beautiful stamp and a LTC and they are both a work of art. I wanted to keep this special stamp and decided to make it a personal traveler. When you see me, tell me the title SHH gave to their adventure (The Longest Field Trip EVER) and I will give you an image of a beautiful Rosado Mariposa.
See you on the trail!

Tired and Fraggled

With Lucy Locket in the driver's seat, we headed west on HWY 21 to make a stop in Alto to pick up a couple of stamps that JBK recently placed. We easily found the Alto Cemetery stamped in "POW’s at Le Pitit Mont Rouge" and continued west to ST. Thomas Chapel Cemetery to find "Why is Mary Weeping". There is a small community still in existence today called Weeping Mary, Tx. The next time you are at a local bookstore, look for WEEPING MARY by O. Rufus Lovett. It's nicely done and great photos.

The Pepper Tree




Back on hwy 21, we drove down to "The Pepper Tree" I have driven passed this tree numerous times without stopping to take a look. A box placed there recently, gave me the incentive to stop and take a look at a tree that is 160 years old! LL and I stamped in, and easily hid the box back without anyone stopping by.
On to Mission Tejas SP and more boxes. I had gotten all of the boxes in the park except one, but LL had not been down that way for a while, so I tagged along as she stamped in. It was interesting to see who had stamped in the logbooks after I had been there.

The CCC Baths at Mission Tejas SP



The last box of the day was "The Pipebangers: Fraggle Rock Series". Now this one has a story. usually, when i can't find a box, it doesn't bother me so much, except for the fact that i have to send the placer a note saying the box is missing. This one was different by a long shot! The terrain on this trail is rocky, and there is a lot of ups and downs to make your way to the area where the box is. We had been boxing all day and we were hot and tired before we ever endeavored to find this box. It is a nice hike (which I like) and we finally find the hiding spot. We all know when placing a box, that the area can quickly be changed by the caretakers deciding it's time to clean up a certain spot in the park. This is what had happened to "The Pipebangers". Now, the placer did a good job and it was not their fault we had trouble finding the box, as I said things had changed A LOT! LL and I both decided we were not going to be able to find this one, so we sat on the bench (Thankfully, they had place one there which I think was one of their improvements) and wiped the sweat from our brow and guzzled down some water. I decided I was going to look ONE MORE TIME! I just could not leave without that stamp! I walked over and began to search again and FOUND THE BOX!!! YIPPEEE! I was shocked and so was LL! I cannot decribe the feeling of finding this box. It took a lot to get it, but was well worth it!
Blue Butterfly......1
Maintenance crew....0

Garden of Good Eatin' and Boxing!

Since Lucy Locket moved a couple of years ago (WOW! I can't believe it has been that long) We have a limited time together for 'boxing. This week-end was one of those rare times when we were on the trail together. We both wanted to head to Nacoghdoches to stamp in some boxes and check on the boxes we have there, and then head to Alto and Weches. We got a little later start than we really wanted but, we made it to Nac and began our hunt. First, we went to check on my box at the Old North Church, TRES CRUCES. It has been tucked away in it's hidey hole for quite a while and I was delighted to find it in good shape. I love this location, the history and the fact that the church is still active is pretty neat.
Leaving there,we made our way over to the Lamplite Theatre where Nac Trail Cat had hidden a treasure. We easily found this one and continued our journey. NTC has another box hidden a small cafe by the name of "Garden of Good Eatin'" It's only open M-F Hours: 10-2. I was excited to get this box as it was a milestone for me. I gladly stamped in my 600Th box!!!



I can't believe it has been 3 years since I started this hobby and all the memories that have been created. I have to say, some of my favorite boxes are those that take you on at least a short hike. I have done a lot of "drive-by's" (and proud to get them) but those hikes down the trail are my favorites. There is something about walking done the trail and hearing the birds singing or listening to an armadillo rustling the leaves.
After taking pictures and looking around, we headed to downtown Nac to check on LL's boxes on the LaNana Creek Trail. There have been a lot of nice improvements done on this trail. LL found and did first aid on one box, and the other one was still in good shape. By this time, it was about lunch time, so we headed over to one of my favorite dining spots in Nac....Auntie Pasta's....YUMMY!!!
One last stop at the Arboretum at SFA to check on a box, then it was on to Alto.

An Early Morning Hide

About 2.5 months ago, I started working a different schedule. I am now able to get off early on Friday which makes for a good chance to do some boxing early in the day. After changing clothes, I left work on 3.14.08 before the sun was up (YES! that early!) I did not want to be on the trail in the dark, so that gave me an excuse to stop at IHOP and have breakfast. As I was finishing breakfast, the sun was making it's entrance for the day. I had to boxes to plant one at Rose Rudman Trail, America's Rose Capital, and the other one, A Sign: I Love You! at Faulkner Park. I headed over to Rose Rudman and Begin to walk the trail looking for a safe place for the box. I love the early mornings. The day is new, nature is waking up and everything smells fresh, the birds are singing and it's quiet. Walking the trail was so much better than being at work! I enjoyed a nice walk and headed over to Faulkner park to place the other box. AS I was trying to find a good spot for the box, I happened along a trail that has a Perseverance Tree. This tree has been struck by lightening, but has "healed itself". It was a rather bad strike, and the info on it says, trees usually don't survive that kind of hit. Amazing! The clue takes you past this tree and I hope it last a really long time.
by the time I left Faulkner Park, it was lunch time so, I stopped and got some lunch which I enjoyed at Love's Lookout. What a great way to start the week-end!
I had such a good day, just taking my time and enjoying the beauty of nature. What a great way to start off the week-end!

Baby Sister

We have been very blessed to have 3 beautiful grandchildren. As you know from my last blog, they have moved and I wanted to share this picture of Baby Sister. It was Roarin' lion's Birthday and she had a lot of fun eating that cake! She was born Jan 30, 2007, and is a delight to all of us. Hopefully one day she too will be a "boxer".

Boys Will Be BOYS!

When Lucy Locket and I stated Letterboxingin June of 2005, my grandsons, Roarin' Lion was only 4 and Stinky Monkey was 3. They have had thier own stamps and logbooks from the begining. They love "going to find clues" and RL took great pride "reading" signs even before he could actually read :) I could always count on them to go hiking with me and find some boxes. They along with their baby sister have moved to Mississippi. I am so glad Corazon has boxes there for us to find. Mississippi boxing isn't like it is here in Texas. Boxes are few and far between. Lucy Locket and I have boxed there, in fact, we found our very first box there. Here they are having fun!

Long Overdue Update

T.A. L. E. 2008
The big annual gathering was held in March at Lake Bastrop and what a great time we all had! Lucy Locket and I were able to go down on Friday night and rise early to plant a couple of boxes before we headed over to the pavilion. I enjoyed visiting with “old” friends and meeting a lot of new ones. My favorite part of the day was meeting a group of boxers on the trail and tagging along with them. Also, we met at Silver Eagle’s and Baby Bear’s camp site for a evening full of stories and yummy peach cobbler made on the campfire. Thanks to Silver Eagle and Baby Bear, for another great event! Can’t wait until next year!

Our Planets

Roarin’ Lion is a big science fan and he was delighted when we arrived at The Discovery Science Place (he and Stinky Monkey picked this for our day) and the theme for the day was Our Solar System. They had rooms set up with demonstrations and hands on projects for the kids to do. The Hudnall Planaterium from Tyler Junior College, provided a very detailed look at our planet Earth and the other six planets plus Pluto, (which is no longer considered a planet) their moons and orbits. It held the attention of all the kids and adults that were viewing the program.





They also made large bubbles, saw how a tornado rotates, the affect of wind on the sand in the desert and made fog. It’s a great place for kids of all ages and educational at the same time. Check out their website:

http://www.discoveryscienceplace.org/index.asp

Leaving there, we stopped just a block away, so we could find “Shorty the Squirrel”. Stinky Monkey and Roarin’ Lion had fun playing around the fountain, while I located the box. Nice location and stamp plus a history lesson. This is a very busy place Monday-Friday, but we had it all to ourselves Saturday.
We decided it was time to get some lunch before we continued our journey south to Faulkner Park to find “15 Minutes”. I had never been to this park and was anxious to see what the trails were like. Really nice park and the stamp was a nice surprise. SM and RL enjoyed watching the ducks on the pond and playing on the bridge. SM wanted to go to a playground, so we loaded back up and drove around to the baseball fields where we found several slides, and lots of other fun things to climb on. They both enjoyed rolling down the hill as we left.






The weather was perfect for a day at the park, and we added two more stamps to our collection.

A Pond, A Swan and A Nice Day

The weather was beautiful as I made my way to Jacksonville to stamp in some boxes that have been hiding there for a while. I am ever so glad that there are so many boxes in this area now, that when I have time to box, I can drive a few miles and collect the stamps. I visited a scenic spot today where there was a pond, and a very friendly swan. He/she never left the water but did follow me all around the pond and even picked me back up when I came back off the trail. Once as I was stamping in close to the pond, I saw it’s long neck stretched over the bank looking at me. What a nice little treat to have beautiful creature keeping me company.



The boxes I stamped in today:

April Holiday Series (3 of 5)
Beware: The mystery of the Picnic Area
Blessings
Nature’s Way

Thanks to all who placed these boxes!
02/09/2008

Success!

The attendees

The Tyler Meet and Greet was a Success!! What a great time we had answering PT's and exchanging Sig Stamps. The weather was cold and rainy, but that did not keep those determined boxers at home. I got there as early, and immediatly saw some of the boxers had made it already! I got everything set up including my blue balloons,



and the stamps amd ink began to fly as everyone logged in the event logbook. It was so nice to meet these new boxers and visit with the "old" ones as well. I am looking forward to warmer weather so we can have another event outside and last longer. The staff at Ken's Pizza were great and allowed us to stay longer than the two hours allotted to us.

Beautiful Butterflies





Thanks to all who attended! Where else can you get an "empty box" for a door prize and it be just what you need? Thanks to Corazon for sending some PZ Cut and LTC holders. Lucy Locket's Event Stamp was the hit of the evening!

Let them Ring!

It was a cold, blustery morning as Lucy Locket, Roarin’ Lion and I made our way to the UT Tyler campus. There is a series newly placed there and we wanted to stamp in the logbooks. “Patriots Series” is nicely done and we enjoyed the walk around the campus, especially the ponds. There is so much to like about this campus, the ponds, the tables placed around in nice shady spots, and the bell tower. We had to laugh at Roarin’ Lion taking pictures of the bell tower just at the right moment when the bells began to ring! Priceless! Although, he did not think it quite as funny as Lucy Locket and I.



We stamped in all four boxes, then headed into Tyler to have lunch with Lucy Locket before she headed back home. It was treat to visit this beautiful campus and spend time with two of my favorite boxers.
01/19/2008

It's Drilling Time

Thanks to some new boxers, we drove to up to Van Zandt County (named for a Republic of Texas Leader, Isaac Van Zandt) to do a little LB’ing on Saturday. First, we headed to Van and stopped for lunch at “The Farmhouse”. I recommend you stop in for a bite while in the area. It’s just off of I-20 on HWY 314. The first stop, was Van Oil Museum. It was closed, but that made it easier to stamp in “It’s Drilling Time”.



We got some nice pictures and headed on to a park just down the road where there was another treasure waiting. Again, it was cool and looking like the clouds were going to burst open at any time, so there were not very many people around. I retrieved the box there and placed it back in it’s hiding spot. Nice little park to place “Gotta Go?”

There were two more boxes in the area near the soccer fields, so we headed over there to see what was in store for us. I was afraid there would be games going on or practice, but no one was around. I easily found “Playing Around” and “Oil Boom”. Stamped in both boxes and headed to the home of First Monday Trades Days, Canton.

I know there are lots of people that visit Canton on the first Monday Trades Day, but I am not one of them. I enjoy it once in a while, but, It is just not something I want to do every month. There are acres of booths and buildings with just about anything you want. Check out the website: http://www.cantontradedays.com/

“First Monday” is located in history filled Hillcrest Cemetery. I enjoyed looking around before turning south and driving out to Canton Lake. Just before you get to the lake, there is an old dippng vat used in the late 1800’s.





We drove just a few yards on down the road to stamp in the box “The Dipping Vat”. I stamped in just as the rain drops began to fall.

Canton Lake


We drove home in the pouring rain and was glad the weather held off long enough for me to add six new stamps to my logbook.

On to Memorial Park 12.23.07

The morning greeted us with really nice weather as we got ready for the day. It was a bit chilly, but, I will take that over HOT any day! Memorial Park is one of those "hidden treasures" in Houston and is one of my favorite places to box. There are so many boxes there you can stay all day and walk around the park stamping in boxes. I was there in October at the Follow the Yellow Brick Trail Event and was hoping to get back there to find some more of the boxes hidden there and at the Arboretum next door. There were several that I knew LL would really like so, we visited some of the boxes I had already stamped in so she could get these stamps. One of the fun boxes we stamped in was Baby Bear's Parting of the Waters It put a smile on our faces! We hiked to 31 boxes and found 29 of them. What a great day it was! Can't wait to get back down there! Thanks Lucy Locket! You are the BEST!

Boxing with Lucy Locket 12.22.07

A BEAUTIFUL FOUNTAIN WELCOMES YOU TO THE ARBORETUM

I know I am WAY behind on updating my blog, so I decided today was the day to sit down and catch up. Lucy Locket and I took our 3rd annual Christmas trip down to Houston Dec.22nd. We only had the week-end as I had to work on Monday. We heard about a Murder at the Arboretum (even though we just could not believe that ANY of the letterboxers we knew could do such a dasterly deed)I can't even begin to describe how much fun this series was. The Texians out did themselves on this one.
We stamped in several boxes at the Arboretum and headed to Kleb Woods.







A COLORFUL GREETER


We were anxious to get there and not only stamp in some boxes, but also leave a few for the Southest Texas boxers to find. We arrived later than we
anticipated, but we were able to accomplish stamping in a box and planting three more to go along with the "Christmas Theme" of boxes that have been planted there.
Elmer "Lumpy" Kleb, was born in he house on the grounds of this park, and was a naturalist. He did not have any utilities and cared for the animals and land with loving care. He especially liked birds. When you visit the park, take a few minuets to explore the house and grounds.
It was getting dark by the time we left Kleb Woods and had to get to our destination for the night.