Ruminations from the Temple

A few favorite quotes from the Master of the High Council... Rush not into fights.  Long is the war.   Only by surviving it, will you prevail. Mastery of self is the only mastery that matters. Named your fear must be before banish it you can. "Make a decision, make another," Yoda always said,  "remake one past, you cannot."

I'm grateful for inchie projects! These are one inch square hand-carved self-portraits of some of the wonderfully talented letterboxing friends I'm honored to know.   Today, I'm grateful for letterboxing friends.  I have the honor of knowing and interacting with letterboxers all over the country - they are some of the best people I ever met!  Kind, compassionate, talented and fun-loving - I love my letterboxing community! I'm grateful for healthy conversation. I'm grateful to hear my children playing a game together and truly enjoying each others company. I'm grateful that spring is coming...eventually. I'm grateful for yummy Chinese food. I'm grateful that the LORD listens and cares. I'm grateful for laughter. I'm grateful that I get to sing Shalom Aleichem tonight with friends. I'm grateful for times that my Taylor enjoys his studies. I'm grateful for the fact that Morgan is getting better at driving.  I'm s...

Far off on the horizon the bank of storm clouds make their way steadily to the shore.  There are eyes watching their progression, making note of the surroundings.  Crashing waves, rocky sand underfoot...the sound of dripping from pine needles and the leaves still attached despite the lateness of the year.  The wind caresses the souls brave enough to take it all in, quietly now, but threatening to build. Turning away from the shore and stepping onto the soft needle-littered trail is a familiar sensation.  The smell of the forest so refreshing and comforting somehow.  The journey starts out lightheartedly, not knowing what lies ahead; it's probably better that way, for if it were known what was to be faced, most would not venture out at all. The first leg of the journey reveals it's niceties; viewpoints of crashing waves, an island lighthouse long since put to retirement, the horizon line blurred with those lurking storm clouds.  Safely on the trail, the ...

So, the bulk of the holiday obligations are over - whew...I made it! The feeling of having Hanukkah and Christmas behind me is fabulous. I usually end up with a little cash in my pocket, and with less people in the malls and more free time for a sanity break, I'm a happy girl. Baruch HaShem! I suggested a girls-day-out last Sunday for a little letterboxing and photography, with some shopping thrown in just for good measure - how nice! Lisa, Netanya and I ended up in Olympia on a sweet little trail that was in all it's winter glory. Everything was frosted with ice crystals, the lake was frozen enough to make lovely patterns on the water and we hiked at a pretty good pace because we were absolutely freezing! We were unable to snag that box, but were very happy to have found that little loop trail. In the spring and summer it must be glorious and may require another visit. We were more successful finding a couple other boxes, luckily, even running into some newbies for a ...

That's how many days since we started this interesting and addicting hobby called letterboxing ...well, actually that's a guess. Our first day of actual 'boxing was July 5, 2004, so you can figure out how many days that would be! Yesterday, Padawan and I ran away for a day of letterboxing . It was gloriously sunny, albeit a little on the chilly side. Equipped with cameras, snacks and a longer list of hidden gems than we could ever hope to snag, we set out for Vancouver...Washington, that is. We decided to tackle a park that seemed to hold the highest number of 'boxes for maximum efficiency. Vancouver Lake Park is a beautifully manicured and maintained park on the edge of the serene Vancouver Lake. We had never had the pleasure of exploring it before, so this was a real treat. The colors of the trees, the freshly mowed grass and the blue, blue, blue of the sky mimicked in the water was breathtaking. In the distance we caught glimpses of Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens ...

Recently, I signed up to participate in a interesting departure from our usual crazy letterboxing protocol. I have letterboxed in a traditional fashion for years, finding hidden gems out in our parks and along trails all over the country. I have letterboxed 'postally' by sending hand-carved stamps and homemade logbooks through the mail to other letterboxers in just about every state. I have solved letterboxes virtually on the computer and have "found" Letterboxer Trading Cards by the thousands. But this is an interesting twist that I am excited about; it's a Favorites Journal. The idea is for a group of carvers/letterboxers to make (or purchase and personalize) a blank journal. In the one you prepare, you stamp your favorite carve to date, along with your signature stamp. Above is the journal I made using the standard sewing-type binding, measuring 5" x 5". Then, at the agreed upon date, all of the group sends their journal to their 'mail-to...

Well, I guess we really are letterboxers...hahaha! Triple T and I planted three traditional 'boxes today and actually found one as well - how 'bout that? Here's my favorite shots of the day. a mallard at Heritage Park the marina at Percival Landing and my favorite, the flowering Mimosa tree in bloom - lovely!

The Navigator in action! Yesterday, Padawan and I took the afternoon and toured around Seattle. We were going to a letterboxing mini-gather at the Old Spaghetti Factory, and decided to letterbox a bit in Seattle. Mostly, we ended up driving through a lot of really, really cool Seattle neighborhoods ! We only got one letterbox out of a whole stack of clues, but that's cool - it was fun to get away for a bit. The one we got was in honor of the Aurora Bridge Troll, a sculpture that resides under the bridge. I never knew it existed until I read the clue - apparently it must be on some sort of tourist must-see list, because there was a ton of tourists there climbing and snapping photos. Gosh, I hope they actually get to see some nicer looking things on their time in the PNW ! see photos larger Some fun facts to know about Seattle: Seattle is ranked the most literate city by Central Conn. State Univ. Everybody reads here. The Seattle Public Library system has the hi...

Oh come on, I don't mean the really scary kind, or even the paparazzi kind that the celebs hate (and are really annoying I've seen). I'm talking about the benign type of stalker that just checks in on your sites everyday to see what you are doing, keeps track of little details about you (like hit counts and interesting photos) and knows your birthday. Are you one of those types of stalkers? Have you gotten to know someone purely by following their activities online? stalker , (noun) , 1. someone who walks with long stiff strides, 2. someone who stalks game, 3. prowler: someone who prowls or sneaks about; usually with unlawful intentions. I like the one with long strides! lol! They must be writing letterbox clues to the boxes I cannot find, "take 30 paces then look for the third bunch of ferns on your right..." I don't mind having a stalker, to be honest, as I don't have anything to hide. I would not want to have a criminal stalker, however, seeking...

Just a pic of my special birdhouse, made for me by my friend X Marks the Spot.

Well, I finally caved and have created another blog. This new blog will feature my carvings, and perhaps some other creations that come out of my craftroom. My H'Art in Rubber Let me know what you think!

I have been really enjoying creating the some fun LTCs for the upcoming swaps I've signed up for. Here's a sneak peek... This one is my prototype for the All Things Green swap, entitled "My Kinda Green". I actually just photocopied a ten dollar bill to carve. I felt compelled to change the serial numbers...can you figure out what my replacement gives nod to? *smile* This is my contribution to the Layers swap - I called it "Which Way is North?". Taken from a really cool image of a Celtic compass; I just used two layers, the black and the green. The compass pointers and the center are highlighted with paper glaze, to give it some extra pizazz. Paul Frank is an artist out of California; I know you have seen his little monkey featured on wallets, t-shirts and accessories, all with a retro 50's feel. The baby items are especially cute! There are just a ton of other characters, but I liked the monkey Julius the best. This LTC is for the Paul Frank is...

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon Hahaha! Now, there's a rock! I guess I've already 'found' that one, since I have a pic of it! lol! What? You don't know what Rock Stashing is? Rock stashing is a fun outdoor activity that combines elements of orienteering, letterboxing, earth caching, and old fashioned treasure hunting. It is easy to get started. 'Stashing is inexpensive, family-friendly, healthy, and best of all it is environmentally safe. It's a lot like letterboxing, except instead of hiding boxes, we hide rocks. Environmentally friendly, beautiful rocks. You can paint them (with non-toxic, environmentally-safe paint), or if you aren't the artistic type, just leave a particularly noteworthy rock for others to find. Perhaps it's uniquely shaped, or a rare type of rock for the area. In urban areas, if you paint the rock, it should only be on the bottom side of the rock so others will not discover it by accident. The rocks can survive many cond...

Yes, I've been rather busy as of late. I suppose it's because nothing has really been going on, or perhaps it's the winter duldrums, but I have a rather full LTC box! Wanna trade? If so, send me a message over on Atlas Quest, and we'll get a trade set up. Not familiar with letterboxing, Letterboxer Trading Cards (LTC) or Atlas Quest? Find out all about it by clicking the Atlas Quest link on the side bar. I look forward to hearing from you!

Just for fun, I thought I'd showcase some of my latest LTC creations... Doodley-doo Blue LTC - featuring a carve from a friend's doodle and lots of masking. Cody LTC - carved image of a photograph I took while visiting Cody, Wyoming last summer. Point Robinson Lighthouse LTC - another image carved from a photograph I took while visiting this quaint lighthouse here in Washington State. The coloring is achieved using woodless colored pencils (I just love those!) Tiger's Eye LTC - I carved this stamp quite a while ago, and just couldn't come up with a good design for an LTC. Finally, after dusting it off and trying again, I came up with this. The eyes are colored with pencil then covered with a liquid paper glaze to make them look more realistic. So, I wish I actually owned this shirt! My Favorite Shirt LTC, for the Shirt Rack III swap. Yet another carve and LTC of my favorite Star Wars character, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I titled this one My Hero LTC. It is stamped on osnaberg fab...

I am a maker and collecter of Artist Trading Cards. In my world, we call them "Letterboxer Trading Cards", because they are made by letterboxers and they must have a hand-carved stamp featured on the card. I have made hundreds, even thousands of these cards, and enjoy the hobby immensely (samples shown are a few of my cards). I also collect them from other artists and letterboxers, and have a collection numbering (also) in the thousands. So, here's the confession: I HATE LOGGING THEM! Yes, that's right, I said 'hate'. I know, that's pretty strong, but it is the only way I can adequately describe the feeling of dread that comes over me the second after I enjoy receiving them in the mail. If I were a disciplined person, I would immediately make my way to the computer, sign into to my favorite letterboxing site and let these wonderful friends know how much I love their efforts, thus easing their minds that their hard work arrived safe and sound in my care. Bu...

It's my turn to put the factoids and memories of the We Live & Breathe Letterboxing event into print. This event was, without a doubt, THE event of the year in letterboxing circles. The 10th anniversary of letterboxing in the PNW with the gentleman who was responsible for starting it all for us here, Der Mad Stamper. It was a huge undertaking, but done with grace and efficiency by the fabulous event committee. Many, many, many thanks and hugs of appreciation are due to Camp Fire Lady, Marmalade, Buppsters, Der Mad Stamper, Raqs Enigma & Rad Rhymer - y'all ROCK! Rollin' into town late Saturday afternoon and hurrying to dress for the Masquerade. "Gosh, can I breathe with this Jedi belt on?" "Oh look, here come the Jedi!" "Can I take your picture?" "Is that Wassa? What the heck...no, I don't want to shake his hand!" (he was dressed as a giant pair of boxing shorts and offering his hand through the fly! Camp Fire Lady...

[Nov 12, '07] Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a Letterboxing Event, sometimes called a gather. This is not my first, and each one is unique and fun in it's own right. A Letterboxing Event is where a bunch of letterboxers (if you don't know what this is, you need to google it) who gather in one place, be it a park or inside venue and exchange signature stamps, collect area letterboxes and generally shmooze. Sometimes there is food involved, but usually that just gets in the way of the stamping frenzy. Besides, eating finger food with inky fingers is kinda gross. I met some new letterboxers in our area, which is always fun. I exchanged with eleven newer 'boxers yesterday, which is always exciting. It is fun to see people's faces when I introduce myself - I have quite a few planted letterboxes, so most newer letterboxers recognize my name. My favorite part of events is catching up with letterboxing friends that I have met previously. Each time I see th...

So, how many things can one person be obsessed about? Since I am an 'all-or-nothing' type of person, it seems as though everything I get hooked into turns into an obsession. Take letterboxing, for example. OK, so finding traditional boxes was fine... at first. Then, it quickly turned into carving my own stamps and planting, then to postal letterboxing and making my own logbooks. I absolutely love the artistic and creative aspect to letterboxing, which feeds this obsession. I am obsessed with my faith. There is just no way around this one - it is all black and white for me. Either you are all in, or not in at all. To that end, my life revolves around my synagogue community and all that that entails... which is quite a bit! Being obsessed with Israel tends to take up a lot of my brain-time. I absolutely LOVE the Land, and everything in it (except the terrorists, of course.) How I would love to be there now, walking along... well, just about anywhere! Along the Kinneret, ...