It is this time of year, that every TV station, newspaper and show has some kind of a review...listing all the highlights and " low lights" of the year. Hey...why be different? So, let's see what I can come up with!
In Review:
BEST CACHE: Even though, I didn't get it, I will have to say...it was at the Beaver Dam with 1st SGT.
BEST DAY CACHING: My Day out in Dwight with Peanut, caching with the Triplets. (FYI..... triplets are here...all boys, and proud owners of Lil Cacher t-shirts!)
"I AM ADDICTED " DAY: JUNE 9, 2009. first day out with 1st Sgt.
MOST UNREALISTIC THOUGHT: The Movie Deal ( My idea came from the Julia Child Movie, just released this month...Ah, I think it made 6 Million at the box office on day 1!)
MOST FRUSTRATING: Has to be 2 DNF's...The "Cannon" AND the" Corner of 3rd and Main"! ( still can't find those suckers)
BEST QUOTE: " A bad day of geocaching, is still better than a day at work" ( quote from the Lil one, after a almost complete day of DNF's!)
SPEECHLESS MOMENT: There aren't too many...ha ha....had to be when The Alphabet Man signed the Log as . . . . The Alphabet Man! ( oops...busted)
MOST PAINFUL CACHE: Cache # 102...The killer Cornstalk ( even though I had no "physical" bruises, I was pretty sore the next day!)
THE MOST TAKEN OFF GUARD MOMENT: When I was paying a bill , and someone asks me, if I was Goldysgirl!
THE BEST "FIND": Had to be the cammo tape at Wally World! ( I love duct tape)
MY FIRST TRAVELBUG: Alaskan Pooping Moose
MY FIRST GEOCOIN: Hmmmm...I don't know, 1st SGT grabbed it from me, so fast...I never saw it! LOL
THE SCARIEST CACHE: Definitely when I got turned around in the woods! Still freaks me out to think about it!
THE WORST "OMG" MOMENT: When I get the e-mail, telling me I have the wrong numbers on a cache. ( I guess I could also list that as, "my most challenging for anyone to find")
MY FAVORITE "HIDE" : Has to be my " well hung" in the cemetery.
THE "PROGRESS" AWARD: Goes to the "pot-stirrer" having gone from "nothing to do with caching" . . . to . . . "caching addict!"
THE FAVORITE BLOG: Well, let's see.... I have NO idea...you tell me. Send me an e-mail.
So, let's wrap this year up and start fresh in 2010. Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into and out of! Have a Great New Year. Happy Caching in 2010! See you on the trails!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
It's Been A Great Run !
Today it is 4 degrees, with a wind chill of -10 degrees! Welcome to Illinois. First Sgt has better weather in Alaska! 6 months ago...today....I went out Geocaching with 1ST Sgt! The weather was a little nicer, well let's not kid ourselves..it was a LOT nicer than it is today! Wow, I just looked back and read all the blogs the other morning ( my way of procrastinating) and what a great time we had!
I am making some small changes in my life...that have turned out to be BIG changes. But, when everything settles down ( and it will) I will have oh so much more time! But seeing, I only got the Halloween decorations in a few days ago...I would say I am behind a little.
My plans for today ( not going to be aGeocaching Thursday) is to go to" town", have a couple of appointments, pick up a few decoration items, and then home to finally finish off a huge order I have been working on. With the weather being this cold....I may not get the lights out today!
Christmas is only 2 weeks away...The Lil one will be down and I will be spending the holidays with Goldy's family. Any thoughts of Geocaching before Christmas, are long gone out the window!! I am saving those "boots" for January!!
So, I want to take this time to Wish A Merry Christmas, to all my new found friends! Yep...you...people I have never met, but enjoy reading all your logs. A big promise to Scott & Peggy, as I will get your caches ( someday) and I know Prince Charming and family has been hiding tons of them . A special Happy Holidays to the "we" of the nice cachers for putting up with all my "directional " dysfunction and to The Alphabet Man, for taking all the heat in the blogs.
Merry Christmas....Happy Caching ....See you in 2010
I am making some small changes in my life...that have turned out to be BIG changes. But, when everything settles down ( and it will) I will have oh so much more time! But seeing, I only got the Halloween decorations in a few days ago...I would say I am behind a little.
My plans for today ( not going to be aGeocaching Thursday) is to go to" town", have a couple of appointments, pick up a few decoration items, and then home to finally finish off a huge order I have been working on. With the weather being this cold....I may not get the lights out today!
Christmas is only 2 weeks away...The Lil one will be down and I will be spending the holidays with Goldy's family. Any thoughts of Geocaching before Christmas, are long gone out the window!! I am saving those "boots" for January!!
So, I want to take this time to Wish A Merry Christmas, to all my new found friends! Yep...you...people I have never met, but enjoy reading all your logs. A big promise to Scott & Peggy, as I will get your caches ( someday) and I know Prince Charming and family has been hiding tons of them . A special Happy Holidays to the "we" of the nice cachers for putting up with all my "directional " dysfunction and to The Alphabet Man, for taking all the heat in the blogs.
Merry Christmas....Happy Caching ....See you in 2010
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Team....Part 2
We now have 3 caches under our belt. I would like to think this is going well...but, I really can't admit that... yet. As a matter of fact, I am beginning to have some serious doubts. Seester is entering the cooords, and is doing a great job (or so I think) We are heading across town and going on to finish this quest. It was probably a good thing, I have selected My hides, as I do recognize when the Tom-Tom is not sending us down the correct roads. I am leaning in from the back seat, with the whole...don't listen to that, keep going straight, no... turn right, what the heck, turn left. Finally I have to do the whole, go straight until I say different, and give me that Tom-Tom. Ok, problem solved, it is not that seester forgot the . or even the slash, but like 3 whole numbers, and the driving time was listed for over 11 hours. I really don't recall 1st Sgt having this much problem with me. If memory serves me right (and we all know, it doesn't) I thought I was quite an expert by the 3rd cache.
The next cache is another cemetery. No muggles....good. The team has gone from yelling... to deer stand voices... to no talking what so ever. Actually potential has switched to mumbling mode. We have 3 people walking (with 1 mumbler) but all 3 are just staring down into the GPS and slowly taking steps. All 3 are going different directions. No one is aware of anyone else! They are in what is best described as robotic mode. Seester has the TT, which has still not quite recovered from the driving incident. So when TT says, TURN AROUND NOW, I about fall on the ground laughing when I see all 3 of them, turn in a complete circle and starting walking in the opposite direction. I watch this for several minutes, there is dead silence ( no pun intended) except for Potentials low mumble.
I call everyone over to ground zero. Even SIL, who doesn't have a GPS but loves the history in the cemetery comes over. I start off with... Let's just say, this is ground zero,... uh, that would be where the cache is...where do you think it would be? All 3 glance up, and look back down at the GPS...this reminds me of math class in grade school, when you don't know the answer, but think that by looking at the floor, the answer will appear. OK...let's re-phrase that..what does the GPS say? Well, Seester says that the TT shows the little red car, by a checkered flag. Good...and BIL says the blue ball is almost on top of the green circle...Good...and Potential, well he says he doesn't know why heck the back light on this thing keeps shutting off. SIL is silent. OK... we are here...look around, where would a cache be hidden? Just think...I already told you it would not be hidden at a grave site. Look around, what do we see? No answer, everyone looks down at the GPS. Ok, we have grave sites...1 tree...and grass...any ideas? Seester looks up to the top of the tree. Would anyone bring a ladder out here? No...I am 5'5...BIL starts circling around looking at the grass, Potential is fiddling around with the backlight of the GPS, SIL ( who doesn't have a GPS) walks to the base of the tree and picks up the cache.
On to cache #4... I realize a GPS unit (at this time) is obviously optional, and apparently really not even needed. Since they loved the swag in the last cache, I know they will go nuts over the next, as it was my first cache hidden, therefore it is large and has by now, tons of swag. BIL stops on a dime, but does now realize that he can at least park the truck in the designated area. The GPS units are being analyzed, Seester and BIL start off in the correct direction ( I think they are getting this) SIL ( no GPS unit) says " I found it". Potential has the back light working, but has only 1 leg out of the truck.
I get their competitive juices running, as I mention on the way to the next cache, that they should be ashamed that the only one without a GPS is finding these caches. Well, she says in her southern drawl, I was really just admiring that birds nest. As we approach the next stop, BIL says, I see it alllll ready.. ( big southern drawl there) it is gonna be in that there Cedar tree. My first thought...I TOLD pot-stirrer I didn't want to be known as the "tree lady" and my second thought...Is THAT a cedar tree? Do we have Cedar trees here? Bil slams on the brakes, backs up a hair, leave the engine running, and 3 of them jump out, leave the doors open, leave GPS units behind and are sliding down the grass, going after this cache! Now that is how to go geo-caching!! Well, Potential did make it out of the truck, but was still eyeing and mumbling to the GPS! SIL, once again, was the first to the cache.
I am feeling better ( why?...I am not sure) but I really think they are getting the hang of this. I did have to have a little discussion as to why it has to be placed where you found it, and not where you THINK would be a better place. On our way to the next ( and I am thinking) last cache... Potential sits in the back seat, and continues to mumble and play with his GPS. My ears pop up when I think I hear him say...well we should go about 1 mile north..then turn east...Hmmm...that is interesting ( at this point I know where I am, and that is going to be about right.) Then he says to BIL, are you driving about 63 miles per hour? Yep...Ok , he says, then we are blah, blah, blah above sea level! He is so excited. (I just want to get to the cache.) We pull up once again in a cemetery. Bil stops the truck, everyone is gathering their Units. SIL, ( of course) heads off to a really old headstone. Potential steps out of the truck, eyes glued to the GPS, he is completely silent. Without ever taking his eyes off the GPS. He walks directly to the cache, picks it up and says...I found it! The rest of us are still at the side of the truck. Potential laughs, He says..."I think I got this GPS figured out!" Everyone stands, with their mouths open, and look to me. Well... What can I say?!!
"The first round is on me!"
(It is NOT a coincidence that we are in Erable)
The next cache is another cemetery. No muggles....good. The team has gone from yelling... to deer stand voices... to no talking what so ever. Actually potential has switched to mumbling mode. We have 3 people walking (with 1 mumbler) but all 3 are just staring down into the GPS and slowly taking steps. All 3 are going different directions. No one is aware of anyone else! They are in what is best described as robotic mode. Seester has the TT, which has still not quite recovered from the driving incident. So when TT says, TURN AROUND NOW, I about fall on the ground laughing when I see all 3 of them, turn in a complete circle and starting walking in the opposite direction. I watch this for several minutes, there is dead silence ( no pun intended) except for Potentials low mumble.
I call everyone over to ground zero. Even SIL, who doesn't have a GPS but loves the history in the cemetery comes over. I start off with... Let's just say, this is ground zero,... uh, that would be where the cache is...where do you think it would be? All 3 glance up, and look back down at the GPS...this reminds me of math class in grade school, when you don't know the answer, but think that by looking at the floor, the answer will appear. OK...let's re-phrase that..what does the GPS say? Well, Seester says that the TT shows the little red car, by a checkered flag. Good...and BIL says the blue ball is almost on top of the green circle...Good...and Potential, well he says he doesn't know why heck the back light on this thing keeps shutting off. SIL is silent. OK... we are here...look around, where would a cache be hidden? Just think...I already told you it would not be hidden at a grave site. Look around, what do we see? No answer, everyone looks down at the GPS. Ok, we have grave sites...1 tree...and grass...any ideas? Seester looks up to the top of the tree. Would anyone bring a ladder out here? No...I am 5'5...BIL starts circling around looking at the grass, Potential is fiddling around with the backlight of the GPS, SIL ( who doesn't have a GPS) walks to the base of the tree and picks up the cache.
On to cache #4... I realize a GPS unit (at this time) is obviously optional, and apparently really not even needed. Since they loved the swag in the last cache, I know they will go nuts over the next, as it was my first cache hidden, therefore it is large and has by now, tons of swag. BIL stops on a dime, but does now realize that he can at least park the truck in the designated area. The GPS units are being analyzed, Seester and BIL start off in the correct direction ( I think they are getting this) SIL ( no GPS unit) says " I found it". Potential has the back light working, but has only 1 leg out of the truck.
I get their competitive juices running, as I mention on the way to the next cache, that they should be ashamed that the only one without a GPS is finding these caches. Well, she says in her southern drawl, I was really just admiring that birds nest. As we approach the next stop, BIL says, I see it alllll ready.. ( big southern drawl there) it is gonna be in that there Cedar tree. My first thought...I TOLD pot-stirrer I didn't want to be known as the "tree lady" and my second thought...Is THAT a cedar tree? Do we have Cedar trees here? Bil slams on the brakes, backs up a hair, leave the engine running, and 3 of them jump out, leave the doors open, leave GPS units behind and are sliding down the grass, going after this cache! Now that is how to go geo-caching!! Well, Potential did make it out of the truck, but was still eyeing and mumbling to the GPS! SIL, once again, was the first to the cache.
I am feeling better ( why?...I am not sure) but I really think they are getting the hang of this. I did have to have a little discussion as to why it has to be placed where you found it, and not where you THINK would be a better place. On our way to the next ( and I am thinking) last cache... Potential sits in the back seat, and continues to mumble and play with his GPS. My ears pop up when I think I hear him say...well we should go about 1 mile north..then turn east...Hmmm...that is interesting ( at this point I know where I am, and that is going to be about right.) Then he says to BIL, are you driving about 63 miles per hour? Yep...Ok , he says, then we are blah, blah, blah above sea level! He is so excited. (I just want to get to the cache.) We pull up once again in a cemetery. Bil stops the truck, everyone is gathering their Units. SIL, ( of course) heads off to a really old headstone. Potential steps out of the truck, eyes glued to the GPS, he is completely silent. Without ever taking his eyes off the GPS. He walks directly to the cache, picks it up and says...I found it! The rest of us are still at the side of the truck. Potential laughs, He says..."I think I got this GPS figured out!" Everyone stands, with their mouths open, and look to me. Well... What can I say?!!
"The first round is on me!"
(It is NOT a coincidence that we are in Erable)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Team...Part 1
WOW! Words really cannot describe our day of Geocaching with "the team". The team (out on black Friday) consisted of 1 brother-in-law (BIL) 2 sisters-in-law (SIL) with the 2nd one being, my actual partner-in-crime- at times, that I really do call SEESTER. Oh...and 1 potential ( yet, unlikely) brother-in-law that I will just call Potential. This is a 5 person team, ... 3 GPS devices and...me. Keep in mind, I AM the ONLY person who has ever done this. But because they are totally clueless, this doesn't seem to phase them. I, on the other hand, am greatly concerned! I have taught for many, many years...and I actually have a good reputation that tags along with my "name"...the difference being...I KNEW what I was doing, I was prepared, and I had lots of experience.
A camera could not have captured the day. We probably needed a video camera, or better yet, the whole scene from Goldy's view! I have gathered all my "gear"..and as I walk out of the house, there they are...all lined up in a row. What!?... I ask. "Well, what do we do?" They are all excited. Uh...we will start by getting into the truck. Oh boy...I may turn into 1st SGT by the end of the day.
Potential has brought a GPS unit. He has never used it...it is still in the box...the charger is still in that "impossible-to-rip-open-hard plastic." He DID bring new batteries...he has NO manual...he got it as a gift in HIGH SCHOOL! You do NOT want to know how old this thing is! As we back out of the driveway, I hear someone say...that thing is pretty old, do you think the coordinates are the same? I DID NOT hear that, or so I pretended, and I am thankful that 1st SGT is NOT here!
I am a little smarter than you may think, as I decided to take them to a few of MY hides...rationalizing that I may be a little a head of them, on my part. We head to the first cache. BIL is driving, when Ton-Tom says you have reached your destination...that is it, he has slammed on the breaks, we are parked, we are there. He doesn't care that there are unnamed roads in which we can travel. Nope! we are there. Okay...so we will walk. I was a little excited that no one, not even the guys, knew about coords, and which way to walk in relationship to the numbers. I think they were a little impressed. I gave the credit to 1st SGT. BIL, is trying to follow the "little blue ball" SIL is checking out all the old headstones, Seester (and I) are trying to get the Tom-Tom from driving mode to walking mode, and Potential is TRYING to turn on his GPS. We are off to a great start.
I stand back, to try to get an overall "picture". No one is walking in the same direction. I never had to round up cattle, but I kinda have that same feeling, as I am rounding everyone up...and getting everyone headed in the same direction. At one point, 2 of the team were actually walking together and getting pretty close. BIL must have thought that also, as he yells out (remember he is from TN) "Y'll gone too far now, "yous" a whole lane off." They stop...they look at us...I can't believe they are falling for that. BIL is saying to me... "I've stalled em now, I think I'm gonna get the truck and drive right on over there and get me that there cache, I think I can get there before they do" Seeing, they are only 3 feet away, I doubt that, but, they were clueless so they just walk on by. They are too busy "looking" to see where BIL is heading. Yep...this is going well. Somehow, and I don't know how, SIL and Seester are now together and are searching to the right, and to the left, but no where near the cache. Ok girls, lets regroup, stand back for a moment, and think about the hint. That is all it took, I am not sure if that looked like a NFL tackle or a slide in to home base, but they got it. I need a referee's whistle. And WHERE are the guys? As we head off to the 2nd cache...I mention that Geocahcing is NOT a contact sport, and the guys need to use their "deer stand voices"
Cache #2, is in a park. It is my hide, I don't have one of the GPS units , and I can't even remember what tree it is actually in. I do remember that The Alphabet Man was the last to find it, and he re-hid it "as found or better" This is just a flashback to finding all the other hides from the Alphabet Man. And it is MY hide! So while the newbys are off in 3 different directions... by the swing sets (?!) ...I am slowly circling the trees, looking for my own hide! Geocaching is not for the memory impaired!
Cache #3 is downtown, a VERY busy downtown today, after all it is black Friday! After some time, they find it. When we get back into the car, I re-explain the whole Muggle/ stealth-like theory. I may have to stay away from downtown for a couple of weeks.
It only gets better. I started this blog off with WOW...which really means...why oh why!
A camera could not have captured the day. We probably needed a video camera, or better yet, the whole scene from Goldy's view! I have gathered all my "gear"..and as I walk out of the house, there they are...all lined up in a row. What!?... I ask. "Well, what do we do?" They are all excited. Uh...we will start by getting into the truck. Oh boy...I may turn into 1st SGT by the end of the day.
Potential has brought a GPS unit. He has never used it...it is still in the box...the charger is still in that "impossible-to-rip-open-hard plastic." He DID bring new batteries...he has NO manual...he got it as a gift in HIGH SCHOOL! You do NOT want to know how old this thing is! As we back out of the driveway, I hear someone say...that thing is pretty old, do you think the coordinates are the same? I DID NOT hear that, or so I pretended, and I am thankful that 1st SGT is NOT here!
I am a little smarter than you may think, as I decided to take them to a few of MY hides...rationalizing that I may be a little a head of them, on my part. We head to the first cache. BIL is driving, when Ton-Tom says you have reached your destination...that is it, he has slammed on the breaks, we are parked, we are there. He doesn't care that there are unnamed roads in which we can travel. Nope! we are there. Okay...so we will walk. I was a little excited that no one, not even the guys, knew about coords, and which way to walk in relationship to the numbers. I think they were a little impressed. I gave the credit to 1st SGT. BIL, is trying to follow the "little blue ball" SIL is checking out all the old headstones, Seester (and I) are trying to get the Tom-Tom from driving mode to walking mode, and Potential is TRYING to turn on his GPS. We are off to a great start.
I stand back, to try to get an overall "picture". No one is walking in the same direction. I never had to round up cattle, but I kinda have that same feeling, as I am rounding everyone up...and getting everyone headed in the same direction. At one point, 2 of the team were actually walking together and getting pretty close. BIL must have thought that also, as he yells out (remember he is from TN) "Y'll gone too far now, "yous" a whole lane off." They stop...they look at us...I can't believe they are falling for that. BIL is saying to me... "I've stalled em now, I think I'm gonna get the truck and drive right on over there and get me that there cache, I think I can get there before they do" Seeing, they are only 3 feet away, I doubt that, but, they were clueless so they just walk on by. They are too busy "looking" to see where BIL is heading. Yep...this is going well. Somehow, and I don't know how, SIL and Seester are now together and are searching to the right, and to the left, but no where near the cache. Ok girls, lets regroup, stand back for a moment, and think about the hint. That is all it took, I am not sure if that looked like a NFL tackle or a slide in to home base, but they got it. I need a referee's whistle. And WHERE are the guys? As we head off to the 2nd cache...I mention that Geocahcing is NOT a contact sport, and the guys need to use their "deer stand voices"
Cache #2, is in a park. It is my hide, I don't have one of the GPS units , and I can't even remember what tree it is actually in. I do remember that The Alphabet Man was the last to find it, and he re-hid it "as found or better" This is just a flashback to finding all the other hides from the Alphabet Man. And it is MY hide! So while the newbys are off in 3 different directions... by the swing sets (?!) ...I am slowly circling the trees, looking for my own hide! Geocaching is not for the memory impaired!
Cache #3 is downtown, a VERY busy downtown today, after all it is black Friday! After some time, they find it. When we get back into the car, I re-explain the whole Muggle/ stealth-like theory. I may have to stay away from downtown for a couple of weeks.
It only gets better. I started this blog off with WOW...which really means...why oh why!
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