Patches and People in a Pub

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting with a handful of letterboxers at O'Leary's in Woodstock, IL. Some of them were first time introductions and others were "old friends". Of course, in the letterboxing community a one time exchange does an old friend make.

On the way up to Woodstock, I took a little detour and picked up one box near Elgin. Too late the discovery was made that someone had removed the bug spray from the car (with the exception of one small hand wipe that I scrounged from the back seat). The box was at a marsh, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

A number of the people in the group have been participating in this hobby for a very long time, and it is always a privilege to talk with them and get their perspective. I came away with much to think about. What is and what isn't letterboxing? And how do I want to shape my involvement in this obsession for the foreseeable future? There are definitely lines drawn in the sand, but is it possible to walk both sides? More about that later.
One of the highlights of the evening came when Der Mad Stamper put up the display of every single patch on the planet relating to letterboxing that has ever been made.

The most astonishing thing, however, was that I didn't come home with a single cootie in spite of leaving my hat in plain view on the table for the whole evening. Life is good.

PS-it just occured to me that I didn't take a picture of Wisconsin Hiker and Martini Man, who set up the event! Ack!