I have a letterboxing friend - Boxer A - who is temporarily living out of state. Got a message from Boxer B that the vicinity of one of Boxer A's plants had been bulldozed. Since I was the only one logged as a finder for said box, she wanted to know if the box site had possibly been affected, since she had been unable to find the box. I went to check it out.

Yes, the box site had been affected. What was once an old dirt road/trail was now cleared as wide as a street. The box was originally tucked under one downhill away-from-the-trail corner of a boulder about 3-4 feet in diameter behind a couple of smaller rocks. It appeared, from my recollection, that the boulder was a bit farther off the trail than it once was. Now a downed tree lay across the boulder. I didn't have much hope of success, but had brought a shovel anyway and so I began to dig, beginning at that corner of the boulder where I knew the box had once been. Not finding it there, I dug radiating from that point up toward the trail. Still nothing, and I was thinking now the box was under the boulder. No chance of moving that sucker! And I was just about ready to give up.

Just in case my estimate of the boulder's new position was way off base, I kept digging until I was between it and the trail, and under the exposed roots of that up-ended tree. Got about 2 feet down and hit some promising rocks. Mother Lode! There was the box under the SPOR! I couldn't believe my good luck. Assuming that box hadn't moved, that boulder must have been pushed about 4-5 feet further off the trail.

So I take the box home and clean it up. The contents were clean and dry. And I'm inspecting the box - a Lock & Lock about 5x5x3 inches. I had assumed the bulldozer had been angled somewhat and pushed the boulder past the box, but looking at the box, I see that the lid is all scratched up all across. The sides and bottom are pristine, brand new looking. What I believe may have happened is that the boulder was pushed right across the box! Granted it was probably cushioned some by the surrounding dirt, but the L&L survived without a crack. I did a submersion test and the inside remained dry.

What an amazing testimonial for Lock & Locks!

& an amazing testimonial to your dedication to finding that box! WOW!! Great job! =)

- A Bee
who hates to dig

Wow! Where do you get these Lock & Lock containers? How much do they cost?

I got a little Lock & Lock at my local grocery store. It's about 3"x 4" maybe & was $2.50. I know you can get them cheaper than that on.line.

Walmart has a faux L&L too, but it's a sandwich container size & I didn't want that.

They ARE really good boxes!!

Some stores carry them (Walmart used to), but the prices can be ridiculous.
Dixiegraphix has a good variety and the prices are great for the product.
http://www.dixiegraphix.com/shop/letterbox/containers/main.html

I'd also like to know where you get the "original" Lock & Locks. I found recently a couple at Ross Dress For Less here in T Town, but they are really too big, 6" squared and approx, 3 1/2" deep. think I payed $2.99 a piece for them. I will use them, however, since I can't find any others any where. They did have the newer ones but I am leery of them, they don't look as strong and they don't say any longer they have a Lifetime Warranty, either.
I looked online for some, and found some of the smaller size, perfect for HH's but they too don't have the warranty. I'm thinking the company got bought out and the newer people don't make them as well, but have no confirmation of such information, just me guessing. I googled Lock and locks, but it keeps giving me places such as Amazon, or other auction/or what ever those are called places. At one time I had the info for the real thing, the name of the company and a website, but have lost it along the way.

Anyone have that info, and are they still a viable company? With perhaps the originals to purchase?

OD

I have a similar L&L story! I had a little one hiding in a huge stump in a bunch of wild timber behind an old grave yard. Apparently, the powers-the-be decided to enlarge the grave yard an bulldoze the timber. The huge stump (prolly 5 feet across) was SO big, they sawed it into quarters and then shoved the pieces into the brush pile. I went searching my for little box without a lot of hope, but found it under about a foot of soft dirt near where the stump had been moved. Apparently it avoided the chain saw, and then then the stump was being moved, it tumbled to the ground and got shoved under. I'm not sure how I managed to find it because I didn't dig for long. I guess I just felt it "calling"!

& an amazing testimonial to your dedication to finding that box! WOW!! Great job! =)

Nothing any of us out here would not have done for our little letterboxing group. There aren't many of us, but we are loyal!

Other sites for ordering L&L online: http://www.organize.com/lolofostco.html and http://www.heritagemint.com/jump.jsp?itemID=7&itemType=CATEGORY&path=1%2C2%2C7&KickerID=7&KICKER

A very quick look at comparing prices with Dixie's site, I believe hers are less expensive. I'll be checking there next time I need some.

Awesome story! And thank you for being so determined!!

In the midwest we can get Lock and Locks at Meijer
I also don't know about pricing, but I know that QVC.com also carries a WIDE array of them
BB

Take a look at QVC. Last I checked, they had lots of sets, but not many singles. I didn't care for all the sizes I wouldn't use. They also have unwanted extras like cool packs and insulated bags. Good products for food storage, but not for what I needed. They do have a set of 10 mini bowls for a very good price if you like round boxes.

I bought a set from QVC a year or so ago- I ended up not using them for letterboxes because the tabs on the sides of some of the lids were breaking off.

Thanks for the info on these... I'm going to have to check them out...

There is no substitute.

WOW that's a lot of digging!

What an amazing testimonial for a Letterboxer that would go to that much effort to help out a fellow Letterboxer! I hope the positive karma returns to you one day!

Furface

Well, I knew the box was there - some where. It was kind of like a puzzle, you know like deciphering a clue. Sometimes determination is key.

positive karma returns to you one day

LOL! I've already received so much pleasure from this hobby and the folks I have met, both in person and online! Consider it repayment, pay-it-forward, pay-it-in-the middle.......whatever. It's just fun!

A very quick look at comparing prices with Dixie's site, I believe hers are less expensive.

Depends on how many you order at a time. You get free shipping on orders over $100 at Heritage Mint. (Yes, I buy that many L&Ls at a time....)(addiction)

GJ

What an amazing testimonial for Lock & Locks!

Seriously!

And yet, the company will probably never use it for their marketing purposes.....as they consider 'em to be for FOOD storage.... but ya never know..

Awesome story BL. Thanks for sharing.

Heritage Mint Lock and Lock webpage They always have 'em, decent price (see if you can combine ordering with another boxer for the free shipping), and reliable shipping/customer service (unlike some websites around)

pre

Sometimes I get mine from Amazon... they carry a 4 pack of the size I like and if I order 3 packs, I get free shipping. They work out to $2 apiece that way.

However, we have an outlet center near here, and one of the kitchen stores (I really think it's Corningware?) carries them too... in lots of shapes and sizes. Sometimes I zip in there and get them.

The only problem with ordering them from Amazon is that they don't carry the littlest rectangle ones. That's when I do a massive Heritage Mint order. :) Then I don't have any excuses not to plant boxes!

GJ

Thanks for your feed back and all the others too. BL47 appreciate the link to Heritage Mint as I ordered 3 sets of those sandwich sets just today. The round one may be too small but will see when they get here. Two out of three ain't bad. I'm not keen on round ones, but may find I change my mind too. Keen, where in the world did I drag that word up from? Oh, I know, any one remember a model by the name of Kitty Keene? Cartoon, and paper dolls I believe. No, oh, it was Katy Keene. Yes. Showing my age on that name, for sure.

OD

The round one may be too small

If anyone's looking to make logbooks which fit perfectly in the round LnLs:

Here's info discussed before to do just that.

pre

The only problem with ordering them from Amazon is that they don't carry the littlest rectangle ones.

They ship from another vendor, but you can order them from Amazon. Prices are better elsewhere, but if you have some reason to get them through Amazon, it can be done:

http://www.amazon.com/OUNCE-RECTANGLE-LOCK/dp/B00167Z1IM/ref=pd_sim_k_27

The round one may be too small but will see when they get here. Two out of three ain't bad. I'm not keen on round ones, but may find I change my mind too.

I create logbooks with a circular hole punch available from the craft store. It's a 2.25 inch diameter, I believe, that fits the teeny lock-n-lock. I make a stack of circles, then drill a hole in them and put a ring on. Simple.

GJ

Here's info discussed before to do just that.

Yeah. What she said. :)

I use a McGill brand punch, and it's great quality, too.

GJ

That entire thread I linked to above is a really good one on the topic, btw.

round one may be too small

The blue Marvy circle punch make perfect logbooks for the little round one. Once you start thinking round you'll be surprised what fun it is to carve roundness.

deniserows
round and round

Reading back through some of Pre's posts I ran across the question I formed a while back about the round lock n locks and found your answer to me..here..

round one may be too small
The blue Marvy circle punch make perfect logbooks for the little round one. Once you start thinking round you'll be surprised what fun it is to carve roundness.
deniserows
round and round

Another question, if I may, do you use some sort of zippy in those too? And is there an easier way to punch those holes than doing them one or two at a time with a standard hole punch?
thanks,
OD

And is there an easier way to punch those holes than doing them one or two at a time with a standard hole punch?

You have two options that I can think of off the top of my head... any office supply store like Staples, Office Max, etc. should be able to drill a hole for you. Probably not the most economical solution, however. I happened to catch a Big Bite on clearance for $10 at my Wal Mart when they were remodeling. It will punch through several pieces of paper without breaking a sweat. Use a 40% off coupon at Michaels, JoAnn, or Hobby Lobby.