It's only lunchtime, and it's such a very happy day already. Agent X made it safely to the bus stop, and despite me being nervous about him riding the bus (granted, he's 10, going into 6th grade, but he's never once ridden the school bus to school before), I was good and let him go and then went and hid behind a bush down the street to make sure he got on safely. He didn't want me hanging out until the bus came - I'm thinking having your mom stand there waiting for the bus with you is probably still uncool - it was when I was in school.
Now, it's been a good 10 years since I went to school full-time, and this whole thing has been super intimidating and exciting all at once. I got back to the house, and I was a nervous train wreck getting myself ready for my first day back to school. So, I sat down and carved a stamp with a back to school theme. Not sure what I'll do with it yet - maybe it would make a good hitchhiker?
This morning's classes were good - other than being the oldest student in the government class by a good 10 years (I was quite relieved to see several other older students in my English class!). Called the hubby after class to let him know how things were going, and he let me know that I had a package waiting for me. Very relieved I was - thinking it was the last textbook I need for this afternoon's class. But it wasn't. It was something a thousand times better...
My package from Stampeaz came! I have 7 whole sheets of brand new never touched carving material! I can just see myself now - every time the homework assignments get overwhelming, I'll swivel my chair around to the craft table and carve a stamp. Which I won't have anything planned for, but that's just fine.
Maybe I could get into LTCs.... hmmm....
I can hear my husband crying at all of my craft purchases now.
RA
Monday, August 24, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
At the Gardens
Let start the story not with today, but rather yesterday, shortly after my last post...
Rastaman got home from a very long day at work, and was exhausted after a bad day. He didn't want to cook. I didn't want to cook. He wanted to hole up in the bedroom with some pizza and beer and watch the Cowboys play their first game in the new stadium. I (as always), wanted family time before everyone went to their respective electronics devices.
So, without me saying a thing, Rastaman suggested a compromise - if you let me watch the game, I'll go boxing with the two of you tomorrow. Deal! One shopping trip and a frozen lasagna later, I was searching for local boxes that would make for a good first boxing trip for Rastaman.
After much searching, and hemming and hawing, and wavering on where I wanted to go, I finally settled on the Artists Series at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. I discovered several boxes that we could hunt for while we were there. Bright and early (ok, really more like noon-ish; a girl has to have sufficient coffee ya know!) we were off!
First, we went for Vincent's Sunflowers - the first in the Artist Series by Puddle Splasher. After some of the usual drama from our clue-bearer, we worked everything out so we were all in a good mood again. Alas, I apparently am no good at huffing, so the new brush markers we bought (and were hoping to use today) kept drying before I finished inking the stamp. We finally settled on using three of our new Cat's Eye ink pads in a lovely palette of blues and browns, and got a very nice image from it. Rastaman had the honor of stamping Vincent's Sunflowers into our logbook, and he was even afforded the privilege of replacing the box in it's hiding spot.
Next on the list was Monet's Water Lilies, the second in the Artist Series. Agent X had a wonderful time leading us through the rose gardens, and we took pictures near an enormous pecan tree we saw along the way.
The box was found straight away, but it took some time to stamp in because there were little children "rescuing" minnows from a defunct fountain to put them in a creek (seriously, I think the minnows had to all have been dead before the creek, quite sad really). We attempted the markers once again, since this stamp had less surface area. Worked well enough, but I'm still pretty certain that I need someone else to show me what the heck I'm doing wrong. Something to discuss at the Denton event I suppose!
As we sat there enjoying the scenery after stamping in, we soon realized that one of the other clues I printed out had a similar landmark listed in it. So, the O'Keefe's Red Poppy had to wait while we searched for The Garden Gnome. It had been rumored to be missing, but after re-reading the clue several times, we realized what we had been missing (sorta sad, considering it was at the very beginning of the clue!), and we found the gnome! Joy and mirth abounded, since we were just about to give up on it! Absolutely adorable stamp! I attempted the markers once again, with a bit of success. Decided to ink the little fella up in black to get a good image, and it ended up sticking to the page and peeling parts of the page away with it. I've always heard the gnomes like to be given presents, so I suppose the pieces of paper were our present to it. Gave the little fella a nice bath, and returned him to his home.
Off to find O'Keefe's Red Poppy, the last of the Artist Series. We thoroughly enjoyed the turtles in the pond we walked past - got some nice pictures of one eating what I think must have been cat food.
Rastaman got to play look-out while we stamped in. Definitely my favorite stamp of the series - all of them were truly amazing, but my mom is a big O'Keefe fan, and for quite some time, we had a Red Poppy print hanging in the kitchen when I was younger, so the piece holds a special place in my heart.
A Picnic Basket was next on the list - first though, Agent X had to run back to the very first bench we sat on, since his mini-compass had apparently been left there by accident. Fortunately, it was still there, and we were off on our next hunt. The Picnic Basket was a lovely carve also - at first, Agent X thought it was a turtle because there was a greenish blue tinge to it; he figured out what it was once he saw the stamped image.
Off we went to the car, since we were all hot, hungry and getting tired. Until I read some more of the clues and realized we had parked near two other boxes. We visited the POW-MIA memorial, and then the Charlie Company memorial. They were very moving tributes to some of the fine people who our country has lost in battle. Rastaman was Airborne when he was in the Army, so he had to give a loud HOO-HAH when he saw the Charlie Company memorial with the Airborne symbol.
We somehow managed to find Jake and Elwood despite the rudimentary compass we had in our possession. Gorgeous tribute to the Blues Brothers!
Went Squirrel hunting. Alas, I believe it has been muggled - but man, what a great spot it was!
Hungry and tired, and awfully close to the car, we decided we had to call it a day. Creepy Texas Critters and Ornette Coleman would have to wait for another day (hey, it's excuse to go back to the botanic gardens!).
All in all - today was a fabulous day of boxing!
So, today's lessons in letterboxing are:
Happy Boxing!
RA
Rastaman got home from a very long day at work, and was exhausted after a bad day. He didn't want to cook. I didn't want to cook. He wanted to hole up in the bedroom with some pizza and beer and watch the Cowboys play their first game in the new stadium. I (as always), wanted family time before everyone went to their respective electronics devices.
So, without me saying a thing, Rastaman suggested a compromise - if you let me watch the game, I'll go boxing with the two of you tomorrow. Deal! One shopping trip and a frozen lasagna later, I was searching for local boxes that would make for a good first boxing trip for Rastaman.
After much searching, and hemming and hawing, and wavering on where I wanted to go, I finally settled on the Artists Series at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. I discovered several boxes that we could hunt for while we were there. Bright and early (ok, really more like noon-ish; a girl has to have sufficient coffee ya know!) we were off!
First, we went for Vincent's Sunflowers - the first in the Artist Series by Puddle Splasher. After some of the usual drama from our clue-bearer, we worked everything out so we were all in a good mood again. Alas, I apparently am no good at huffing, so the new brush markers we bought (and were hoping to use today) kept drying before I finished inking the stamp. We finally settled on using three of our new Cat's Eye ink pads in a lovely palette of blues and browns, and got a very nice image from it. Rastaman had the honor of stamping Vincent's Sunflowers into our logbook, and he was even afforded the privilege of replacing the box in it's hiding spot.
Next on the list was Monet's Water Lilies, the second in the Artist Series. Agent X had a wonderful time leading us through the rose gardens, and we took pictures near an enormous pecan tree we saw along the way.
The box was found straight away, but it took some time to stamp in because there were little children "rescuing" minnows from a defunct fountain to put them in a creek (seriously, I think the minnows had to all have been dead before the creek, quite sad really). We attempted the markers once again, since this stamp had less surface area. Worked well enough, but I'm still pretty certain that I need someone else to show me what the heck I'm doing wrong. Something to discuss at the Denton event I suppose!
As we sat there enjoying the scenery after stamping in, we soon realized that one of the other clues I printed out had a similar landmark listed in it. So, the O'Keefe's Red Poppy had to wait while we searched for The Garden Gnome. It had been rumored to be missing, but after re-reading the clue several times, we realized what we had been missing (sorta sad, considering it was at the very beginning of the clue!), and we found the gnome! Joy and mirth abounded, since we were just about to give up on it! Absolutely adorable stamp! I attempted the markers once again, with a bit of success. Decided to ink the little fella up in black to get a good image, and it ended up sticking to the page and peeling parts of the page away with it. I've always heard the gnomes like to be given presents, so I suppose the pieces of paper were our present to it. Gave the little fella a nice bath, and returned him to his home.
Off to find O'Keefe's Red Poppy, the last of the Artist Series. We thoroughly enjoyed the turtles in the pond we walked past - got some nice pictures of one eating what I think must have been cat food.
Rastaman got to play look-out while we stamped in. Definitely my favorite stamp of the series - all of them were truly amazing, but my mom is a big O'Keefe fan, and for quite some time, we had a Red Poppy print hanging in the kitchen when I was younger, so the piece holds a special place in my heart.
A Picnic Basket was next on the list - first though, Agent X had to run back to the very first bench we sat on, since his mini-compass had apparently been left there by accident. Fortunately, it was still there, and we were off on our next hunt. The Picnic Basket was a lovely carve also - at first, Agent X thought it was a turtle because there was a greenish blue tinge to it; he figured out what it was once he saw the stamped image.
Off we went to the car, since we were all hot, hungry and getting tired. Until I read some more of the clues and realized we had parked near two other boxes. We visited the POW-MIA memorial, and then the Charlie Company memorial. They were very moving tributes to some of the fine people who our country has lost in battle. Rastaman was Airborne when he was in the Army, so he had to give a loud HOO-HAH when he saw the Charlie Company memorial with the Airborne symbol.
We somehow managed to find Jake and Elwood despite the rudimentary compass we had in our possession. Gorgeous tribute to the Blues Brothers!
Went Squirrel hunting. Alas, I believe it has been muggled - but man, what a great spot it was!
Hungry and tired, and awfully close to the car, we decided we had to call it a day. Creepy Texas Critters and Ornette Coleman would have to wait for another day (hey, it's excuse to go back to the botanic gardens!).
All in all - today was a fabulous day of boxing!
So, today's lessons in letterboxing are:
- In well kept Botanic Gardens, the thorny vines can't catch me. HA! Take that thorny vine mafia!
- We really need a good compass that we can take degree readings on, so that we can find boxes easier than just knowing the general direction we're supposed to go. I should have taken the hint when I saw the compass icon on the listings, and we did manage to find the box, but not until we had been looking in the wrong place for a good hunk of time.
- The new setup I have for our boxing bag is working great - and whoever said on the AQ message boards that you could wrap camo duct tape around an old gift card, really knew what they were talking about! Brilliant!
- I really need to carve a new mini sig stamp for myself - the first one I ever carved was out of an eraser, and it's not holding up too well. Hadn't realized it until today, since I usually use the larger one, but we were trying to get all three stamps to fit on one page, and a 2"x2" stamp is just too big to fit other stamps on the same page. At least I have more carving materials on the way, and it'll be a good trial for the new magnifying lamp.
Happy Boxing!
RA
Friday, August 21, 2009
A boxing kinda week
Last Friday was my last day at my job; I resigned so I could go back to school full time. School starts on the 24th, which means that I have had an entire week off with nothing I was committed to do.
So, I started my mini-vacay off with very high hopes. I printed out 12 box clues, with every intent that Agent X and I could go hunting for two or three a day between errands and housework. I was super excited that FantasicFour planted a box here in Mansfield, so I had something close to go hunt for.
I had an all-day church teacher training event in Dallas on Saturday. We brought along the boxing bag, which had everything in it (both for us to go boxing and us to make boxes and stamps). I was thrilled to pieces that we got there with no mishaps (previous trips to Dallas have put me in tears getting lost and expecting tickets in the mail for getting on the tollway without paying). In the end though, Rastaman had to come save us. We got out of training to discover that the parking garage I had parked in was locked up tighter than a drum. With the boxing stuff in the car. There went the idea of boxing on the way home! It turned out ok - Agent X and I enjoyed a nice pair of Frappuccinos at Starbucks while waiting for my knight in shining armor. And we ended up getting to spend all of Monday with Rastaman, since he had to take the day off so we could retrieve my car. So there was no boxing at all over the weekend, despite the best intentions to do so.
A friend of mine came over Tuesday, a very fabulous crafty woman like myself. Her son and Agent X played, and we caught up with each other. I told her all about letterboxing, and she expressed such interest (they're about to start homeschooling, and her husband had already expressed an interest in boxing when we talked Saturday). So excited I was to have a rapt audience to my newly found crafting skills that I carved a ladybug stamp while she was watching to see how it's done, and we ended up making logbooks together.
Agent X and I had a very rough start to the week - he's 10 and starting to try to act like a teenager, all moody and stubborn. We had a huge fight Tuesday after our company went home. Rastaman came home from the store to Agent X having been sent to his room and me not doing a very good job of calming down outside. But Rastaman has a way of bringing people back together and finding common ground, and he offered to make dinner while Agent X and I went looking for the new box in town (with the hopes that we'd make up while doing so).
We actually managed to make up before we even got out to the driveway - boxing just lifts our spirits so much that we both quickly forgot our anger and were quick to forgive each other.
The Gristmill in Mansfield was fabulous. It's at a park that we drive past all the time, but had never actually stopped at. We saw some really cool spider webs (with a zigzag pattern in the web; I can't remember what type of spider makes those), some neat feathers, and lots of dragonflies. I do so love dragonfly season.
Agent X made short work of retrieval, and we went a bit further down trail to find a place to sit and stamp in. There ended up being several joggers and bikers, and we had to think quickly when we saw them coming. As one passed us, with our boxing bag in my lap and the box hidden in it, I asked Agent X if he wanted goldfish or cherrios for his snack. Of course, I don't carry either, it was the only thing I could think of at the time - inks sprawled out behind us, logbooks precariously balanced on my knee, LTCs falling out onto the ground. Agent X gamely played along, asking for the goldfish. After the jogger passed and turned the curve, Agent X burst out in laughter at how fun that was! So I think we've established our new cover for sitting on the side of the trail. One of these days, I might even pack some goldfish for real.
The Gristmill stamp was quite lovely, we managed to get it safely back to it's hiding spot, and Agent X had a blast at the playground before heading home. All in all, the perfect way for a mom and her son to make up.
Wednesday, we went to another park in Mansfield, to scout locations for our first plant. We had a blast - Agent X played on the playground while I sat there and wrote out our clue. Once we got home from running errands, I finished putting together the box, figured out the whole planter's pouch thing, took bunches of pictures that I still haven't bothered getting downloaded off the camera, and jumped for joy that we were finally ready to plant.
Ooo! Look at the pretty planter's pouch I made!
I really think that Rastaman still thinks me a tad off my rocker for this whole thing, but he's been taking it all in stride and seems generally happy with it, I think because it makes me happy. I'm really starting to think that I'll only get him to go boxing with me at events and on the rare occasion that Agent X isn't home. I think there's something about going hiking with a stubborn 10 year old who's moody that is making it hard for Rastaman to want to do all of this (and really, who can blame him? There are times that I really re-think the whole Agent X boxing with me thing.)
Thursday, Agent X had a job to do, so off we went so he could make some money. We ended up having lunch with Rastaman, which was very nice. We went after a box in Red Kane park, which we are now pretty certain is no longer there. In fact, LbNA has the box title revised to have *missing* at the end - I think maybe I need to start double checking both LbNA's listing and the AtlasQuest listing for that. I'm fine with not finding boxes when they're not there anymore, or have been muggled, or when I read the clues wrong. I'm one of those who enjoys boxing for the journey it takes me on - the stamp at the end is the icing on the cake for me. Now, that being said - icing is my favorite part of any cake.
We went shopping - got some new inks, some brush markers to try out, and a spiffy lighted magnifying glass to help me with stamp carving. And after we got home, I ordered some more carving medium from Webfoot over at Stampeaz. I'm thrilled to pieces because I've already gotten confirmation that it's shipped, so I can allow myself to use the last of my pink stuff!
Then, we went and planted our box at Rose Park. It was tons of fun. After getting home and launching the clues on AtlasQuest, I spent all night checking to see how many hits the clue had. I can't wait for someone to find it and give us some feedback. So, if you're in the area, and feel the need to hunt a box, check out our very first plant ever - By Any Other Name... .
So this week's lessons in letterboxing are:
Happy Boxing and Distinct Landmarks!
Rogue Artist
(edited on 8/22 to add the pictures after I finally got them off the camera!)
So, I started my mini-vacay off with very high hopes. I printed out 12 box clues, with every intent that Agent X and I could go hunting for two or three a day between errands and housework. I was super excited that FantasicFour planted a box here in Mansfield, so I had something close to go hunt for.
I had an all-day church teacher training event in Dallas on Saturday. We brought along the boxing bag, which had everything in it (both for us to go boxing and us to make boxes and stamps). I was thrilled to pieces that we got there with no mishaps (previous trips to Dallas have put me in tears getting lost and expecting tickets in the mail for getting on the tollway without paying). In the end though, Rastaman had to come save us. We got out of training to discover that the parking garage I had parked in was locked up tighter than a drum. With the boxing stuff in the car. There went the idea of boxing on the way home! It turned out ok - Agent X and I enjoyed a nice pair of Frappuccinos at Starbucks while waiting for my knight in shining armor. And we ended up getting to spend all of Monday with Rastaman, since he had to take the day off so we could retrieve my car. So there was no boxing at all over the weekend, despite the best intentions to do so.
A friend of mine came over Tuesday, a very fabulous crafty woman like myself. Her son and Agent X played, and we caught up with each other. I told her all about letterboxing, and she expressed such interest (they're about to start homeschooling, and her husband had already expressed an interest in boxing when we talked Saturday). So excited I was to have a rapt audience to my newly found crafting skills that I carved a ladybug stamp while she was watching to see how it's done, and we ended up making logbooks together.
Agent X and I had a very rough start to the week - he's 10 and starting to try to act like a teenager, all moody and stubborn. We had a huge fight Tuesday after our company went home. Rastaman came home from the store to Agent X having been sent to his room and me not doing a very good job of calming down outside. But Rastaman has a way of bringing people back together and finding common ground, and he offered to make dinner while Agent X and I went looking for the new box in town (with the hopes that we'd make up while doing so).
We actually managed to make up before we even got out to the driveway - boxing just lifts our spirits so much that we both quickly forgot our anger and were quick to forgive each other.
The Gristmill in Mansfield was fabulous. It's at a park that we drive past all the time, but had never actually stopped at. We saw some really cool spider webs (with a zigzag pattern in the web; I can't remember what type of spider makes those), some neat feathers, and lots of dragonflies. I do so love dragonfly season.
Agent X made short work of retrieval, and we went a bit further down trail to find a place to sit and stamp in. There ended up being several joggers and bikers, and we had to think quickly when we saw them coming. As one passed us, with our boxing bag in my lap and the box hidden in it, I asked Agent X if he wanted goldfish or cherrios for his snack. Of course, I don't carry either, it was the only thing I could think of at the time - inks sprawled out behind us, logbooks precariously balanced on my knee, LTCs falling out onto the ground. Agent X gamely played along, asking for the goldfish. After the jogger passed and turned the curve, Agent X burst out in laughter at how fun that was! So I think we've established our new cover for sitting on the side of the trail. One of these days, I might even pack some goldfish for real.
The Gristmill stamp was quite lovely, we managed to get it safely back to it's hiding spot, and Agent X had a blast at the playground before heading home. All in all, the perfect way for a mom and her son to make up.
Wednesday, we went to another park in Mansfield, to scout locations for our first plant. We had a blast - Agent X played on the playground while I sat there and wrote out our clue. Once we got home from running errands, I finished putting together the box, figured out the whole planter's pouch thing, took bunches of pictures that I still haven't bothered getting downloaded off the camera, and jumped for joy that we were finally ready to plant.
I really think that Rastaman still thinks me a tad off my rocker for this whole thing, but he's been taking it all in stride and seems generally happy with it, I think because it makes me happy. I'm really starting to think that I'll only get him to go boxing with me at events and on the rare occasion that Agent X isn't home. I think there's something about going hiking with a stubborn 10 year old who's moody that is making it hard for Rastaman to want to do all of this (and really, who can blame him? There are times that I really re-think the whole Agent X boxing with me thing.)
Thursday, Agent X had a job to do, so off we went so he could make some money. We ended up having lunch with Rastaman, which was very nice. We went after a box in Red Kane park, which we are now pretty certain is no longer there. In fact, LbNA has the box title revised to have *missing* at the end - I think maybe I need to start double checking both LbNA's listing and the AtlasQuest listing for that. I'm fine with not finding boxes when they're not there anymore, or have been muggled, or when I read the clues wrong. I'm one of those who enjoys boxing for the journey it takes me on - the stamp at the end is the icing on the cake for me. Now, that being said - icing is my favorite part of any cake.
We went shopping - got some new inks, some brush markers to try out, and a spiffy lighted magnifying glass to help me with stamp carving. And after we got home, I ordered some more carving medium from Webfoot over at Stampeaz. I'm thrilled to pieces because I've already gotten confirmation that it's shipped, so I can allow myself to use the last of my pink stuff!
Then, we went and planted our box at Rose Park. It was tons of fun. After getting home and launching the clues on AtlasQuest, I spent all night checking to see how many hits the clue had. I can't wait for someone to find it and give us some feedback. So, if you're in the area, and feel the need to hunt a box, check out our very first plant ever - By Any Other Name... .
So this week's lessons in letterboxing are:
- Boxing is the perfect way to make up with a moody 10 year old.
- Those thorny vines are out to get me! Even with Agent X pointing them out along the trails this week, I still managed to get pierced on the forearm during planting.
- Playgrounds are fun, but it should be established before even getting out of the car that boxing happens first, then the playground. The last thing I want for Agent X to wear himself out on the playground so much that he gripes the whole way to the box.
- Do not store all of the letterboxing supplies in a single bag that gets locked up with your car in a parking garage. I had withdrawals all weekend not being able to carve or make logbooks or go boxing.
- Rastaman will eventually come around to the dark side. It just has to be a quiet, un-moody dark side.
- Did I mention that the thorny vines are out to get me? Seriously, I think that Pantego's thorny vines must have called up the Mansfield thorny vines and had a nice chat about me. I imagine it something like this:
PTV: Hey, did you hear that Rogue Artist moved down your way?See?! They really are out to get me! It's not all in my head, I swear it!
MTV: Naw! You're kidding me!
PTV: Yep. And we didn't get our pound of flesh and gallon of blood from her yet, so you're going to have to finish the job.
MTV: We can do that. What's she look like?
PTV: She's 5' 6" with brown hair and a very talkative son. But the son's not on the hitlist, so don't mess with him; he's in good with all the woodland creatures, talks nice to them and tries to feed them or something.
MTV: Cool, cool. We'll get her for you next time she comes around. We'll teach her for going into the woods without a long-sleeve shirt on!
PTV: Yeah! She'll learn to regret outdoor activity during Texas summers one way or another.
(insert evil "Muhahahah!" laugh on both sides here)
Happy Boxing and Distinct Landmarks!
Rogue Artist
(edited on 8/22 to add the pictures after I finally got them off the camera!)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Mini-meet in Tyler
So, we moved last month. And all my letterboxing stuff has been packed up, and I haven't been LBing in quite some time.
That being said, I've been really looking forward to the mini-meet in Tyler. But, gosh, I was nervous - what if people aren't nearly as nice as they seem in their e-mails?, what if no one talks to be because I'm a newbie? is the kiddo going to get on my nerves? So, I arranged for my step-mom, RosebudTia, to go with me. And last night, at the very last minute, she called saying she wasn't going to be able to make it after all. I was crushed - my super-safety conscious husband was already nervous about me driving several hours to meet a bunch of strangers (a good point, which I share).
And he looked at my forlorn face, after seeing me work so hard on the answers to personal travelers, and how excited I had been not 10 minutes before as I was getting ready to make my potluck contribution. And he said he'd go with me. YAY!
Didn't get my potluck contribution made (what was I thinking, deciding to make a dish that takes over a hour for 4 servings as a potluck offering?), we left an hour later than we planned, I completely forgot to grab several of the things I meant to bring. 2 1/2 hours later, we pull into this really pretty park, and find all the cars. I'm a nervous, excited wreck. Not even sure we're in the right place, we get up to the pavilion, and I see stamps! We're in the right place!
AndPlus2, who was the fabulous hostess for the event, was the first person I got to meet. And she was just as sweet as pie! She patiently explained everything I needed to do (stamp into the event book, stamp the event stamp into my book, do the traveling event boxes that were there, start exchanges and PTs if I had answers for them, etc.). The event stamp was amazing! The event book was amazing! The traveling boxes were so neat and clever!
I got to meet so many wonderful people - Beach Bum TX, jb kokopelli, Gryzzled Gryphon, Frost Maiden, Blue Butterfly, Lucy Locket, Purple Nic, Breath of Life, Trillion Grams, Mothers Love... The Rodgers 7 were there, but I just missed them on a trip to the car for something.
Agent X was thoroughly entertained by the whole thing - there was food, there was a dog (and gosh, he does love animals), there were other kids, and of course, there was letterboxing!
The fabulous hubby wore one of his favorite shirts that he got on a trip a while back. Shortly after we got there (and he was reassured he'd still be allowed to eat despite not being a boxer), one of the boxers I was exchanging with told him that the logo would be a great stamp, and everyone around the table agreed. After getting home tonight, it did indeed get carved so that he would have a stamp should he attend an event with me again, or in the event that he decides to start boxing with me (keeping fingers crossed!).
I caught my first cootie - it's traveled all the way from Tennessee! Looking through the book that was with it, I recognize several of the stamps. And I am absolutely in awe that I have in my possession (for now) that so many letterboxers have stamped into. I was so very excited to see SHH's stamp in there - I love her blog, and hope to someday be half the stamp carver that she is.
On to today's lessons learned in letterboxing - unfortunately not nearly as humorous as previous lessons, but I wanted to get them down before I completely forgot them:
I'll be starting back to college in two weeks, and I have a full week off between my job ending and school starting. So, Agent X and I are going to get in as much boxing as we can. Hopefully, we'll get a nice early start so that we can be back home in air conditioning by the heat of the day. Either way, I'll be boxing more now that we're settled into the new place, and I'm just super-thrilled about that!
More boxing - it's what every letterboxer dreams of, right? :-)
That being said, I've been really looking forward to the mini-meet in Tyler. But, gosh, I was nervous - what if people aren't nearly as nice as they seem in their e-mails?, what if no one talks to be because I'm a newbie? is the kiddo going to get on my nerves? So, I arranged for my step-mom, RosebudTia, to go with me. And last night, at the very last minute, she called saying she wasn't going to be able to make it after all. I was crushed - my super-safety conscious husband was already nervous about me driving several hours to meet a bunch of strangers (a good point, which I share).
And he looked at my forlorn face, after seeing me work so hard on the answers to personal travelers, and how excited I had been not 10 minutes before as I was getting ready to make my potluck contribution. And he said he'd go with me. YAY!
Didn't get my potluck contribution made (what was I thinking, deciding to make a dish that takes over a hour for 4 servings as a potluck offering?), we left an hour later than we planned, I completely forgot to grab several of the things I meant to bring. 2 1/2 hours later, we pull into this really pretty park, and find all the cars. I'm a nervous, excited wreck. Not even sure we're in the right place, we get up to the pavilion, and I see stamps! We're in the right place!
AndPlus2, who was the fabulous hostess for the event, was the first person I got to meet. And she was just as sweet as pie! She patiently explained everything I needed to do (stamp into the event book, stamp the event stamp into my book, do the traveling event boxes that were there, start exchanges and PTs if I had answers for them, etc.). The event stamp was amazing! The event book was amazing! The traveling boxes were so neat and clever!
I got to meet so many wonderful people - Beach Bum TX, jb kokopelli, Gryzzled Gryphon, Frost Maiden, Blue Butterfly, Lucy Locket, Purple Nic, Breath of Life, Trillion Grams, Mothers Love... The Rodgers 7 were there, but I just missed them on a trip to the car for something.
Agent X was thoroughly entertained by the whole thing - there was food, there was a dog (and gosh, he does love animals), there were other kids, and of course, there was letterboxing!
The fabulous hubby wore one of his favorite shirts that he got on a trip a while back. Shortly after we got there (and he was reassured he'd still be allowed to eat despite not being a boxer), one of the boxers I was exchanging with told him that the logo would be a great stamp, and everyone around the table agreed. After getting home tonight, it did indeed get carved so that he would have a stamp should he attend an event with me again, or in the event that he decides to start boxing with me (keeping fingers crossed!).
I caught my first cootie - it's traveled all the way from Tennessee! Looking through the book that was with it, I recognize several of the stamps. And I am absolutely in awe that I have in my possession (for now) that so many letterboxers have stamped into. I was so very excited to see SHH's stamp in there - I love her blog, and hope to someday be half the stamp carver that she is.
On to today's lessons learned in letterboxing - unfortunately not nearly as humorous as previous lessons, but I wanted to get them down before I completely forgot them:
- Agent X apparently has a knack for ciphers. I took one look at it and thought to myself "obviously not going to get that one". A bit later, I did manage to figure out the title, but that was as far as I got. He took one look at what I had gleaned, and in less than a minute, he'd figured out what to do to translate the clue. Maybe all those puzzle boxes that I thought I'd never get might just be within reach if I print the clues out for him to figure out.
- Everyone really is just as nice as they seem in their e-mails. And then some.
- Double check the event start time - I coulda sworn it said 11:30, we left a hour late, and arrived about 12:15. It actually started at 8. I so could have actually gotten some of the boxes around Tyler if we'd gotten there then! Of course, that would require much more coffee in the morning....
- Planning to make a potluck offering the night before the event, which regularly takes over a hour of prep and cooking time for only 4 servings, for up to 35 people = bad idea in reality, no matter how good it sounds in your head or how good it sounds to your stomach.
- Print everything ahead of time! This morning, in the rush to get out the door, we discovered that the desktop computer that the printer will talk to - not working. Hand wrote all the directions and PT answers I had, and that worked well. But it did not lend to me becoming calm in a pre-caffeinated state about how late we were already.
- Pack everything the night before - the letterboxing stuff, the camera, a book to entertain the 10 year old in the back seat so they don't kill your phone battery playing games because it's the only thing that will stop the never-ending conversation about video games you've never played nor care to play.
- Agent X really needs a logbook. Didn't have enough loose index cards with us, and that's what he's been using. So I'm going to make copies of the event's pages from my book, and we'll paste them into his when I manage to procure it.
- Apparently, my carving skills must be better than I thought, because I got compliments on our stamps. Which, I admit I worked hard on, but not that hard, and I really thought they weren't all that great. I was in absolute awe of a lot of the stamps I saw today, and I hope to one day be that skilled, but at least I now know that I'm not the worst out there. I'll take it.
- The town I moved to, which isn't far from where we were, needs letterboxes. So if I plant it, they will come, right? I got lots of encouragement from several of the boxers there that I'm prepared enough to plant one - didn't want to plant until I'd found several boxes, so I knew what I thought made for a good one, had an idea of how it was done, etc...
I'll be starting back to college in two weeks, and I have a full week off between my job ending and school starting. So, Agent X and I are going to get in as much boxing as we can. Hopefully, we'll get a nice early start so that we can be back home in air conditioning by the heat of the day. Either way, I'll be boxing more now that we're settled into the new place, and I'm just super-thrilled about that!
More boxing - it's what every letterboxer dreams of, right? :-)
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