Something very interesting happened a couple weeks ago: I got a message through AtlasQuest from a new letterboxer, AmyLou, who was contacting me regarding a hitchhiker of my she had found that was in pretty rough condition. She put it in the mail for me and I just received the little guy home.
Here it is on the right. I seem to recall cutting it with an Exacto knife - which it has been as this poor thing was badly undercut. I think that's why a number of the petals are missing, and the bee is almost unrecognizable.
I love this picture because of all the different colours you can tell that were used in its two-year life span out in the wild.
It's really nice seeing the logbook as well. I originally planted the hitchhiker in one of my newly planted boxes in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. According to logs on AtlasQuest, it went from Oakville, to Orangeville, Ontario, to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and then to its last letterbox in Hibbing, Minnesota. A pretty amazing journey for a little bee in just two years.
However, the physical logbook tells a different (more thorough?) history. Ten letterboxers logged their finds on AQ, but there are 17-18 letterboxers who have logged into the logbook (not completely sure the number of letterboxers as it is confusing as to which are the letterbox stamps and which are the signature stamps). I guess I should do a little further maintenance on my letterboxes to see who has popped by without logging their finds electronically... [I have no problem with folks deciding not to log online - that's their prerogative].Incidentally, a week later, Fiddleheads logged a find for the very first hitchhiker I ever planted. It's good to know those things are still on the go...
Thanks so much to AmyLou for sending home such a nice cool part of my letterbox history!
Happy trails!
I got you special letter today and my 11 year old was more excited then I, of coarse he also wanted to open the mystery envelope. The cat stamp was his favorite! we have a gray and white medium short hair cat and seen from your photo you have a long haired one. I am so happy you got your Bee. i was going to go replant it but then i thought it wasn't going to make it much longer and that is why i contacted you so glad all turned out well. AmyLou :O)
ReplyDeletePS we liked that you used our stamp page on the blog. Mine is the happy face, my 21 year old daughter uses the flower, my 15 year old uses his hand crafted raccoon tail and my 11 year old gets the little Dino!
Thank YOU, AmyLou! It was fantastic seeing that little guy home again. It's nice to know whose sig stamp is whose - I would have never known that was a racoon tail all by itself, but now I couldn't image it as anything else. And the baby hatching dino is SO cute!
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