Halloween's Not Quite Over

We found the second to the last Halloween 2008 geocache yesterday. After that, it's all math to find the hidden thirteenth cache. Eryn's excited, pondering what "Coughin up a Lung" might be referring to as a container. This was our third trip back to the same place to find number twelve. The first time it was dark and we couldn't find it, although I probably touched it in retrospect. The second time, I had checked the geocaching site the day before, which was too early to get the updated coordinates by the time we checked the next day (they'd moved it because neighbors were getting excited about seeing people in a park tree). The third time was yesterday, and I was sure I knew where it was, and yet still couldn't find it, even with Eryn and Pooteewheet acting as four extra eyes. So I called the other Scott over to help me find it (as I knew he'd already found it once before) and he couldn't find it either. Out came the Blackberry to check online and pulled up new coordinates. After that, it was a piece of cake. Or toadstool.

Here I am in a tree montage. Is it any wonder the neighbors' were concerned about what was going on? According to geocaching.com, they may have felt that the tree was on some sort of association property, rather than the city park, but still, it would be concerning to have people climbing around like this within sight of your windows. Maybe they're just very bad (obvious) peeping Tom's.


Eryn was also in the tree. She was excited she could get up there by herself, despite me falling off the far side and bleeding from near my ankle. Then again, that's how I knew I was in the right tree, because I lost my shoe twice, and Scott noted he'd also lost a shoe.


Scott in the tree, checking the same place I'd checked a dozen times for the first stage of the cache.


We persevered and found this guy hanging out on the edge of the lake, every near a muskrat feeding hole in the ice. Toads make bad muskrat scarecrows. Pooteewheet clomping through the brush makes a very good muskrat scarecrow.


Eryn, hoping for a prince.


Me, hoping for a princess. Maybe a British one who looks a bit like Minnie Driver, or a French one that looks like Sophie Marceau. Given Pooteewheet was geocaching with us, that might have made for an awkward situation had it worked.


It's been a long time since I touched a statue inappropriately. This isn't quite the same, but I don't think a real toad would have appreciated me touching his geocaching hole.