Our Thoughts: Huffing

Now, before you get too excited, we're not talking about anything illicit or illegal. We're talking about a way in which you can improve your stamping image.

Some letterboxers use ink pads. Others use colored markers (Marvy). Either way, sometimes, particularly when it's hot outside, the ink will start to dry before you're ready to stamp. Never fear...huffing is here. Go ahead and ink or color your stamp. Then, holding the stamp in your cupped hands, breathe on it like you would a window in the wintertime. There's enough moisture in your breath that it puts life back into the inked stamp and it's ready for use. We've even "huffed" a stamp when we had neither ink or markers... and it worked just fine. This is a nice tip that was passed to us by "Whiz Gee" and we're passing it on to you. Hope this helps you in the future, particularly when you don't have or have forgotten your inks.

Our Thoughts: Recording Finds

Today was kinda a drizzly day so we decided to go do some "box maintenance". We have five boxes planted not too far from our home and it had been reported to us that one was missing. We loved the stamp that we had put in and knew that it was hidden in a place not frequently visited by crowds. So we went to check.

Low and behold, the box was there. WHEW!!! But we decided to move it to a little easier location. As we checked inside, making sure the stamp was okay and that there was still room in the logbook, we noticed that many people had visited it but according to both websites...no one had recorded finding it. As we checked the other boxes, we discovered the same thing had happened. This got us to wondering if others were experiencing this same "problem". Reading that someone found our box is important to us. We have some in other states that we can't easily check on and knowing that someone found it and that it's either okay or not okay is benefical to us. This led us to thinking that perhaps "newbies" didn't know about recording their finds.

It doesn't take very long to record the information (unless, of course, you allow things to pile up). We always check (about once every couple of weeks) to see the status of our boxes. Either website easily explains how to record a find.

Bottom line...Would you please record your finds AND your attempts? And also let the owner know if the box is in need of repairs or even missing. I know two letterboxers that would greatly appreciate this small task. Thanks!!!

Our Thoughts: Postals & Patience

One of the things we have discovered in dealing with postals is....you have to have patience. If you expect boxes to move quickly, you're going to be disappointed and your patience will be tried.

Being a retired teacher of 30 years and having to be punctual with all the aspects of handling a classroom...this has been a great lesson for me. I have found myself edgy... waiting to receive the "next box". Because it has always been important to me to "send that report off on time"... "get those grade cards ready promptly"..."march those children to the library at our scheduled time"....I've had a little difficulty understanding why others don't move their boxes as quickly as we do. It's frustrating to us to not be able to "send the box" on to the next receipient in a timely manner. We start feeling that it's going to "make us look bad" if we don't move things on. We've had a great mentor..."Littlemonkey" who has taught and shared a lot with us. For that, we are grateful.

Knowing all of this, we've had to sit back and assess the situation and try to understand that not all persons handle things in the same way that we do. So what's the lesson in all of this? Patience is a MUST with postals. If this is a character trait that you can't deal with...then postals are probably not for you. If you think you can overcome this quirky thing and work on your patience...then you'll have great fun.

The one cool thing about postals is that you DO reach out to other parts of our country and meet people that you might not normally run into. It takes you "out of your box" and opens your eyes to just another great thing about letterboxing.

Have fun and get involved !!!

Our Thoughts: Quisps

We recently discovered another new aspect of Letterboxing....Quisps!!! Bet you're wondering what on earth they are. So were we when we found our first.

We recently participated in a Postal Ring. One of the few maintenance items is to take off the old address label in order to place the new one on. While doing this, we notice that our's had been taped to a plain sheet of paper and it felt a little bulky underneath. Wayne got out his Xacto knife and trimmed away... Low and behold, underneath we found the sweetest stamped puppy called "Buddy". On the back was his name, the owner's name and date. We had no idea until we emailed the owner as to what it's purpose was.

Quisps are just another little stamped treasure that you find while letterboxing. The person who finds it, logs it in as found, keeps it and can replace it with another if they so choose. This got us excited. Another "keep us busy" type of thing to do in the winter months when it's too cold, or at least for us, to go out hiking and looking for traditional boxes...

That's it... just wanted to share

"SNOW...klahoma"

With all the winter weather...sleet, ice and snow that Oklahoma has received this winter, this song seems so fitting. If you know the song "Oklahoma"....sing this one to the same tune....

SNOW…….klahoma
Where the cold front's sweepin' down the plain
And the piles of sleet, beneath your feet
Follow right behind the freezing rain.

SNOW…….klahoma
Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Travel home from work and hope some jerk
Doesn’t wreck our car in passing by!

We know we belong to the land
But it could use s...ome more salt and more sand

That’s why we say…..WHOA!
We’re sliding the other way…….YIKES!

We’re only sayin’
You’re slick as snot SNOWklahoma
SNOWklahoma
SNOW-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

SNOWklahoma, SNOW-K!

Our Thoughts: Postals

Today, we received our very first "official" postal. We are in a Newbie Ring. Now you're probably asking yourself..."What's a postal?" and "what's a Newbie Ring?". Let us explain.

A postal is another type of letterbox. The difference is that instead of being outdoors, on trails, hiking to find the box....it's sent in the mail. You go to AtlasQuest.com and find the Postal Forum. There you can find a "ring" to sign up with. Before I explain a "ring" let us tell you what a "Newbie" is. A newbie is someone new to the hobby of Letterboxing....one that is still learning. A "ring" is a group of individuals that sign up to participate in mailing letterboxes to others in the group. There are some, that don't want anyone but experienced letterboxers. But to gain experience, you have to start somewhere...thus the Newbie Rings. These are hosted by individuals with lots of patience and are willing to teach as they go.

The Newbie Ring that we're in only has five in our group. A small group is easier to manage and guide along the way. Sending Postals is perfect for the wintertime, especially for those who live in areas where it's virtually impossible to get outdoors and hike (usually because of lots of snow and/or extreme temps) Some people who might be restricted because of health reasons... hard to walk, heart conditions, etc...participating in Postal Rings allows them to have as much fun with this hobby as those who go outdoors. That's the really cool thing about Letterboxing... there's something for everyone.

That's it... all in a "nutshell"....happy letterboxing and don't be afraid to participate with postals.

Our Thoughts: Letterboxing North America vs. AtlasQuest

There are two great websites online for learning about and getting clues for lettering boxing. The first... letterboxing.org was the first we found and we were thrilled at all the information we were able to glean from there. We then kept reading about in other's comments and clues about the second... atlasquest.com and decided to check it out. At first it seemed a little more complicated, mainly because we didn't know anything ourselves and didn't understand the terminology. As the weeks and months have passed and with the help of others, we have learned alot about "how to" and different terms used in this hobby.

Letterboxing North American is easy to navigate in... an easy place to leave and locate clues to boxes. It's easy to link those clues with AtlasQuest as well. However, it seems that most people prefer to or leave comments in Atlasquest more often. For us, it's easier to see if the clues to our boxes that we've planted have been looked at or even found. Not that we have that many to keep up with, but the ones we have planted....we've received reports on in AtlasQuest but never in Letterboxing North America...and we've link the two together. I guess you would say that we like the feedback and we get it atlasquest more than at letterboxing.

Conclusion:... In the future, any boxes we plant, whether it be a traditional, hitch hiker, postal, or LTC... we're leaving our clues in one place and one place only...atlasquest.com.

*This is strictly our thoughts and opinions and no one else's.

"Now For A Commerical Break....."

Oklahoma is a very unique state...has lots of interesting people, events, and eating establishments. We felt it to be our duty to inform you about one of these interesting, out of the way, but BEST burger joints in the state....MEER'S BURGERS. This is located in a small non-existent town,(actually a cross-road), southwest of Oklahoma City. People drive from all directions, especially on the weekends, just to savor one of these burgers. Whether you're coming from Oklahoma City, Lawton or even the Dallas area, most of the road will be interstate until you get nearby. We must warn you...Everytime we've gone, we've had to wait a bit but it's well worth the wait.
The burgers are made on the spot. They are NOT frozen circular mass produced patties. They are soooooo large and juicy that they are served in a pie pan. Unless you come with a huge appetite, you better bring a friend to share with 'cause one is too big for one person. They also have homemade fries and a rare ( for most of you) delicacy called "fried okra" and mushrooms. Hope you get a chance to stop and enjoy this Oklahoma delicacy. Ooops another warning. Sometimes when you drive up, you might think you've arrived at a "biker's" convention... not true. There are a lot of bikers that come, but it's only because they know a good burger when they smell one. Enjoy!!!



Feast your eyes on this...too bad we don't have "smell-a-blog".



If ever in Oklahoma, here's a map showing how to get there:

"First Thing You Need..."

The first thing anyone needs when deciding to letterbox is their own personal "signature stamp". You take this with you each time you go letterboxing so that you can stamp in the logbook of the box you find.

Our first was pretty crude looking...carved from a pink eraser. After being out in the "field" for a few weeks, we decided we needed to up date it with some better carving material. We used Mastercarve. Here's a picture of our current signature stamp.