Someone -- I'm sorry I forgot who -- posted some of the best advice I've heard lately: "Make sure to take the time to enjoy each letterbox." I confess that I had been letting that simple philosophy slip away on occasion and hurrying off to the next box rather than savoring the one I was at. It has proven especially helpful for my wife, who was more guilty of hurrying than I was. In just the few short days since the suggestion was posted, we've already reaped significant benefits in terms of enjoying our outings all that much more. In fact, just yesterday we had a dozen or more geocaches to hunt, and the very first one proved so captivating that we spent two hours there! Shot the whole afternoon, we only managed a couple more finds before dark.

I have gone so far as to take the advice to the next stage. When I am planting a letterbox, I think to myself, "Is this the kind of place where finders would enjoy staying a while? Or is it the kind of place they'd just as soon stamp in and get out as quickly as possible?" And if it's the latter, I don't plant. I'm all about the quality of the plant rather than the quantity.

Words to live by......

How long would you spend with a stamp that isn't mounted properly? ;P

I agree with the savoring aspect. In a park with several planted, I found two of a series of 4 and then spent the day looking for lobsters, crabs, shrimp and sea urchins in the Tidal pools with the rest of the (noxers) family *they did not even notice that the boxers had nabbed two boxes on a trip to the bathroom!
Meanwhile a great day had by all! ~~and of course a reason to get back there soon!
six stars

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When I am planting a letterbox, I think to myself, "Is this the kind of place where finders would enjoy staying a while? Or is it the kind of place they'd just as soon stamp in and get out as quickly as possible?" And if it's the latter, I don't plant. I'm all about the quality of the plant rather than the quantity.

Thank you, Kirbert for mentioning the tendancy to rush to boxes and not enjoy them. I think we all are guilty of that at one time or another, and it always helps to be reminded!

I have only planted 2 boxes (one was forcibly retired) and I have a few more that I have planned. Your criteria for planting is wonderful. I think one of the things most mentioned in what is appreciated in a LB is going to a new spot that is beautiful.

Now, if they would only finish all the renovation on the park for which I already have one carved . . .

KuKu

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Now, if they would only finish all the renovation on the park for which I already have one carved . . .

Phooey. There's a park in Tallahassee for which the renovation is scheduled to take years. It's already been underway for several years, and of course there's no telling how many delays there will be -- or how many times the plans will change. I really want to plant a geocache there, but I've gotta wait.

What great words of advice! We've been at this for a couple of months now but haven't found 20 boxes yet. I just know if I push my family to go too often or when it's too hot or we have to rush, I'll end up turning them off to it. So we find a box here and there. Hopefully the boxes aren't going anywhere. It seems to be paying off. My reluctant 5 year old is becoming less reluctant!

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I just know if I push my family to go too often or when it's too hot or we have to rush, I'll end up turning them off to it. So we find a box here and there. Hopefully the boxes aren't going anywhere.

Unfortunately, sometimes they do. I decided not to hunt the boxes near my home, instead saving them for when I had guests visiting and wanted to show them what it was all about. Well, unfortunately, a bunch have gone missing and been retired! Aaaaargh!

Agree about not pushing it, though. It's supposed to be fun; if it's not fun, you're doing it wrong.

{We've been at this for a couple of months now but haven't found 20 boxes yet. }

I've been boxing for more than a year now, and have only found 31...that's counting the two I found today. there have been days I've looked and looked and come up empty, and days I've gone with new friends and come home with every box we went after. I take it slow and have fun, and every stamp in my logbook evokes a memory of who I was with and where I was when I found it.

night writer

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I decided not to hunt the boxes near my home, instead saving them for when I had guests visiting and wanted to show them what it was all about.

If I take guests letterboxing with me I always make sure I have visited the boxes before. It is very off putting to new people if you can't find them, or they are in a very poor state of repair.

YT

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If I take guests letterboxing with me I always make sure I have visited the boxes before. It is very off putting to new people if you can't find them, or they are in a very poor state of repair.

If I take guests with me, I want them to get the full experience -- not knowing if it's really there, not knowing if it's in good condition, not knowing if it was any good in the first place. To my mind, what would be most offputting would be being led to a known box.

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I think to myself, "Is this the kind of place where finders would enjoy staying a while? Or is it the kind of place they'd just as soon stamp in and get out as quickly as possible?"

Kirbert, your Tiger Swallowtail box is still my favorite box that I have found. Not because of the ridiculously beautiful stamp in the box (bravo, by the way, your carving is brilliant!), but because of the great hike and scenery I was able to pass through to get to the box. That's really a top-notch box you placed there.

Thank you,
- SHNV

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Kirbert, your Tiger Swallowtail box is still my favorite box that I have found. Not because of the ridiculously beautiful stamp in the box (bravo, by the way, your carving is brilliant!), but because of the great hike and scenery I was able to pass through to get to the box. That's really a top-notch box you placed there.

Thank you. It was, in fact, a deliberate attempt to create a top-notch box, to see how good a box I could create. Unfortunately, it is rarely found.