First timers in Va Beach

From: Mark & Mary Ann Magnant (mmagnant@erols.com) | Date: 2000-10-15 14:52:09 UTC-04:00

Hello all,

I have been lurking since July. I stumbled across information about the letterboxes Tom Cooch placed in Braintree Vermont. It really excited me, I have to say, because I grew up in Braintree and was familiar with Rolling Rock, Mud Pond, and The Braintree Panther. I used to spend a lot of time in the woods before I joined the Navy. My daughters are just now getting old enough to go hiking. This sounded like the perfect way to spend some quality time with them when I'm home. I have been getting the digest version of the mailing list since and read it when I can. I now live in Virginia Beach but was planning a trip to Vermont for Labor Day weekend. I really wanted to get started while I was in Vermont but didn't find the time to carve a stamp before we left. Unfortunately the time I spent in Vermont didn't include letterboxing.

Since then I have been trying to come up with a stamp. I couldn't decide if I should have a family stamp, a stamp for each of my daughters and my own stamp or a combination. I have 3 year old triplet daughters and a five month old daughter.

Somehow back in September I missed Kathys post that she had placed 3 new boxes in Virginia Beach. Last weekend I was reading through the archives looking for ideas and found her post. I was so excited to learn of 3 boxes right here in Va Beach! I rushed right out and purchased the materials to carve my first stamp. After reading the archives for ideas, I decided on one stamp for my 3 year old triplet daughters to start with. I didn't come up with one for myself yet but I couldn't wait any longer. It was supposed to be a great weekend!

I am happy to report that my triplet daughters and I had a wonderful day finding all three of Kathys boxes. I have lived in this area off and on for 14 years and yesterday was the first time I had actually been to the Fort Story Lighthouse. What a neat place! My daughters and I even went to the top of the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse. The letterbox had a little water in it but the Zip Lock bag saved the log book. Since this was our first find, and we were the first to find it, I didn't know we should have written anything in the log book. We were also the first to find the Long Creek Seahorse. We didn't sign that one either. When we found Broad Bay Sea Shells we saw that two people had been there before us and had written in the log book. Duh! I felt silly that we hadn't signed the first two. It was fun looking at their stamps and reading the notes they had written. I wanted to go back and sign the first two but we were already an hour later than I told my wife we would be. We still had an hour ahead of us to hike all the way back to the van. Three year olds tend to stop and look at everything they find. I'll go back again soon with some friends that I'm trying to get interested in letterboxing. I'll sign the log books then. I hope to get some people from the area Multiples Club interested and get a lot more "kid friendly" boxes placed in the area. Anyway, we had a great time and can't wait to get out and do it again.

On our way out we met two joggers. It looked like one of them was carrying a log book. We didn't get to talk to them but I assumed they were looking for Broad Bay Shells. Was it anyone here on the list?

Thanks again everyone and especially to Tom and Kathy for getting us started. We will be in Vermont again the first week of December. Hope to look for some of Toms boxes then.

Mark Magnant

Re: [LbNA] First timers in Va Beach

From: Jay (ae4mk@1bigred.com) | Date: 2000-10-15 17:26:09 UTC-04:00

Mark and Family,

Congratulations on finding your first letterboxes. The next closest boxes to you is my Mystery box, and the the boxes in Fredericksburg and Northern VA. I just got Squirel's Huntley Meadows Boxes in Alex. All of hers up this way are great. I have another going on the web tomorrow in the Accotink Bay W.R. Fort Belvior...

So pack up the family and a picnic and head to northern VA..

Jay C.

The Jolly G-Man
Fredericksburg, VA

Re: First timers in Va Beach

From: Mark & Mary Ann Magnant (mmagnant@erols.com) | Date: 2000-10-16 22:04:45 UTC

"Tom Cooch" wrote:
> Hi Mark,
>
> Great to hear from you. Are you Reggie Magnant's brother? Reggie
took
> algebra from me at RUHS about 15 years ago. Very small world.

Hi Tom,
Yes, I am Regie Magnant's brother. It is a very small world. I
think my brother in law's (Greg Flint) grandmother lives near you.
I'm coming up in December mainly for deer hunting so I hope there's
lots of snow. My girls don't get to see a lot of snow living in
Virginia. They have never even been on a snowmobile. I will
definitely look for the Kimbal Letterbook but I hope to search for
all the letterboxes in Braintree. I'd love to pick up a Virginia
hitchiker looking for a ride to Vermont!

Mark M.
Va Beach

Re: First timers in Va Beach

From: (Btrplc2b@aol.com) | Date: 2000-10-18 02:36:00 UTC

Hi Mark, Welcome!

Thanks for your post about your adventure finding the three Virginia
Beach boxes. What an adventure it must have been with three little
ones in tow! I'll be down there in late October and will look
forward to checking in on the boxes and discovering what stamps you
came up with for your girls. Those three boxes were fun for me to
plant, not only because they were my first, but in doing so I
discovered Fort Story quite by accident. I was lost looking for the
State Park and stumbled onto Fort Story and the lighthouses and the
most wonderful sunrise. I decided then I'd have to carve a stamp for
a Fort Story Box. It is a great spot.

Have you checked out the clues to the boxes at the York River State
Park in Williamsburg. Actually, they were my first to hunt for, and
Box 1 was missing then, but we were able to find Box 2. I planted
one in Shenandoah National Park this past weekend and will be posting
the clues later this week. It was quite a hike...one you might not
be able to take the girls on. I'll be happy to tell you more about
that if you plan to be up that way. Thanks to the other "Virginia
letterboxers", there are many more to find in northern Virginia, and
be sure to check out Jay Chamberlain's mystery box...that was fun!
I've got several planned for Richmond in the near future.

Stay busy and you may get your wish for a hitch hiker to take to
Vermont with you, as Jay has just hidden one, and I recently received
the Star Trek Voyager from a fellow letterboxer from RI which I'll
find a spot for soon. So, good luck, have fun and be safe!

Kathy (Ladybug)
Richmond, VA