Week by Week

It's hard for me to believe that nearly a week has gone by since I posted here last. After Ellisa left we took a day to R&R then Sunday we were off to central Ohio where Donna's sister Carol lives. Carol and husband Jim were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Carol and Jim are fortunate to have two loving children that planned a big celebration for them on their 25th anniversary and again this year. The kids planned, and payed for, virtually everything. Everyone they could think of was invited - family, old co-workers, old neighbors, new neighbors, those who they had attended church with over that 50 year period and people with whom they had otherwise been acquainted. EVERYONE was invited.

Donna, being the younger sister, had interacted with many of these same folks growing up and as a young adult. I had also come to know many of them. This was the first we had seen of a large number of these people for many, many years. We were able to renew friendships going back longer than I care to remember. We stayed in town Sunday night then got together again on Monday for more fellowship. It was really a great celebration. Donna and I probably enjoyed it as much at Carol and Jim did. Perhaps Donna and I will also survive long enough to have a 50th anniversary.

Tuesday Donna started back to work and I hid in the house as the weather was cold and unpleasant. I did get out letterboxing one day and found two boxes. One of these was a strange one which is referred to as a "Treasurer Trove". Inside of this box is a collection of stamps which people keep adding onto. There are 22 of these in the box at the present time. That took a long time to get everything stamped and accounted for.

Family Matters - Getting Real

Yesterday was our last full day to spend with Payton during our summer visit. Today after church we will be taking him back to Toledo where we will pass him off for his return home. Last night his Uncle Damon took him out for some fun time at "Swings and Things", but we did not spend the day doing the usual kid fun things. Instead we drove over 70 miles south where we had arranged to meet with his 94 year old Great-Great Aunt Ruby for lunch.

Why? Because family matters. The older I get the more I understand.... i.e., really deeply understand that jobs, titles, prestige, honors, money and things... even health or lack of it... are not the source of joy and fulfillment. These temporary situations can't and won't provide real lasting happiness. Possessions, activities, and accomplishments.... even those dreams and pleasures that we were sure that we couldn't live without, ultimately leave us dissatisfied and/or disappointed.

It seems that there are only three things that really, really matter.

Our relationship with our partner for eternity, God himself.

Maintaining a close, loving, helping, caring, forgiving relationship with family, friends, partners, and loved ones... all of them... whether or not events and circumstances have left us feeling good, bad, or ordinary.

Those thing which we are able to do which will help satisfy the needs of others and improve our world.

Everything else is temporary and of no lasting value.

Normal Life as we know it.

Well it seems that I left off over a week ago while on the way to a fun filled beach vacation. As I said, on Saturday morning we did the Farmers Market in New Bern NC, Then drove to Jacksonville where we shopped leisurely at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corp Base Exchange. Early in the afternoon the rest of the family caught up with us, we stocked up on groceries for the week at the commissary, and moved on to Topsail Island. There was still time after unpacking to take a dip in the water so off went our hoard. I was very hot and uncomfortable so I stayed back at the house. I really did not spend much time at the beach, instead catching up on rest, reading, and doing nothing in particular. I did go down to the shore on Tuesday, but it promptly rained.

Wednesday I drove up the coast with my Son-in-law Matt and Grandson Payton to meet my eldest Son Loren and his wife Jennifer. They had planned some adventures for Payton through a service in Beaufort NC. These included searching on a local island for sand dollars and a Pirates Treasure Hunt. While they were doing that I did some letterboxing, then we all returned to Topsail for dinner at a local Seafood House. After dinner we planted our own letterbox "The Gold Hole" on Topsail Island, you can read about letterboxing and our Gold Hole box on Atlas Quest. Payton seemed to have enjoyed his week at the beach almost as much as his Mommy. I think he will grow up to be a real beach bum.

The first few days were hot and sticky and I am no longer able to play in the waves so I stayed off of the beach most of the time. From Tuesday on, the temperature was milder and the humidity was pretty low.

Friday I ventured down to discover that it was really quite comfortable for me if I just sat in the sand at the waters edge and let the waves wash over my legs. I must try to spend more time in the water next year.

The week went too quickly. I really enjoyed, and now miss, having the family around. The trip home was long but uneventful. Now we are settling back into our normal mode for a few days, then off to our church's annual business and camp meetings.

I did not get many pictures, The two above were stolen from Ellisa's on line album. I am hoping that Loren and Ellisa have many more.

Topsail

On Thursday we had a leisurely breakfast, then drove to New Bern NC. Again our son Loren who has had frequent occasion to prowl the local coast had suggested that we try the fried chicken at "Kings Chicken" in Washington NC. He said that it was worth driving half an hour out of the way to get and that it was good hot or cold. So we did stop and got a couple of boxes to have for dinner that night. Then we went to New Bern, checked out the downtown, and found another letterbox at a coffee shop. The chicken was as good as he had suggested. New Bern turned out to be a very pleasant town which we meandered around both Thursday and Friday. Last night, the forth, we drove 40 miles to watch a baseball game by the Kinston Indians, a Cleveland farm team.
They won the game putting them in a tie for first in their division, and the fireworks display after the game was super. This morning we piddled around a bit, went to the Farmers Market for produce, drove to Jacksonville to shop at the base exchange and commassery, then on to the beach. We are looking forward to a fun week with the family

18 Hours

I am shooting for getting out of here to head for vacation land by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. Granted we probably won't make it but my hope is that we can hit the road without undue delays. The trick is to motivate my chronologically challenged wife to stay on a realistic schedule without starting a war. I often fail to succeed at that.

I have been packing and organizing all week, still I feel that something has been overlooked. We are going ultralight this year so I have scrutinized everything three times and checked all of the packing lists over and over. Still I have that uneasy feeling that I have overlooked something. The two physically large items, The boogie board and a large plastic storage box containing all those little things needed for a week at the beach, are already in the car. My bag of car essentials is ready to go and my suitcase is packed except for my toothbrush. I can't pack the C-pap until tomorrow, and the laptop needs to be synced with this one before it is ready - in the morning after I negotiate through first of the month finances. The camera bag and my letterboxing pack are sitting ready by the stairs. Why am I so uncomfortable about leaving something behind??

I have checked the garden and picked up my license from the sheriff - It only took them a week to have it ready this time - they are supposed to have it within four weeks, but the original took them seven. Saturday I finished getting the radio in the car and ventured out with my wife to spend about an hour at a local field day site. I even packed things to make another letterbox as an activity to serve as a hedge for any rainy days. Still I can't shake that "Something is missing" voice.

Oh well regardless - tomorrow we go for almost two weeks away from home with some of those we care about the most. I wish that the others could be there also, but thats a story for another day.

Planting a Box

Ok! I think that I got a bit OCD over this one. I couldn't let go of the idea of planting a new letterbox on Topsail island. I had never put a box together before and just had to try everything. The results - A Plan to put a starter box out this year, and if all goes well to add several more in years to come, it is to be know as the "Topsail Treasures Series".

I have completed the first box - "The Gold Hole" named after a large scale treasure hunting project which took place on the island for several years, and then mysteriously, it suddenly ended leaving behind a gapping hole in the ground, a pile of rubble, and lots of questions. This box consists of:

1) A box with a snap on top which has been covered top and bottom with camouflage duct tape.

2) A hand carved rubber stamp of a treasure chest. It is mounted onto an acrylic block with a foam cushion inbetween.

3) A hand made log book created by folding 4x6 blank index cards in half and stitching them together. The cover is three pieces of artists mounting board with a glued on treasurer map.

It was a lot of fun.

Vacation is Soon!!

Our plan is that by this time next week we will be well on our way to enjoying our vacation. We expect to hit the road next Tuesday morning.

I still have somethings to complete getting the car ready and we have much sorting and packing yet to do. Everyone involved has had the opportunity to review the check lists. We seldom get many major changes to them any longer, but tend to forget things, so we review them and try to use them. Actually I keep three lists, Groceries, General Packing, and my personal items list.

The bunnies seem to be leaving my lettuce pretty much alone since the fence is back up to discourage them.

I managed to get my permit application completed satisfactorily. The application, Training Certificate, Passport photo, and fee were received with little comment.

I did get in some letterboxing on a few days last week. I actually amazed myself at how far I walked to get some of them. One day altogether I must have walked over two miles. These are stamps from boxes that I found during the week. The Weber's stamp was a fun one. It is located behind the counter of a local ice cream store. Their product is and old fashioned, homemade, custard using all natural ingredients.

When I woke up and checked my email last Sunday morning I found a notice that a new box had been planted near my home. The box was carved by a local boxer, "Travel'N Turtle", that is very active. She always uses very nice hand carved stamps so I was anxious to see it. I had plans to go out of town to an Herb fair that morning. However I couldn't resist the temptation so I threw on some cloths, drove over, and found it. At 8:15 a.m.I was the first one to stamp in to her log book. Here is a Picture of "The Goddess Hera"

We will be on Topsail Island, NC for our week at the beach. We discovered that there is one letterbox on the Island and plan to locate it. Now one box on an Island that size isn't very many. Plans are underway for us to add one this year, and if all works out well we hope to make it part of a "Topsail Treasures" series in the following years.

Wow - It's been a week

Vacation is looming in the near future. I found this shot I took in 2005 and just made it my wallpaper.

It's been a real different week full of ups and downs. A quick summary:

Good - Donna is home for the summer, she needed the R&R, especially to rest her knee.

Bad - The computer got so obstinate that I had to take it into the shop. I suffered withdraw being without it for four days.

Good - It was replaced by a newer, bigger, better, faster one.

Bad - I now have weeks of work to do trying to recover my computers applications and documents.

Good - The wife and kids paid for the new one - "HAPPY FATHERS DAY"!!

Bad - It's been too hot to go outside for more than a few minutes.

Good - I did some work on the Church website, Not all updates and calender reconstruction have been completed, but it is better.

Bad - I found more work to do on the Church site than I had expected.

Good - Donna took me to an Indian's Game Wednesday Night. It was one of the coolest days we have had for awhile.

Bad - The Indian's lost the game.

Good - I think all of the plans and preparation for the beach that can be done now has been completed.

Bad - More will come up in the next two weeks as we get down to the wire and start to pack up.

So what is a man to do?

Where's The Beach??

Ah yes - - It's almost time for our annual family pilgrimage to the sea. For the last 25 years the word "Vacation" has automatically been translated by my crew into "North Carolina Beach". To them the word has no other meaning. I can't quite understand how I got hooked up with this as I am really not a beach person. But, to preserve what is left of peace and tranquility in the family, I dutifully obey the annual sirens call.

My wife Donna is a school teacher for another year or so with the typical summer break and I have retired. So we are free to take our time coming and going. This year in consideration of the cost of fuel we have decided to accept the challange of spending two weeks on the road in my Saturn Ion. Can you feel the squeeze? For several years we have rented a full sized car which adds a remarkable level of comfort as well as lots of room to pack "stuff". So "stuff" will be a much smaller list this year. On the plus side not having to pay for a rental car we can take another day or two coming and going without those additional charges.

Several years ago I happened upon a Hot Springs Area in Berkeley Springs, WV and mentioned it to Donna as a potential stopover going to the beach. We stoped, she tried it, and once she had sampled the "Hot Tub and Message" routine she became a disciple. As it turned out it was this country's original Spa which was both surveyed and enjoyed by George Washington and many of his family and friends. Now some hot spring location must be included in my planning. Usually it is this original one. We will stop there.

We are scheduled into a Beach House on Topsail Island, NC for a week starting on Saturday the 5th of July. I try to keep the driving down to about 6 hours a day. So my plan is Tuesday - Berkeley Springs, Wednesday - Rocky Mount NC, Thursday and Friday - New Bern NC, Saturday to Saturday - Beach House, Saturday Night - Beckley WV, and home Sunday.

On the 4th we will watch New Bern's parade. They were one of the first cities in the US to celebrate Independence day and it is still a big deal there. On the evening of the 4th, being Cleveland Indians baseball fans, we will take in a game followed by fireworks watching the Kinston, NC Indians a Cleveland "A" farm team. Can you believe reserved seats are available for four bucks each?

I have also located letterboxes along the way that I will attempt as time permits. There are boxes at or near each stopover and at rest stops in between. I was surprised to learn that a number of them had been planted by "Penguin Patrol" a boxer from Michigan who has many in my area. Several of these sound like a lot of fun.

Memorial Day Weekend

Wow! - It's been awhile since I have offered anything here. The wife is back to work half days. Last week I worked outside a bit getting started on the Gardening season. I bought some plants, turned some dirt and generally wore myself out. Then Wednesday P.M. and Thursday I worked at getting a Turkey Breast Smoked for the weekend. My entire family was here with the exception of one son who was ill and the spouses of my two married kids. Even my brother, who I seldom see came by. The Weekend was devoted mainly to yard work as the eldest son lead in planting a summer flower garden for his mother and helping me with my vegetable/herb plots.

Along the way various of us squeezed in a local Rib Burn off, an Indians Game, Putt-Putt Golf, A parade, back yard cookouts, and some letterboxing.

For me the highlight was Letterboxing with my Daughter and her sons. We located the eight boxes in the "Sound of Music Series" near here (see pic), but my daughter covered that very well so I will refer you to her blog.

Memorial day always leaves me in a bit of a funk, so it was nice to have the group here - But I will cover that in my other Blog.

Haming and Boxing

OK I finally have the Ham rig mostly installed. We still have some changes to make, but it is working.

I arrived early in Dayton today and decided to do some letterboxing. There were 3 boxes listed at a location near my Motel, so off I went. I am still using the 1st attempt a a personal stamp as I have not found time to try carving a better one. However, it's better than nothing so that didn't stop me.

The three boxes and many more in the area were planted by "Hale's Angel" and I found that her hand carved stamps are beautiful. The first box was "Love Fairies" very nice and pretty. There was also a "Hitchhiker" in the bag with her stamp. The Hitchhiker "No Two are Alike" was launched in January by "Penguin Patrol". It is a hand carved snowflake stamp and is very nice work. I brought it with me to replant in another box soon. That little extra really perked me up. Then I went on to locate the other two very pretty stamps "Night Time Fairy" and "There's Gnome Place Like Home". Night time is a Fairy in a nightgown while the Gnome is sitting on a toadstool. So it turned out to be a very pleasant day.

I will get a early start in the morning to beat the traffic. I am looking forward to a fun day of browsing.

Personal Stamp

When you have found a letterbox it is the custom to use the stamp found inside to make an entry into your personal log book and to make an entry in the letter-box's logbook which will indicate you were there. Most hunters include there personal stamp as part of the entry into the box's logbook.

So if I am going to try this out I need a stamp. I have been thinking on this and have decided to use a the "Trail Name" of 1SG and an adaptation (a silhouette) of the logo at the right as my stamp.

Now I am getting prepared to make a stamp. I have carved wood a bit and think the woodcarving tools will work well for carving the stamp. I managed to find some materials to use, so I think I am about ready to go.

I hope to be able to enjoy this sport with my Daughter and Grandson's this summer.

Music Mound Letterboxes

I found that there is a set of eight letterboxes near my home that are pretty easy to get to. This is actually a set of seven mini-boxes (stamp only) and one regular box (stamp and log book). It is identified as "The sound of music series" and is located in a local park at a place known as "The Music Mound". This is a nice wooded opening with a stone "Stage" at the distant end that is popular for weddings. In fact my oldest son was married there.

So I set off to explore and see what letter-boxing was really like. I located the first 3 boxes but stopped at that as I do not yet have a personal stamp or log book. I found it to be much fun and the hand carved stamps that I found are really very well done.

I'm hooked, so know design and carve a stamp and decide what to use for a logbook, then I'll be off to see the world.

Where we are going

I created this blog without much of an idea where I was going with it. I do maintain another one, God's Janitor, where I have been posting philosophical and religious thoughts and musings. My daughter got me interested in blogging while she was visiting last Christmas.

Recently she has been taking her two boys on an adventure know as letterboxing. It sounded like a ton of fun so I did some reading about it. I have a number of physical problems that limit my activity much more than I would like. This sounds like a possible way to get out and have some fun.

So now I need to find a couple of them to get a better feel for them, decide on a design and make a personal stamp, get a logbook, and probably place a few of my own.