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Quality over quantity is what we should be encouraging, not maximum numbers of boxes.

I agree also.
One of my resolutions for 2007 was to plant fewer letterboxes and maintain the boxes that I have already planted! Including carving better stamps for some of them!!

I vote that we implement a "Maintain a Letterbox" day! Since PAL is at the beginning of summer maybe the Maintain a Letterbox Day could be towards the end of Summer near Labor Day weekend.

A Day to go out and fix all those letterboxes that you've been getting reports on...they are missing or the logbooks are full or the boxes are damaged, the clues have changed. One day to fix all those little nagging problems.

I need to ask Ryan if he tracks the number of letterboxes that have "first aid" icons. It would be a day to try to get rid of all the first aid icons!!

-amanda from seattle

This is a fun idea... I would go for it now that I have my first "first aid" icon on one of my boxes! lol

I'm so bad about checking these message boards and so, I've gone and missed PAL... next year.

I like this idea, but this would definitely have to be more than one day for some people... and at least on a weekend! You can always plan to plant in a convenient area, you cannot plan where the first aid will be needed! =o) Of course... who says we have to maintain only our own boxes! =o)

Cheers!
Rhea
*who currently has no little first aid symbols =o)*

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A Day to go out and fix all those letterboxes that you've been getting reports on...they are missing or the logbooks are full or the boxes are damaged, the clues have changed. One day to fix all those little nagging problems.

Now this is a very good idea.

I really depend on the kindness of others who come prepared to help me maintain my boxes properly. It's really hard to get out there and do maintenance...I always want to go somewhere I've never been before!

dewberry

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I always want to go somewhere I've never been before!

Exacty!! I am the same way!! I have several letterboxes right here in Seattle that I keep putting off maintaining! Just because I don't want to slog down the same trail again when I can go someplace new! :-)

I have a replacement box ready to go for a missing one and I need to replace a logbook, but I haven't gotten around to it. Although, I carved and scouted and hid two new boxes for PAL day!!

-Amanda from Seattle

Just remember, no matter how bad it seems, you still can hold your heads high there when folks are discussing Mississippi *grin*

Our state motto is " Thank goodness for Mississippi"

(to all you Mississippi folks, just kidding it's all in fun. All states get kidded about something)

Shiloh

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One of my resolutions for 2007 was to plant fewer letterboxes and maintain the boxes that I have already planted! Including carving better stamps for some of them!!

Yeah, see, I always feel conflicted about that last one. If I replace a lousy stamp with a better carving job, yeah, I've improved the box. But now what do I tell the boxers who have already found the box? That they have to come back and revisit it to get the image of the new stamp? Is that supposed to count as another find?

If at all possible, I prefer the idea of pulling the box entirely and installing a completely new box in a different place. If the point of the box is to bring you to see some nifty park or whatever, it would be a different hide in the same park. That way there's no question, those who found the original box will score another find if they come find this box, even though they've seen the park before.

There are also those who insist you should leave all your boxes, even the lousy ones, if for no other reason than so finders can see what your early work was like. I've given in to that thinking in some cases, but when one of my boxes was really bad, I pull it anyway.

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I vote that we implement a "Maintain a Letterbox" day!

Hear, hear! Good idea!

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maybe the Maintain a Letterbox Day could be towards the end of Summer near Labor Day weekend.

i was thinking more like just after the spring thaw, when lots of boxers are re-activating their boxes anyway.

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It would be a day to try to get rid of all the first aid icons!!

Excellent plan! Statistics could be posted on how many first aid icons were listed before the day and after.

We could probably get rid of a lot of those first aid icons right off the bat by whompin' on some members who continue to use them to tell you to bring along bug spray.

Perhaps we could also have a "Replace a Letterbox Day" when owners are asked to choose their very worst letterbox, pull it, and replace it with a better box. If, one day a year, each owner was to pull their worst box and hide a new box, I'll bet the average quality of the letterboxes out there would skyrocket.

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Of course... who says we have to maintain only our own boxes! =o)

Gee, I was kinda thinking it'd involve maintaining only other people's boxes! Maintaining your own boxes is what you do the other 364 days a year!

On a more pragmatic note, I've got boxes in Maine, California, and Texas -- and I live in Florida. If one of them needs maintenance, I'm not gonna hop a jet to go work on it on that particular day. The whole point of the first aid icon is to ask someone else to please provide a little maintenance when they're in the area. Maintain A Letterbox Day could be exactly that -- do a search of the boxes in your vicinity, see which ones are displaying the first aid icon, and go fix one of them!

Yes, all states get kidded about something.

Contrary to popular belief, we do not ride horses to the store or work in most cities in Oregon, unlike Bonanza. We actually have cars. Admittedly, we may have more pickups per capita than many other states.

One joke that we have in Oregon is that when the wagon trains hit the Pacific Ocean, there was a sign that said Oregon to the right and California to the left. Those that could read went right . . .

KuKu
Who lived in California for 3 years and married a Californian

I'm all over this idea--I think it's a wonderful one!

I'll have to add some code so people can do searches that return only boxes that need first aid and add to the statistics about how many boxes need first aid.

I'll get right on that. =)

-- Ryan

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I'll have to add some code so people can do searches that return only boxes that need first aid and add to the statistics about how many boxes need first aid.

Step 1 will be to clean up the first aid field before the day so it is used properly rather than the ubiquitous "bring bug spray" or whatever so there needs to be a "Maintain the Box Needs Maintained Field before Maintain a Letterbox Day".

Yes, all states get kidded about something.

This could be a thread in itself. :)

Shiloh

I like the thought that my contribution helped out with the numbers of PLBD, but there is no way I would do a box I was not proud of. So hopefully more people think like that too. I like to think of pewople searching for my unique little work of art!
~littlmoon

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The states with the largest new LB listings are...


Washington: 54
New Hampshire: 46
Montana:37
Texas: 34
New York & North Carolina: 28

Wow!

WOOOHOOO Washington:) As I am a PROUD Washingtonian:) I can't say I really helped with the total though, only 1 box.

Thanks Washington LB'ers, most of the new boxes I bet are up the Seattle way, but I was albe to find one of the new boxes that was in my area yesterday:)

Congrats to all the Wonderful LB'ers that planted yesterday;) And THANK YOU as well:)

Trish:)

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This doesn't have anything to do with PAL Day.

I handmade a logbook, planted in a spot for a reason, tooke time to carve a stamp based on original artwork...

That's how it should always be done. PAL Day shouldn't encourage people to whip up crappy boxes, you start carving a box for that day long before and just PLANT it that day.

I'm sure that's what most people do.

this is exactly what i did! i have started carving stamps since i returned from my visist with my brother in Louisiana in April. i had been looking online for sites that looked good for planting. as a matter of fact, 1 of the places i had planned on planting in, wasn;t a good idea to plant at. if i am to be blamed for anything this PAL day, it is not visiting these places first before deciding if it was a good location.

but i do agree with one thing. not everyone will take the time that i have to find a location to plant a box. as a matter of fact, i am heading out saturday or sunday to another location to plant those few boxes i couldn't plant before on PAL day. there is no point letting them sit at my house when someone else can look for them and enjoy the time it took me to carve the stamps.

i am more likely to believe that planters and spending time planning for PAL day than placing the boxes.

david (team new hampshire)
http://teamnewhampshire.blogspot.com

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The states with the largest new LB listings are...


Washington: 54
New Hampshire: 46
Montana:37
Texas: 34
New York & North Carolina: 28

Wow!

it is nice to not see connecticut on this list!

david (team new hampshire)
http://teamnewhampshire.blogspot.com

I vote that we implement a "Maintain a Letterbox" day! Since PAL is at the beginning of summer maybe the Maintain a Letterbox Day could be towards the end of Summer near Labor Day weekend.

A Day to go out and fix all those letterboxes that you've been getting reports on...they are missing or the logbooks are full or the boxes are damaged, the clues have changed. One day to fix all those little nagging problems.

For me Friday WAS Maintain a Letterbox Day I replaced or repackaged Three boxes that had recently been muggled. I can rest easy now! if only for a minute! it really bugged me when they were out of commision!
chadams

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For me Friday WAS Maintain a Letterbox Day...

Actually, it might be a good idea to have Maintain A Letterbox Day just before Plant A Letterbox Day, perhaps the Saturday before. That way people could go out that day and plant some boxes and maintain some boxes all on the same trip. Then they could report the maintenance as soon as they get home, but not list the plants until PAL.

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The states with the largest new LB listings are...


Washington: 54
New Hampshire: 46
Montana:37
Texas: 34
New York & North Carolina: 28

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Wow!

it is nice to not see connecticut on this list!

For years I refused to plant a letterbox in Connecticut. My argument being that they already had plenty of letterboxes and I try to plant boxes far afield in places that NEED letterboxes. (Since I will seldom have the chance to check up on them and maintain them.)

When we had premium member only letterboxes, I broke down and hid a premium member only letterbox in Connecticut to try to drum up AQ support there. So I have one letterbox hidden in Connecticut.

-amanda from seattle

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That's how it should always be done. PAL Day shouldn't encourage people to whip up crappy boxes, you start carving a box for that day long before and just PLANT it that day.

I agree 100%! I planted two on PAL day but was planning LONG for PAL day arrived.

It seems that we need not worry too much about crappy boxes... if you look at the numbers, there were actually more planters but fewer boxes per planter out this year compared to last year. (ok, not by much, but still...)

I honestly do not think that any (serious) letterboxer wants to be known as someone with crappy boxes... We may not all care about having blue diamonds, but for the most part don't we all want out work to be appreciated? I think that thought alone will keep the vast majority of people who bother to plant from planting "crappy" boxes just because it is PAL day.

Ok, not all my boxes are BD material, and not every carving is a masterpiece (nor do I expect them all to be), but I do put a great deal of effort in to ever box... but the effort might be directed to different aspects (carving, location, clues, etc). I hope to someday master all these areas and combine them all into one fantabulous box, but in the meantime, I hope they are all worthy in some way of the finders time =o)

Cheers!
Rhea

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if you look at the numbers, there were actually more planters but fewer boxes per planter out this year compared to last year.

Where can I see this information? I would like to see the stats from that infamous day.

http://www.atlasquest.com/press/plantabox.html

here is the link!

Hey, you ALREADY have PLENTY of AQ support here in CT! Everyone I know is a member!

MW

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I honestly do not think that any (serious) letterboxer wants to be known as someone with crappy boxes.

Hear hear! I definitely agree. I'm embarassed when I come across a letterbox or stamp that was obviously half-assed. Not that I expect all of them to be amazing masterpieces, but it's nice to know that the planter put a little time and thought into what they were doing. I put a lot of time into the 8 boxes that I planted on PAL day, I had started them months ago and made it my goal to finish them by the high holiday of letterboxing. :) And really, when you think about it, what non-serious letterboxer would even know about PAL day anyway? :)

-gollygee

:} absolutly gollygee! i agree!
~littlmoon

Okay, so chalk us up as fulfilling this task yesterday when we found a box that I can only assume has been totally abandoned (since the owners haven't logged in since Sept. 06). The box was devastated, laying in the open, taken totally apart and missing its log book. We replaced the logbook, put in fresh baggies, replaced the box with one that wasn't smashed and rehid. Granted it wasn't the greatest box to begin with, but it was a good hunt for wee ones. And I couldn't just completely trash someone else's box.

Hope

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so chalk us up as fulfilling this task yesterday

You certainly earned your Brownie points with that one :-) Well done hopeinnc. I have just discovered that Boxing Buddies are great for helping you maintain boxes. They give you a reason to go because you can do maintenance and stamp in their sig. stamp whilst you are there.

YT

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Google didn't see CO either - and I know of at least three planted here (I know, I know, nothing in comparison to 31 - but we do our part right Murmur & Front Range Hiker). :)

Good job planting everyone! That is a pretty incredible number!

AGJ

Hey Colorado boxers - great job indeed! Some of us took a very long weekend and just got home from planting in two states - CO (not Denver area, for a change ) plus WY. I managed to plant 3 in CO on PAL day - and I worked half a day before hitting the road:-), with 3 in WY over the rest of the weekend. I'm just way too exhausted and sunburned to type up clues until Memorial Day, so the PAL stats ain't done for the 24th yet ...

There have been some busy CO finders too! Came home to 23 AQ mails!

Stay tuned!
preboxed

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Hey, you ALREADY have PLENTY of AQ support here in CT! Everyone I know is a member!

MW

Oh this was years ago when AQ first started.

-amanda from seattle

Great job! i always take out extra paper towels, baggies and such. All the boxes i found last weekend were totally wet inside with water. Good thing those baggies work. i just put the paper towel in to sop up the wetness while i'm stamping. Wipe around the seal and i know it'll be dry for at least a day. LOL Alaska is not known for being "dry". Kodiak gets an average 3' of rain a year. i'm not complaining, Ketchikan gets 6'!!!!