Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Living in a letterbox desert



I live in Markham, Ontario, Canada. The average rainfall is 718 mm, and average snowfall is 142 cm. And yet, I live in a desert. A letterbox desert.

Back when I first took up letterboxing, a search of within 30 km of Markham would have netted you two (2) letterboxes, In the Great Green Room and Roxbury Valentine Hearts. There are a few more just outside town, but you’re pretty much looking at a drive into downtown Toronto or else a drive right out of the GTA in order to find a couple boxes in one go.

To me, until I move, I will always be in a letterbox desert. To my knowledge, there are no other letterboxes here.

But I suspect everyone at some point comes to live an a desert. There may be boxes when you arrive, but over time, you have to travel further and further to get your letterboxing fix. I wonder at different areas of the US where it would appear to me as an outsider that the area is pretty self sustaining. Enough letterboxers – both of the planter type and finder type - that new boxes come up from a variety of planter on a fairly regular basis. Is that the case? Or, are there so many pre-planted boxes available when a new boxer enters the fray that there is never the need to travel. One wonders.

Inevitably though, I think we all end up in a desert once you find everything within a given radius of your home or work.  So nothing to complain about, really.  Nothing to see here, keep moving.

4 comments:

  1. Is Brian hiding a box?

    In general I have to agree with everything you've said. At some point, letterboxing turns into a day-trip kind of hobby. You have to savour each one you get.

    In our area, planting has come in waves. This summer has been a veritable bonanza in the KW area, and yet with all the heat I haven't had a good chance to go and get even half of the new ones yet.

    Fiddleheads

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    1. Yes, it's hidden in the gourd.

      What I like about your area in Guelph though is that there is a great mosaic of letterboxes that have been planted over time. As a newer letterboxer visiting Guelph, I really liked the historic aspect and perspective of those letterboxes - which is something that I'm going to guess that, of any where in Canada, only the areas around Guelph and Kingston can boast.

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    2. I live in Kitchener but travel to Sarnia on a regular basis. There was ONE letterbox in Sarnia and it was nowhere to be found! I have started planting and have even connected with a craft store in Sarnia and talked up the hobby hoping they would pass it on to some of their customers.

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    3. Keep it up! I'll be sure to visit them when I'm down that way :)

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