A real post is due…

It’s about time, I’d say.

Winter is upon us here in the midwest.  For purposes of illustration, let me just say that outside right now, it’s -14 with wind-chill.  Fourteen BELOW zero farenheit.

I’m hardcore, when it comes to letterboxing.  I really am, at least in my own mind.  But I am not so hard core as to even consider leaving the house when it’s fourteen below zero.  Frostbite on places that I didn’t know I had skin is not conducive to a Happy Well-Adjusted Life for me.

So I’m indoors.  But that doesn’t mean I’m not active.  I try to read the boards every day over at Atlas Quest (and marvelling about Ryan’s trip to hike the Florida Trail…and not just a little jealous of him, I might add.).  I just picked up Randy’s book on letterboxing.  (I’ll put a link in the sidebar if you haven’t seen it.  It’s good, especially for newbies, and the section on compassing is fabulous.)

Most of all, I’m planning.  I’m plotting my slow takeover of this city by letterboxers.  World domination, one box at a time.

If I can’t actually *be* hiking, I figure I can carve stamps, make logbooks, put together boxes for the eventual placement.  I’m researching local recreation areas, finding new trails and historical sites, being inspired by the history of the area about which I never really knew.

When I was in Seattle, I used to look up the Parks Department’s website and read about the history of a particular park.  I tried pretty hard to make the box match the history, sometimes even carving historical figures or events that happened there.  (My Salmon Run series, for instance, is based on the fact that the local salmon would run to the park the boxes are in, and the park was established, in part, to let people watch the fish jump.)

Here, I’d like to do the same thing, but I’m finding that Omaha…?  Totally seedy.  No, seriously.  Omaha used to be a red-light district for people passing down the Missouri River.  Lots of houses of ill repute and gambling.  Which I personally find to be kind of awesome, but I think that the more kid-friendly ‘boxers might take issue to a series of Bordello boxes.

So I’m doing some series that aren’t based on the history so much.  Just highlighting some of the great parks here in town that I never knew existed.  My “Army of Darkness” series is in a fabulous (and HUGE) park here that has NO boxes currently.  Since it’s a big series, I’m hoping to attract letterboxers who are passing through, and keep them here long enough to plant a few of their own so *I* have something more to find.

It’s all selfish, see.

I’ve also got a series of Old McDonald’s farm that the IALC list carved way back in the days before I stopped doing this for a while.  The logbooks are done, the stamps are carved, I bought the lock & locks, and now…all I need is some sun.

Come on, Spring!