A Long Silence

I used to write a blog nearly every day. What happened two years ago to let me stop so abruptly? I say, many things. The most likely cause was my OCD tendencies. When I get interested in something, I spend most of my energy working on that. The problem with this is sometimes something else captures my interest. It does not mean, necessarily, that the new interest trumps the old one(s), It just means that by nature of the beast, I start the cycle of spending most of my energy working on the newest one.
About the same time as I stopped blogging, I discover, I also quit Letterboxing. Now, I still like all that drew me into the later hobby. So what is going on here. Maybe it is that while I was running out of topics to write about for my blog, I was also working hard to secure my future retirement. It was quite a rude thing to discover myself fired from a job that I had been employed at for eighteen years. At times I liked the new winter freedom while disliking the lack of certainty for the future.
I suppose there are lots of people wishing they had it as good as I do, but I still think fair play should have dealt me a better hand. I had worked harder than almost anyone else in government. I had only been late to work a few times, and never without calling to say how late I would be. I had tried to enforce the rules and policies. I often ask myself if I am bitter. I always think it should be true that honesty and hard work prevail. So, I would say that I am not bitter, exactly. I would say I am jaded.
I hope this blog gets noticed by those that used to follow it. I also hope that I will again make regular posts. The task of composing my thoughts often help me to understand the subject myself.
I see by the calendar that Christmas is just around the corner. Merry Christmas to everyone. And remember, Jesus Christ is the Reason for the Season!

Spokanites

Here is a little known secret that does not need to be kept secret anymore. Letterboxers from the Spokane area are the kindest, warmest and most hospitable people ever! Reinbow hosted an evening of conversation tonight. They have a lovely home and opened it up to the area letterboxers. What a fabulous time. The cheese assortment was wonderful. And, the ice cream with home made fudge was to die for.
I cannot say it adequately. It was great.
Kayak Bandit

Too Quiet

I really got accustomed to sounds in the house. I do not mean the sound of the tv. I mean the sound of kids. Stephanie left this morning to return to Portland and took the sounds of kids working on their masterpieces of Legos and Beads.
Yesterday, Stephanie and Amy went letterboxing for the second straight day. Amy had most of the local boxes. Stephanie had only a few local boxes. Stephanie needed about twenty boxes to get to one hundred and Amy needed but three. They developed this scheme to let Stephanie catch up to Amy and both reach one hundred at the same time on the same box.
Stephanie called me when they were each at ninety eight. Both needed the two boxes they were headed to get. They were going to get one in the library and then another one that was outside. What they did not plan for was a bonus box in the library. So, when they opened that box, they were anti-climatically at one hundred and restrained from any celebration. They quietly took some pictures to record the moment.
If you know either one of these two, you know they do not restrain their emotion very well. I bet it almost killed them.
Congratulations to both of you two.
Kayak Bandit

Time

Where has the time gone?
It seems that Stephanie and the grandkids just arrived. We have had lots of fun, but tomorrow they plan to leave.
Stephanie has found a letterboxing fanatic like herself. Balladone Bunch (Stephanie) and American Boxer (Amy) hit it off from the first introduction to each other. Yesterday, after Amy got off work, Steph picked her up and they got about one dozen boxes for Stephanie. Amy had already gotten all of these for herself.
This morning I heard from both of them how much fun they had. They talked with so much animation about snakes, cows, people in the dark and more. Maybe I can get them to slow down long enough to write about it.
It is about noon and they are off letterboxing right now. They have a project that you will hear about real soon. I am watching the kids that prefer not to letterbox 24/7. We are having nearly as much fun here. Soon, I will fire up the old steam powered, steam roller.
Talk at ya later!
Kayak Bandit

Deception Pass - - Day Three

We nearly had a casualty a couple nights ago. Stephanie and I sat up late and looked at each other's letterboxing logbooks. I suppose the fact that she found four more boxes the next day and four more again today suggest it was not as serious as it looked. It was light out when we first started looking at log books, but completely dark when we were done. With the lantern light turned off, she forgot about this one very large rock and tripped on it as she was turning to leave for the tent. She skinned her leg and shin pretty bad. I am impressed with her toughness. She continues to do all, and I mean all, the fun stuff associated with camping.
It was very foggy this morning. It was foggy enough that the big cedar trees were dripping. We sat by a nice fire for most of the morning. The moms decided to bring out the fixin's for s'mores in the morning so that the kids could be cleaned up easier than when they were preparing to go to bed. It worked well. Greg made the most perfect s'more ever this morning. He roasted two marshmallows so perfectly that they were melted all the way through. Sadly, he did not offer a taste.
So far we have not unloaded even one kayak. It is not a problem at all. We are all having a great time. The weather forcast is for rain to move in tonight. I think I will be fine. I have a brand new little tent and I am sleeping on an air mattress. Wish me luck.
Stephanie wants the world to know that her nephew is a real letterboxer. Even after a long outing, Dylan was still anxious for more. I am thinking there will be another generation of letterboxers after we are all in letterboxing heaven. The sport is not likely to die out any time soon.
Kayak Bandit

Letterboxing Sells Itself

I started letterboxing at the urging of my oldest daughter, Stephanie. She got her tendency to jump into something with both feet from me. So when she starts telling me about all the fun she is having searching out letterboxes by following clues, how could I not chose to join her fun.
At first, I could not imagine myself as an artistic carver. I can draw snowmen, rabbits, maps, and a boy. All are pretty basic. I make maps for work. I have developed a style that relates the important information without any artistic flair. The boy is created by starting with the word

boy

and then drawing a curved line from the top of the b to the right side of the y. and then I draw a curved line from the bottom of the y to the left side of the b. The two circle become eyes and the y becomes the ear of my boy picture. I usually give him a crew cut for hair. A few quick facial lines and he does not look too bad. Even though I can draw a boy, does not mean I feel artistic.
Shortly after telling me about letterboxing, Stephanie forwarded to me an announcement of an upcoming letterboxing event. The Fat Lady was planning a letterboxing party for her younger sister, The Pied Piper. What could a dad do but sign up to attend as Kayak Bandit.
I attended this event. From the second I met the first one until now. Everyone involved in letterboxing were and continue to be so very welcoming, warm, open and sharing. Especially helpful to me was Stormcrow. He encouraged me to sign into his logbook and gave me his stamp. He also had a stamp of a dollar bill. He conducted a quiz where the person guessing the right answer would get the image stamped and he would write in the amount that was won. I think I won five bucks. It was a lot of fun.
I had already bought the idea of the hobby from Stephanie's first explanation. Yet, I had to somehow draw an image of a dog (named bandit) paddling a kayak. I assured myself and anyone listening that I could not do it. I was telling my friend Melissa about it, and wondered if she could help. You see, she has shown me some nice artwork of hers. In a couple days she had drawn a picture of what I needed. Great job, Melissa.
As most new carvers do, I chose to carve a negative image of her artwork. I am not real happy with the result. I plan to recarve the same image, but make it positive instead. It will have to do for now.
After attending the party, but before I finished my signature stamp, I went to the Atlas Quest online site to check out nearby letterboxes. Wow, there were lots to choose from. I delayed searching for any boxes until I could do it up right. I wanted my own logbook and stamp. Eventually I was ready. Stormcrow listed a new box named Loveboat. We chatted on line about it. He pointed out that he used snow shoes to get to the spot as there was about two feet of snow. Not to be deterred, I went out the next day and found my first box. I had no snow shoes, but managed to get to it. Some times I would break through the crusty snow, but it was worth it. Bandit and I sat down in the snow and logged our first find. Physically, I was cold and wet, but not emotionally.
Now when I find a letterbox, I absorb all I can about the letterbox. I look carefully at the stamp to see what technique was used to carve it. I look at the way the logbook is bound. I look at all the images stamped into the logbook and read the comments. People come from all across our country to find letterboxes. I even have a hitch hiker letterbox that came from Erie Pennsylvania. I hope the interest in these treasures remains for me. Judging from the others I have met, I bet it intensifies. I cannot imagine, but okay, bring it on. I am ready.
Letterboxing really does sell itself. For more information about letterboxing, check out this link. http://bayareabackroads.com/RecentShows/April562008/tabid/92/Default.aspx It was taped in California. See you on the trail.
Kayak Bandit ----/---- '(*!*)'