New Home for Luau Series

On a fine (but windy), spring day Maple and I set off to replant all the fine boxes that were donated for the Spring Luau. It took us almost 2 hours, but we went on several side walks looking for the perfect locations. Distance wise it was about a mile and a half, but note that we parked in two different areas while planting. Mileage and time will go up if you are just walking. :)

We started at the parking lot by the boat launch at Kennedy Park. Instead of heading north on the river trail towards Speedy, we headed south to take the loop around the public baseball fields. We found this fine tree with a nearby garbage can. The tree is too close to high tide, but under the can is a fine place to Relax in the Shade.

At the southern most part of the loop, just past the group of trees keeps your eyes out for a fallen log:

In it a Flirty Fish is hiding.

Continuing on the trail beyond Flirty Fish, is this grove of trees:
This is the tree you are looking for:
The looks like an octopus, which is fitting for this box.

When the paved path turns to the left you will see a social trail to your right. Go check it out, you might find some cool rocks like these:

There just might be a Laau li'ili'i uhane behind this lone rock waiting for you.

Finish off the loop and you can head towards to duck pond. At this point we hopped in the car, but you can walk if you wish. We headed past the duck pond towards the college baseball fields and found this grand tree.

Aloha Napa is on the west side of the base in dander.

We parked again by the duck pond- if you wish to keep walking you can, but our finish time doesn't account for that. :)

Heading east from the duck pond and up the hill, you will see this guard rail across the street from you:

Check out the east end and you just might find a Native Nene.

Back on the path you will see soon this building on your right:

On your left is this- is it two trees, or a tree and a bush? Find the center of the smaller tree and you will Hawaii Shaka at 45 degrees SE.

You will find this other large tree just east of the Shaka. On the South side of the tree there are trunks that grow along the ground the Tropical Torch is under dander alongside one of those trunks, next to an upright one. (Sorry I didn't get a picture of an exact location!)

Head to the golf course and find this island. (the island with the sign is behind the photographer)

Aloha Tiki is in the east side of the bush next to the tree.

For something to wear to this Luau you can find the next stamp also in the parking lot for the golf course.

Aloha shirt is in the cluster of rocks, under leaf litter and a smaller rock.

The final box in the series can be found by taking the path east from the golf course parking lot.
Drink up is at the base of the bush on the south east side.

I hope you enjoyed finding all the wonderful boxes that we had at the 2010 Spring Luau!!!
I'd just like to thank all those who donated boxes for the event/ this series.
You made the event what it was, and I thank you!!!

Spring Luau

Yesterday was the Spring Luau in Napa. I've spent so much time planing, carving and planting that it seems odd that it's over. There were over twenty boxes on the trail (some that I still need to go out and get!), 14 and under boxes that were a hit with the kids, HIPS boxes (that people are really getting good at hiding!) and about 60 people. Only one person ended up in the pool, and it wasn't Carole! :) I tried to get everyone in a picture, and looking through them I failed to get Blackmagic, The Olde Oak, Camp Fire Girl, and Grinch (I caught Grumpy). I know Deniserows snapped a few of me, we'll see if they turn up anytime soon. :)

I had a great time meeting and talking to everyone yesterday, and I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did!

The photos I took are too big to load up on AQ, so here are my photos from the day:

Ginine from Blue Rose Gang, The Monkeys and Pink Chablis chatting and getting ready to exchange. Rumors are that Pink Chablis got a cootie for the first time, so beware!

Getting down to business of stamping and chatting, YosemiteMJD and 2hearts are 1.

Tallgirl, Lisascenic, Public Hand, Butterfly Sal and multiple HIPS.

Butterfly Sal, 2hearts are one, Winged Gypsy Grumpy and art Trekker (in the corner)

Puppychups, Momskie and Old Blue relaxing by the pool

Lisascenic and Mathhead

Doublesaj and Carole of Da Kool Kats

The Gazebo

Lost Sailor, Special, Smile, Teacher Lady and Neon Mermaid

ElizabethB, DJ Ortho and Sailing Ron

The Long dogs and Sarah of Dubbie Dots

Adios, Dbare, Sailing Ron and Wendy

Ginine of Blue Rose Gang, and Teacher lady


Elizabeth and DJ Ortho taking a break

Public Hand, explaining something important (possibly letter boxing lineage) Dbare and The Monkeys.


Mamabear23cubs, Gary of Da Kool Kats and JJ.

Public Hand and the littlest Dubbie Dot, Patrick. Muchachos in the background

Thank you all for the great day, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Flower in the Park: Tulip

Clue fomat inspired by the book Zoom by Istvan Banyai.



Enjoy!

Queen for a Day

My first video clue- hopefully one day I will get it on the blog... Tonight it's not happening though.

Think Calistoga...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5zSu97cG6c

New Sig Stamp!

This weekend I carved a new signature stamp! I love my original image, one of my artistic friends drew it for me and I wanted to keep it, but I wanted to add my name and get a cleaner image than the one that I had. Behold the new stamp:


The photo is poor because my camera broke last week, so all I have right now is my cell phone (which is hard for a photo junkie like myself).

I'm happy with how it turned out, it looks more like the picture that was drawn for me than the filled in bunny. I think I'm finally getting the hang of letters- though I'm sure as I practice it will get better.

Planning a Luau

In November the idea was brought up to host a Napa event. I went with a luau, it would be easy to carve themed stamps and as this is my first event so I wanted to keep it simple.

I still have about 2 months till the event. I encouraged others to carve to get different styles and ideas, and people have been wonderful! I have four boxes people sent me that waiting to be planted, and more on the way. I finished carving my first stamp for the event, and got a guest book. I'm afraid I'll miss meeting someone and exchanging. :) There are people adding table top and HIPS event boxes, and every time I get a notice my excitement grows and grows.

With the change of venue I had to set a limit. There is no way we could get fifty people to sign up for a little event in Napa. Well I was half right, the list is up to fifty three, and there are at least two others that told me they were coming and never RSVP'd.

Two months are going to fly by, and the Spring Luau will be here in no time. I hope that I have time to get all the other stamps I have planned done and that it turns out better than expected. :)

Planting Day!

Maple and I have been talking about doing a Children's book series for months, and we finally picked a day to go planting. The last time we went letterboxing we made a stop and got some more boxes, as well and spray paint. I had been using duct tape, but I thought I'd try out the spray paint as a time saver, and so see it it helped the seal of the boxes.

Of course spray painting boxes take some thinking ahead, so this is what I was up to a few days before we went planting:

What fun this was! So much quicker than tape too!

I had most of my stamps carved, since we had been planning this since the summer but I had to get everything else done...

I tend to spread out..

Of course Maple was all ready to go and I had to finish everything, but we worked together and in no time we were ready to plant! Well sort of...

I had the great idea to go pick up two stamps that at one time or another I heard were missing, or people found it hard to find. So we went hiking in the fog to go check on them/ pick them up. turned out one was missing. well not so much missing as fell to a point in the knot hole we couldn't get to. One day when that tree dies and it decomposing someone is going to get a surprise! The one that we did snag got replanted in an easier area elsewhere in town and got a slightly new name.

We had fun checking out little neighborhood parks we didn't know so well, and spreading our favorite characters around town. Maple had a great idea to plant Pinkalious and her cupcake near a bakery down town. After we planted both stamps, and were at the last park of the day I realized that Corduroy was in a bigger box than I remember putting him in. Oh no! When I put the name of the stamps on the bottom of the boxes I switched them! So now Corduroy is by the cupcake and Pink is in a park. We had a good laugh about that, and I think they will stay that way.

As it always goes with Maple and I we have bigger plans than we can do- so we both still have one stamp already made up and ready to plant and I have the second of a set to carve so I can plant those two. I am amazed at how quickly people have come up to get the new boxes, and I look forward to extending out unofficial series into the quieter areas of American Canyon and possibly further upvalley.