Hi,
I visit my lboxes 3-4 times a year, unless I've been informed to go
fix something with them. Other than that I think it is overkill, in my
area at least.

Caretaker is a good term. I used the term "babysitter". I do that for
people here right now. As long as you coordinate it with someone, then
it is a fine idea. Just shows you're committed to keeping your lbox
from become litter.

Go for it.
Mark


>
> In summary:
> 1. How often do you visit/care for your planted letterboxes?
> 2. Do you think my "caretaker" idea is a good one?
>
> Thoughts are appreciated!

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "cpascott" wrote:
> 1. How often do you visit/care for your planted letterboxes?

Ones that are nearby - I visit at least once a week, if not more.... "Miles" for instance, I
hadn't visited this weekend as I was away - and I stopped by to check on him, well - lo
and behold - they have mowed the field down to nothing and chopped the birch tree
branches to the ground stalks as well. The box is still in place, but it wasn't until I actually
physically checked on it that my fears were quelched.

Honestly, I go out of my way to check on my boxes as absolutely frequently as I can, not
only because they are in some of my favorite spots, but also to make sure I know who is in
the area, to read feedback and to make sure they're not destroying the surroundings.

In summary: completely anal retentive and compulsively obsessed with checking my
boxes...

phyto

Depends on the box. Usually we check them a few times a year, if a
particular box is having problems with critters then we'll check and
adjust its placement until the problem's solved and then leave it
alone. I'll check if I know someone's driving in from a distance.
One thing's for sure is that I don't want to beat a path to my box, so
I've learned to let go, not let it become so precious that I can't
part with it. If I can walk by and not see it laying out in the open,
and unless I'm actually checking to see if it still exists, then we
walk on by. I trust that since it was there last week when the
logbook was changed it's still there today.

If you want to plant boxes in the Syracuse area we'd be happy to tend
to them along with ours.

Cheers,
catbead

> I used the term "babysitter".

Mark is my babysitter. He's very good. *nodding* =)

-- Ryan

Yep, and one of your southern offerings is a real wild child!
But thanks for the compliment.
Mark

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "rscarpen"
wrote:
> > I used the term "babysitter".
>
> Mark is my babysitter. He's very good. *nodding* =)
>
> -- Ryan

My Goodness, you are hooked! Excellent!
Diane and I plan on one visit per year for far away boxes, with contingencies if we get a "Danger! Letterbox in trouble!" message. The ones near our house get visited much more often, because we like to read the logbooks and sometimes plant or move along hitchhikers (Mostly if there's been a dearth of other boxes big enough to fit them).
Many 'boxers carry along a repair kit of sorts - see the thread on "What's in your kit?" in the archives for a metric buttload of good ideas. Baggies, paper towels, spare box, etc...
Caretakers are fine, but I'd recommend posting the job before planting, just to make sure. We may well make it to the Monster Mash Event - hope to see you!

Dave
The von der Insels
P10 F201 X93 H5 E1
----- Original Message -----
From: cpascott
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 1:53 PM
Subject: [LbNA] Question: Box adoption/caretaking


Hey all!

Although I'm new to this hobby and quite eager to get out there and
find more letterboxes, I'm itching to place a few as well. As I
alluded to on another thread, the challenge I see is the area near my
home is fairly saturated with letterboxes and as I try to think of
unique an interesting places to plant, many of my ideas are of places
that are at least a couple of hours from home.

The challenge with placing boxes outside of a certain radius is that
they become very hard to care for. Although I'm enthusiastic about
letterboxing, I'm not as willing to spend all of my free time
revisiting every place I put a letterbox to make sure it's still in
great condition and hasn't gone missing.

From what I've read around here it seems that people vary in how much
and how often they care for their boxes. Some are quite dilligent
about it, others more lax. Some have placed boxes only near their
hoome, others have placed boxes while on vacation -- knowing full
well that they cannot maintain them and may never see them again.

So, my first question. What is the general consensus on when a box
should be looked after? Do you revist your boxes periodically just
to check on them? If so, how often (bi-annually, annually, etc.)?
Or, do you only check on your boxes if someone reports it as MIA?

My next point concerns adoption of boxes. For those boxes that I'm
hoping to plant that are outside of an area I can reasonably
maintain, I was thinking that I could plant and then effectively
orphan the box immediately. As long as people reported the box
as "alive and well", I'd have no worries. Because 'boxers routinely
carry extra zip-log bags, etc. I'd be reasonably comfortable that the
integrity of the box could be maintained. An issue would only arise
if some of the boxes contents (notably the stamp and logbook) were
damaged or missing, if the logbook was full, or if the box itself
disappeared.

To handle these situations I thought I might recruit a caretaker.
Not necessarily the same as an "adopter", the boxes would still be
mine I would bear the trouble of maintaining them. The caretaker
would be a person who, when requested, would visit the box to confirm
a report of damaged contents, missing box, etc. I would then work
with the caretaker to correct the problem or decide to retire the
box. If the opportunity arose to visit the box again, I would.

Box reports would still filter to me. If the box's logbook was full,
for example, a finder would report that to me, I'd get in touch with
the caretaker and ask them to replace the logbook with another and
ship the full logbook to me. I'd then pay for the cost of the new
logbook and shipping of the old one.

As I place letterboxes outside my home area I'd develop essentially a
team of caretakers helping me maintain my placed boxes that are too
difficult for me to keep up on my own.

As for hooking up caretakers with my boxes, I'd request anyone
willing to help out to first find the box using only my clues. They
could then count the box as a find and would know its exact location
if it needed maintenance. If they were willing to visit the box from
time to time just to check on it (like adoption) that would be great,
but not necessary.

Does this idea sound plausible? I won't yet divulge the areas I'm
planning on planting boxes. I was thinking I would recruit a
caretaker(s) as I prepare to plant a box outside my home area or
shortly after the box has been planted. I have a list of potential
boxes I'm hoping to create ... 5 individual boxes and 1 6-box
series. Only 3 of these 11 boxes would be in my home area, and even
one of those might be difficult to consistently maintain. I also
have an idea for a large 11-box driving tour series that I'd place in
an area outside my home region.

In summary:
1. How often do you visit/care for your planted letterboxes?
2. Do you think my "caretaker" idea is a good one?

Thoughts are appreciated!


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