I think you should make a little logbook/journal just for the "vicarious" participation- and keep it like a scrapbook, separate from your regular journal. Maybe you could put your photo in, and show some of the stamps you donated to the event. Just a thought from a lurker.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I understand what you are saying in many ways, but still would have
to disagree with the practice.

First, it sounds like you put a lot of work into your boxes --
carving a stamp, making a log book, etc. These are the types of
boxes we all like to find, the type of boxes that rate pretty high
up on Poison Ivy's box rating system (see post 42134). However...
many people would consider this to be a standard box and put this
type of effort into everything they put out and do not feel there is
any type of reward warranted, other than the personal satisfaction
of having planted a really well-crafted box.

Second, I can sympathize with your plight of living in a
letterboxing void. Many people who do not live on the coasts were
at one time in that situation -- only a handful of boxes, no
organized gatherings nearby, etc. But there are two ways to look at
that -- every problem is an opportunity. Being in an area
where 'boxes are sparse is a fantastic oppotunity for you to build
something, particularly if you put the time and effort into all of
the boxes you plant as you did these for the gathering.

Third, think about it from the perspective of the people who are
attending the event. Based on the description of your 'boxing area,
I would daresay you have not ever been to a letterbox gathering.
The first few hours while everyone is exchanging stamps and stamping
the event stamps into their books are crazy -- books and stamps
flying everywhere, way too many books to stamp just of people who
are actually there. Once out on the trail, at gatherings where
there are many attendees, it is not unusual to stand in line behind
other 'boxers out in the woods, waiting your turn to stamp into a
box. Now, let's say that several of the attendees have with them
two log books instead of just one, having given a lift to a book
whose owner could not attend the gathering. Think how much extra
stamping and time that would entail. Not really fair to folks who
did make the journey to the event, however near or far they live.

Lastly, it just doesn't fit the philosophy of letterboxing. It is
not simply about collecting stamps, it is about the total experience
involved with collecting and crafting the stamps. You have to be
able to accept that there is not going to be an immediate reward for
everything you do, that there are going to be events you can only
participate in vicariously as attendees share stories on the list
after the event, that there are box locations you will never get to
and that not every box is meant for or available to every person.
Although that may seem frustrating at first glance, in the long run,
it only makes the scores that much sweeter.

As a side note... sometimes when an event has many boxes solicited
from 'boxers across the country, the event host will put together a
series of event box stamps on postcards that get sent to
contributors. I have a few of these and they are true treasures.
It is really appreciated and a wonderful gesture on the part of the
host, but it is a lot of work and certainly not expected. I have
also seen where the host will stamp all of the event boxes into the
logs of the other events boxes prior to planting them at the event.
That way when you get your box back after the event, the log book
contains stamps of the other event boxes as well as the attendees
who found the box. Again it is a lot of work and not expected, just
one of those nice little perks.

SpringChick



--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "nishakamada"
wrote:
> Gosh, I didn't expect this to be such a hot topic. Thinking about
it
> I can see the point that maybe collecting stamps from an event
that I
> did not attend would be unkosher.
> That said, I think that I would like to point out how this came
about.
>
> My family and I have put together 6 boxes and 2 hitchhikers for
this
> event. These boxes are not basic boxes either. Inside each box is
an
> elaborate handcarved stamp, a handmade logbook with stamped token
> attatched, and last but not least a little coordinating first
finder
> certificate also with a shrinky dink token attatched. If Martha
> Stewart was a letterboxer this is probably what her boxes would
look
> like.
> I was excited to do this and we have spent many pleasurable hours
> doing so but at some point it did occur to me that I would like to
see
> what other people are doing too. I can't make it to Connecticut,
I am
> in Utah and we have a total of perhaps 30 boxes statewide. This is
a
> different letterboxing world here.
> Ultimately, I think that if someone makes a box for an event that
> having someone collect stamps for them as a courtesy is OK. I don't
> think that I would consider them found, [since I didn't ], but I
get a
> lot of pleasure out of carving and I enjoy seeing what other
people do
> and I think that people who live in states that have tons of
> letterboxes have different issues than those of us who live in
a "dry
> state" which is more ways than one here in Utah!
> I think that it would be great to discuss this situation on the
list
> but maybe we could keep the insults down and try a little harder to
> listen to points of view that might be different than our current
way
> of seeing things,
> I like to think that Letterboxing is a work in
progress.............
> That said I will be signing off as Martha Stewart, just don't try
to
> throw me in jail, I didn't do it!