Happy Letterboxing Anniversary!!!

Hard to believe, but we've been letterboxing for 3 years. Today is our 3 year anniversary!!!
Atlas Quest remembered and even gave us a virtual cake to help us celebrate. Whooohoo!
And today is also a special day for my husband and I. It's our 20 year wedding anniversary, too! Lots to celebrate!

And to help celebrate we decided to place two new letterboxes, "Wind Power" and "Valley of Fires". Our goal this year is to find 300 letterboxes and we are well on our way. Wish us luck!

FOUND LETTERBOXES
1.Veterans' Memorial (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/12/2007
2.Koi Fish (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/12/2007
3.La Cueva Arrow (Albuquerque, NM) - 03/13/2007
4.The Netherwood Box (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/12/2007
5.Los Vaqueros (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/13/2007
6.Domingo Baca (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/13/2007
7.Rosche's Little Affair (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/15/2007
8.ABQ Sunport (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/20/2007
9.Urban Forest (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/20/2007
10.Embudo Canyon (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/2/2006
11.It's Chile Out Here! (Hatch, NM) - 4/14/2007
12.What is the Thing? (Dragoon, AZ) - 4/14/2007
13.Lordsburg (Lordsburg, NM) - 4/14/2007
14.Tombstone (Tombstone, AZ) - 4/18/2007
15.Rolling Stones (Tombstone, AZ) - 4/18/2007
16.Lincoln Park (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
17.AMARC (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
18.Fly Catcher (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
19.Going Batty II (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
20.Phainopepia (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
21.Rock Solid (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
22.1st Annual (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
23.Diamondback Crossing (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
24.Diamondback Bridge (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
25.3rd at Columbus Letterbox (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
23.Columbus Park Letterbox (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
24.Silverbell Letterbox (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
25.Crystal's Cathouse Hostel: [5 Hitchhikers] (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
26.Rolling Stones Re-Mixed (Texas Canyon, AZ) - 4/27/2007
27.Ibex Box (Deming, NM) - 4/27/2007
28.Black and White (Mystery, NM) - 5/16/2007
29.Isotopes (Albuquerque, NM) - 5/18/2007
30.Abundant Water (Ft. Stockton, TX) - 5/26/2007
31.Displaced Donkey (Ft. Stockton, TX) - 5/26/2007
32.Leaning Tower of Pease, Texas Governor Series (Austin, TX) - 5/26/2007
33.Oakwood Cemetery (Austin, TX) - 5/26/2007
34.Visual Aid (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/28/2007
35.Tee Time (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/28/2007
36.Branding Iron (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/28/2007
37.Tiger Cub-Go See It!: [8 boxes] (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/29/2007
38.Explorers Circle (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/29/2007
39.Mark by Mark (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
40.Call of the Wild (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
41.America's StoryTeller (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
42.Literary Ace (Tomball,TX) - 5/30/2007
43.Elm Creek Quilts-Quilt Block Series (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
44.Harry's Headache (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
45.The Stamp (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
46.True North (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
47.Mercer Monarch (Spring, TX) - 6/2/2007
48.Grandmother's Flower Garden-Quilt Block Series (Spring, TX) - 6/2/2007
49.Panda Bear, what do you see? (Humble, TX) - 6/2/2007
50.The Pinata Box [18+ stamps!] (Humble, TX) - 6/2/2007
51.A Sssssnake Story (Humble, TX) - 6/2/2007
52.Cactus Pot (Kerrville, TX) - 6/5/2007
53.Peace on Earth (Kerrville, TX) - 6/5/2007
54.Cattle on the Mesa (Fabens, TX) - 6/5/2007
55.Windy Day (Alamagordo, NM) - 6/6/2007
56.Atari E.T.-Random Wierdness Box#3 (Alamagordo, NM) - 6/6/2007
57.Sandia Crest (Albuquerque, NM) - 6/18/2007
58.The Aliens have Landed (Socorro, NM) - 6/19/2007
59.Space Port "Take Me To Your Leader" (Truth or Consequences, NM) - 6/19/2007
60.Cabinet Box (Deming, NM) - 6/19/2007
61.Bisbee Box (Bisbee, AZ) - 6/24/2007
62.Bisbee Pass (Bisbee, AZ) - 6/24/2007
63.Doc and Brutus (Pomerene, AZ) - 6/25/2007
64.To the Bat Cave (Benson, AZ) - 6/26/2007
65.Boys of Summer (Tucson, AZ) - 6/27/2007
66.Presidio Downtown Walking Tour [3 boxe] (Tucson,AZ) - 6/27/2007
67.Crocodile Duck Dee (Tucson, AZ) - 6/28/2007
68.Tucson (Tucson, AZ) - 6/28/2007
69.Speedway (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
70.Agua Caliente (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
71.Ben's Bells (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
72.C is for Cougar (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
73.Coati Corner (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
74.San Pedro River (Sierra Vista, AZ) - 7/6/2007
75.Geology 101-'Limestone' (Vail, AZ) - 7/7/2007
76.Rincon Valley (Vail, AZ) - 7/7/2007
77.Five Minutes of my Life (Tucson, AZ) - 7/7/2007
78.Willcox Playa (Willcox, AZ) - 7/11/2007
79.Ladybug Peak (Bonita, AZ) - 7/11/2007
80.Safford Cotton (Safford, AZ) - 7/11/2007
81.Vexing Letterbox Anomaly (Mystery Box) - 7/11/2007
82.The Red Brick (Farmington, NM) - 7/22/2007
83.Downtown Moab (Moab, Utah) - 7/22/2007
84.Happy 10th,11th, 13th Birthday (Moab, Utah) - 7/22/2007
85.Choose the Right 'Pawth' (Provo, Utah) - 7/23/2007
86.Moose (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
87.Utah's State Symbol Series: Elk (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
88.Olympic Letterbox (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
89.The Swaner Box (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
90.Bark City Letterbox (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
91.Summit County Library (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
92.Farmin' Fun Fer All (Salt Lake City, Utah) - 7/26/2007
93.On the Farm Series: [4 boxes] (Salt Lake City, Utah) - 7/26/2007
94.Wetlands #1 Catch & Release (Sandy, Utah) - 7/26/2007
95.Wetlands #2 Fowl Play (Sandy, Utah) - 7/26/2007
96.Utah State Symbol Series: Sego Lily (Sandy, Utah) - 7/26/2007
97.Horse Thief Trail (Moab, Utah) - 7/27/2007
98.Fish Out of Water (Moab, Utah) - 7/27/2007
99.Moab Man (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
100.Dourown Petroglyph Panel (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
101.Art on the Rocks (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
102.Newspaper Rock Box (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
103.Indian Creek Box (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
104.Hole in the Rock~Spanish Trail Box (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
105.Four Corners (Four Corners, Colorado) - 7/28/2007
106.Tunnel Canyon (Tijeras, NM) - 8/23/2007
107.A Texas Acorn (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/30/2007
108.The Netherwood Box Re-Visited (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/30/2007
109.Bio Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 9/6/2007
Santa Fe Letterboxing Spooktacular Event
110.A Little Scare (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
111.Araneae (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
112.Day of the Dead: Cancion de Amor (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
113.Day of the Dead: La Catrina (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
114.Double, Double Toil and Trouble (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
115.Flight 1007 (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
116.Fly by Night (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
117.I wnt 2 suk yor bl%d (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
118.I'm a Lumberjack and I'm Ok (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
119.The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
120.You've got Candy (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
End-Santa Fe Letterboxing Spooktacular Event
121.Rattlesnake (Albuquerque, NM) - 5/12/2008
122.Los Altos Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 5/12/2008
123.Smokey Bear (Capitan, NM) - 5/25/2008
124.Embudito:Letterboxing is for the birds (Albuquerque, NM) -7/20/2008
125.Lost Dog: German Short Hair (Albuquerque, NM) - 7/20/2008
126.Bosque:Letterboxing is for the Birds (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/11/2008
127.Roosevelt Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 9/11/08
128.Alburwocky: (Mystery Box, NM) - 9/11/08
129.Alphabetical New Mexico~Quarra (Mountainair, NM) - 10/08/08
130.Miner at the Mirador (Cerillos, NM) - 10/18/08
131.Letterboxing is for the Birds~Hawk Watch (Carnuel, NM) - 10/24/08
132.Paws & Purrs Kitten (Santa Fe) - 10/26/08
133.Paw & Purrs Puppy (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
134.Put a little love in your heart (Bonus Box) (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
135.La Paloma (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
136.Fortitudo Dei (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
137.Giant Rebel of Eden (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
138.Bear in Mind (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
139.The Crow Knows (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
140.Are your Dogs Barking (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
141.Honor, Loyalty & Peace (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
142.Lizard Goes South (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
143.Artful Southwest: Santa Fe Style (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
144.The Art of Ebru (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
145.The Falling Leaves (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
146.1/4 of July Canyon (Tajique, NM) - 11/04/08
147.Marsh Mellow (San Antonio, NM) - 12/15/08
148.Dabbling Duck (San Antonio, NM) - 12/15/08
149.Alphabetical New Mexico:Sand Hill Crane (San Antonio, NM) - 12/15/08
150.New Mexico in a Box (Socorro, NM) - 03/22/09
151.Pie Time (Socorro, NM) - 03/22/09
152.Oso Canyon (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/25/2009
153.Hidden Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/25/2009
154.Bataan Memorial Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/25/2009
155.UNM Dreams (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/25/2009
156.The Book of Eli (Carrizozo, NM) - 5/11/2009
157.Alphabetical New Mexico: M (William C. McDonald) (White Oaks, NM) - 5/11/2009
158.Alphabetical New Mexico: W (White Oaks, NM) - 5/11/2009
159.Alphabetical New Mexico: Billie the Kid (Lincoln, NM) - 5/16/2009
160.Santa Fe Southern (Lamy, NM) - 7/04/2009
161.Salman Ranch (La Cueva, NM) - 7/04/2009
162.Coyote Creek State Park (Guadalapita, NM) - 7/04/2009
163.Angel Fire (Angel Fire, NM) - 7/04/2009
164.ABC New Mexico: Vietnam Veterans Memorial(Angel Fire, NM) 7/04/2009
165.The Dykes of Red River (Red River, NM) - 7/04/2009
166.Hummingbird (Red River, NM) - 7/04/2009
167.Foxy Box (Red River, NM) - 7/04/2009
168.Humming Hummingbird (Eagle Nest, NM) - 7/04/2009
169.ABC New Mexico: Eagle Nest Lake (Eagle Nest, NM) - 7/04/2009
170.The Lazy Wheeler (Eagle Nest, NM) - 7/04/2009
171.Christmas in July (Mora, NM) - 7/04/2009
172.Center of the Universe (Mystery Box, NM) - 8/12/09
173.Pueblo Palace (Bonus Box, NM) - 8/12/09
174.Rivers Edge (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/27/09
175.Everyone's Ditching Me (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/27/09
176.ABC Dolphin (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/27/09
177.Pedalin Poet (Albuquerque, NM) -8/27/09
178.Pedalin Papa (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/27/09
179.Dawn Light (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/27/09
180.Tunnel Springs Turtle (Placitas, NM) - 9/02/09
181.The Climbing Tree (Corrales, NM) - 9/02/09
182.Pedalin' Pigtail (Albuquerque, NM) - 9/02/09
183.Pedalin' Choo Choo-Bonus Box (Albuquerque, NM) - 9/03/09
184.New Mexico State Fair (Albuquerque, NM) - 9/03/09
185.Play Pasture Pool (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/20/09
186.Anisoptera (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/20/09
Santa Fe El Rancho de Los Letterboxes Event
187.Hiding in Plain Sight (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
188.Ms. Forktail (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
189.Descansos (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
190.Battlefield New Mexico (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
191.Water-powered Grist Mill (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
192.For Leonora (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
193. El Camino (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
194.Ox Cart (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
195.Not Wonder Bread (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
196.O'K Jimson (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
197.El Rancho de las Golondrinas (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
End-Santa Fe El Rancho de Los Letterboxes Event
198.Always in Style (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
199.Stamp in Every State: New Mexico Pug (Santa Fe, NM) - 9/26/2009
200.Felis Concolor (Cerillos, NM) - 9/26/2009
201.Poecile Gambeli (Tijeras, NM) - 9/29/2009
202.Soon a Monsoon (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/4/2009
203.The Beav~Bonus Box (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/4/2009
204.Canis Latrans~Bonus Box (Cerillos, NM) - 10/4/2009
205.Feathered Serpent (Mystery Box) - 10/14/2009
206.I knew I shoulda taken a left at Albuquerque (Albuquerque, NM) - 10/14/2009
207.Mass Happiness! (Albuquerque, NM) - 10/18/2009
208.Lucky Sevens (Albuquerque, NM) - 10/18/2009
209.Magical Gate (Cerillos, NM) - 10/19/2009
210.New Mexico's Eternal Flame (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
211.Keep Swimming (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
212.A Boy and His Tiger (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
213.Land of Enchantment Series-State Flag (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
214.Land of Enchantment Series-State Tree (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
215.Land of Enchantment Series-State Fossil (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
216.Land of Enchantment Series-State Mammal (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
217.Land of Enchantment Series-State Insect (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
218.Land of Enchantment Series-State Bird (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
219.Siddhartha Guatama (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009
220.Going in Circles (Santa Fe, NM) -10/19/2009
221.Stuck in the Bosque (Albuquerque, NM) - 11/4/2009
222.Which Way From Here (Stanley, NM) - 11/5/2009
223. The Flying Mini (Reno, NV) - 11/7/2009
224.A Buckin' Bronco (Reno, NV) - 11/7/2009
225.La Reina de Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/20/2010
226.Colores (Cedar Crest, NM) - 4/20/2010
227.Stench (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/27/2010
228.La Morena (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/27/2010
229.My Plane Ride to New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) - 5/8/2010
230.The Spinning Burro (Carrizozo, NM) - 5/10/2010
231.Burrito/Tiny Little Burro (Carrizozo, NM) - 5/10/2010



PLACED:
1.Mariposa Ranch (Rio Rancho, NM) - 3/16/2007
2.Sandia Man Cave (Placitas, NM) - 3/16/2007
3.Vikings in New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) - 5/18/2007
4.Indian Blanket (Bernalillo, NM) - 5/20/2007
5.The Catwalk (Glenwood, NM) - 7/11/2007
6.Tijeras (Tijeras, NM) - 5/17/2008
7.DWI Memorial (Moriarty, NM)- 5/20/2008
8.Golden Eagle (Edgewod, NM) - 7/08/2008
9.Have a Javalina (Edgewood, NM) - 7/08/2008
10.The Masked Bandit (Edgewood, NM) - 7/08/2008
11.The Big "I" (Albuquerque, NM) - 7/20/2008
12.Monkey Cave (Tijeras, NM) - 11/07/2008
13.Fortune Teller (Sandia Park, NM) -03/28/2009
14.Corrales Crawdad (Corrales, NM) - 4/21/2009
15.Zig Zag (Claunch, NM) - 05/16/2009
16.Smack Dab in the Middle (Mystery, NM) - 05/16/2009
17.Who? Who? (Cerillos, NM) - 10/4/2009)
18.Sandia Peak Tram (Albuquerque, NM) - 10/16/2009
19.Wind Power (Willard, NM) - 5/10/2010
20.Valley of Fires (Carrizozo, NM) - 5/10/2010

HITCH HIKERS:
1.Hebrew Aleph-Bet~Zayin (Albuquerque,NM) - 3/20/2007 (Placed: "It's Chile Out There~Hatch, NM - 4/14/2007)
2.Merry Traveler (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
3.World Traveler (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
4.Reading Rocks Bookworm (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
5.Green Leaf (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
6.Sandy (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
7.The Cannonball (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
8.Reading Rocks BookWorm (Bisbee, AZ) - 6/24/2007 (Placed: "Wetlands #2 Fowl Play~Sandy, UT - 7/26/2007)
9.Mojo (Albuquerque, NM) - 7/20/2008 (Placed: "Tijeras"~Tijeras, NM - 7/27/2008)
10.Hermie Hitchhiker Cuckoo Camino (Tajique, NM) - 7/04/2008 (Placed: Alphabetical New Mexico-Quarai - 11/4/2008)
11.Moving On (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/25/2009
12.GWB (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/12/09 (Placed: Pedalin Poet~Albuquerque, NM - 8/27/09)
13.The Only Thing to Do (Santa Fe, NM) - 09/26/2009 (Placed: Albuquerque, NM)
14.Thar She Blows (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/19/2009 (Placed: Reno, NV)

EVENT STAMPS:
1. ¡Bienvenidos! 2007 (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
2. G is for gatherings (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
3. LBNA Map Roving Event Stamp (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
4. Santa Fe SPOOKtacular Letterboxing Event Stamp (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
5. SPOOKtacular Magic Words (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
6.iBienvenidos! 2009 (Santa Fe, NM) - Sept 26, 2009
7.El Rancho de las Letterboxing (Santa Fe, NM) -Sept. 26, 2009

NUMBER OF EVENTS ATTENDED
1.Santa Fe SPOOKtacular (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct. 6, 2007
2.El Rancho de las Letterboxing (Santa Fe, NM) - Sept. 26, 2009

COOTIES:
1. Cutie Bee (Tijeras, NM) -July, 21, 2008
2.Evil Bat (Santa Fe)- October 6, 2007
3.Putting on Pounds (Santa Fe)- October 6, 2007
3.Clover (Santa Fe)- Ocober 6, 2007

PERSONAL TRAVELER STAMP EXCHANGES:
1. A Corking Carivan (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
2. Aztraveler (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
3. Cowabunga! (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
4. Gait Training (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
5. Literary Personal Traveler (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
6. No Mirrors for Me (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
7. Sheshells (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
8.Slainte (Santa Fe, NM) - Sept 26, 2009

LETTERBOXER EXCHANGES:
Lionsmane, Astro D, The Great Wuga Wuga, Rubberpeace, RBR Horno, Highwayman, Front Range Hiker, Warm Front, Cold Front, Azroadie, AZJokester, y nought, preboxed, Triple T's, South Hill Hendersons, Fantastyk Voyager, Phancy Phan Tail, Blind Smiley, Potted Frog, Dutch Rabbit, Wrong Hat, St. Patty's Day, Dewberry

Look what we got!

SNOW!!!!

On Thanksgiving, no less! Woot, Woot!I'm not a huge fan of snow, except when my family can be home together and especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year we had snow for Christmas and Thanksgiving, and we were thrilled! So far, this year seems to be a repeat, which is great, because the house is cozy and warm and filled with the comforting aromas of food roasting and baking.
The horse, llamas, goats and sheep are all tucked into the barn nice and dry, and except for a few bedraggled stubborn chickens, the chickens are cuddled up inside their house, too. Mrs. Cotton, our Japanese Silky hen, looks a little worse for wear, doesn't she? These are the smart ones.
So, what's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Letterboxing~Leaf Monsters

As most of my readers are probably aware, I'm an outside-gal. I love to be outside, hiking, exploring, horse-back riding, playing with my kids and animals, camping, and Letterboxing.

Autumn is one of my favorite times of year. I enjoy seeing the trees turn color and think it's fun to walk over the fallen leaves listening to the crunch-crunch sound.

Everyone in my family seems to enjoy this seasonal pastime, too. Except for my daughter.

She's afraid of leaves.

As some of you know, my daughter suffers from OCD and Aspergers/High Functioning Autism. One of the symptoms seems to be latching onto irrational fears. She's 'chosen' leaves.
She's been afraid of leaves on the ground, moving around, and leaves on the trail, that might brush her skin, for as long as I can remember. She's not just a little bit afraid. She's terrified and will go into a panic even thinking about touching a leaf.

It's good we don't live back east anymore, where trees with leaves number in the thousands. And raking leaves into piles, for kids to jump into and play in, is as normal and common experience for all children every Autumn.

For her leaves are nothing to be messed around with. The bigger the leaf, the more horrible it must be, waiting to gnash it's teeth and carry my daughter away.

So, as you can imagine, including my daughter in Fall hiking, camping and Letterboxing trips can be quite the challenge. She loves to be a part of everything we do, though, so I try to bring her along at most opportunities. Except It usually means I become a pack mule. But if my sons are along, they generously help carry their leaf-challenged sister, to give my aching back a break.

My neighbor friend, Val, over at Fantastyk Voyage and I recently drove down about 40 mins south to the Manzano Mountains, Fourth of July Canyon to search for a letterbox placed there. Jenna tagged along, too.

All the leaves had fallen off the trees. There were alot of dead, crunchy leaves on the ground.
Here's Val on the leaf-covered trail.


Val wrote up a wonderful post on our Fall letterboxing adventures, with some lovely photos, too. You can see them on her Lost in Fallen Leaves post.

We located the letterbox, as well as a Hitchhiker box nearby, too. (We relocated it to the Quarri letterbox location, after we left Fourth of July Canyon) We stamped in with the cleverly created, and pretty stamp, made some leaf rubbings (just Val and I, of course), and enjoyed the nature and the sound of the wind in the trees.




As you can rightly imagine, Jenna was not about to set one foot on the ground.



For more info on Letterboxing.

Piñon Harvesting

Last week my neighbor friend Val and one of my twin sons went hiking in the Sandia Mountains. We were on a mission to look for piñon nuts for harvesting.

In the high desert region of the Southwestern United States, between 5,500 and 7,000feet, resides one of New Mexico's most precious assets, Pinus edulis, the New Mexico Pinon Tree. The Pinon Tree is New Mexico's State Tree and is often called the "Manna" of the desert. The Pinon nut, has sustained life for humans and animals alike for centuries. The Pinon tree clings to the rim of the canyons, taking root in the solid rock and endures the ravages of nature.

This is a photo I took from our hiking trails. The mountains you see are the backside (or eastside) of the Sandia Mountains.
And here you can see the Westside view of the Sandia Mountains with photos taken 2 years ago from our backyard in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, before we moved to the mountains.

Taking nearly 200 years to produce a 1-foot diameter trunk. An old piñon may be more than 500 years old, and may live as long as 1,000 years.
If the winter-spring is wet, the piñon will produce a good crop of piñons the following year between September and October, an event that happens about every 6 years. Piñons reproduce by seed only, and it takes about 25 years for a tree to begin producing seedcones. A photo looking down one of the trails we hiked.

Piñon nuts are gathered by hand, from wild trees. The harvest is labor intensive, requiring pulling off the cones with a pole or gloves, or picking individual fallen seeds off the ground. The meat of the seed is protected by a heavy shell which must be removed.
I enjoy eating them raw, but roasting brings out the buttery rich flavor even more.
After roasting, the toasted buttery creamy flavor is addictive. Euell Gibbons author of "Handbook of Edible Wild Plants" described Piñon nuts "The most palatable of all the wild foods."
Here you can see Val and Jem harvesting (and eating) pinon nuts from the ground.

The nuts can be prepared and eaten in many different ways – raw, roasted, boiled, mashed, as a soup or ground into a paste like peanut butter. There are many unique and delicous recipes to try using pinon nuts. And here in New Mexico, you can find wonderful products to buy using pinons, too. (they also do mail order. hint-hint)
One of my favorite products using pinon nuts is Pinon Coffee. Yummy!

And here's Val filling up her bag full of delicious pinons.

And there is just something truly New Mexican about the spicy scent of pinon wood smoke from cozy fires on a cold winter night. A cup of Pinon Coffee and a plate full of sweet, delicate-tasting New Mexico Biscochitos is as authentic a New Mexico experience as you can imagine.

“Nobody who has sat before a roaring, pitch-boiling, bubbling, scented fire of piñon can think of it as a mere consumption of wood. It is the spirited release of centuries of brilliant sunlight absorbed under a cloudless Southwestern sky, the sudden and instant flow of energy patiently accumulated." from Pinon.com

And here is my recent Pinon Harvest. Which tasty recipes do you think I should make?

Fandago Flamingo

I first learned how to knit using round looms in September 2006. Soon after, I bought my own set of round looms, called Knifty Knitters and set to work creating hats, which only took a few hours to make.

Very quickly, my kids caught the knitting bug, too, and set off to make their own knitted hats, too.
By December 2006, I had bought a rake loom, or straight loom, and started making scarves and potholders. For Christmas that year I knitted 14 scarf/hat sets for gifts. I thought of them as art and decided each of my creations must have a creative name.
This little hat, just knitted yesterday, for my daughter, I named Fandago Flamingo.

This hat is so soft, fluffy and warm, and looks cute on my little girl. Don't you think?

Jenna asked me to include this photo of her special cat, Javelina, our sweet Manx kitty. She is completely devoted to Jenna and is never far from her side. If Jenna leaves the house, Javelina cries and paces until Jenna returns. Every night, Javelina sleeps wrapped tightly around Jenna's head, with her furry cheek next to my daughter's cheek. Javelina seems to think this hat is a snuggle toy for her and has tried to carry it off to sleep on it.

So, is anyone else knitting, crocheting, or doing crafts to make gifts for the holidays right now?

Happy Knitting!

Carving and Clucking

What do you do on a beautiful Fall day? Carve pumpkins!The chickens sort of get in the way, but Jax didn't mind. And the chickens did a pretty good job at clean-up.I borrowed this camera and it's unbelieveably slow in taking photos, so it was hard to capture just what I wanted. The pixels are bare minimum, too, so the photos look kind of grainy. I sure miss my camera, but at least I'm able to capture these special moments of all three of my kidlets preparing for Halloween.This was the first year that both boys could carve their own pumpkins, or at least the first time I felt safe enough to let them. lol! Jenna decided that she never wants to scrape out the pumpkin guts every again, thank you. Ewww.Here's the finished Jack-0'-Lanterns. Jem's is on the right...the one with the Uni-Brow.Jen's toothless wonder is in the middle. And Jax lays claim to the double-chinned pumpkin at the right, who is badly in need of some dental work.
Happy Halloween Y'all!!

Cool Chic

Jax and Jem helped Jen dress into some of their clothes recently. Jenna loves to play dress up and this get-up made us all smile. hehe

Puppet Show

Jenna enjoys putting on puppet shows. She always makes us laugh, too.

Pink Ponies Play Ball

Jenna has been enjoying her time spent learning how to play T-Ball with her team mates on the East Mountain Pink Ponies team. The season has been winding down and I have some photos to share.
Both Jackson & Jeremiah accompanied Jenna on many of her games and practices. Jenna loves when her brothers are by her side. Jackson seems to enjoy being the big brother and helping Jenna out on the field.
Being in the outfield is not Jenna's favorite place to be. She often gets distracted by flowers or with drawing circles in the dirt.
But she does like when balls end up near her.She gets ready....aim.... and THROW!Her favorite thing is batting.
It's amazing how helpful, patient and supportive everyone was with Jenna.Daddy was usually in the outfield with Jenna to help keep her on track or give support.The coach had a soft spot for Jenna and was very patient in teaching Jenna T-Ball skills.Jenna usually found it hard to wait to take her turn at bat. Isn't she cute in her pink batting helmet?And when she hit the ball, Jackson was right there to help her run through the bases. Go Jenna!!Through community support donating baseball bags, uniforms, snacks, trophies. And team and individual support. Jenna and her Pink Ponies Teammates thrived and excelled this season.

Twinville's Back!

Whoohooo!! Jackson & Jeremiah have been back for a few days now and we could not be happier. Something was truly missing while they were gone and our family now feels complete and whole again.
I wrote about their abscence on July 3 in I miss Twinville and was feeling very down-in-the-dumps without them around. I'm feeling much better now and just wanted to shout out about it right here! Whoohooo!
My boys are home! Twinville's Back!

And here's another photo with all 3 of my kidlets. Jenna was probably more affected by Jax & Jem's abscence and was absolutely thrilled when she saw her brothers walking in the door again. It was so heartwarming watching all three of them hugging one another and being so happy to be together again. I suppose that's one of the best joys of being a parent, isn't it?

Letterboxing~Wildlife West Nature Park, NM

A few months ago we became members of a unique little zoo called, Wildlife West Nature Park, located here in the Sandia Mountains. This zoo is only about 10 minutes from our house and we appreciate how the zoo focuses on the local wildlife within the beautiful Sandia and Manzano Mountains. We also enjoy walking the pleasant nature and bird trails within the park as well.
We enjoy our little zoo so much that we decided it would be a great location to place some letterboxes so that others will discover this little gem in the mountains, too. For more information: "Letterboxing".

This picture was taken several months ago when Jeremiah and I visited the nature park after attending a Tom Sawyer play held in Wildlife West's theater.
While at the nature park the first time, we met Roger Alink, Founder/Director ofWildlife West Nature Park. This is what the website says about Roger and Wildlife West.

While Roger values his formal education, he feels that its significance pales in comparison to the knowledge and values he gained through living on a farm. He points out that farming requires budgeting, sustainability, responsibility, and a connection to nature and the physical world - something from which people are increasingly isolated today. These are all skills and values that are crucial to the continued success of Wildlife West, not to mention the world that surrounds it.

"The Park is a manifestation of reality, "says Roger, explaining that it is something that requires real action and interaction. The Park is also a realization of Roger's dreams - a place where education, nature, and hands-on experience with everything from animal husbandry to construction and conservation provide a unique learning and development experience for young people. According to Roger, nearly all of the park's habitats and other structures were constructed by about 500 youths, about 250 of whom were paid through the New Mexico Youth Conservation Corps. As Roger puts it, this is one way of countering Nature Deficit Disorder (for more information, see Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods) and developing skills that kids will value greatly for the rest of their lives.

In addition to his work at the Park, Roger serves on the Town of Edgewood's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors of the local Chamber of Commerce. For the most part, he prefers to remain out of politics, joking that he has been "running from office" for years. Roger is also a veteran, having served for two years in the Army during the Vietnam War.

Roger has never been paid any salary from the proceeds of the Park, having received a minimal amount of money from a couple of very small grants throughout the Park's history. He says that he has learned to "get by on less" - but given the satisfaction and joy he reaps from touching the lives of young people and creating a world-class nature park, perhaps getting by on less means getting more out of life.

This picture was taken during the Tom Sawyer play that Jeremiah and I went to see in the theater at Wildlife West. Roger stood up to say a few words.We thoroughly enjoyed the Tom Sawyer play put on by a local theater troupe. There are some very talented local folks on stage.
And here are some of the unique and beautiful creatures that call Wildlife West home.

Inquisitive foxes.
And one of my favorite animals: The Peccary, better known as the Javalina.
The Nature park has 3 friendly and curious Javalina.
We always make sure to visit the Javalinas. They are such fun to observe and listen to their snorting and snuffling.We decided to place a letterbox nearby our favorite critters. We named our letterbox "Have a Javalina". .
There are peacocks.And Mule Deer.The peacock seemed confused at who he was supposed to be attracting.There are "Masked Bandits".There are wolves and coyotes and beautiful art at Wildlife West.And Jeremiah and I enjoy walking the park's nature trails, too.And you can see Javalinas in love.
Can you tell I really like Javalinas?The bobcat is not shy and likes to greet everyone that visits.Sleepy Bobcat. Check out those sharp teeth!Jeremiah took a photo of me walking the nature trails. Yes. I know my buttons were in the wrong holes.An up close and personal Caracara encounter.These birds are just beautiful.A very large "Golden Eagle".Jeremiah posing on the caboose.Look Mom! A Bobcat!!And here's Jenna, a few months later, posing in the same location as her bro.I got a kick out of some of the wall art painted inside the caboose."Wow Mom. An Elk is mighty big to be able to carry these antlers on it's head." There are 3 Elk at the nature park, too. "Ok, these antlers are getting a bit heavy, now...."
This groovy bus reminds me of the bus that Chris McCandless spent the last days of of life inside, while trying to survive in Alaska. You can read about it Jon Krakauer's book, "Into the Wild".Jenna enjoyed 'driving the bus' and inside the bus are also the bones of animals and a little interpretive center.