+Curioddity Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I spent quite a few years working in the sign industry when I was a bit younger. The company I worked for specialized in sandblasted stone signage, usually for golf courses but we also did plenty of commercial and residential signage too. We made our share of polished stone signs but our real niche was natural boulder signage, often made from indigenous stone from the immediate area. After about a year of doing this I couldn't seem to look at a large stone or boulder without considering what kind of sign it would make. I could be hiking along one of the most breathtaking mountain rivers you could imagine and I'd be looking for the perfect sign blank. I'm better now. I can walk in the woods and actually see the forest for the tree .. uh .. boulders, but since I started Geocaching I can't seem to walk down a street anymore without looking for a perfect place to hide a cache. How 'bout you? Has this hobby changed the way you look at the world around you? Pete Quote Link to comment
+gof1 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 There are certain members of my family that dread the words "You know, there is a cache right over there." Quote Link to comment
+wkmccall Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I spent quite a few years working in the sign industry when I was a bit younger. The company I worked for specialized in sandblasted stone signage, usually for golf courses but we also did plenty of commercial and residential signage too. We made our share of polished stone signs but our real niche was natural boulder signage, often made from indigenous stone from the immediate area. After about a year of doing this I couldn't seem to look at a large stone or boulder without considering what kind of sign it would make. I could be hiking along one of the most breathtaking mountain rivers you could imagine and I'd be looking for the perfect sign blank. I'm better now. I can walk in the woods and actually see the forest for the tree .. uh .. boulders, but since I started Geocaching I can't seem to walk down a street anymore without looking for a perfect place to hide a cache. How 'bout you? Has this hobby changed the way you look at the world around you? Pete It was a hobby turned business - Screenprinting. Can't look at a t-shirt (with a design) and think of the inks and screens used or how it could have been done better... :| What really changed me was working for an old well-known store (that sells craftsman) and working for a well-known electronics store (that use to make "tandy" computers). Never worked where I had to deal with the public again........ Must be why I don't cache with a group.. Quote Link to comment
Penguin_ar Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 It's starting for me already, and I am new! I am telling myself this will get better once I have actually hidden a cache, but I am not so sure My other problem is, when I go somewhere like a park or hiking trail, and I see someone standing around looking at the bushes, I no longer think they want to take a leak or have lost something, I wonder if they're geocaching. All geocachers should wear some sort of sign of what they are doing, so we can give eachother the secret handshake Quote Link to comment
+Nalarangka Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 All geocachers should wear some sort of sign of what they are doing, so we can give eachother the secret handshake Great idea...we should develop some sort of universal hand signal that we can flash at possible cachers and if they flash the correct return signal then we know they are geocachers...No birds please. Quote Link to comment
+Chi-Town Cacher Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Yep, that was one of the first things that made me realize that like many I'm addicted. I can't help seeing every tree with a hole in it or every tree stump as a potential hide location. Or lately trees have been more in focus for me thinking whether they'd make a good climbing challenge or not. I don't feel to bad because I know I'm not alone. I cache a lot with my nephews and about a week ago we were walking along a trail and returning from finding another cache and he runs off the trail to check an old stump hoping to find a cache that maybe hadn't been published yet. Quote Link to comment
+Snoogans Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I'm better now. I can walk in the woods and actually see the forest for the tree .. uh .. boulders, but since I started Geocaching I can't seem to walk down a street anymore without looking for a perfect place to hide a cache. How 'bout you? Has this hobby changed the way you look at the world around you? Pete Yep, always lookin' to hide, always lookin' for great cache containers, always lookin' for fun travel bug ideas..... I've got the swag angle nailed, so I don't look for that as much anymore, but I can't resist buying theme items for NEW caches. BTW if I hid every container I've collected, I'd be the most prolific hider on gc.com by at least a few hundred. My wife is NOT amused. Quote Link to comment
+liway Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Yep, I'm with you too!! I woke up this morning (early) and realized I'd been dreaming about placing the "perfect" cache. I'm new to this and really want to place a good hide...!! Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 All geocachers should wear some sort of sign of what they are doing, so we can give eachother the secret handshake Great idea...we should develop some sort of universal hand signal that we can flash at possible cachers and if they flash the correct return signal then we know they are geocachers...No birds please. We need a Markwell over here at table 5, please. Quote Link to comment
+Casting Crowns Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I know I have changed the way I view the world to a degree. I do the ol' "there's a cache over there." bit all the time with family and new cachers. I also look at areas and say "I could hide a cache in there!". I just see it as another extension of my addiction. Quote Link to comment
Chattykin Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 How 'bout you? Has this hobby changed the way you look at the world around you? Pete YES...DEFINITELY!!! I've yet to place or even find my first cache; but while driving down the road as a passenger in my husband's vehicle, I find myself looking around at locations that might be a good place to hide something. I only learned about geocaching on May 8, 2009 after watching one of my YouTube friend's videos about a hunt she went on with 2 children. After watching the video, I didn't think it was something in which I could get interested. Since she provided a link to Geocaching.com, I figured I check it out to read more about her hobby. The first thing I did when I got to the website was to enter my ZIP Code. I was AMAZED there were so many geocaches fairly close to where I live. That's when the addiction began to take hold of me. I immediately registered a free account, then joined this forum the following day. Now I'm thinking a Premium account would be worth the price. I do have a little story I want to share, but that will be in another thread. Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 All geocachers should wear some sort of sign of what they are doing, so we can give eachother the secret handshake Great idea...we should develop some sort of universal hand signal that we can flash at possible cachers and if they flash the correct return signal then we know they are geocachers...No birds please. We need a Markwell over here at table 5, please. Please... can I get a Markwell? Quote Link to comment
Chattykin Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 We need a Markwell over here at table 5, please. I wish I knew what this is supposed to mean. Quote Link to comment
+J-Way Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 (edited) We need a Markwell over here at table 5, please. I wish I knew what this is supposed to mean. There is a secret greeting, but everyone's too lazy to look it up. "Markwell" is a geocaching forums code for posting a link to a different thread. So-called because the geocacher Markwell is famous for doing it often. Edited May 16, 2009 by J-Way Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Sigh... OK, I'll do it myself. Markwell #1 And the best (IMO), Markwell #2 Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 We need a Markwell over here at table 5, please. I wish I knew what this is supposed to mean. There is a secret greeting, but everyone's too lazy to look it up. "Markwell" is a geocaching forums code for posting a link to a different thread. So-called because the geocacher Markwell is famous for doing it often. Why didn't you simply Markwell that? Quote Link to comment
+Curioddity Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 (edited) My other problem is, when I go somewhere like a park or hiking trail, and I see someone standing around looking at the bushes, I no longer think they want to take a leak or have lost something, I wonder if they're geocaching. All geocachers should wear some sort of sign of what they are doing, so we can give eachother the secret handshake I found a cache in some real tall weeds in an undeveloped part of a large public park near here. I just happened to come out of those weeds right in front of a couple of other fellows. They looked kind of funny at me so I waved my hand under my nose a couple of times and said "You DONT want to go back there for awhile." One of them grinned and said he hoped I hadn't wiped myself with the log. 'Bout then I noticed the compass bezel on the screen of his cell phone and we all had a good laugh. Less than two weeks ago I was totally unaware of geocaching. Now I'm amazed by how many people I know who are rabid about it. I'm also a little miffed by the fact that they kept it to themselves for so long. Pete Edited May 16, 2009 by Curioddity Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 One of them grinned and said he hoped I hadn't wiped myself with the log. DEFINATELY falls into the TMI category! Quote Link to comment
+roziecakes Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Oh yes! Everytime we go into a store, my hubby and I look for things that would make good cache containers, or swag, and even when we're out in the woods NOT caching, we talk about what places would be good to hide caches, and investigate places that just might have a cache already... Every vacation or trip we make gets planned with caching in mind also. -Roz Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.