Never thought of the diabetic strip containers. I can get any number of those things. Thanks for the idea!

I planted 5 boxes on PAL Day, with only a pair of finders on one box. Today I got notice of a find on another box from a brand new boxer! Their 6th box, all found in about a week. That's a surprise.

Yay! Just a little patience is all it took. Took a quick count of my plants w/ and w/o finds. 35 boxes out of 135 (not counting 10 traditional “event” boxes”) or 26% of my plants have never been attempted. Some of them I though may never get found since they are in extreme remote areas (though I do get surprise find notices on some of these occasionally) to ones right near other boxes or even boxers that do not get found. Just enjoy the hobby and do it for yourself.

With the disastrous flooding in NC, I imagine many boxes will be lost forever. Is there any news from folks living there? Such a tragedy. It is hard to watch the news.

I've heard from many boxers, those I've heard from are fine. Everyone in the Raleigh area I believe is fine.

I'm positive we've lost a lot of boxes. Of my own boxes I know of 9 at one site where looking at the flooding map there might be 3 left. I have my HHH on I-95 south outside Fayetteville that had floated a few trees away after Matthew, but the water got higher this time. I'm hoping to check on that when I can get down there. And I know of one I put in a graveyard that was feet from the flooding stage after Matthew, and I'm sure is in the creek now. Matthew was supposed to be historic flooding and none of these were planted in areas that were supposed to flood again for decades:( I also have 3 in New Bern and 1 in Wilmington that I'm sure are gone.

In the end, I'm sad that these boxes are likely missing (and who knows where they've ended up..feet away? Down the river? In the ocean!??!!) but as long as the people are ok....we can replant!

There are a lot of people in the region who JUST rebuilt after Matthew and are facing the same thing again, barely 2 years later. I don't know if there are any letterboxers dealing with that part, but surely we all have neighbors and friends affected :(

So happy to hear you are ok my friend! You are right, boxes can be replaced, people cant.

Fortunately, it appears there are not many boxes/boxers in the area. We went to Kinston, NC on vacation in July. Boxes in the area were slim pickins. We planted a box while we were there and it took a while to be found, by people passing thru on their way to the beach.

But very thankful to hear that folks are ok <3

I imagine our Venus flytrap box in Wilmington is gone and it is 15 years old. But our sister who lives there is safe and had very little damage. Her sister in law wasn’t as lucky and has major damage to her house. Unrelated to the storm she also lost her fiancée. We love Wilmington and are thinking of all of the residents.

I'll have to run by and check on your Venus flytrap the next time I am down. It's near my brother-in-laws house.

My relatives at the beach fared pretty well with just minor issues. They are all in the Shallotte/Ocean Isle Beach area between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach.
I know that my sister's box in Calabash is safe (in a restaurant) and my box at my parents house is fine (off the ground). My other box in the area was temporarily inaccessible due to construction, so I don't know when I will be able to check on it to see if it still there or not.

I replaced this missing letterbox today. I put it in a more secure container in a much better spot, so hopefully it will last this time. If you've already planned a future letterboxing trip along Rt 66 in MO and KS, you may need to print or save this updated clue.

Boys Favorites #279964 ...Dixie has been re-carved and re-planted today. These boxes are quick finds if you will be traveling along I-20 heading to L&B. There are other boxes planted here also.

I visited Family in VA for Thanksgiving and we went to Williamsburg (I had never been) to see the historical colonial recreation of the original Capitol of Virginia and I noticed a short walk from this area was a cemetery that had 3 Safari Man stamps in it (originally a series of 5 but one was retired and the other was unknown with 4 people in a row not locating it). I got to the cemetery and decided to look for the strikeout stamp anyway. I found the black pouch on the ground beneath the tree it was supposed to be in but there were no contents inside the bag. I saw some empty beer bottles in the area and thought the nearby college kids must’ve found it and perhaps taken it. I was a bit bummed, but still searched the area to see if I could save a Safari Man stamp... just as I was giving up, I started to walk away and I said “I wish I could find this Safari Man stamp” and I looked down, and right by my feet, 20 feet from the pouch, there I found the stamp! I was quite excited to find a limited edition Safari Man stamp that was reported as missing!

So excited that the series that had 3/5 stamps now has 4/5 stamps! I think Glenn was there with me - I thanked him for his help. The other stamps were all where they were supposed to be and in great condition. Today was a great day. Miss you Safari man but thank you for all of your adventures and stamps! I can still see his smile and and remember his fun spirit and kindness toward all. Safari Man Is still making me smile even 5 years after his passing. He will not be forgotten. I look forward to finding more of his Letterboxes...

That is a fabulous story to share, Chill E!

I'd click the Awesome! button if there was one. I looked for that series last year, and I believe I was the first person not to find box #2 (I ended up bringing a tick back to our hotel room for my efforts). I never had the pleasure of meeting Glenn, but every Safari Man carve I find is precious. I'm sure he was there with you when you were looking for this one.

I'm so glad you found this stamp, and like Angel Winks said, thanks for sharing!

E-

Went thru a LOT of drama last week....pretty sure Glenn was up there laughing!!

So glad YOU found that stamp/series!!

Hugs!!

Heart warming! Glad you could rescue the stamp in his honor! And on a Thanksgiving trip none-the-less! :)

make sure you buy a lottery ticket today! you are very lucky!

Great story, thanks for sharing.

Yes, thank you for sharing. I only met him once, but he was a true pleasure to meet.

I'm about to plant my first box using velcro. Is there a best way of doing this? Does it matter which side of the velcro goes on the box?

In my experience, the method of attachment is more important. The adhesive of Velcro will not last long especially at extremes of temperature. I’ve used small tack nails (if your surfaces permit it) to secure the ends of both sides of the Velcro.

Warrior Woman
avoids Velcro on metal

If you are planting where you get freezing weather, you won't be able to get the box free. The velcro gets water in it and then freezes. I found a box here in NY and when I went to pull the box free the velcro ripped away from the bottom of the bench, but was still attached to the box. I now had a box that wouldn't reattach to the bottom of the bench, so I hid it in the woods nearby and notified the planter.

If you are making a cammo bag type of letterbox, use the soft part on the area where you zip it closed. It is rough to seal the bag with the hard part.

That's so awesome! I'm glad you were able to find it! I met Safari Man a couple times, such a great guy! Definitely missed!

Thanks, everyone, for the advice. My box is a small tin, but I'm hoping to plant on a wooden surface, so I'm going to try tacking/nailing it down. I wouldn't have thought of that, but it's a great tip.

Of course, like many, my first few carves were not any where near as detailed as they are now, and I wanted some advice on something. I am going to carve a new version of the original stamp to show the difference time and practice has on carving skills, and I wanted to know if I should post it as another box like a series would be or not? I also was wondering if I should make it a new box along the same trail or if I should put it in the same box as the old one? Maybe I should just replace the old one?

What would you you guys do?

Why don't you set up a vote using the buttons, like, educational, etc.

I think I'd probably keep the original stamp along with the new carve, and note in the clue they're both there so no one thinks one is a hitchhiker and removes it.

I like the idea of a second box for a series, but I would state in the clue that the second is a recarve. I love to see the progress carvers have made.

Basketcase!

I think that I would make it a new box along the same trail and perhaps add it as a series with the first and title it something like " take 2" or "second time around"
Good luck with your decision!
WW52