This message board is open for business! Enjoy!

Just wanted to welcome everyone to LbLA. My trail name is Boxdn (Boxed In) after my families dairy farm brand and Ranch name. I learned about Lbing by accident while searching the web for trails in NC; back in Dec. 2000. I came along just in time to help the cause at the time of have at least one box in every state before the end of 2000. The original stamp for LA, Rails to Trails, is still alive and the first MS box has been replaced in the original area. As the ambassador to the Big Easy please drop me a note if you'll be in Nawlin's and we'll pass a good time, yeah.

Boxdn

I learned about Lbing by accident while searching the web for trails in NC; back in Dec. 2000

Wow! I had no idea you were such an old-timer in the hobby! =) There aren't too many people left who pre-date my entry into letterboxing, and I'm always surprised when I learn of someone only recently even though they've been doing it longer than I have.

Gosh, it must have been lonely in Louisiana all this time with so few other letterboxers. Looks like it's been picking up quite a bit in the last year or so, but still a long way off compared to other parts of the country. Hope things start picking up for you soon!

-- Ryan

Yes indeed. Like being stranded on an island but can see all the fun going on around. Every once in awhile someone would visit and bring a gift for me. (Thanks for Cancer Corner, it eluded me three times till I found it. ) I have my reasons Lbn' took soo long to kick off down here but things wil be getting better.

Boxdn

Like being stranded on an island but can see all the fun going on around.

Can't be any worse than being stranded in, oh, Kansas, perhaps? ;o)

Wes: we tease because we love.... =) Not that I really think a Kansas boy will waste his time reading the Louisiana board!

But back to the subject at hand....I know there's a lot of people who like to keep letterboxing hush-hush, but have you considered trying to talk a local paper or two into writing an article about letterboxing? For those places not graced with hundreds of letterboxes, it's one way to take matters into your own hands! And if you've planted a good dozen or so in the area that the newspaper covers, hopefully it'll hook at least a handful of people and get some more action going.

-- Ryan

The much anticipated Nov.6 Hike is nearing so I think its time to
nail down the details. Please give your input.

Event: Nov. Group Hike
Date: Nov.6, 2004
Time: 9:00 am
Place: Mary Ann Brown Nature Preserve
Info: Meet at the trail head and hike the main trail (1.13mile)
and allow those who haven't stamp in do so. Then gather at the
pavillion to discuss carving.
Directions: From Baton Rouge take US 61 north. just before St.
Francisville take LA 965 east and drive 5.5 miles and the trail head
is on the left.
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Time: Noonish
Place: Clark Creek Natural Area
Info: Meet at the trail head and hike the improved trail(1.78
mile) down to the water falls. Then hiking the primitive trail
(2.6mile) back up. C.C. is physically demanding and alot like a
mountain trail. Please come prepared; hiking boots, staff, water,
trail mix,and log book and clues.
Directions: 3 miles north of St. Fancisville on US 61 turn left on
LA 66 continue for 12 miles then turn right on Hwy 969. 7 more
miles and the Pond store will be on the left up a hill. Follow road
in front of it to the trail head on the left.

Boxdn

I will be at Clark Creek by noon. Please wait for me.


Jim D.

The Abita Box was replaced this afternoon!

I verified that this box is missing.

On a happy note, I found Dixie Beer, which was real close to where the mystery box used to be. I also found Fort St. John.

Jim D.

I finally got a new one planted today! Its near Abita Springs.

The clues to the Kentucky quarter have been posted on both AQ and LbNA.

Boxdn

In one short week we'll be launching on our trek for the Big Easy. Can't wait!!!

dvn2r ckr

Laissez Les Bon Temp Rouller

Don't be a coo-yon, Come pass a good time chere

I'm heading to N'awlins on Saturday for my yearly pilgrimage. This will be my first year letterboxing there and I plan to plant 2 boxes: Lafitte's Treasure and Nelson the Nutria. Both will likely be planted on the West Bank. Not exactly sure when I'm going out boxing...looks like probably either Sunday or Monday.

--Armadillo Jo

omg you said cooyon. (Mais, I'm so haunt, me) I have to call my brother in Dallas. This beats hearing "You do what you can...and keep on trucking" on the CB two weeks ago after we all passed a fatality outside West Memphis.

Oh, that reminds me of the joke about learning to count in school where the teacher said, "Now, say ONE" and we all dutifully said, "ONE" and then the teacher said, "Say TWO" and we all left. (C'est tout)

Thanks for all you Cajun comments! I'm not kidding when I say you're making me homesick...yes yes I keep looking at that crayfish boil. But if you start talking Blacks in Abbeville, Fishing off the docks in Delcambre, and the real Mulates in Breaux Bridge, I'm gonna bawl like a little one. Or jones for a poboy at Charlies Deli in Metairie.

Y'all have fun in the BIG EASY and be safe, you travellers.

N'awlins was AWESOME!!! As usual! We had a blast in and around the city--exploring food joints, parades, letterboxes, a couple geocaches & the bayous to boot. LOTS to discuss--but....need....sleep.....first! We had some pretty funny experiences along the way--ranging from snake standoffs (we won!!!) to crayfish hunters & gator avoidance. Cool! Definitely not things we experience in and around the Seattle area. ;)

I'll post more in a little bit!

Thanks for the awesome letterboxing scene in Southeast Louisiana (and the little section of Mississippi we visited, too)!

dvn2r ckr
Steilacoom, WA

Wonder how Jean Lafitte did it back then? When we set out in quest of Lafitte’s Treasure we happened upon a not so happy resident of the snag in which Lafitte’s Treasure resided. We gazed within and noticed a juvenile snake guarding the treasure. Had his home not been so snug we would have gingerly reached in to retrieve our prize, but it was a wee bit tight so we hesitated. Hesitating just long enough to notice junior’s parent aggressively guarding the snag from the outside. The snake slithered from side to side tightly hugging the base of the tree. We attempted a feint, distracting it from one side hoping it would wander off to the other side—but each time we distracted it regardless of which side, it simply slithered off to the other side—ever hugging the base of the tree. Very protective! That’s when we realized it must have been a nest.


Never before have we encountered such a protective ‘ribbon snake’ in the wild. So, we had to come up with an alternative approach to retrieving Lafitte’s Treasure. Eventually the ‘approved solution’ proved to be retrieving the small letterbox using two 2-1/2’loblolly pine tree sticks ‘chopstick’ style. How funny I must have looked to the passersby who had nary an idea what I was doing. After many frustrating failed attempts, I eventually succeeded in snaring the letterbox with my ‘chopsticks’ AND retrieving it without the adult snake striking in the process. We wandered off with our well-earned prize and stamped in off site.

...

After our hour long trek through the bayou, we headed back to Lafitte’s Treasure hidey-hole hoping that our ‘resident sentries’ would have departed for less ‘disturbed’ quarters and we would be able to easily return the prize to the hidey-hole. We quietly walked up to the snag hoping to replant the box without difficulty but soon realized that ‘mama’ or ‘papa’ snake was no longer just defending the base of the tree but rather INSIDE the tree, with his head perched about 1’ just at the level of the opening of the snag—armed and ready to take on any future ‘disturbers’. Not wanting to raise the stakes (or the 'snakes' for that matter), we came up with an alternate retrieval option for future visitors (with the blessings of Armadillo Jo, himself).

Run, don't walk, to find THESE letterboxes!!! Thanks Armadillo Jo for a uniquely Louisianan (ap?) visit through the bayous!!!

dvn2r ckr
Steilacoom, WA

May Katrina pass over all of you quickly, quietly and without incident!!! We are praying for your safety in the wake of this harrowing storm seemingly headed in your direction. Stay safe & keep us posted on your status!!!

May God bless you and protect you during this time!!!

dvn2r ckr
Steilacoom, WA

Hello Everyone,

Just taking a minute to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. As far as I know by reading different lists that all of our LA, MS boxers are ok, but Sunspyder is still unaccounted for. He lives in Hattisburg, MS and doesn't check his email much I'll keep trying and update yall when I know something.

Ryan, I'm not sure if you did an update on the site sice the last time I logged on or if it is the computer I'm on but it looks great Bro. You had saidyou would like to help down here but don't think there is a demand for computer geeks. Well I wish they had someone as talented as you down here cause the data bases they have for fiding lost families, and desater relief really sucks. I've been trying all night to apply for FEMA relief and after filling out five pages of forms the website times out do to the number of appicants. They must have only one server trying to help the hundred's of thoundsands of displaced people "shakinging head".

I think it's great that you are donating prem. membership for the month of sept. to help out. For anyone donating money please make sure that it is going to a real charity and also make sure you note on the check or money order "Katrina desaster" if not they can use the money for what ever they want. If you don't have money to spare then dig through the closests and donate old clothes, toys, or anything.

Thank you all again,
Boxdn the Boxing Nut of ???????

Wow, I think this is the first post on AQ to make it to Mark and Sue Pepe's website! =) Is that picture really of YOU, Boxdn?! You look--so normal, I guess. Seems like you should have been more peanut-looking in my mind. ;o) But seriously, that's the first time I've seen a picture of you. Fascinating seeing what someone looks like for the first time after writing them for so long. =)

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I'm not sure if you did an update on the site sice the last time I logged on or if it is the computer I'm on but it looks great Bro.

Hmm.... Not sure. I don't think I've done any major updates since you last logged in. Mostly minor fixes and updates that are hardly noticeable.

Quote

They must have only one server trying to help the hundred's of thoundsands of displaced people "shakinging head".

I guess that's not really too surprising, to tell you the truth. Unless they were preparing for such a disaster (and based on the response to it, I don't think they were!), I'm thinking they never imagined so many people would be using their servers during such a short time span. If they were smart, though, they'd have had plans in place to handle a sudden surge of people in case of emergency since emergencies do happen!

I kind of worry what would happen if, heaven forbid, the USA Today (as an example) wrote an article about letterboxing and provided links to LbNA or AQ for people to check out more. Something where thousands of new people might try logging in unexpectedly. Because, frankly, I'm not sure how many people it would take to bring down the websites!

AQ is a little better off than LbNA--I have options to upgrade the account for AQ if necessary and could double or triple the available bandwidth and processor time within hours. (Cost a lot to do that, however, so I'd rather not!) Being on a server with only a few other websites helps significantly as well. But I do worry about what might happen if a sudden surge of people suddenly started using the sites--a surge the likes we've never seen before. And since LbNA is the authority on letterboxing, AQ tends to get overlooked in most news articles, and therefore is less likely to be affected.

It is tricky, though. You don't want to spend unnecessary money for equipment you don't need, but you need plans in place to handle a sudden surge of demand. Sounds like FEMA failed on that last part!

Glad to hear you're doing well, in any case. =) All things considered, I bet a lot of people wish their biggest problems were trying to file a claim on the FEMA website. I'm SOOO happy that's the biggest gripe that you have. =)

-- Ryan

Yes, that really is BoxdN! There are more photos of him on the LBSE Yahoo group if you're curious.

Amyrica

Hey,

I got a very welcome surprise today regarding one of our letterboxes in New Orleans--

Charles' Jazzy STreetcar Letterbox is alive & well!

So, for any New Orleans area letterboxers who may be interested (I can imagine you've got totally different things on your mind these days--but if you ever need a break), we now know that 2 of our 4 New Orleans LBs are still there--the other one being Supra Orleans. Still no word on our La Nouvelle Orleans or Creole Crawdaddy Letterboxes but of the 4 we planted the past couple of years--Charles' Jazzy STreetcar was likely the most vulnerable & it weathered the storm. The other 2 are on higher, more protected ground--just not sure if their 'inner bags' protected them from the elements.

Enjoy!

daelphinus

Cool!

I am so glad to hear that it survived.
I've said it before, but some may not know. My husband and I spent our honeymoon 'boxing from Tallahassee to Baton Rouge. We were there only 2 weeks before Katrina hit. It was very hard for me to watch the devistation of N.O.; a city that held such special memories for me.
I hope the other boxes we visited are safe and sound as well.

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Charles' Jazzy STreetcar Letterbox is alive & well!

Man, I wish I would have known that when I was there in November (it was great weather for hunting boxes then!!) However, I was pretty distracted witnessing all the destruction that has taken place... :-(

Hopefully, it will still be there the next time I breeze through town.

Thanks for the info, my friend!
~SHH :-)

Hello,
I just joined this week-found out about letterboxing through an article in a home school newsletter...Jumped up and found my first box the same day...LOVE IT!!! I'm hooked! As a newbe, I would love and welcome any suggestions and encouragement that a fellow Louisianaian would have to offer.
I am very interested in maybe placing a few boxes in NW Louisiana... there don't seem to be very many and several are missing. I do have a few ideas, just need a little help getting jump started.
look'n for places to look :-)
-TPL

Not sure how many boxers are currently active in Louisiana, particularly in your area, but there's an active group in East Texas, spearheaded by the den mother of Texas boxing Barefoot Lucy. You're always welcome to join us on the Texas list for chat and info.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letterboxingtexas/

You may have to get the party started in your section of the state.

DB

Hi, TPL! I recently traveled through southern LA (visiting w/hubby's family) and found +/- 7 LBs in the area. A "must see" is the Mighty Oak in Lafayette!! The box is a bonus after seeing such a magnificent tree! Good luck and if you get boxes planted in the NW LA area, we will look for them next time we are traveling through to visit family in LA & TX.

TexasRaggedy

I had gotten a report that our Abita beer box was missing, so we made the great sacrifice and stopped by the brewery today on our way through.

The box was exactly where we left it a year ago, but the surrounding landscape had changed thanks to Katrina. They also have closed the area of the park where the box is. I retrieved it and replaced it in another spot--

in the little triangle park across from the brewery. From the Abita Springs Park sign, follow the sidewalk parallel with the Trace. About 2/3 of the way down the sidewalk, look to your right and see a cluster of four large trees and a few small ones. The mini box is tucked in next to the small tree exactly in the middle of the cluster. This area is busy, so use your discretion and wait for a good moment to retrieve.

Hello friends and family. I'm still around but haven't been in a boxing frame of mind. I desided to check one of my boxes "One in hole A". The whole area was gone no landmarks no "trees" nothing nada nilch. If the tree wasn't up rooted the top had blown off and now was dieing. After spending an hour or so feeling like an ant clawling over a pile of "Pick Up Sticks" I marked this one as missing. I just finished marking all my LbNA boxes as missing and have already changed the status of AQ boxes (one and the same). This fall I plan on searching for all my boxes and the ones I find may be relocated and the ones I don't find will, one day, be racarved and replanted. Internet is still not available to me, not that it's not around it's just not high on my priorties and sadly niether is letterboxing. I miss you guys and wish I could have been at Stone Mnt. 06' I hear the Planters poeple were there looking for their biggest "Nut". Well until I can get online again, Bye

Boxdn
The Nut of SE Louisiana

Great news! Got confirmation that all 4 of our New Orleans area letterboxes are alive & well! Much thanks to Boxdn for checking on the last 'pesky' box of ours that eluded most folks the last year and a half. It, too, is alive & well although the clues may need to change a bit due to potentially missing landmarks? Anyways, there are still some boxes out & about in the area and they're not terribly far from the French Quarter--for anybody headed that way.

Enjoy!

daelphinus