Just had to say what a pleasant surprise this past weekend turned out
to be for Pete and me! It's been getting harder and harder to talk
Pete into traveling anywhere for letterboxing lately. He almost
always prefers long local hikes to long drives with barely time left
for a few drive-bys! However, last Saturday morning he agreed to make
the 5-hour drive down to the Tyler "T" Gathering in Newtown, PA, and
we're both so very glad we went!

First of all, the gathering itself was a blast, not only of cold air
and battling bands pulling us in different directions (really just in
our heads!), but also of good cheer and laughter, as Hikers&Hounds
warmed us up with hot cocoa and grilled cheese sandwiches cooked on a
camp stove, Mack sent us scurrying for "who done it" fingerprint
clues, and Lightnin' Bug and friends regaled us with rich humor,
Pokemon fun, and new musical clues till the sun went down!

Even when darkness fell, though, we were still not quite ready to
quit letterboxing, so off we dashed to the "Songs of the Season" in
nearby Chalfont. What great timing that turned out to be! Holiday
evening events were just beginning as we finished our outdoor search
amidst the lit trees and sculptures, so inside we went to sip wassail
surrounded by Byers Choice "Christmas Carolers", live Dickensian
carolers, and an interesting display of creches from all around the
world! We were so delighted that once again letterboxing had led us
to such an unexpected treat!

The next morning looked like a vision from Narnia! We climbed the
snow-encrusted hills in search of long-lost mapsurferian treasure,
but ended up planting an addition to one of our own little boxes
instead. Afterwards, we found ourselves "Walkin' the Dog" in
Mizscarlet's backyard, and then headed down to Delaware for a nice
warm meal and stay after such a cold day!

It had been several years since we last boxed in Delaware so we were
quite amazed to see how many new boxes were now available. We decided
to concentrate on the longer hikes, from the Mason-Dixon Trail in
White Clay Creek, to Hexcat's "green pastures" before they turned
white with the next approaching snowstorm. Our favorite of all was
getting "Into the Woods" on Sheba's fairy tale of a loop trail. And,
to "Sum It Up", we actually ended up "quadrupling" our former
Delaware count, giving us plenty of new memories to enjoy thinking
about on the long drive home!

So, it was a blustery but wonderful wintry weekend, now continued
with several more days of chilly letterboxing back here in frozen New
England. We just want to say thanks again to all who have helped make
letterboxing such a "great outdoor open party", even in the snow!
Cheers and Happy Holidays!!!

Wanda and Pete in RI (getting ready for some ski 'boxing this
weekend, conditions permitting, to get us "tuned up" for Syracuse!)
(And, yes, can't forget those happy dance numbers: P159 F9178 X1051!)