Heatwave

So I attempted to find a letterbox yesterday, but to no avail. I am getting super restless and frustrated because it has been SO long since I letterboxed, but I'll tell you...this heatwave ain't makin' things easy.

It was probably around 105 yesterday, and the letterbox in question, Matilda's, is very much an outdoor box. Although no hiking or strenuous activity is required, Matilda's Art Gallery is outside and very woody, which lends it's helping hand to the poor starved mosquitoes that feasted on my tan and supple legs during the fifteen minutes we managed to stay outside and look in the sweltering heat.

It was a disappointing loss, but rest assured, I will try again.

I think Letterboxing may be a Fall sport for me...

My First Plant

I actually carved the stamp for my first plant on the very first day I went letterboxing with Tonya. She and I discussed the possibility of doing a Brenau series, but I thought it would be fun to do it with a twist. This one is hidden at the Mellow Mushroom in Gainesville because that is where the first classes for Brenau were held before the campus was completed. Here is my clue:

1. Find Mellow Mushroom, and park out back. 
2. With your back to the building, follow 3 lamp posts to the back of the lot. 
3. From the last lamp post, turn 90* to an arrow that will point your way.
4. From the tip of the arrow, spy a cluster of trees just beyond the parking lot borders.
5. Approximately 11 paces from the tip, find the tree alone and to the right. 
6. Behind this tree and below a rock, you will find something to help you "Mellow Out". 

May 15, 2010

Alex and I went to Windermere Park today; a small, relatively unknown park in Cumming, Georgia. The main appeal, for me, was a letterbox of unknown status called "Remember When: 1st in Series..." a letterbox that had not been found since 2008. However, another letterbox, "Ashton" also resides there, too. Since Ashton was pretty much a sure thing, we began our hunt looking for her.

It was a little difficult to find, and the directions were not exactly what I would personally consider straight forward, but I am so glad that we took the time to really look. Not only was Ashton a cute stamp, with a bonus stamp of a little bone, but Ashton was also planted in the prettiest location to date. As I sat down to stamp in (after Alex pulled Ashton from underneath a rock beyond the fence) we were surrounded by lush, green trees, birds, squirrels, and the tranquil sounds of the river rushing over the rocks below. I don't know if it was a creek or a river, but I do know that I wouldn't trade that moment for anything.

So after finding and replacing Ashton, and enjoying the scenery around her home, Alex and I started back down the path toward the unknown letterbox. We didn't have the highest of hopes, but after some careful searching...WE FOUND IT! Okay, okay...so maybe Alex found it since he did all of the heavy lifting and digging, but I cheered him on!

So 'ol Kilroy here was hidden in a hole inside a hollow stump, positively covered in dirt and yuck. The mess was definitely worth it though, because not only did we get to confirm the stamp's continued existence, but I also got to repair some water damage and... I found my first hitch hiker!

A hitch hiker is a letterbox that moves around from place to place and is re-hidden each time by the letterboxer who finds it. My hitch hiker was carved and planted by BOXDN, and originated in Louisiana. It traveled to Georgia early on in its letterbox career, and finally came to rest alongside Kilroy in the Remember When box. Where will I plant it next...?

May 10, 2010 Part III

After finding so many letterboxes Amber and I were feeling like a pair of daring, accomplished letterboxers, and we wanted something more. After prowling through a very, very old, local cemetery and coming up empty handed, we decided to try a more recent plant at the Hopewell Christian Church and Cemetery in Suwanee. The spooky "Chernabog" stamp certainly did not disappoint.

By the time we got to the cemetery it was dark gray and drizzling outside--perfect cemetery weather, and the Chernabog's hiding place among the graves was exactly the spook we were looking for!

On a sidenote, see how much better hand-carved stamps can be (please excuse poor stamp quality, I had a difficult time getting the stamp to fit in my ink pad!)?

May 10, 2010 Part II

From Peachtree Ridge Park Amber and I headed across Suwanee to George Pierce Park, home of the "Michigan Bird". Here is where we learned the necessity of following our clues exactly as they are written! We thought we could skip a step because we saw a bridge similar to the one in the clue, but alas, we were thwarted. Once we got back on track we were led over two bridges into a beautiful rain forest-like footpath that we followed deeper and deeper into the park. Carefully checking our compass and counting our paces we went off the path and into the woods seeking the "nest" of a stump where the bird made it's home. Second lesson learned: store bought stamps are disappointing. I'll always carve mine by hand.

After finding the Michigan Bird Amber and I took a well-deserved lunch break. After feasting on Sonny's BBQ near the Mall of Georgia, we decided to check out an "Urban plant" done by my friend, Heather. At "Books for Less," a consignment bookstore in Buford, Georgia, cleverly hidden via magnets at the bottom of a water fountain we found "Happy Reada" and "Cuppa Joe." This two sided stamp reminded me of the fun I had with the "Common Grounds" stamp because it was fun and different, and as much about discovering new places as it was about finding a neat stamp. This is why I love letterboxing; it is like a guided tour through places unknown to me--through the worlds of all of the many letterboxers.

May 10, 2010

Never letterbox alone is one of the first things that AtlasQuest teaches you, and I am always careful to stay true to that rule! As a result of that, today was my friend Amber's turn to adventure with me! Today was also my first time using my new compass, too! Amber and I made our way to Peachtree Ridge Park in Suwanee, Georgia to look for the first two of five letterboxes on the agenda for the day.

When we entered the park it was a beautiful and quiet day with very few children playing. We walked across an open field, eventually finding our way (via my COMPASS!) to a bench and a rock where "Cool Dude" was hidden. I stamped in right there, but this was my first lesson in the importance of bringing extra supplies--Cool Dude was water damaged! We switched out his bag with my own, and dried him out as well as we could before moving on to our next stamp in PRP.

The next stamp was part of a 15-stamp series entitled "A Year in Pay-Per-View" and included several stamps. After an unsuccessful hunt for the first stamp in the series, Amber and I trekked our way through the brush and debris back to the path to search for #2 in the series, Royal Rumble. First, let me pause and say: This is a gorgeous park. There are birdhouses and feeders throughout, a very long and good quality running trail, and plenty of benches. We did find "Royal Rumble" despite the difficulties finding its predecessor; it was hiding behind an oak tree on the side of the paved walking path. We stamped in on a nearby bench as some birds tweeted on the feeder overhead.

May 1, 2010 Part II

Bank of America hosted a free admission weekend to museums all over the country this weekend, and one of the participating museums was Atlanta's own High Museum of Art. Since I have BoA and got in free, we decided to go. And, since we never usually venture out of the greater Cumming area, I couldn't let this trip pass without looking for a letterbox or two in a new and different place. So, after finding the Hula Hula Monkey, Alex and I headed down to Peachtree St. in Atlanta to see the car show at the High Museum of Art. For those of you who aren't familiar with Atlanta, you can get to pretty much anything via Peachtree St., including the Margaret Mitchell House, which is only six or seven blocks down from the High. We parked at the High (which I'm including a picture of because I got killer parking, for FREE) and walked the few blocks down in search of Margaret Mitchell's "Burning Passion."


Although this letterbox was not as difficult or complex as some of the others, it was very exciting for both of us. We loved the thought of how a letterbox could be hidden right in the heart of the city, under a bush that thousands of people pass by each day. It really shows the neat, connecting aspect of letterboxing that I love! The picture on the left is the actual "Margaret Mitchell House", and the right is the corner of Crescent Ave and Peachtree Place where the box was hidden.

May 1, 2010

Today was Alex's first time letterboxing with me, and I don't think I could have chosen a more perfect letterbox for him to start with! We parked at West Bank Park in Cumming (it's $3.00 to park for anybody looking to explore this park) and found ourselves in a shallow wood between a pavilion and the lake border. We followed the clue around the corner of the picnic area until we spied an old wooden footbridge in the woods. From here Alex took charge and cleared our path to the bridge.

Once he got us to the bridge he counted the planks, as directed in the clue, and lifted up the loose plank, number eleven. Under the plank we found the "Hula Hula Monkey, where she fell dancing" and stamped in together on an overcast day on Lake Lanier.

April 28, 2010 Part III

After stamping in at Common Grounds, Tonya and I turned out to head back to the car, but we saw an old flag pole straight ahead that we never expected to find. It looked curiously like the pole mentioned in Hawkeye's clue for "J-Dog Runs: The Gate."

Nestled just off the railroad tracks in an old, refurbished model boxcar, standing just beyond the Flowery Branch flagpole. Hawkeye directs: "back left corner, up and under," and low and behold, you CAN reach right up and under the box car! Of course that is where "The Gate" was hidden, and Tonya and I put the nearby benches to good use as we stamped in on a sunny and beautiful day in a place we never would have discovered without letterboxing, despite its close proximity to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Below you can see the excellent carving work of fellow letterboxer, "Hawkeye."

April 28, 2010 Part II

Still high off the rush of finding "Frankie," Tonya and I continued on to Common Grounds Coffee Shoppe in Flowery Branch, about a ten minute drive from Oakwood. This was a really neat shop with a "take one/leave one" bookshelf and delicious coffee. Since the clue was only a picture of Wuthering Heights, I figured that I would have to pay a visit to the trusty bookshelf. I perused the shelf as quickly and discreetly as I could, and finally found my query tucked into the far side of one of the shelves all while Tonya ordered us some delicious vanilla lattes from the barista at the counter.

Once I procured the book and we had coffee in hand, we sat down in a corner booth to stamp in. Now, it should be said here that Common Grounds was not a letterbox, so much as it was a letterbook. How cool is a letterbook, you may ask? TOO cool would be the answer. It had a few pages like normal and then a hollowed out trap door where the stamp and logbook were hidden. Tonya and I were so excited to find such a beautiful stamp in such a neat package, especially one that brought us within reach of tasty coffee and a new place to visit!

Below is a picture of the stamp once I colored it in with colored pencils.

April 28, 2010

Tonya and I braved the unknown today and embarked upon our first letterboxing adventure. Not quite sure of what to expect we headed toward Gainesville State College in Oakwood, Georgia. Armed with nothing more than a notebook, pen, stamp and ink, we headed into the woods near the Athletic Complex. The clue stated: "A few steps down this trail look left for the largest white oak I have ever seen."

They weren't lying! We finally found the outdoor classroom off the trail, home to the largest white oak I have ever seen, too!We scanned for people and, once alone, dove in headfirst looking for the letterbox. Since we weren't sure what we were looking for, we scanned the entire area to see what was around before consulting the clue again.

Once we realized that the clue said Frankie should be close to the tree, we focused our search there and I soon pulled up a black snap-and-seal container. Inside sure enough, there was "Frankie", just waiting to be found!

After finding Frankie we sat down on the benches  to stamp in and record our finds. We may not have known what exactly we were getting into when we decided to give letterboxing a try, but after finding Frankie we both decided:

We were HOOKED!