What a Group!

We had our first GEM yesterday. GEM stands for Greet, Eat and Meet -and is a gathering, of sorts, for our Dartmoor travelers. Sue & I will be leading 14 travelers to the Moor this September including boxers from CT, MA, RI, VT, VA and PA.

The group hit it off immediately! Although, part of the reason could be the fact that 7 (plus Sue & I) are from the original Baker's Dozen and there's a comfort factor there already. But the new people really hit it off right away as well. It should be very interesting!

Bits & Pieces

* We're sorry that we haven't posted much here as of late but we've been a little lazy, spending weekends in VT and our Dartmoor trip is in full swing with our first GEM (Greet, Eat and Meet) set for this coming Saturday. Speaking of our GEM, this is probably the only time that all 16 of us will be under one roof prior to our trip in September. This year's group has been dubbed Moor Torists. You'll be hear much more about this group of boxers in the weeks and months to come!

This will be the last trip to Dartmoor that we'll sponsor in at least 5 or 6 years. There are many other places in the world and the US that we'd like to visit before returning to the Moor. The next Dartmoor trip will be all new people - those who have never traveled with us before so that we can give a chance to dip into our waiting list.


* We have a rather substantial order for Newboxers patches so we'll be placing another reorder very soon. Check out our Letterboxing Patches page if you are interested. The Newboxers patch is the first one pictured on that page.


*During the coming weeks, we'll be updating this website with some new patches that were sent to us for display on the Letterboxing Patches page, updating our First Finds page and adjusting our letterboxing plants with new status. We've been negligent lately and have fallen behind but will gear up shortly. Thanks to all of you who have submitted an entry!

Come to Leominster . . .

Leominster - home to plastics, birthplace of Johnny Appleseed, location of The Pink Flamingo Caper and now -

The Lazy Letterboxer's Comb City Quest!

This series of 14 boxes, spread over about 13 miles, is a joint venture between The Lazy Letterboxer, Ginger Blue, the Leominster Recreation Department, Leominster Land Trust, and the Leominster Historical Society. All of the artfully-carved stamps were designed by the Lazy Letterboxer and Ginger Blue and carved by the Lazy Letterboxer.

To say this series is excellent is putting it mildly! Sue & I spent about 7 hours Saturday doing the most challenging part of the Quest - hiking along the Monoosnoc Ridge Trail through granite quarries, along scenic overlooks, near a waterfall, around reservoirs and finally through an enchanting pine forest that was planted with precision by the WPA. The pine forest was not only our favorite spot but we marveled at the huge, original pines and the several newer generations that came after. Comb City Quest not only challenges your hiking ability but your vocabulary as well - as you search for other ways to express "beautiful" and "amazing."

We would have loved to finish the series on Saturday but our fatigue got the better of us. This was our inaugural spring hike and I, more than Sue, noticed that it's time to get back into shape - especially with our fall Dartmoor trip! Not sure if you all experience a "breaking in" period early in the spring when you begin to hike again but I sure do! We opted for a great dinner and 2 movies to complete the day with a wonderful sense of accomplishment!

Sunday morning, with a nice snow falling, we finished the final 3 boxes of the series of 13 in a little less than an hour's time. There is a bonus stamp (the 14th box) for completing the series and the official Comb City Quest patch. To receive both the bonus and the patch, you must get in touch with the Lazy Letterboxer and show her proof or describe all of the 13 stamps before you are eligible to obtain both the bonus stamp and the free patch. This was easy for us as they both accompanied us on the hike so there was no doubt that we found all 13! These boxes are all in great shape and well hidden for your questing and boxing pleasure!

Thanks to the Lazy Letterboxer and the Letterboxing Ham for accompanying us on this 2 day adventure and keeping us informed about the local sites, some history and how the trails all connected. You were both wonderful guides and great company as usual! And thanks to all who played a part in this memorable quest. A job very well done by all!

We encourage all of you to make Leominster a must stop on your letterboxing agenda this spring and early summer. Get this series before it's retired on July 1, 2007!

And So It Goes . . .

Many years ago, there was a series of letterboxes by the Maestro of Maine who fashioned the clues as postcards. Those clues and their styling really impressed us. Written from the perspective of the placer, the copy of the postcard contained the clue but it written as if this postcard was being sent to the entire letterboxing community; which, in reality, it was!

These postcards-style clues stuck with us over the years and we borrowed that format for last year's Postcards from Oregon - a series of boxes Sue & I placed while on vacation in the Pacific Northwest in June of 2006. Our added intent was to honor those prolific planters who helped seed that area with wonderful letterboxes.

Several months ago, we received an email from Camera Obscura, telling us that he was headed to the Netherlands and would check up on our Windmill box that was planted there by Koyote. CO also asked if we minded if he copied our Postcards from Oregon styling for a new box on which he was working.

Of course we told him that the idea wasn't ours but one that we copied from another. Imitation really is the best form of flattery! We noticed this week that Camera Obscura posted his newest box, Postcard from Jamaica Plain.

And so it goes . . .

Update: I just heard from a certain porcine friend of ours reminding me that these original postcards d'maine were real postcards that were sent to different people. I had forgotten that fact but now that I think of it - I did receive one a while ago. Another twist to this game and one that demonstrates the genius of the creator!

Wishing You . . .

Happy Easter

from

Mark & Sue

Are You Watching Closely???

Once in a while something terrific comes along in boxing and we venture to say that this is one of those events. Those of you that follow this website know that we feature, from time to time, boxes that catch our eye; that are unique in some regards or show something out of the ordinary.

Well - buckle your seatbelts 'cuz the ride's about to get a little bumpy!

This box, called Are You Watching Closely, is the latest effort by Sondog. This boxer must be a graphic artist or web designer. The content is so lavishly displayed and configured that it has such a wonderful professional feel. And the unique way the clue is evolved is very cool!

OK - are you ready?

Click here and have fun!