Pinecone Boxing

That's right - we're taking a group to Italy this year - probably October. I'm having a conversation with several tour companies and want to get an idea of how many of you are seriously interested in a 10 to 12 day tour of Italy with Sue & I. 

While itineraries are still be discussed, the following items are a given and should help you determine if you are seriously interested:

1) Group airfare from JFK to Italy

2) 10 to 12 days fully escorted with the services of a guide who will remain with us the entire trip. Once we get to the Vatican, there will be an additional, well-versed guide for that particular venue (and for other venues on the trip.)

3) Price includes all breakfasts, most dinners and possibly a lunch.

4) We will hit the main sights in Rome, Venice, Pisa, Florence, Milan, Lake Como. Modern air-conditioned buses and high speed trains where possible - all included in the pricing. All entrances to museums, venues included.

5) There will be a free afternoon on the second day of each city to allow for personal exploration - and letterboxing!!!

Cost? It will be firmed up later once we have an idea of how many people are seriously interested but for budgeting purposes, plan on approximately $2000 to $2300 per person PLUS airfare. Airfare with 1 carrier quoted $1200 per person but I found it for $800 per person which we can discuss. Based on double occupancy the price per person would be about $3000 to 3200 including airfare for 10 to 12 days with most meals included.

Please email me if you are interested this week sometime so we can lock in the best price. I would like to give a preliminary count to the tours who are in the process of pricing this trip for us. 

Also, email me if you have any questions about the trip. If you traveled with us before either domestically, or on a cruise or to England, you know that we always to our best to offer you the best possible value for your money. 

So come; join us on Pinecone Adventure's Viva Italia Letterboxing Trip. 

Ever notice how things keep repeating? Like when you learn a new word, you tend to see it many times after you learn it. Or you notice a model of car that you like and have never seen - then you find the same model wherever you turn. 

Well, over the past few weeks the number 60,000 has come up several times. LBNA recently had its 60,000th letterbox posted on the website. And a week or so later, Atlas Quest had its 60,000th member join.

And yesterday, I celebrated a milestone birthday that was a combination of those numbers! Thanks for all of the great birthday wishes on Facebook. It helped ease the pain of my new age!  :-)

Event Stamp and Patch Design - by Bungalow Boxer

What a weekend! 

This was our largest attended Bed & Boxing in the 4 years we've been doing it. Counting day trippers, we ended up with 83 attendees. About 55 people stayed at the Woodbound Inn with us in a combination of accommodations ranging from rustic lakeside cabins to king size deluxe suites in the main inn.

Sue & I drove up to VT on Wednesday night after work with some boxing friends. After a leisurely breakfast, we headed out with our sights set for Rindge, NH and the Woodbound Inn - our temporary home for the weekend. Sue & I had visited the property twice over the summer to plant 2 new series for the event - Hiking Essentials and Alaska Memories, which was carved by some of our attendees from our July Letterboxing Cruise to Alaska.

After unpacking and getting settled in our cabin, a bunch of us headed out to do some fairly easy boxes due to the threat of rain. Setting the AQ search function on 10 miles from Rindge, we came up with about 133 boxes plus a handful from LBNA. What to choose . . .

After greeting Tiptoe & Tonto from the Chicago area and Sewsewbizzy from Va, we all headed to dinner at a local pub style restaurant with a nice menu. Returning back to the property, we ended up in our cabin for great conversation, a box of wine and a blazing fire! A nice way to end that Thursday pre-gathering day.

Friday, after breakfast, we headed out to do a few series located on the rails to trails system in Rindge. There, we met Rubaduc & Gizz who had just finished. Then the rains came and we decided to head back to the inn. There we checked out the Play Barn - our community center for the weekend and met with everyone for a 7pm meeting to talk a bit about the weekend. It was great to see all of the attendees as they arrived - all excited about the coming weekend. The weather seemed to clear a bit before the sun set and that made us very happy. As usual, exchanges, conversation and hotdogs roasted over the fireplace made for a nice first official gathering evening.

Saturday morning came and a group of us headed out to get some of Jay Drew's/DrewFamily's Grand Monadnock boxes. This historic, 10 box series is a result of many years spent vacationing in the area with a box or two planted each time. The Tuesday before we left for Bed & Boxing, I noticed a box alongside our front door. Among the contents were clues to a new, Grand Monadnock #11 box entitled "A Bed & Boxing Bonus Box" that Jay had placed for our event. This was the main focus of our trip to Monadnock and a successful find made it all the better.

Almost at the summit - photo taken by Jei

Monadnock was a difficult hike, in our opinion. The rain from Thursday and Friday made for slick and very wet spots in the trails, combined with wet rocks. The elevation gain was 25 to 30% over rocks at times (according to an internet source I found.) After the first 3 hours or so, I questioned whether I would see the summit. Jei, Tsuki Ames, Tiptoe and Tonto, Martini Man & Wisconsin Hiker and of course, Sue,  all were very encouraging. I have a fear of heights but I'm usually fine on a trail with trees surrounding me but this was a bald mountain. Plus the scrambling and climbing on rocks was not what I expected. Once we got to the summit, which is just under 3200 feet with no surrounding mountains, we could see forever. The fall colors just made it all the more picturesque and worth every ounce of effort expended to get there. Thanks, guys, for the encouragement!

Back at the inn, and late for dinner, the festivities had already started. We arrived close to 7pm with a 6:30 starting time on a great buffet we had arranged. When Sue & I arrived, we were greated to cheers - but not in tribute, I don't think - it was more like "finally you got here!" After dinner, with the help of the V's, Lundy & Vickster and Jess and Scott, our night series, Ghosts from Gatherings Past, was planted and made ready for our guests. At 9pm, the hardiest of the group joined us down by the lake for a bonfire and 3 great stories told by TaleSpinner from MA and some letterboxing conversations after that. 

After breakfast on Sunday, we packed and said our goodbyes for another year. Everyone wants to return next year to this same location. I had already told the inn we'd be returning after seeing the grounds, the 10 miles of their hiking trails, the lake and everything they had to offer - even 9 hole golf! It's always a downer to see something we've spent 8 months planning end. But we weren't down for long . . . we've already started to plan B & B5 plus our Italy trip as well all next year!

We'd like to thank the following people for their great contributions: Bungalow Boxer for a terrific event stamp and design, which we used for the event patch as well; our hiking buddies to Monadnock, all of the carvers for the Alaska Memories series, TaleSpinner for weaving some great stories, Robins Nest for that great Pinecone Adventures quilted pillow, the Ghost hiders, Jay Drew for dedicating that new Monadnock box to Sue & me, Deanne and Dave for letting us borrow the skewers that we used to roast hotdogs and marshmallows, BookWorm for making the ghosts and for all the little things she did, all the attendees who brought grab bag gifts and food to share for the weekend. It was the best ever Bed & Boxing - according to the inbox full of emails that we've been receiving. And like anything in life - nothing good is accomplished by one person - it's always a joint effort.

The best thing about this event is the precious time spent with a great group of people. See you all next year!

Monadnock and Pinecones - photo taken by the V's

Those of you that follow this blog know that if there's anything we love as much as letterboxing - it's Vermont. As you probably know, the Wilmington area of southern Vermont was one of the hardest hit from Hurricane Irene several weeks ago, according to FEMA during their recent visit there to access damages. We've all seen the hurricane videos of Vermont on the national news outlets.

After being kept away for several weeks due to the clean up effort of the National Guard and others opening/repaving roads, etc. Sue & I had the opportunity to finally get up there this past weekend. We were not prepared for the damage that we witnessed despite having seen YouTube videos and photos sent to us from one of the permanent residents of the community where our place is located. The devastation is unimaginable - cars washed into enlarged river beds, tarps and clothing hanging from trees tops, aluminum siding and building eaves along the roadside. Sue could just about contain herself as we drove through downtown Wilmington village and the stores there that we've frequented so many times - all closed trying to get their investments up and running again after water damage, blown out windows and empty first floors left after the innocent-looking Deerfield River that meanders through town rose to a raging flood of water leaving destruction in its wake.

Sue & I had the opportunity to hear some of the stories at a Natural History Fair at Hogback Mountain on Saturday. A young foreign exchange student who perished while trapped in her car as the flood waters overcame her vehicle, cows and horses being swept away to their death by the raging waters, whole house being swallowed by a river when the bordering land gave way to erosion. So many heart-breaking stories that touched us deeply - after tears and hugs between us and the locals. We came away with a sense of loss and the need to do something. In the past, we've privately emailed some of you to raise money for a letterboxer that might need some financial help for one reason or another. But this time it's different.

This time, though, given the gravity of the situation, we are appealing to all of you boxers and readers of this blog. If Sue & I have touched your life in some way - whether it be through our friendship, or a conversation at a gathering, or an email where you asked us for help or advice,  or attendance at one of our gatherings or even if you've hunted one of our boxes - please consider a donation to this effort. No amount is too small. Many of these people lost everything - homes, jobs, clothes, food, etc.

100% of what you donate goes to the people in need - no administrative costs like other charities. Here's the link for the website that explains how to donate and where your money will go. We've had an ongoing love affair with the Deerfield Valley for many years and hope you will help restore it and its people to the beauty that it was.

Checks can be made out to "Deerfield River Valley Human Web" can be sent to the fund at 14 Castle Hill Road, Wilmington, VT 05363. Please write "Letterboxing Group" in the memo portion of your check. I want them to see that we, as a group, are donating to the area that has held several of our gatherings and has over 70 of our boxes. 

When do you get a chance to make such an impact? We know you won't disappoint us - you never do. We both thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity - however much it is.

Thanks.

As we write this, our power has returned and our lives are getting somewhat back to normal. Our entire family is fine but not so for many in Irene's path - especially those in our adopted home of Vermont. If you've watched the network national news (if you have power,)  you've witnessed the complete devastation to so many areas in the beautiful state of VT. What normally was a rambling stream became a raging dynamo due to the onslaught of torrential rains (reports of 10" and more) in such a short period of time.

I watched a heart-breaking video that showed an historic covered bridge as it was swallowed by a churning river. A Vermont icon gone in a matter of seconds. And this scene repeated itself several times around the state as other covered bridges suffered the same fate. You could hear the suffering in the voice of the person filming the video as her voice cracked with emotion as she exclaimed "Oh no!"

Our weekend home was spared what others were not. Wilmington, Vermont's downtown district of quaint homes turned into shops and restaurants all took on water as the peaceful Deerfield River that meanders through town rose and brought havoc and 6 feet of water and mud into many of those establishments. Dot's Diner was almost totally engulfed with water since it had enjoyed the heretofore enviable real estate of being located right at the river's edge.

With roads being blocked and rivers out on main roadways, supplies aren't arriving to the stores thus food and water are at a premium. Wilmington center has reopened as of yesterday and our hope is that vital items can begin to arrive. The National Guard has a presence there as well to help in the restoration process.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the residents of Vermont (and other locales) that have had to endure the hardships that only a natural disaster like this can bring. Going without electricity, phones and cable for 2 days pales in comparison to what these residents witness and will continue to do so in the coming weeks and months. Vermonters are a hearty bunch and there's no doubt that they will recover from this storm. The Deerfield Valley and the state as a whole will eventually be returned to its former self.

For more information and pictures of the storm's effect on southern Vermont, visit the Deerfield Valley News website located here. After reading the front page, click on the "Breaking News" heading on the left to see pictures and more reports. And please keep a good thought for those who are dealing with Irene's leftovers.

It's been a long time since I've posted but wanted to stop in to wish all the dads a very special day. We're headed to our youngest son & daughter-in-law's house, Steve & Katie, for a picnic with her parents and our oldest son and daughter-in-law, Matt & Meredith. What could be better?

Coming in a very close second is the preparation for our July 4th departure for the Letterboxing Cruise to Alaska!!! 31 letterboxers have signed up and most will do the 5 optional days on land visiting Fairbanks, Denali National Park and Anchorage. The balance will join us in Seward, AK when we board the Celebrity Millennium on Friday, July 8 for 7 nights exploring the Inside Passageway heading south. We'll be visiting the Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and finally disembarking in Vancouver, Canada on Friday, July 15.

We're pleased to say that we have cruisemates from all over the country including Florida, Arizona, California, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachussetts, Oregon to name a few. We're shocked that 29 people, besides Sue & I, are joining us on this trip with the economy as bad as it is. Must be the fact that Alaska seems to be on everyone's bucket list!

Our cruisemates are all getting very excited as the 2 week mark nears. This is the longest Pinecone Adventure we've ever arranged. We all received great group rates, a $25 shipboard credit and a free Martini Tasting session on board. Plus we're hoping to get permission to box on the ship and there are those great boxes planted in the port cities that we'll be visiting! Add to that the sun setting at 11:30pm which will help to make for long, fun-filled days!!! We're bringing our new camera, monopod and a diary to write down our thoughts during our trip so look for that trip report here once we get back.

Well, you can!

Choi, webmaster extrordinaire, announced on our Newboxers List that the LBNA is looking for a new design for their patch. There are no fees or ads involved with this first ever letterboxing clue repository so it runs strictly on donations. The patch is a form of a thank you given to those who donate $30 or more to the volunteer-driven LBNA.

Pictured to the right is the present design. The contest winner will take it's place and could be designed by you! Get your submissions in - all entries should be in the form of a jpeg.

Below is Choi's post, which includes all of the details for this contest!

Subject: LBNA Patch Design Contest

Interested in designing a patch? For the past several years, we've mailed out an LbNA supporter patch when members have donated $30 or more to help sustain the operation of Letterboxing North America. I thought we could have our members help design and vote on a new one. Please email your submissions to john@johnsblog.com by 30-Apr-11.

Happy hunting!
Choi
http://www.letterboxing.org/lbna/donate.htm

Our Pinecone Boxing website is moving . . . and not by choice! Our web host - viviti.com - has "rebranded" itself to "jigsy.com." I don't know how they come up with this stuff!!!

So if you've bookmarked us, our official new web URL is www.pineconeboxing.jigsy.com. You will be automatically re-routed using the viviti.com URL until June 1, then you'll need to use the new URL to find us.

I've already made the changes on Atlas Quest so our posts should still show up in the News section of your My Page. So. please, adjust your bookmark. That is unless you're tired of us after all of these years!  :-)

It's certainly that time of year again!

Sue altered her holly "cookie" recipe for Christmas, made from corn flakes, to make heart-shaped goodies for our two sets of newlyweds. She dyed the flakes red instead of the normal green and sprinkled the tops with red candy hearts. Great job, eh?

And to further expand on the love theme, Sue & I attended Saturday's "Show Your Love" event in Portland, CT put on expertly by MoJo and David. They did a terrific job! All of the over 80 boxers in attendance seemed so happy to be out of the house and getting their fingers inky again!

The love-themed boxes were scattered around the room - all with, you guessed it, a love theme. All shapes and sizes and kinds of containers imaginable. It was just a non-stop stamp fest.

Everyone we spoke to really enjoyed this low key event. Because of the snow cover outside, we were forced to remain indoors which led to a nice, leisurely afternoon of just catching up with old friends and plenty of opportunities to make new ones. At one point, Butterfly said to me, "Isn't it great to look around and see so many old friends and new faces and children." And, as usual, the winged one was correct. There has been a very large influx of boxers in CT over the last year or so and the new faces and families always seem to reassure us that this hobby will continue on.

The raffle went along smoothly and the group picture came out great. You can find it at the end of this story. Thanks to MoJo and David for a great job. If this was your first gathering (which it was) we can only imagine what the future will bring. This was the perfect afternoon for all of us cooped up in CT (and beyond) letterboxers. Many, many thanks!

Sue & Mark at Steve & Katie's wedding, July 3, Mount Snow, VT

It's that time of year when we both face the new year with wonder and anticipation, and tend to look back at what just ended. And, for Sue & I, it was an action-packed 2010 to say the very least!

February found Sue & I in Florida - St. Augustine to be exact - for a great week there. TRex from Georgia joined us at the end of the week and at a little mini meet that we arranged at the Gypsy Cab Company for drinks and a nice meal. Because of the snow birds that attended, there were more people from out of state then locals! It was, as always, terrific to see both old friends and new. We still have a series of boxes that we planted when down there that I've yet to post! Sue thinks I'm awful and I've promised to get to that. It's a series of boxes entitled "Take Time to . . . " that we  developed on the plane ride to Florida as I thought how precious vacation time was, how short life really is and the importance of taking time to do those special things. These stamps are a series of non-related subjects, artfully carved by RTRW, that we've managed (with some success I hope!) to tie together to create a series that will take you around the St. Augustine and the nearby area and serve as a bit of a reminder on how precious a gift is life.

April found us in West Dover, where our cabin is located. West Dover was the location of our first ever New Boxers Gathering. This all day seminar included history of letterboxing, choosing stamp images and manipulation, transfer and carving of stamps, and making home-made logbooks. About 30 people attended and it was wonderful to see them enjoying and learning from all of our wonderful presenters including Sue, Deanne the Lazy Letterboxer, RTRW, Choi and Tony. It's been some time since that gathering and at times I feel like a proud father when I find a box by one of the "graduates" of the gathering and see the terric job they've done! It was a great event and one that we hope to provide in the future - maybe in another location like CT. All "graduates" received an official diploma from the (tongue-in-cheek) Pinecone Academy. (Sue really thinks I'm nuts because I come up with all of this stuff - and - maybe she's right!)

May and June were busy in VT with wedding prep for our youngest son, Steve, who was going to marry Katie on July 3. Plans to be made, the yard to spruce up and so many other loose ends. We did manage an hour out of our schedule to meet with our pal, Funhog, at a little picnic spot along side Lake Whitingham the Saturday before the wedding.

Meredith, Katie, Steve and Matt at Steve & Katie's wedding on Mount Snow

The wedding was a great event. Cool temps, dark blue skies all atop Mount Snow where the ceremony was held overlooking the beauty of the Green Mountains and the valley below. Everything went off without a hitch. Because it was the holiday weekend, the party continued Saturday night, Sunday and even Monday. Sue & I vegged out the rest of the week from pure exhaustion but we wouldn't have changed a single thing. It was a weekend chocked full of special times and wonderful memories.

Tonto, Tiptoe, Sue, Nancy, Dave & Mark at the Chinatown Fire Station, Chicago

The end of September, Sue & I, along with our friends Dave & Nancy, flew out to Chicago for a week vacation in IL. Tiptoe and Tonto were the ultimate hosts as they picked us up in their van every morning and we made our way to another corner of the beautiful city of Chicago. We toured from Friday to Monday; hitting all of the best places (and boxes) and some adventures that were not planned. We can't thank T & T enough for their planning and the great gift of their time that they so willingly offered. One of the best finds we've had in our 8+ years of letterboxing was when Sue & I stumbled across this lovely pair at the Great Lakes gathering many years ago.

Some of the attendees at our Chicago Mini Meet

Navy Pier on our first night in Chicago. They even made sure there was a full moon for us!!!

Our mini meet with the Chicagoans was truly an adventure! There were about 35 or so in attendance - and from 5 states! Some of the boxers told us that they had traveled 4 hours to meet us from both Kansas and Indiana and were headed back that night! Two of the women told us that they couldn't sleep the previous night because they were nervous/excited to meet us. I told them all that they were crazy! Sue & I are no different than any one else. We hope that you will consider us as friends and even family. Don't feel shy about emailing us or asking us to befriend you on Facebook. I think once I dribbled some pizza sauce down the front of my t shirt at the gatherig (I really didn't) they believed me! Our thanks to all of these hearty mid Westerners who made us feel so right at home and took the time to visit with us for a few hours.

Sue, Matt (Hart x6) and Mark after a great day on the Yellow Brick Road

After the Chicago leg of our trip, we headed to Springfield, IL for the Lincoln-related sights but made a side trip to the Land of Oz and that terrific series there. We were accompanied by the 3 planters of this wonderful journry - Pitties, Shorty & Hart x6. They did their best ushering us to the locations to save us time, but we still insisted that we find the boxes! I've long been a fan of the Wizard of Oz and it was a joy to spend the time not only in Oz but with the creators. We all enjoyed the back story that they shared with us during the planning of this epic endeavor. We left with over 20 of the boxes and hope to be back again to finish up. The kindness of letterboxers never cease to amaze us; all 3 of them taking time out of their busy lives to spend the day with us. It was most memorable day to be sure.

Home for about a week in October and then the wedding of our oldest son, Matt, to Meredith in a beautiful ceremony and party in their back yard. Unlike the wedding in VT where most of the activities were centered around our place there, we were totally uninvolved in this wedding which was a blessing because we got to experience the joy and excitement at all of the events just like the rest of the attendees. Matt called us that Friday night when the tent was put up and we ran over to see it. Luckily they live a mile away from us and Steve & Katie live 2 miles away. Makes it very convenient to say the least.

Mark, Sue, Matt, Meredith, Steve & Katie at Matt and Meredith's wedding, October 10, Kensington, CT

The tent was huge! Something like Cirque du Soliel would use. And his friend put up staged lighting which helped to create a magical space. Saturday night the rehearsal dinner was held at our house (because we're getting so good at this stuff!) Sunday, wedding day, was cool and sunny and just a great day. The ceremony was filled with so much meaning and special moments. To experience it for the first time was a great thing and made it even more meaningful. Another successful wedding filled with more memories. Glad we have so many memories because we don't have much more in the bank!  :-)  I wouldn't wish 2 weddings in 3 months on anyone!

October brought our annual Bed & Boxing with surprise guest Tom Cooch and his wife. The group started out the weekend Friday night at McGrath's Irish Pub where we had pre-reserved the banquet room. Tom also had the original event box from that first gathering, held at McGrath's, recarved and he rehid it. We all spend the weekend searching for it at our leisure but it sure was a challenge. What a great piece of history it makes in our logbook!

On the AT during Bed & Boxing, Killington, VT with Lundy, Jess, Tsuki Ames, Sue, Enjoinder, Tom Cooch & Tiptoe

Saturday brought the group hiking together on the AT behind McGrath's to some historic boxes that were planted there for that very first gathering by Tom Cooch and Erik & Susan Davis. These are the very same boxes that you see Rae Record hunt for in her video of that first Killington gathering - see the end of her interview from our Interview Series located on the right of our home page. How many times can you look for a historic box with the planter? It was a very rare delight to say the least. Both Tom and his wife were very wonderful and it looks like Tom might have been enticed to dip his big toe back into the letterboxing pool with his post gathering appearance on both Atlas Quest and the Newboxers talk list.

Susan Davis in the shadow of Prayer Rock

We offered to take a group of interested people to Prayer Rock which was about an hour or so drive from Killington. Only about 6 to 8 others joined us; although I tried to encourage more. Little did the group know (although I didn't know for sure when we left Killington) that I had pre-arranged for Susan Davis to meet us at Prayer Rock. It wasn't until we were getting ready to leave Prayer Rock after stamping into the box that my cell phone rang. "I'm on my way" Susan said. Ten minutes later she drove up and we spent a great hour with her. After exchanges, we were all on our way. It was a great weekend. It seems that we've attracted a nice returning group to these Bed & Boxing events along with a few very new, young couples who seemed to fit right in. Each event seems to take on a life of it's own and there's nothing like spending quality time over a weekend with such great people. I always say that you may come to these events as a stranger, but you leave as family.

Thanksgiving and the holidays were on us in a flash and here we are - closing out one year and looking forward to a new one. We love the "clean slate" of a new year as it dawns with endless possibilites and adventures. This year we look forward (and are already getting quite excited) to our Letterboxing Cruise to Alaska with 17 cabins booked (34 boxers) and the possibility of a few late entries. It should be a trip to remember with a great group already signed from 12 states: California, Arizona, Illinois, Virginia, Rhode Island, Massachussetts, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and Connecticut. I'm sure I've forgotten a state or two but I won't forget to have a great time in the beauty that Alaska holds! Sue & I cannot wait for 2 weeks exploring interior Alaska, the ship and the many ports along the way.

Towards the end of the year is our 4th annual Bed & Boxing event; once again changing venues to the Mount Monadnock area. This is one of our most favorite Pinecone Adventures. We already have a large signup on Atlas Quest and will publish the location of that event (hotel) once we finish with our Alaska cruise. Who knows what surprises we'll have in store for those that attend???

So - that's our past year and some of what we're excited about for this coming year. Hope you had a great 2010 and face 2011 with hope, anticipation, new adventures and boxes to find! Be well and be safe! And look over your shoulder; we might be right behind you!

As we begin getting ready for the festivities of the Feast of the Seven Fishes for our family, Sue & I wanted to take a minute to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May you, too, find some time this season to spend with those you love.

Our Christmas wish to you is a day filled with loved ones, joy, peace, health and much happiness.

Merry Christmas to All!!!

Several years ago there were a few take offs on Clement Moore's Twas the Night Before Christmas that appeared on the Great Lakes talk list.

At that time, we asked permission to print them on our blog to share with everyone. The authors are Wisconsin Hiker and Ace Blazer. It's been a while so we thought we'd help you get into the spirit of the season with this reprise!

We hope that you enjoy!