Cacher of the Month - December 2011
stingy bandits
stingy bandits
Are you sure you read that name right? It's Sting-E, not stingy (as in cheap). The mispronunciation definitely does not describe this geocaching pair. I have only known them for a couple of years, but I have found them to be one of the most generous couples I have ever met. They have made signature items made of glass that they put in many caches, and have created special items for individual cachers. I am the proud owner of 2 stingy bandit geo-jewels. One was made specifically for me, and another was found in a cache near Grand Beach. You can tell that they love making these creations as each one is as unique as they are. I have also found these bandits to be very gregarious and fun! During one of our karaoke nights, they wrote and performed their own geocaching related song and even had costumes and props!! I always love seeing them at events because I know we'll all have a good time!
- When did you start Geocaching?
- How did you find out about Geocaching?
- What was it about geocaching that got you hooked into the game?
- Have you cached in any other provinces, countries?
- Have you ever introduced someone to geocaching? If so, who?
- How do you describe the sport of Geocaching to your family and friends who haven't tried it yet?
- What are other interests or hobbies that you have (please go into detail / accomplishments)?
- What are some things you don't like about geocaching? What are your pet peeves?
- What is the most interesting/unusual place that geocaching has taken you?
- What is the most memorable cache that you have found (or tried to find?)?
- What, currently, is your favourite, unarchived Manitoba geocache?
- What is your favorite Caching Story?
- What is your most interesting item found in a cache?
- What items if any do you carry with you when you go on a hunt?
- What kind of GPSr do you use?
- What methods do you use to avoid muggle detection?
- What is the meaning of your username?
- What was the most memorable travel bug that you have found?
- Which geocachers do you respect or standout to you the most?
- With whom do you normally go geocaching?
- If you could cache anywhere in the world, where would you like to go?
- Is there a challenging local cache you have in your sights right now? Which one?
- Of your placed caches, which is your favorite? Why?
- What kind of books do you prefer to read? What was the last book you read?
- Can you play a musical instrument?
- How far from your house is the nearest unfound cache?
- Besides your GPSr, what other tools (electronic or otherwise), or software do you make use of?
- Do you use your GPSr for other reasons other than Geocaching?
- What is in your iPod/CD player right now?
For real in November, 2008 after we finally got a GPS. But truth be told, we didn't find our next cache until later in the next year --- slow starters!
OHMIC was on an Eco-Tour at Hecla Island and said, "Wanna come find something?" So being game for just about anything, we took off after a stranger into the bush to find --- a Tupperware container. Yeah, so???
It's the places that you get to see that otherwise you would likely never visit. The thrill of the find is also awesome!
We have cached in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and BC. We have cached in St. Croix, St. Lucia and Mexico.
Yes! One bandit's brother, the other bandit's nephew and his 81 year old mother (who loves it!)
That varies. If the person has any computer knowledge then we talk about how you seek and find something that is hidden using coordinates that use satellites. For those without that, we just say it's treasure hunting in the 21st century!
We love to work in glass and to create other mosaic pieces. Our signature is the "stingy geo jewel" which is a piece of fused glass with a variety of colours, shapes and sizes that we leave in the caches that we find. Believe it or not, some people even collect them! We are proud of the fact that we were the first cachers to create a "hand made" geo trackable in the form of "geo cookies" which are also made from fused glass and many of which have travelled the world.
POISON IVY! We also have a thing about micros in fir trees in very public places. It's always difficult to try and look innocent when looking for these. We have tried construction vests, garbage bags for collecting trash, and privacy for a cell phone call, but it's hard.
Inside a banyan tree in St. Croix on the Virgin Islands. As we approached GZ thousands of geckos climbed up the tendrils that become roots of the tree. The significance of the place was not lost on us. It was a meeting spot for the African slaves that worked the sugar plantations so that they could practice their beliefs. It felt special and it is special.
Early on in our caching career we found a Trove Chasers cache that was unbelievably camoed. Ever since, we have been "Trove Chaser" groupies and they have inspired us to try and make original and creative caches.
Tower Power in Elie.
We were looking for a cache in St. Boniface in a parking lot when two rather inebriated men came up to us probably looking for some spare change, one bandit said that he was checking the area for radioactivity (using the GPS as a Geiger counter). The two decided not to hang about. That's one way of taking care of muggles!
We found a film canister with a garbage bag in it with a label CITO which we thought was a very cool idea and hope to use in the future.
Well… a bag of stingy geo jewels, coins, mirror, tweezers, a magnet, gloves, flashlight and red spent shotgun shells so that we can mark our trail when we have to bushwhack (another method of "bread crumbing"…)
Garmin 60cx (we think) We started with a Garmin Etrex Legend.
MPIC safety vests, garbage bags, cell phones, camera to take pics of each other --- diversionary tactics such as having one bandit on the ground needing medical help (nobody wants a piece of that!) or pretending to be research scientists out collecting data.
Stingy (pronounced sting-ee, not stingy!) was our once beloved cat and our symbol that we use for our artwork. Bandits, just sounded cool at the time and sort of connected with "hiding and seeking" a pirate thing.
Herman the Magical Host Frog. This guy weighs in at about 10 pounds and is a cement lawn ornament that we found up on a mini-bluff on Highway 16 close to the Bird Tail River. He needed a paint job and some attention, but has since gone on to many other caches and is spending the winter in Kentucky.
The Trove Chasers are our heros. They put so much thought into their caches and they are such wonderful people. A good day is finding a cache --- a GREAT day is finding a Trove's.
We cache together, pretty much always.
Because we love Europe and haven't been there since we started caching, that is where we'd love to give it a try. There seems to be many mega events there and a large caching community.
Brown - WMSF '08 Series. Our GPSr seems to lose its juice as soon as we enter the area and there are so-o-o many trees there.
Kneb in the Fantasy Forest series. The cache container will totally freak you out! We have many others that we like because we tried to make them interesting and different.
Historical fiction and horror. The last book read by one bandit was Cezanne's Quarry and the other was Pillars of the Earth.
Absolutely NOT. You may have noticed at the karaoke night that we even sucked at singing.
About 2 blocks. It is a total muggle fest at all times of the day and we just haven't bothered with it.
We just got an iPad2 and are hoping that it may help us out. Otherwise, we're techno-weinies.
Is there anything else???
Santana, Elvis Crespo, Jann Arden, and the Clash.
