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Team StitchesOnQuilts

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Everything posted by Team StitchesOnQuilts

  1. I don't think my children should have to avoid enjoying being the first to open a cache just because some "adults" have a very juvenile sense of humor. When I see something like that, I'm not thinking "Hey, what a great sense of humor", I'm thinking "Geez, what an idiot." My kids know about the various body parts, but they, too, would look at that travel bug and say "Mom, why would someone put something so stupid in a cache?" They're both under 10 years of age. So, I dunno - the fact that the original cacher thought it was funny enough to even consider as a travel bug says more about the cacher than about any of us who might object. Shannah
  2. quote:Originally posted by ScottJenColleen:Not always. Yes, sometimes, but not always. I think I am a good example of what you are talking about (but I am not asking for a GPS). I find it hard to make ends meet but I am not on welfare to the point that my child is starving. I work full-time and my hubby stays home, with my 2-year old, as he can not find a job and is sick. We want to go caching but I haven't been able to get the money together to get a GPS. Something comes up, ie: the car breaks down, hubby needs more meds, TV broke (which is did recently, and still isn't fixed). But I don't really care about the TV, I want my 2-year old to go outside and play and ... I dunno, NOT sit infront of the TV. Does that make any sense? Yes. I think we all have to decide which "fish to fry" at any given time. My hubby used my birthday gift money towards my GPS, and that helped a great deal. Can you borrow a GPS, or get one as a holiday gift for the whole family, or do caches (like, say, letterboxes) that have complete enough information to not require a GPS? I completely agree about wanting to get the kids out of the house - mine are a lot healthier when we get outdoors even just a few hours a week. I hope your hubby's health improves soon. Shannah
  3. quote:Originally posted by Divine: quote:Originally posted by shegget:I mean come on now... does being a single male out caching automatically make you available for action??? I'd say no. But it seems to be a good window to many women's world. In that world your question would be 'Does being a single woman in a bar/pub automatically make you available for action?' Or 'Does wearing a mini skirt/dressing sexy/looking good/etc. automatically make you available...' etc etc, you get the point. Yeah, I read the comment about being out caching automatically make you available for action, and felt a strong case of deja vu. It's funny, though, that a woman doesn't even have to be particularly cute, or wear cute clothes, or anything. I am fat, frumpy, dress like a slouch most of the time, and still, I have guys approach me a lot. I seem to do okay at the pharmacy - maybe they figure that a woman in a pharmacy is a health risk. But I do try to take a male friend or my husband if I go to the grocery store. Go to a bar or pub by myself? I wouldn't dare. It's really daunting feeling like a target all the time. Believe me, guys, when you're getting looked over like a piece of filet mignon by another guy, I can really empathize. I've never had another Geocacher do this sort of thing. I've met a lot of male Geocachers, and they have all been incredibly polite, helpful, and nice. The problem is, when you're out on the trail, until you get pretty close, how do you know who is who, y'know? Fortunately, my family is always willing to go caching with me, so we all go and I never worry about what anyone's thinking. For people who go out alone, though, I can see the potential for uncomfortable situations with GeoMuggles. Shannah
  4. Well, I don't know about anyone else, but if I was to register the domain stitchesonquilts.com, and put up my own quilting-related game, and set up guidelines, I would be completely uninterested in having someone tell me how I should run the site. My answer to their complaints would be "Please feel free to set up your own site." I find it incredible that people are willing to bust geocaching.com in the chops. Hey, don't like it, there is nothing stopping you from creating your own site. I seem to recall that there is another site starting with an N out there, right? So, create your own! I also can't believe that people are defending someone who got rude when the approver asked a simple question. What happened to the famous Geocaching civility? It also amazes me that people who are going out and finding these caches, and viewing the web pages, haven't figured out that there is more to this than just computer programs: it's a real art form. There is artistry in the best caches. Mike Brill is a true artist. Check out his "Fellowship of the Ring" cache. It's wonderfully done. Or kablooey's "Ransom Note". Artistry can't be programmed. You can't set up an algorithm for it. This is why there are human admins, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Each admin will behold the cache differently. Different admins will vote differently on different caches. But in the end, geocaching pays for the website, including the domain name and the servers. Sure, I am a charter member, and have paid my $30, but that does not give me the right to dictate how geocaching.com does business. I have emailed suggestions to Jeremy, and will continue to do so, but they are SUGGESTIONS. If I really want it done differently, I'll get my own domain and not just hang out on the forums and ***** about those who are doing all of the hard work. Shannah
  5. OK, I looked at the two caches, and formed my own opinion. A site that is unique in some way, like, say, the giant hotdog that's a hotdog vending stand in LA, would be, in my opinion, a great place for a virtual cache. A site that is just like a thousand other sites, like, say, the Wendy's on Bascom in San Jose, is not, in my opinion, a great place for a virtual cache. I *might* make an exception for something that is the first of, like the first Peet's Coffee and Tea location, or the first Orchard Supply Hardware store. But even then, it would have to be at least somewhat unique, or I just don't think it qualifies. (OSH does not.) In terms of the newspaper vending machine caches, I have not reviewed those so I cannot comment. I can say that I have found a cache that was in a free newspaper vending machine (is it really vending if you don't have to put any money in?) and the location was pretty ingenious. Shannah
  6. I think the hard part of putting something desirable in a cache is that most anything, if a person has many of them, becomes less desirable. If I found a small Swiss Army knife in a cache, I'd be thrilled. I would be less thrilled if I kept finding them in every cache. So, in a certain sense, the more unique the better. Out of all of the things we have taken, probably the most desirable ones were the Iron Chef spoon, a green enamel cup, a "Lord of the Rings" game, a votive candle (from our first cache, an urban cache), an egg separator, a small stone Buddha, and (probably unique to us) a glass emerald on a string that we hung from our rearview mirror. We often find that when we put something we think is really cool in a cache, it sits there forever, and funky stuff we left thinking "I wonder if that's a good idea" gets snatched up right away. Each to their own, I guess. I like the shot glass idea. They are compact and easy to store, and you can play "shot glass chess" with them. Juice for the kids, harder stuff for the non-driving adults. Shannah
  7. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it looks to me like on one day, he found caches in Iraq, Iceland, and Lithuania. That's quite a feat. Perhaps he's just finding them on a map? The one in Iraq, I can't imagine he hired someone to find it for him - that's a pretty difficult one. Ah, well, if he wants to plump up his numbers, that's up to him. Doesn't diminish the fun I've had finding the caches I've found.... Shannah
  8. If you do find debris, there is a toll-free number you can call to report it. I got this number from CNN. 1-800-525-5555. You can also call 911, but in areas of significant debris, it might be better to call the 800 number, so as not to overwhelm the 911 system. If you have the ability to rope it off, and can mark a waypoint so that you can give that info to the dispatcher, that would be helpful. Shannah
  9. I placed Ivan's Green Turtle travel bug in a cache, and when it hadn't moved in a few weeks, moved it to another cache. I don't see anything wrong with that. We had a narrow escape, though - the cache I put it into was plundered not too many days later. I was very relieved to see that some cachers had picked up the bug before the cache was plundered. I do advise doing it, though, if the bug isn't moving. Chances are good that everything will be fine, and that the bug will continue to move, if you help it along. Shannah
  10. When we changed our name, everything on geocaching.com was automatically updated. I'm not sure about the stats site. Shannah
  11. I'm sorry the site didn't turn out to be suitable. I wanted to let you know, though, that I like the idea of a pin exchange cache. We recently found a button exchange cache, and that was very cool. Seems like pins would be a lot of fun, too. Shannah
  12. quote:Originally posted by Dad and the Dynamic Duo:...though not our first hide, it was the first roll to need developing after the winder jammed. I was able to salvage most and linked to them from http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=23054. One challenge was properly identifying the pictures. Some folks take more than one, others don't take one at all. Then there was a cacher who was 5 months behind in his logs (they're worth the wait though as he writes great detailed logs) who threw me off too. George Yes. This is why we try to be descriptive, like "It's the picture with the red-haired kid in the blue shirt". Otherwise, it's really tough to tell who is who. Shannah
  13. I don't know what kind of GPS you have, so I'm not sure if this is a reasonable answer. We have a SporTrak Pro, and when we view a waypoint, it has the name at the bottom. Also, if we use the "go to" feature, we can scroll quickly through the GC names and see a partial name at the bottom. If you have an eTrex, I don't know if you have a similar screen, I'm afraid. Shannah
  14. I dunno, Marbles, I seem to be having the opposite problem. None of my bugs are currently in a cache - they are in the hands of someone. The shortest length of time is a month - one has been in someone's hands since November. I emailed 3 out of the 4 cachers, in hopes of getting some of the bugs back. In the future, though, I have learned my lesson: no more cutesy bugs. I can't help but wonder if they were boring things like railroad spikes, if people would be less inclined to hang onto them. Shannah
  15. I think the problem is that a lot of people have the waypoints in their GPSes and just sort of go for it. Sure, they should check the cache page first, and it would be nice if they either had the printouts or the cache pages downloaded to their PDA. In practice, though, I think you'll find that a lot of cachers don't bother. If they have their kids with them and get a surprise like a nude beach, I think you're going to get complaints. Is there some reason why a non-nude beach won't work as well? Shannah
  16. I don't know what the usual situation is. I have seen two caches that were theme caches, though, and they both seemed to stay on theme. One was a greeting card cache, and the other was "Stevens Creek Button Exchange". The button exchange was full of cool buttons when I visited. Apparently the greeting card cache sparked someone's creativity, because the card I got was a beautiful handmade card done by someone with a lot of talent. Now that I've said that, though, I should also mention that both caches mentioned their themes in the name of the cache. Maybe that helps? Could be if you called it "losing my marbles" you'd get nothing but marbles. (Or maybe anything BUT marbles... ) Shannah
  17. I don't know what the approved method is - maybe someone who has been around longer can clue me in. When I want to send a private message to someone on the forums, I click their names. This brings up their user page, which has a "send a message" link that allows me to email them. I try to keep my messages brief, and I try to always click the "send my email address" checkbox so that the person I email can see the address the email came from. So far, people have been really nice about it - nobody has accused me of spamming them or anything.... Shannah
  18. Well, this isn't a programmatic solution, but you could have an event cache in your area, and see who shows up. It won't be a complete list of all cachers in your area, but it'll be a great list of people who are likely friendly enough to ask questions. I pick peoples' brains at event caches. Cachers seem to like to talk about their finds, their GPSes, wierd experiences, etc. I share mine, too, of course, although most cachers in this area have more experience than I do. Shannah P.S. I have hosted an event cache; if you want a hand, please feel free to email me.
  19. quote:Originally posted by Cachetrotters: Not sure how someone could have a problem with an automatic averaging function, but I think the implication is that there is a problem with the GPSr. There are no problems with the Magellan averaging function. If there are, I beg you to provide credible information as evidence of such. don OK, I'm not that great at Markwelling, but I'll do my best. I think the last conversation about this happened before you joined. I learned about it from the forums, myself. The basic issue is that the Magellan averaging feature is accurate down to a certain minimum speed. I have forgotten what that speed is. However, if you take the time to stop, scratch your head, and look around, you are stopped, but the averaging feature is assuming that you are moving. This contributes to error. We have done the Magellan Hula many times, and it's amazing how often the arrow moves a dramatic distance afterwards. We cache with two small children, so moving quickly really isn't an option for us, especially when we're at the end of the walk and actively searching for the cache. The Hula clears the averaging function, without us having to turn the GPS off and start over. Let's see, where are the previous threads? GPS takes me past caches That's probably the best one, because it references the previous one. Now, granted, we haven't updated our SporTrak Pro software in a couple of months - maybe it has improved since then. Shannah
  20. Ruprex, in addition to all of the great advice given so far, I would also recommend the Magellan Hula. When you're ready to take coordinates, grab the Magellan firmly in one hand, and swing it around your body, really fast. Swing it back. Do this a few times. Then set the unit down next to your cache, and let it settle. I think you might be having problems with the averaging function of the Magellan, and that the Hula will help overcome that. If you want a demo of the Hula in person, along with a better description of the "whys" (hubby explains it much better than I do), just contact me - I'm near San Jose. Shannah
  21. quote:Originally posted by Prime Suspect:Who cares? The cache owner does. And just about anyone interested in searching for it. The on-line log give an indicator to others as to what condition it's in, or whether or not it even still exists. When I'm planning out a group of caches to go after, I'm far more likely to include a cache that I know has been found recently, rather than one that hasn't been found in many weeks, or one where the last few logs have been no-finds. That's interesting. I agree that if the last few logs have been no-finds, there's hardly any point to going. On the other hand, if the cache hasn't been found recently, I'll often bump it up to the top of my list, just to check and see if it's actually there. I'd like people to do that for my cache. Shannah
  22. Thank you for posting the landowner's side of the argument. I read the "Stella Awards", a publication on frivolous lawsuits founded by Randy Cassingham. People will sue over anything, even when it makes them look like morons themselves. Too bad there isn't some way to post a webcam at the point where they are breaking through the fence. Get some good mug shots of the creeps, and see if local law enforcement knows them. If I lived near you, I'd help you mend your fence. On the other hand, that sort of proves the point. The person who got yelled at wasn't the kind of person to come and tear up fences and destroy foliage. He was a reasonable person who just accidentally went the wrong way. Your posting shows one possible reason for the landowner to get his knickers in a twist, but I honestly don't think the original poster was a vandal. Treating him like one seems a little over the top. Shannah
  23. quote:Originally posted by Markwell: Looked and found that the two that were missing were not archived caches, but live caches. So no recycling there. But I thought for sure I logged them. No apparent reason why the logs should be deleted. Legitimate finds on 12/29/2002. I had a similar situation this last week. I had a cache that showed up in my "caches you found" section, but I could not find my cache log. I emailed the owner, asking if he had deleted my log. Clearly, he's more observant than I am, because he found my log: on the wrong date! I had made a stupid typo. I went back and fixed the typo, and now all's well. I agree that it's hard to keep up with the founds after a while. I am starting a scrapbook so that I can record photos of our finds and such, so that I have a record of where I went and what I put into the log. Shannah
  24. I think it's a case of "What's the lesser of two evils?" I'd rather the next finder have to search for it, and even potentially log a "not found" than have someone happen upon it and trash it. The reason the cache might be out in the open could be as simple as the adult told the child to put it back, and the child didn't want the next person to have to search so long. My children do that. I always have to rehide the caches. If I didn't, they would all be visible, thanks to my "helpful" kids. So, I'd suggest that you err on the side of making the cache invisible to potential plunderers. That way, if the cache does get plundered, at least you won't have to wonder if you should have done something different. Shannah
  25. Another idea is to borrow a couple of books from the library for her. They are both by Gavin de Becker. "The Gift of Fear" and "Protecting the Gift." de Becker is the head of a corporation that protects high-profile people. He has studied crimes against people for many years, including crimes against children. He has a compelling and interesting style. I think your wife will be glad she read the books. One thing she will learn from the books is how low the actual risk your children are in from other people when you're out Geocaching, which might be useful. I don't worry about my kids being harmed by another Geocacher. I worry about them driving another Geocacher bananas, particularly at the picnics, but that's a different matter entirely. I also agree with those who have suggested you take her with you. I'm a mom, and my perspective has changed since I've been taking my kids caching. On some things they have a shorter leash, and on others they have a longer leash, but it's all based on experience, not conjecture. Shannah
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