I LOVE ALL the PLB's that I have had the honor of getting but there are some that will always stick out in my mind.I would like to know if there are anymore PLBers that have a "special" box that they got last year and why it was so special. This is a 3 way tie for me not in any order they are
1. Lollipop seeds : For the great "trick" that I will never forget.
2. Ribbons & Bows : For the outstanding logbook.
3. Leftovers : For the great use and AWESOME talent for the logbook.

I will always feel special when I look at all of the stamps and also remember the AWESOME logbooks. Thank you one and all for letting me join in on the PLB's and I can't wait to see all of the ones to come in 2007.

Your friend in LBing,
Kim

i had meant letterboxers will take over the world- all of us in general....he he he and ryan would be our president.

and no no evil laugh, just plotting and the tapping together of fingertips in a devious way :)

well im new to letterboxing, and have only recieved a few postals so far- but by far my first was my favorite.
it was teacups zebra from the zookeepers ring- and it was so cute the package was adorable, and then i was soo excited about recieving my first that i made the "horsey" do "horsey things" and prance and talk to its stamped image on the logbook.
i reverted back to my two year-old self and it was a blast :)

kitten without mittens

I frequently letterbox with my granddaughters - aged 4 and 6 - and I have taken them into cemeteries. They are well behaved children and stick close to me. We check out all the artwork that is in the cemeteries and I've never had them ask a question I felt uncomfortable answering. I have been fascinated by the art and history or the cemeteries all of my life and I guess I want to share that with them.

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Conversely, if the kids are taught how to make decisions for themselves and to control their own behavior,...

But what happens if the kids are "taught" these things by their parents, then make their own decisions and choose not to "learn" the lessons their parent taught. Is it still the parents fault?

It's a catch 22.

Okay, now I think I need a new backpack for my trail stuff.

Can anybody recommend one that opens up flat so you can see all your stuff at once without having to dig through the bag? Obviously, it also has to be comfortable to carry.

Thanks!

-Murray7

I would have to say my favorite PLB of 2006 was "Super Yard Sale".
It was a great collections of stamps started by So Hill Hendersons and added to by the stamper at each stop. There were so many nice stamps by some of the best carvers. I wish I could see the whole collection once it has made all of its stops!

The bridge box is worth the search! We found it during our Christmas trip home. Nice stamp and fun clues.

The new bridge was officially opened to traffic on the 30th of December. :-) We hope to go down soon and drive across it.

--The Thompson Twins

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Can anybody recommend one that opens up flat so you can see all your stuff at once without having to dig through the bag? Obviously, it also has to be comfortable to carry.

My husband bought me one for Christmas. He got it at Michales. It is a scrapbooking bag. It has zippered pockets inside to hold everything and a plastic pocket that is held in by velcro (great for clues.) It opens out flat and has a shoulder stap that I carry sash style. Its very comfortable, but I can get all of my stuff and my two childrens, The only thing I can't get in there is water bottles. So I'm thinking of getting like a water belt.

Alaska HSM

Do they play sports out west??!??!???!!!??!!?? huh, I'll be.

-Wink

I'm happy to inform anyone interested that the family is currently out changing up the holiday stamps for the new year. The Christmas ones will be retired for now. Smith St. will be covering the holidays for Jan, Feb, and Mar.(Less Boxers in the winter plus not enough time between holidays.) and the HHH Hostel will be changed right over to Valentine's Day theme stamp. Hopefully this gives everyone a better chance of checking them out.
-the happy gemin, shoebee, the LB Brat, and the Ferg

P.S. Smith St will have a new box added somewhere in the series so be sure to check the new clues after I get them updated later. Hope everyone had a safe New Year.

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But what happens if the kids are "taught" these things by their parents, then make their own decisions and choose not to "learn" the lessons their parent taught. Is it still the parents fault?

"Lessee. I'm considering taking up smoking, a filthy, disgusting habit that will cost me hundreds of dollars per year, ruin my health, offend most of the people around me, make me about as appealing to the opposite sex as a dirty ash tray, and I'll be horribly addicted for life. Yeah, that sounds good to me."

If your kid makes this decision, he is clearly retarded. His brains just don't work. Yeah, you could say that's the parents' fault for bad genes, but really, there's nobody to blame for mental retardation, it's just bad luck.

I know lots of you out there want to try to rationalize this in any of several ways, but really the issue is pretty simple. There are many decisions out there that are absurdly easy, such as whether or not to take up smoking. It's simply not possible to make any sort of rational decision to take up smoking, and hasn't been for 40 years at least. So, by definition, we're talking about irrational behavior. And like it or not, somebody is at fault for irrational behavior -- IMHO, usually the parents for failing to teach their children to think rationally.

-- Kirbert

There are so many good PLBs I've had it's hard to choose, but 2 really great ones are by Beelenz-Tinkermit. They are from The Late Greats ring, John Lennon and Albert Einstein. I hope I can become half as good a carver as she is. Another good one is Watermelon Seeds from the Pranks Parents Play on Children ring by Nitro Cat and Kittens. It was a great stamp of a watermelon and she enclosed a picture of herself when she was expecting. What a fun postal. I've truly enjoyed all the postals I have received. I'm looking forward to many more.

Hales Angels

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I'm considering taking up smoking, a filthy, disgusting habit that will cost me hundreds of dollars per year, ruin my health, offend most of the people around me

But that's not the decision most kids are making. For them it's "I'm considering taking up smoking, which will make me look 'cool' and get me friends in the 'in crowd.' " They feel like they're invulnerable, so the health aspects don't apply to them, and fitting in is the most important thing in the world to them. Plus, at that point in their lives, annoying their parents would be seen as a plus, too. Their brains aren't done growing and maturing yet, so they sometimes make stupid decisions for stupid reasons.

DebBee

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IMHO, usually the parents for failing to teach their children to think rationally.

I know a set of twins where one boy grew up to be a doctor and the other boy is in jail.

I suppose the parents went out of their way to "teach" one son to make smart choices and completely neglected the other.

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"Lessee. I'm considering taking up smoking, a filthy, disgusting habit that will cost me hundreds of dollars per year, ruin my health, offend most of the people around me, make me about as appealing to the opposite sex as a dirty ash tray, and I'll be horribly addicted for life. Yeah, that sounds good to me."

If your kid makes this decision, he is clearly retarded. His brains just don't work. Yeah, you could say that's the parents' fault for bad genes, but really, there's nobody to blame for mental retardation, it's just bad luck.

I'm not even going to touch that one. I'm sure there are enough other's to do it.

Hey, I've found that box they're holding in the picture. But it was summer when I was there. How funny to see the same box surrounded by snow!

DebBee

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Lessee. I'm considering taking up smoking, a filthy, disgusting habit that will cost me hundreds of dollars per year, ruin my health, offend most of the people around me, make me about as appealing to the opposite sex as a dirty ash tray, and I'll be horribly addicted for life. Yeah, that sounds good to me."

If your kid makes this decision, he is clearly retarded. His brains just don't work.

Apparently, I'm retarded....

News to me, my parents, my high school - which awarded me a diploma, my college - which awarded me a bachelors and masters degree, the state agencies that tested and awarded me certification in two separate teaching fields, and the people who have hired me to educate others' children.

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read the birth and death years, and see how old they were when they died. is that weird?

Heck, on. I think that's probably the initial reaction of anyone looking at a gravestone. It is for me, anyway, after reading the epitaph. I just love old cemeteries.

Pied Piper

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I'd have preferred it if they'd been facing the camera, but I couldn't exactly call out instructions to them!

It is a very artistic photo, and I think that having them not facing the camera really makes this shot. It is very well done. Congrats.

Mystic Dreamer

As Stacy of Nitrocat and Kittens said, they're driving a lawn mower over them all the time. And another thing you should consider is that in some of the oldest cemeteries, the grave markers have actually been moved from their original locations over the graves because they weren't planted in an "orderly" fashion. So in some cases, there is really no way to tell where the actual grave is anyway.

I found this out while living in Boston when I took the "Ghost and Graveyard" trolley tour one year. The tour was intentionally a little cheesy, but we did learn some interesting things--including one fact which helped me to figure out the location of a mystery box. Unfortunately, I moved before I could get that box, but it is on my list of must-get-at-some-point.

Pied Piper

If your kid makes this decision, he is clearly retarded. His brains just don't work. Yeah, you could say that's the parents' fault for bad genes, but really, there's nobody to blame for mental retardation, it's just bad luck.


Please don't bring mental retardation into this discussion. And yes, there can be somebody to blame for mental retardation such as in the cases of fetal alcohol syndrome.

What you are talking about is teens making bad choices in spite of being taught all the good and moral values. That has been occuring as long as there have been people and recorded history. Think of all those kids who drink and drive and kill themselves or somebody else.......think their parents taught them to do that....or that those were conscious decisions to kill or maim?......or were they just bad decisions with horrible consequences? Please remember when you were a teen and a corner of your soul told you that you were bullet-proof and invincible.

However, you must admit that there are some parents who teach their kids very little. While it is not limited to a specific population, there are an inordinate number of kids who come from 1 parent homes where nobody has a JOB. You can't teach or model self-respect when you have none yourself.

Stepping off my soapbox again!
z

The "Forward Observer" bag you mention sounds intriguing. I'm going to have to go see what it's like--I love bags that have been thought out in terms of "What would the person who does this job need to carry?" Thanks for that suggestion.

My favorite reason for using this bag is this one:

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1. It's Army green and doesn't show dirt

You can't say enough about something that doesn't show dirt! I wish that my fingernails could manage it, but it seems like they get dirty anyway, even though I always wear gloves.

Pied Piper

Hey
Today we did a drive by, we were by the two trunked tree, had the box in our hands, in the car. We were just packing it back up and getting ready to put it back and we saw a car drive in to the other side of the lot. We watched for a second, could see the paper in hand, figured it to be a boxer. They drove around back behind where we were parked. We sat there and panicked...what do we do....Finally my husband put the box back and went over to the car and asked which way was north. And she knew the answer!! So we laughed and she drove her car next to ours, and we did an exchange....hi BibliochickMS!!

My question is ....what were we supposed to have done...it was kind of silly to hide the box right in front of her, but to sit there with it didnt seem right either. I could have handed it right to her, but that would have been lame. I didnt really want to drive off with it and come back later....

Were we supposed to drive somewhere else to do the stamping in? I thought the point of the driveby was that you could do it right there in the car.

So what would the experts have done in this situation?

Crazyoli

Maybe this discussion is best left behind in 2006.

I think you guys did the right thing. Chances are small that someone else is going to drive up to a literal drive-by at exactly the same time you do. I do not think it is necessary to drive away when the box is that close to the parking space--in fact, I think your car is a good way to cover up your activities from noxers driving by the area. So, I say you did a good job! Fun to have the exchange too. :-)

Happy New Year,
Amyrica

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i planted my first hand-carved series today and in lieu of a ff prize, i launched my first hitchhiker in box 1. are you as excited as i am?

Very cool! Great way to start the new year!!

I had some boxers come visit my "our Farm" series!! But other than that, I resisted temptation to go boxing, and cleaned house, worked on a project for my son's school and helped hubby with some farm work. Not very exciting, but necessary...

Mama Fox

I agree with Amyrica, I think you did great. The ONLY thing I might have done differently, depending on the situation of course, would be to talk to the other driver first--before replacing the box. That way, if they were not a letterboxer, you could just wait them out, and then hide the box after they were out of sight.

NOT that I claim to be an expert. Just by saying that, you've made it very hard for anyone to answer your question--who wants that kind of responsibility? :-)

Pied Piper

I have a stamp and log that has previously been a traditional box - I sent it to the Great Book Event in TX, and got it back. I really love this stamp - generally, I can "let go" of a stamp to plant it, or mail it off, but I'm sorta attached to this one.

Rather than let it sit around gather dust, I was thinking of taking it to events with me, and just having it sit around if anyone wants to stamp in. It's not technically an event stamp in that it wasn't made for an event, and doesn't have anything to do with an event, but what is it if I bring it to an event??

Does this make sense? Is this done? Is it a tacky breach of etiquette? Should I just let the stamp gather dust??

It's similar to another PT that I have, and I already have two, hate to have another one......but I could, I guess.......

Thinking out loud ;-)) Feedback would be appreciated!

Mama Fox

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I know a set of twins where one boy grew up to be a doctor and the other boy is in jail.

I suppose the parents went out of their way to "teach" one son to make smart choices and completely neglected the other.

Awwww, geeee. That's not fair to say at all!

Give the doctor some time, yet.

Lots of them end up in jail.

Or maybe the parents only taught the one twin how *not* to get *caught*!

MisterSnarky (Oh, please, don't call me "Mister"

I don't see why you can't just make this a personal traveler. I've seen lots of event stamps reappear as traditional letterbox stamps, and no one seems to mind. Personally, I think that when you've got a good stamp, the more people who get to see it, the better! So from a finder's perspective I say, yeah, make it a traveler. And if I ever attend an event at which you are present, I'll ask to see that stamp.

You could also turn it into a postal after it's been a traveler for a while. That way, even MORE people can get a crack at it!

Don't let those old stamps die!

Pied Piper