Sorry to follow up on my own mail.

Don't construe anything I wrote as not liking the stamps - cool
stamps are still cool stamps. Also, sometimes easy clues and/or
easy/quick hikes are just what I'm looking for, esp. when there are
time constraints. So box desirability changes not just from person to
person, but also on the persons mood.

--- In letterbox-usa@y..., "bcostley" wrote:
> The stamp quality is low on my list of desirability. Challenge -
> either clue or hike - and going to new locations are much more
> important to me. The first thing on my list is probably just using
> LB'ing as an excuse to get out of the house. :) So any box is a
good
> box!
>
> As far as stamp quality goes, I (and I know others feel the same
way)
> would rather see a "bad" homemade stamp than a nice storebought.
>
> So don't let your stamp quality bother you. As long as you are
having
> fun, who cares?

I'm of the same opinion here. I tend to prefer homemade stamps to
professional ones but still have really enjoyed the hunts even if
they involved store bought stamps. The stamp is really just
the 'icing on the cake' to the hunt--I absolutely love trying to
solve the clues aspect of it so I really don't care what the final
image is like--it's just neat to be able to find it. I was already
a person who enjoyed outdoor adventures so the clues and the stamps
just added another element of excitement to my adventures around my
surroundings. I've used the letterbox hunts as tools to help teach
my children many different skills that they otherwise would never
have been exposed to until much later in life (using a compass,
knowing their directions, identifying various types of trees,
locating specific types of animals/plants/berries/rocks--you name
it).
My stamps are pretty lame, too. However, I've noticed that
with time and practice my images are improving. Each new box I put
out, I try to challenge myself with a little more difficult image.
Creating the stamp is part of the process and can prove to be
exciting, too. I've also used the process of 'researching' ideas
for placing boxes as a way to learn more history about my nearby
surroundings. I've learned some truly fascinating things about my
area and I'll never look at the place in the same light again.

Just a few thoughts. See you on the trail...

dvn2r ckr
F48P15X6

--- In letterbox-usa@y..., "bcostley" wrote:
> Sorry to follow up on my own mail.
>
> Don't construe anything I wrote as not liking the stamps - cool
> stamps are still cool stamps. Also, sometimes easy clues and/or
> easy/quick hikes are just what I'm looking for, esp. when there
are
> time constraints. So box desirability changes not just from person
to
> person, but also on the persons mood.
>
> --- In letterbox-usa@y..., "bcostley" wrote:
> > The stamp quality is low on my list of desirability. Challenge -
> > either clue or hike - and going to new locations are much more
> > important to me. The first thing on my list is probably just
using
> > LB'ing as an excuse to get out of the house. :) So any box is a
> good
> > box!
> >
> > As far as stamp quality goes, I (and I know others feel the same
> way)
> > would rather see a "bad" homemade stamp than a nice storebought.
> >
> > So don't let your stamp quality bother you. As long as you are
> having
> > fun, who cares?