Wait a minute! How did I get involved in this case?? One day we get a recent suspect joining our regional talklist and the very next day IM getting accused?!! Your list of suspects is growing faster than thumbprints in a cootie log Your random accusations are an exhibition of ill-breeding which proves you to be unsuitable to represent the dignity of investigators.
Ill begin my defense in this matter with an apt quote. As Emily Post noted herself decades ago, "There are fixed rules for the playing of every game - and for proper conduct in every sport. The details of these rules must be studied in the "books of the game," learned from instructors, or acquired by experience." When I first learned of letterboxing, I diligently read everything I could find at the time, including all the FAQs, the articles on letterboxing.info and many posts on this national board. I tried to learn the "proper conduct" for the sport of letterboxing and believe I have not only mastered the technique but also the etiquette.
I do freely admit that we have no children or pets to attend to, allowing us to indulge in the harmless pastime of letterboxing whenever the whim strikes - however this is no crime! I enjoy the long rambles, particularly in the mountains, and truly appreciate the other letterboxers that place boxes on interesting hikes for intrepid trekkers. We are always on the lookout for areas with the alluring combination of lengthy walks and charming letterboxes. If, in the course of your investigation, you come across these, I would be pleased to receive any correspondence and recommendations you or your suspects could provide.
I also concur in your observations about my aversion to cell phones. I consider them to be the epitome of rudeness on almost all occasions. I realize that they are a safety device for many, but sadly I most often see, or rather HEAR, them being used to broadcast the most inane minutiae to anyone within shouting distance.
However I must take issue with one of your statements. I have never "demanded" that my husband drive home from the office to get our supplies/stash. All I have done is casually mention in a strategically timed email message or phone call that "there is a new box in our area.". He has often graciously offered to spend his lunch hour traveling to our abode to obtain our well-appointed pack while I print out the clues. We are then prepared to make another delightful foray into the woods after the drudgery of the office, or in some instances we have even rendezvoused during our lunch hour to search out another treasure that someone has planted in our area.
In all of our outdoorsy jaunts, we have been diligent in attending to the fine points of the game, especially in covering our tracks and the box after stamping in. We take care to make an artful arrangement of natural objects, including the now traditional "blessing of the box" - scattering leaves, pine needles or other nearby light covering on top of a good base of stone, wood or bark. This is similar to the art of napkin folding or flower arrangements that Ms. Emily might promote as the sign of good manners in entertaining. Not only have we mastered this technique ourselves, but we have made sure to pass it along to our young nieces and nephews. When the twins were only 9 or 10, they became quite skilled in rehiding a box and their younger brother always took the time to examine the spot from several different angles to make sure it was "invisible" to any casual passerbys. They are sometimes appalled when we find a box that has not been hidden with the same vigilance. The care that we take in letterboxing and our dedication to teaching future generations should be strong evidence that I certainly did NOT steal the "Store of Good Manners". For additional confirmation of my innocence, I ask you to speak with Lnd-Crz. He shares our values and is known throughout the Midwest for his promotion of proper "re-hideation".
Sincerely,
Wisconsin Hiker
P.S. Why is Emily so concerned about a "Store"? It seems she commands an entire Institute! Perhaps she just misplaced the URL? If so, here it is: http://www.emilypost.com Or perhaps she is a bit piqued that what was once a source of funds has been made publicly available? The Project Gutenberg EBook of Etiquette, by Emily Post is an eBook for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. All those looking to improve their manners, or learn what a butler should wear or what the duties of a parlor maid are, are encouraged to examine this tome.


----- Original Message -----
From: Investigator Francis Bacon
Date: Wednesday, June 6, 2007 12:44 pm
Subject: [LbNA] Outdoors
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com

> Wisconsin Hiker, now there is a woman who doesn't like
> the indoors. Her style is outdoors; long hikes for
> this one. Just where do you go on those hikes,
> Wisconsin Hiker? Some pretty remote places from what I
> hear. What are you hiding in those mountains besides
> letterboxes?
>
> By your own admission you are addicted to
> letterboxing. Wasn't it you who said there was no one
> to force you back to the real world tasks you should
> be doing? Is it true you demand that your poor
> husband drive home at lunch to retrieve the supplies
> necessary to your addiction?
>
> How about the business with the cell phone? Keeping it
> in an office drawer, not telling anybody you own one.
> Pretty suspicious behavior if you ask me. Oh wait, you
> did say you don't want to be reached. Is there a
> reason for this? Didn't want to be interrupted in your
> night of crime, I say!
>
> So tell me, did you find dragging the Store of Good
> Manners up that mountain trail as difficult as just
> walking on the street?
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Investigator Francis Bacon
>
>
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________________________Ready for the edge of your seat?
> Check out tonight's top picks on Yahoo! TV.
> http://tv.yahoo.com/
>


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

Inspector Bacon, do you intend to run about lambasting accusations
willy-nilly on everyone who has ever dared poke their heads out onto
the public forum?

Simply because Wisconsin Hiker has the time and the chauffer, erI
mean husband who enables her addicI mean, supports her passion, is
no cause for blameworthiness. And I'm certain that those long hikes
into the mountains are no more than spiritual retreats where she
meditates on how to make the world a better place through
letterboxing.

Why it reminds me of the time I was on a quest of my own to find a
desperately hard spot for a box deserving of no less a locale. On
a weeklong excursion into the Ozark Highlands of Southeast Missouri,
I found myself a good distance over rough terrain from my trailhead
just as dusk began to creep over the rolling hills. Donning my
headlamp I loaded my pack and determined to make the trek out rather
than spend the night where I was. Through the hot summer night I
marched over rocky terrain as night took me. Well into my jaunt I
found myself half asleep as I trod along and a vision came to me.
It was a small figure, near waist high, made of twigs and moss
walking beside me. His eyebrows were two lines of light colored
pebbles and his eyes black smooth stones. He said to me `Any box is
a good box. Only through practice of proper re-hideation can you
achieve true boxing fulfillment'. He reached out with both hands
as if to give me something. Into my left hand dropped 5 buckeyes
and into my right 57 small, but nearly round stones smooth from the
travels of a million years. With that he was gone and I found
myself again trudging along the trail with the moon high above.

Only on long hikes does our mind release the business of life and
the stimulation of the modern world. I applaud Wisconsin Hiker on
her willingness, even eagerness to undertake such treks. And the
box blessings? Why that is a sure sign of one who has truly crafted
their re-hideation skills into an art form. Highly evolved I say!
The Store of Good Manners would be safer hidden with Wisconsin Hiker
on one of her forays for enlightenment than it would be on the
moon.

Lnd-Crzr



--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, kotlarek@... wrote:
>
> Wait a minute! How did I get involved in this case?? One day we
get a recent suspect joining our regional talklist and the very next
day I'M getting accused?!! Your list of suspects is growing faster
than thumbprints in a cootie log Your random accusations are an
exhibition of ill-breeding which proves you to be unsuitable to
represent the dignity of investigators.
> I'll begin my defense in this matter with an apt quote. As Emily
Post noted herself decades ago, "There are fixed rules for the
playing of every game - and for proper conduct in every sport. The
details of these rules must be studied in the "books of the game,"
learned from instructors, or acquired by experience." When I first
learned of letterboxing, I diligently read everything I could find
at the time, including all the FAQs, the articles on
letterboxing.info and many posts on this national board. I tried to
learn the "proper conduct" for the sport of letterboxing and believe
I have not only mastered the technique but also the etiquette.
> I do freely admit that we have no children or pets to attend to,
allowing us to indulge in the harmless pastime of letterboxing
whenever the whim strikes - however this is no crime! I enjoy the
long rambles, particularly in the mountains, and truly appreciate
the other letterboxers that place boxes on interesting hikes for
intrepid trekkers. We are always on the lookout for areas with the
alluring combination of lengthy walks and charming letterboxes. If,
in the course of your investigation, you come across these, I would
be pleased to receive any correspondence and recommendations you or
your suspects could provide.
> I also concur in your observations about my aversion to cell
phones. I consider them to be the epitome of rudeness on almost all
occasions. I realize that they are a safety device for many, but
sadly I most often see, or rather HEAR, them being used to broadcast
the most inane minutiae to anyone within shouting distance.
> However I must take issue with one of your statements. I have
never "demanded" that my husband drive home from the office to get
our supplies/stash. All I have done is casually mention in a
strategically timed email message or phone call that "there is a new
box in our area.". He has often graciously offered to spend his
lunch hour traveling to our abode to obtain our well-appointed pack
while I print out the clues. We are then prepared to make another
delightful foray into the woods after the drudgery of the office, or
in some instances we have even rendezvoused during our lunch hour to
search out another treasure that someone has planted in our area.
> In all of our outdoorsy jaunts, we have been diligent in attending
to the fine points of the game, especially in covering our tracks
and the box after stamping in. We take care to make an artful
arrangement of natural objects, including the now
traditional "blessing of the box" - scattering leaves, pine needles
or other nearby light covering on top of a good base of stone, wood
or bark. This is similar to the art of napkin folding or flower
arrangements that Ms. Emily might promote as the sign of good
manners in entertaining. Not only have we mastered this technique
ourselves, but we have made sure to pass it along to our young
nieces and nephews. When the twins were only 9 or 10, they became
quite skilled in rehiding a box and their younger brother always
took the time to examine the spot from several different angles to
make sure it was "invisible" to any casual passerbys. They are
sometimes appalled when we find a box that has not been hidden with
the same vigilance. The care that we take in letterboxing and our
dedication to teaching future generations should be strong evidence
that I certainly did NOT steal the "Store of Good Manners". For
additional confirmation of my innocence, I ask you to speak with Lnd-
Crz. He shares our values and is known throughout the Midwest for
his promotion of proper "re-hideation".
> Sincerely,
> Wisconsin Hiker
> P.S. Why is Emily so concerned about a "Store"? It seems she
commands an entire Institute! Perhaps she just misplaced the URL?
If so, here it is: http://www.emilypost.com Or perhaps she is a
bit piqued that what was once a source of funds has been made
publicly available? The Project Gutenberg EBook of Etiquette, by
Emily Post is an eBook for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. All those looking to improve
their manners, or learn what a butler should wear or what the duties
of a parlor maid are, are encouraged to examine this tome.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Investigator Francis Bacon
> Date: Wednesday, June 6, 2007 12:44 pm
> Subject: [LbNA] Outdoors
> To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
>
> > Wisconsin Hiker, now there is a woman who doesn't like
> > the indoors. Her style is outdoors; long hikes for
> > this one. Just where do you go on those hikes,
> > Wisconsin Hiker? Some pretty remote places from what I
> > hear. What are you hiding in those mountains besides
> > letterboxes?
> >
> > By your own admission you are addicted to
> > letterboxing. Wasn't it you who said there was no one
> > to force you back to the real world tasks you should
> > be doing? Is it true you demand that your poor
> > husband drive home at lunch to retrieve the supplies
> > necessary to your addiction?
> >
> > How about the business with the cell phone? Keeping it
> > in an office drawer, not telling anybody you own one.
> > Pretty suspicious behavior if you ask me. Oh wait, you
> > did say you don't want to be reached. Is there a
> > reason for this? Didn't want to be interrupted in your
> > night of crime, I say!
> >
> > So tell me, did you find dragging the Store of Good
> > Manners up that mountain trail as difficult as just
> > walking on the street?
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Investigator Francis Bacon
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
_____________________________________________________________________
_______________Ready for the edge of your seat?
> > Check out tonight's top picks on Yahoo! TV.
> > http://tv.yahoo.com/
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

re-hideation??

I fear for small animals, or any animals.
Sounds like Pet Cemetery...

Dale End Farm

>>
>> pebbles and his eyes black smooth stones. He said to me `Any box is
> a good box. Only through practice of proper re-hideation can you
> achieve true boxing fulfillment'. He reached out with both hands
> as if to give me something. Into my left hand dropped 5 buckeyes
> and into my right 57 small, but nearly round stones smooth from the
> travels of a million years. With that he was gone and I found
> myself again trudging along the trail with the moon high above.
>
>