The Pepe's & Davidow's Letterboxing Site

Hope to see you all at the Quaddick State Park gathering on Sunday, May 2. One of our trip participants, Cheryl from Team Mad Dawg, is flying out to make our Dartmoor trip meeting on Saturday and will be coming to the Sunday gathering. Let's show her how great we CT boxers are and give her a warm welcome - and an exchange!! She may be bringing some Ohio-based goodies with her!!

Check back on Monday for our reports on both the Saturday trip gathering and the big gathering at Quaddick. Enjoy this great weather and . . . . . . . . have fun and just get out there & box!!!

Congrats to The Engraver as she too hits the F500 mark. You should have seen her do the "Dance of the 500 Boxes!" Apparently, Corrina has the pictures to prove it!! Our best goes out to you as you reach this great milestone.

Just noticed that the NeeDeeps are back on the State Stamp Series. Today, they planted their Arkansas letterbox. We'll have to watch and see when the next bunch gets planted. I think they told me that they are all carved, but stopped planting them to get to different type letterboxes. To refresh memories or clear this up for our new readers, the NeeDeeps have carved a series of letterboxes patterned after the state quarters being issued by the US Mint. Arkansas is the newest in that series. Now back to your regularly scheduled program . . . .

We finally did it tonight! Sue & I hit F 500 [Thanks Phyto!] after almost 2 years of letterboxing. Quite a thrill. While that is an accomplishment, I heard from Pete, of Wanda & Pete, and he hit F3000 over the weekend! Makes 500 look soooooo tiny and puts it into perspective! Congrats to Pete and to us!

This coming Sunday, May 2, is the CT Gathering at Quaddick State Forest. Don't miss this great event hosted by MommaFox, Bald Eagle, The Maplines, and Teach & Preach. Check out our Gatherings page for the particulars. This should be a very well-attended event, as, while it's in CT, it's close to both the MA and RI borders. That territory covers a huge amount of available letterboxers. Hope to see you all there.

Another email from The Engraver!

The completed size of the map of CT after you find all 8 counties will be 6.25" wide by 4.5" high. She suggests you stamp each county on a different piece of paper, then assemble and glue it on another piece of paper like a jigsaw puzzle. The only question being "Can you find that Hartford County Hitchhiker to complete your map??? I'm having more fun than I should with this thing!

I had a truly evil thought! The Engraver has offered a prize to the first letterboxer who completes the State Stamp Series and mails us a copy of the completed map. I might make things a little more difficult to reach that goal! Sue and I never got to place the Hartford County portion of that Series since we were so busy trying to reach our F500 on Saturday and we still fell 2 short! So - I have decided to make the Hartford County stamp a Hitchhiker with the caveat that it must remain in a box within the Hartford County. Even after that first finder discovers it, they must move it to another Hartford county box - that should make things a little more interesting!!! Let's see who gets the prize!!!

With the success of both the mens and womens UCONN basketball programs this year in the NCAA tournaments, I had an easy task of choosing the new Box of the Week! The Huskyville Letterbox is our choice, placed by Wild Rover.

Our Poll of the Week relates to your attendance at the coming gathering on Sunday, May 2 at Quaddick State Forest in Thompson, CT. Check out our New England Area Gatherings page for specifics, directions and a direct link to MommaFox's website with up-to-the minute details.

Website of the Week honors go to Leader of the Pack. Check out the link in the right column. Carolyn will be our next victim in out Interview Series.

In addition to the History of Dartmoor, I have also added the First 15 Dartmoor Letterboxes.

I just received an exciting email from The Engraver! The first letterboxer who completes the state of CT map from the CT State Stamp Series will receive a special, personalized momento from The Engraver. Hope that gives you some incentive to be first! Hopefully, all of the counties will be planted by next weekend. Stay tuned for details.

I have posted a new page, History of Dartmoor Letterboxing, as told by Anne Swinscow in her legendary book, "More Dartmoor Letterboxes." First published in December of 1986, this book and the previous, "101 Dartmoor Letterboxes", have become mainstays in the British letterboxing world. I hope that you will take the time to read it. It's amazing how much of her comments towards the end of the piece still hold true today, and in the United States.

We almost did it! Sue & I reached F498 today and had to quit due to darkness. We would have hit our F500 if 3 of the boxes we searched weren't missing ~ but ~ that's the great thing about letterboxing ~ there's always tomorrow! It wasn't a bad day, though. A legerdemaine box, a first finder and 5 others. In some parts of the country that's a few days worth of finds. We truly are spoiled here in the box-rich state of CT. Now we should hit our goal with a quick run after supper one night this week. Hope you all got out today - the weather was perfect for letterboxing.

Sue and I are 9 boxes away from our F500. We will head out tomorrow to pick up a legerdemaine box, a few boxes in Simsbury, Unionville and Bristol. When we return, hopefully, we will have reached that benchmark! Another letterboxing-related item on the agenda for tomorrow is to plant our CT State Stamp Series - Hartford County box. I have opened up a CT State Stamp Series "Hall of Fame" for those of you who email me that you have completed all 8 counties to form the completed map of CT.
Special thanks to The Engraver for her ingenious idea and the wonderful carving.
Planted our 26th letterbox today, There's a Fungus Among Us!

Noticed on the new Great Lakes talk list that Matt the Rat of Chicago is back and replacing his letterboxes. Matt was referred to in our interview with Funhog back a month or so ago. Matt visits our website from time to time so we'd like to say: Welcome back, Matt!

In collecting emails with first finds, I've received a number of great letterboxing stories, along with the vital first find info. One came from the midwest - forgive me but her name escapes me after all of the mail. This letterboxer is also an 11th grade English teacher. After introducing her class to letterboxing, they have decided, as a class, to design and carve a stamp and hide it on the school grounds. Better yet, she went on to say, they letterbox with her on Saturdays! Imagine - 11th grade students spending the weekend with their English teacher! I guess letterboxing transcends all sociological groups!!! How many of you teacher/letterboxers out there, and I know there are a lot, have had the same experience???

A recent, newly-announced mystery letterbox led me to a great little find. This new box called Paige's Tales 4 perked my interest. I thought the clue-writing unique, so upon further investigation found Paige's Tales 1, 2, and 3. These boxes are done by Paul & Paige with 4 being an mystery and 1 - 3 located in Ashford, CT. Be sure to check them out!

Thanks for all who have emailed me their first finds. My Inbox is full again this morning - keep 'em coming! They will be updated nightly. The comments from you have been all positive - even the email that began "You are a nut job!" I think he meant I was crazy for all of the work this involved but it really isn't that bad.

Check our Gatherings Page for the specifics of the Moose Hill Gathering Mach 2, to be held Sunday, June 27. Thanks to RustyPuff & CSCM, who will once again serve as hosts for this event. Don't forget to RSVP!

I got thinking again - I know it's dangerous! What about a page on this website with your first find and those of other letterboxers?? I have posted a message on both the national and our regional talk lists. Email me your trail name, state, name of your first box, it's state and the date you found it, including the year. As I get them, I'll open up a new sub-page with all of the info by state in which the letterboxer resides. Thanks for your participation!

Spent a great night letterboxing with Joe & Betsy and Dave & Nancy. Headed over to Hubbard Park in Meriden. Not only are the daffodils spectacular - you must check out Northstar's In Bloom letterbox before it's gone on Tuesday. It's a great stamp. While there we were able to check on our adopted Dead Bug letterbox, which was fine. We just refined the clues to match the changing environment.

Just had a chance to look at our stats of visitors to this webpage. We have had visitors from 26 countries besides the US and we average 57 visitors per day! We'd like to thank you all for stopping by and don't forget to put your virtual pin on our Guest Map located at the bottom of this column.

As I sit here in my cubicle with work up to my elbows and looking outside at this beautiful day, I am filled with envy for all of you teachers/letterboxers out there who are able to letterbox on such a beautiful day! As Ryan Carpenter signs off - ~ carpe diem!
There is some hope though. Sue and I are headed out after work today with friends to Hubbard Park in Meriden to enjoy the daffodils and find Northstar's In Bloom before it is gone.

The new CT State Stamp Series page is up, with only 2 of the 8 counties currently hidden. Check back often for updates as the different counties are placed. All stamps carved by The Engraver and hidden by a different letterboxer within that particular county that the stamp portrays.

The normal Monday amenities have been posted!
Letterbox of the Week is Charlotte's View, placed by Limur in Southwest Harbor, ME. As you know, this island is reknowned for it's beautiful hiking trails, striking views and wonderful letterboxes. Website of the Week is Irish Tinker's site - find the link in the right column. The Poll of the Week deals with finding pornographic drawings in logbooks and how you would handle that. I'm afraid this may be an issue we have to deal with more frequently.

What a great weekend in VT! We placed 4 new letterboxes in the southern VT area and found 3 letterboxes, one of which is a new legerdemaine Opus #122. Not bad for a weekend's work! Got back and found an email from Joe & Betsy, one of the 2 couples with whom we spend a lot of time, telling us that they did our 5 newest CT boxes, picked up a HH and exchanged with Butterfly and Sadie and Russ.

Rubaduc emailed me with a great story about her grandson, Jared. Apparently, Rubaduc was taking him for a dentist appointment but also found the time to find our Unsung Heroes letterbox. This is her account of what happened:

" I explained about being careful so people woudn't guess what we were doing but I wasn't too sure how much his 7 year old brain absorbed. He located the box and brought it to me just as a woman was cutting through the lot. When he saw her he said (looking oh so innocent :-) "time for lunch, Gramma." Talk about catching on fast.

Sue and I are getting ready to leave for VT for the first time in many weeks. We are planning to find a new home for our Prince of Naples letterbox as well as the beautiful event stamp carved by Jay Drew. Hopefully we will plant a few more and find time on the way home to look for a new Opus!
Watch for details & clues on Monday!

Congrats to Amymisha, who quietly began a new letterboxing website. The only way I found out is from an email from Camera Obscura, who sent me a link for listing their Love Buzz letterbox for inclusion on our I-95 Letterbox page. Thanks to Tim for keeping me informed and Amy, we wish you the best in your new endeavor!

I received a great package in the mail today from The Engraver. We asked for some of her dog series stamps that she carved this past winter and offered up on the LBNE talklist. Sue and I received the Dachshund, Yellow Lab and Bichon Frise'; all wonderfully hand-drawn and carved! We also got the Hartford County portion of the CT Map Series that she carved. One letterboxer from each county in CT received their county stamp to hide. Once clues are all posted and the letterboxes are found, the completed image will make up the State of CT. Great idea! We will be planting the 3 dog stamps soon - watch for clues.

On the way home from work today, I planted another letterbox. This one is special to Sue and I as it is dedicated to our son Matt and all of the volunteer firefighters who daily put their lives on the line in service to their community. We call this letterbox Unsung Heroes.

Thanks to Binx, we now have the link for the NPR audio of a news story about letterboxing. Click this link, then click on the "Letterboxing" link at the top of the page. You will need RealAudio or Windows Media to listen to this 6 minute plus interview. The interviewee is Thomas Johnston. During this interview, the host, Linda Wertheimer actually takes part in looking for a letterbox planted in Washington, DC. Hope that you enjoy it.

Our first patient has been released from our Box Maintenance Hospital. Thanks to Silver Eagle for keeping us informed and the boxer who, in turn, advised Silver Eagle of its welfare. This is how this page should work - new boxes coming in, being found/repaired and then getting discharged!

Today must have been email day! We so appreciate anyone who takes the time to email us with a suggestion, an addition or a comment. Steve, of Steve & Heidi fame, emailed today with a question on our new I-95 Letterboxes page. He noticed the entry of one of the Rocky Neck State Park letterboxes listed in CT. He asked where we draw the line, as there are tons of boxes located there. To clarify - I think these boxes should be unique in an area [unlike Rocky Neck], practically a drive-by and about 10 miles or less from the highway. I hope this helps the determination of new boxes to be added in the future. Also thanks to all of those letterboxers who added a box to this page and emailed the status of our First State Letterboxes page. There have been far too many to name but we really appreciate your time and contributions.

We'd like to wish a great and safe trip to TeamGreenDragon as they wing their way south today to meet their new grandchild, Dakota Skye, in Florida. What an exciting week they have in store for them.

Our Poll of the Week is ready for your vote. It relates to the affect of pulling letterbox clues off of the main LBNA website and placing them only on the placer's own website. Phyto announced over the weekend that she was taking this action due to the main LBNA site being down for hours and as a method of keeping more control over her boxes.

The Box of the Week is Northstar's In Bloom. If you haven't yet visited Hubbard Park in Meriden during the Daffodil Festival, now is the time! It's something to see and you can also get this limited edition letterbox, which is out only as long as the festival's length. By the way, there will not be an ungathering after you find this one like the recent Prince of Naples limited box!!!

Our Website of the Week is Ryan Carpenter's website. The link is in the right column.

Special thanks to Fleur de Lis, Sam I Am and Hikers n Hounds for their suggestions and contributions to our new I-95 Letterboxes page. This page came about because of a recent post to both talklists where I asked for suggestions for quick and easy boxes right off of the I-95 highway as Sue and I will be driving to Atlantic Beach, NC this May. Then Steve & Heidi asked for this list and Sam I Am emailed me that it might make a good resource to put on our web page for those letterboxers traveling I-95 during the coming vacation season. This is just what this webpage is about - trying to fill the needs of letterboxers from around the country. We are here to help you gain the best boxing experience by our small contribution. Never be afraid to email us with a suggestion, criticism or comment. This is your website - except don't forget that I run things around here! ;-)

It's been an exciting morning here and it's only 11:00! I received an email from our first finder of our Haunted Pumpkin letterbox. CT letterboxers are quick. This letterboxer stopped on his way to work! That's dedication.
Phyto has placed a new letterbox in the great state of ME, called Chocolate Church, located in Bath, ME. Looks like another of those wonderful treasures for which this state is known.

While Sue worked, I planted 4 new letterboxes today. Jumping Frog and Put on a Happy Face are located at Timberlin Park & Golf Course off of Route 364W in Kensington, CT. Golden Basket and Haunted Pumpkin are both located at Sage Park, Routes 5 & 15 in Berlin, CT. Hope you get the time to check them out soon!

Thanks so much to all of you who have emailed me with positive comments on our First State Letterbox page! We appreciate the kind comments, as well as your status reports and corrections. The success of this page depends on your input and help! Thank you!

Great new gatherings are on the horizon!

June 5th is National Trails Day and in CT that means a gathering! Letterboxer2002 had coordinated what looks to be a great event - a letterboxing clinic to introduce new people to the pastime, a stamp carving class by none other that Brian of TeamGreenDragon, carving and letterboxing supplies for sale by the Great American Stamp Store, and plenty of new letterboxes out in the area. There are plans underway to provide for camping with an event stamp for those that join the Saturday night campfire, and a special Things That Go Bump in the Night series to be distributed after the campfire to be done at night with a flashlight and another event stamp! Do we CT boxers know how to throw a gathering or what?

RustyPuff has announced on the talk list a teaser for the Moose Hill Gathering Mach2. You remember the gathering; you remember the place! Now it's time to try letterboxing at Moose Hill when the temperature is above freezing! Dates and more info to come.

Watch our Gatherings Page for updates and announcements!

UCONN - UCONN - UCONN - UCONN - UCONN - UCONN - UCONN - UCONN!
Not only did the Women's team 3peat; but we won the Men's NCAA title as well. First time in NCAA history that the same school has won both mens and womens championships in the same year! The Pepe's are extremely excited as Sue is a UCONN alumnus. It looks like UCONN is the capital of college basketball!
Congratulations to both great teams for a terrific season - you did us proud!

I worked last night assembling at least 10 new letterboxes that are ready to plant. About half will be planted in CT and the other half will go to southern VT. We have a series of 3 to plant in Osbornedale State Park in Derby, CT [the location of the Prince of Naples ungathering.] This series will be called Joe Goes . . . and details the favorite outdoor activities of a fictional child. The series is dedicated to my father, Joe Pepe, who passed away a year and a half ago. He encouraged and nurtured my love for the outdoors and all it has to offer. Most of the new boxes going out will have store bought stamps that I purchased prior to carving my own. The boxes going to VT feature hand-carved stamps.

Let me start by saying welcome back! I haven't posted much in the past week because of the planning for our Prince of Naples Ungathering. I really have missed my posting so get ready for a return back to my verbose self!

Our usual Monday treats are ready! Poll of the Week - relates to the April Fool's joke played on the letterboxing.org website; Box of the Week - Rayne's Come into my Parlor . . . located in Broad Brook, CT; and our Website of the Week is Fudrick's Letterboxing Travails.

Today was great fun as our Prince of Naples letterboxed turned out to be the ungathering with our special guest, Randy Hall/Mapsurfer. Sue and I are so greatful to all of our friends who braved the rain and mud and helped make this gathering so special! Thanks to Randy for coming, Jay Drew for the wonderful event stamp, and most of all, all of our guests - the 35 letterboxers who showed up from RI, MA, NY, CT and even NC [who were here visiting family in CT.] It was also wonderful to see and exchange with 7 new letterboxers who attended the event. And Happy Birthday to Veronica, who chose to go letterboxing and fit us into her special day! As your belated birthday gift, I have decided to call my friend at the Maine State Police barracks in Wells and have Tony's name taken off of the 10 Most Wanted list! [For further explanation for our readers, please see our March 22 post and the Maine gathering info for details!]
For those of you who might have missed our Prince, he will be moving to southern VT very shortly. Also, we have 3 new letterboxes to hide at Osbornedale State Park in the next few weeks. Watch for them to be announced here, along with the Prince of Naples new VT home.