I adore mystery boxes and also love a good drive by when I don't have the
time for an extended boxing trip but NEED a boxing fix OR when it's a really
really cool area but there's no other possibility but a drive by.

Maiden

_____

From: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com [mailto:letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Randy Hall
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 9:02 PM
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [LbNA] bedbugs and ballyhoo




Self-righteousness and proselytizing, the twin banes of civilized
discourse.

Well, we've had, since I've returned to reading this list --

*letterboxers vs geocachers (do they have this on geocaching fora, or
are they more enlightened?)
*newbies vs silverbacks ("silverback" is a word I learned tonite;
according to google:"definition silverback", it means "adult
male gorilla with grey hairs across the back")
*store bought vs hand-carved (note the correct hyphenation)

how about --

mystery boxes vs drive-bys

I'll go first. (Note the correct hyphenation, especially since
"mystery box" is a term I coined, I can hyphenate any way I d**m
well please :-)). I love mystery boxes, and detest drive-bys.
Who's next?

Cheers
Randy






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

Self-righteousness and proselytizing, the twin banes of civilized
discourse.

Well, we've had, since I've returned to reading this list --

*letterboxers vs geocachers (do they have this on geocaching fora, or
are they more enlightened?)
*newbies vs silverbacks ("silverback" is a word I learned tonite;
according to google:"definition silverback", it means "adult
male gorilla with grey hairs across the back")
*store bought vs hand-carved (note the correct hyphenation)

how about --

mystery boxes vs drive-bys

I'll go first. (Note the correct hyphenation, especially since
"mystery box" is a term I coined, I can hyphenate any way I d**m
well please :-)). I love mystery boxes, and detest drive-bys.
Who's next?

Cheers
Randy

I love boxes that involve long hikes. There are relatively few
mystery boxes in my neck of the woods (tho I hope to amend that
soon). I do LOTS of drive-bys because usually when I letterbox I
have my small children with me who have a little (ok- a LOT) less
patience for lb'ing than I do. So... the drive-bys keep my appetite
whetted for when I can go do a chewier hike/hunt. Not my faves but
sometimes you take what you can get. And at times, I have very much
appreciated that they've taken me to hidden little nooks in the city
I live in.


On Sep 18, 2007, at 9:02 PM, Randy Hall wrote:

>
> Self-righteousness and proselytizing, the twin banes of civilized
> discourse.
>
> Well, we've had, since I've returned to reading this list --
>
> *letterboxers vs geocachers (do they have this on geocaching fora, or
> are they more enlightened?)
> *newbies vs silverbacks ("silverback" is a word I learned tonite;
> according to google:"definition silverback", it means "adult
> male gorilla with grey hairs across the back")
> *store bought vs hand-carved (note the correct hyphenation)
>
> how about --
>
> mystery boxes vs drive-bys
>
> I'll go first. (Note the correct hyphenation, especially since
> "mystery box" is a term I coined, I can hyphenate any way I d**m
> well please :-)). I love mystery boxes, and detest drive-bys.
> Who's next?
>
> Cheers
> Randy
>
>
>



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

And let's not forget, the "hike" versus the edge of the parking lot... Or we could jump in on the "to log or not to log" debate going on over at the HH list.

SpringChick


----- Original Message -----
From: Randy Hall
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 12:13 AM
Subject: Re: [LbNA] bedbugs and ballyhoo



> Get out of the mundane and jump into the exciting world of: pigment vs dye
> inks!!!

ROTFL!

And I forgot about acid-based and acid-free ... (that's a really old
one)





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

> Get out of the mundane and jump into the exciting world of: pigment vs dye
> inks!!!

ROTFL!

And I forgot about acid-based and acid-free ... (that's a really old
one)

Randy Hall wrote:
> Self-righteousness and proselytizing, the twin banes of civilized
> discourse.
>
> Well, we've had, since I've returned to reading this list --
>
> *letterboxers vs geocachers (do they have this on geocaching fora, or
> are they more enlightened?)
>

Nahhh, they just don't even think about letterboxers. Or do they?

> *newbies vs silverbacks ("silverback" is a word I learned tonite;
> according to google:"definition silverback", it means "adult
> male gorilla with grey hairs across the back")
>

I prefer "elitist," but who's counting (now, there is yet another
argument waiting to happen).

> *store bought vs hand-carved (note the correct hyphenation)
>
> how about --
>
> mystery boxes vs drive-bys
>
> I'll go first. (Note the correct hyphenation, especially since
> "mystery box" is a term I coined, I can hyphenate any way I d**m
> well please :-)). I love mystery boxes, and detest drive-bys.
> Who's next?
>

How about a mystery drive-by? As I recall, you have planted at least
one of those as well.

> Cheers
> Randy
>

If we all agreed on everything, this would be an awful boring list.
Sometimes I try and make it less so.

--
Nathan Brown

AKA Cyclonic
Penncoasters.com

The Insensitivity rolls on...

867-5309

Virginia may be for lovers, but Pennsylvania has Intercourse!

> How about a mystery drive-by? As I recall, you have planted at least
> one of those as well.

I think you mean mystery-drive by. I don't recall planting such, but
that in no way means I didn't. Well, "Witness: The Lost Footage" is,
of course. So I guess I both detest and love that one. (well, I really
do love that one, in all honesty. It even has a lame
hand-carved-stamp).

> If we all agreed on everything, this would be an awful boring list.
> Sometimes I try and make it less so.

Oh, its a great list if you can survive the first 6 months and get
the zen of it. Its the ones that take things too seriously that don't
make it ...

Cheers
Randy

Geez, lots of posts tonite. I assure everyone that it will stop as soon
as this stupid Phillies game (now in the 14th inning) ends.

Are you suggesting some carve while on acid?

~speedsquare ;-D

--- Randy Hall wrote:

>
> > Get out of the mundane and jump into the exciting world of: pigment vs
> dye
> > inks!!!
>
> ROTFL!
>
> And I forgot about acid-based and acid-free ... (that's a really old
> one)
>
>



____________________________________________________________________________________
Check out the hottest 2008 models today at Yahoo! Autos.
http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html

I have two cents about drive-bys :)

This past weekend my mom and I went boxing ALONE (ie no child or hubby) for
the day. We did all kinds of boxes.

The best box of the day, for me, was a drive-by.... why? Because it was so
cool, it was hidden in a very simple place and we found it quickly but the
stamp was really interesting and the best part.... reading the log book
showed us that many many finders had missed the clues completely and had
ventured far and wide trying to find the box, and those are the ones who did
eventually find it! For us it took 1 minute to find, for others it took 1
hour. That was very interesting to me!

Followed closely behind that drive-by was my second favorite of the day...
just about a drive-by, it only took about 5 minutes to find the box but the
location was SO wonderful, so tucked away, so special that it was a magical
find. My mom said the location was delightful, and it was. The tiniest of
tiny parks, but down a road we never would have ever gone. The park had a
lot of history to it, it was beautifully maintained, it had a wonderful
brook meandering throught it that was so musical to log in next to. We took
our time, no one was around to try to "hide" from, we wandered around
checking out all the flowers and rocks and trees. It was the most peaceful
time I've had boxing in quite a while. If I didn't "do" drive-bys I never
would have had this special experience.

Another thing about drive-bys.... some people aren't good with clues, but
they are great carvers and great at making interesting log books. No way
would I want to miss that because of the length of time it takes to find the
box.

I hope that what a lot of people realize when they read all the
"disagreements" is that boxing has something for everyone. Everyone comes to
the table with a different agenda and thankfully, they can all go away full
and happy.

My opinion is that every poster (ok, maybe not EVERY one!!!) is "right".
Some are holding the elephant's tail, and some are holding his trunk.

RIFamily

"The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but
progress"-Joseph Joubert
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.13.21/1010 - Release Date: 9/15/2007
7:54 PM


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

I agree with Randy.? I prefer mystery boxes above drive-by's.? All of my plants are mystery boxes, and I've figured out most of the mystery clues in NJ (where I live) even if I might not have all the time to actually go after them.? To me a drive-by that leads you right to the box is just a waste of gas.



The Pakrat
(waiting until I have the chance to get my first MapSurfer box find)


________________________________________________________________________
Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com


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

I've only found one mystery box so far but I did like figuring out the clues. Every once in a while I try to crack the wonderful Dancing Men clues ( I have someo of it figured out but not enough to confidently venture out and look for it) I don't really have a letterbox type preference (at least not yet). I don't think I am familiar enough with the term drive by. Would that be considered a box which the directions are laid out step by step or is it one where the someone might hide it in or near a rest area off the highway?

-Barrudaki



-------------- Original message --------------
From: pakrat98@aol.com

I agree with Randy.? I prefer mystery boxes above drive-by's.? All of my plants are mystery boxes, and I've figured out most of the mystery clues in NJ (where I live) even if I might not have all the time to actually go after them.? To me a drive-by that leads you right to the box is just a waste of gas.

The Pakrat
(waiting until I have the chance to get my first MapSurfer box find)

__________________________________________________________
Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com

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




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

You've got it with the rest stop idea, but drive-bys are not limited
to rest stops. They could be in a park, at a landmark, in town,
anywhere. Essentially, the directions take you effortlessly to a
parking spot where you effortlessly find the stamp:

Go to the playground at the corner of 5th and Elm. Park in the 5th
spot from the white post. Turn over that rock three feet in front of
your bumper and there's the box!

Drive-bys are hated by some, seen as necessary by others (either
always or only in certain situations, depending on the boxer), are
used as fixes by others when a long hike isn't possible, etc..... but
the defining characteristic seems to be the lack of mental or
physical effort. For me, if I had to spend a week figuring out where
to go (if, say, Dancing Men led you to a box in a parking lot, for
example), then it's not a drive-by, it's a mystery or a puzzle. If
the directions were laid out step-by-step and were easy as pie to
follow, but took me on a mile-long hike, it's not a drive-by.

My .03 of a cent.
pezpam

On Sep 19, 2007, at 10:39 AM, barrudaki@comcast.net wrote:

> I've only found one mystery box so far but I did like figuring out
> the clues. Every once in a while I try to crack the wonderful
> Dancing Men clues ( I have someo of it figured out but not enough
> to confidently venture out and look for it) I don't really have a
> letterbox type preference (at least not yet). I don't think I am
> familiar enough with the term drive by. Would that be considered a
> box which the directions are laid out step by step or is it one
> where the someone might hide it in or near a rest area off the
> highway?
>
> -Barrudaki
>
>
>
> -------------- Original message --------------
> From: pakrat98@aol.com
>
> I agree with Randy.? I prefer mystery boxes above drive-by's.? All
> of my plants are mystery boxes, and I've figured out most of the
> mystery clues in NJ (where I live) even if I might not have all the
> time to actually go after them.? To me a drive-by that leads you
> right to the box is just a waste of gas.
>
> The Pakrat
> (waiting until I have the chance to get my first MapSurfer box find)
>
> _

Randy,

How do you feel when a newbie Geocacher plants a store bought drive-by?

Larry


-----Original Message-----
From: Randy Hall
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:02 am
Subject: [LbNA] bedbugs and ballyhoo




Self-righteousness and proselytizing, the twin banes of civilized
discourse.

Well, we've had, since I've returned to reading this list --

*letterboxers vs geocachers (do they have this on geocaching fora, or
are they more enlightened?)
*newbies vs silverbacks ("silverback" is a word I learned tonite;
according to google:"definition silverback", it means "adult
male gorilla with grey hairs across the back")
*store bought vs hand-carved (note the correct hyphenation)

how about --

mystery boxes vs drive-bys

I'll go first. (Note the correct hyphenation, especially since
"mystery box" is a term I coined, I can hyphenate any way I d**m
well please :-)). I love mystery boxes, and detest drive-bys.
Who's next?

Cheers
Randy





Yahoo! Groups Links





________________________________________________________________________
Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com


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

I've planted some drive-bys, as a way to showcase some of the historical
aspects of my small New England town. However, you must solve the clues
before you can find the box (and in solving them, you learn a bit about the
town's history).

Randy, if you're up this way, I'll give you custom clues, so that you can
hike around a bit, looking for acid-ink-geocaches before you come across my
letterboxes. :P

BostonRott

And should you use ink pads or insist on Marvy Markers since they can
be left individually as trinkets?
:)
pezpam

On Sep 19, 2007, at 12:19 PM, LundyandVickster@aol.com wrote:

> Randy,
>
> How do you feel when a newbie Geocacher plants a store bought drive-
> by?
>
> Larry
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Randy Hall
>
> Well, we've had, since I've returned to reading this list --
>
> *letterboxers vs geocachers (do they have this on geocaching fora, or
> are they more enlightened?)
> *newbies vs silverbacks ("silverback" is a word I learned tonite;
> according to google:"definition silverback", it means "adult
> male gorilla with grey hairs across the back")
> *store bought vs hand-carved (note the correct hyphenation)
>
> how about --
>
> mystery boxes vs drive-bys

For me, drive-by vs mystery or hiking to it... I don't care. Just as
long as I can get out and enjoy myself. I don't know the area real well
so I've been getting familiar with it.

-Xeen... who doesn't care whose box it is


pakrat98@aol.com wrote:
> I agree with Randy.? I prefer mystery boxes above drive-by's.? All of my plants are mystery boxes, and I've figured out most of the mystery clues in NJ (where I live) even if I might not have all the time to actually go after them.? To me a drive-by that leads you right to the box is just a waste of gas.
>
>
>
> The Pakrat
> (waiting until I have the chance to get my first MapSurfer box find)
>
>

> How do you feel when a newbie Geocacher plants a store bought
> drive-by?

As long as they aren't whining, proselytizing, telling me how
to play the game, or acting self-righteous on my airwaves,
good for them :)

We love working on mystery boxes if Ancient & I can be reasonably certain
that I've deciphered the starting point since we don't have a lot of money
and don't want to waste too much of it trying different places and finding
out I was wrong. We're the kinda folks that often figure "OK, it didn't
work this way, then let's try that way -- nope, not that way, OK let's try
this third way." But we don't want to spend the money right now on the gas.
Gotta save for that GPS! :-)

We love drive-bys in the rain. We don't go hiking and looking for boxes in
the rain for the most part because we don't want to open the box and get
everything inside all wet and Murphy's Law says that if we find the box in
the rain, there won't be any cover close by to duck under for stamping in.
But, with a drive-by, we can grab the box, toss it into my backpack and make
off like the dickens for the van to stamp in.

Of course, then I'm the one who always has to go back and re-hide the box in
the rain after we've stamped in. But that's OK. Last time Ancient did it,
before the dinosaurs were born, he slipped, started a mud slide and broke an
ankle on top of it. And then I still had to go back there anyway and pull
him out of the mud and drag him to the van.

So I can do it myself or figure I might have to drive him to the ER. Do it
myself wins out. Especially since there's no convenient time for him to
break an ankle. He breaks an ankle in winter, means I have to shovel snow.
He breaks an ankle in springtime, means I have to rototill the garden. He
breaks an ankle in summer, means I have to mow the lawn. He breaks an ankle
in the fall, means I have to rake leaves. So what's a little rain?

Now mystery drive-bys in the rain can be romantic. My vote's for that.

~~ Mosey ~~