Introducing: The Story of The Land!

March 24th, 2008

land mystery small

Well everyone, we are about to do something here on TheWilli.com that we’ve never done before! It involves history, research, mystery and code-breaking. It incorporates fact and fiction woven together in completely new (and hopefully enjoyable) ways.

Immediately some of you JT400 veterans might be smelling a treasure hunt – but there is no treasure to be had. Others among you may suspect a historical fiction novel in the making – but alas, this story has no specific plotline, nor a tidy ending. Instead, it is a story and hunt that you uncover…. And the amazing, little-known history that you’ll encounter, and the fun you’ll have learning it will be your reward!

Welcome to the Story of the Land!

The Story of the Land is:

  • …A fun way to learn some little known history about our new area
  • …Meant to be enjoyable, somewhat challenging, but not frustrating
  • …An activity that any and all are welcomed to participate in!

The Story of the Land is definitely NOT:

  • …Anything near as complex as the JT400 (please don’t compare…!)
  • …Anything near as hard as the JT400
  • …Something that requires a lot of time (remember, this is supposed to be fun!)

So are you ready? This is how to get started! (In 3 easy steps! :) )

Step #1:
Subscribe to TheWilli.com via RSS or email subscription.

Subscribe via RSS

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Enter your email address:

Need help?

Step #2: Give us comment down below to let us know that you’re following along in the story.

Step #3:
Watch and wait! There’s no telling when the “mystery posts” will come, so pay attention to all our bloggings. The only thing I can tell you is that the first special post will appear within the next couple of weeks – maybe tomorrow, maybe several days from now. So stay alert! :)

[Note] The “Story of the Land” will kind of reflect our blogging style and family circumstances, i.e., if our family is busy don’t expect anything new in the story! :)

Here there be comments...

  • Camille

    March 24, 2008 at 9:55 am

    Okay..I thought I had heard the last of ‘more to follow soon’…argh!!!

    LOL -
    Camille

  • Linda in CO

    March 24, 2008 at 10:05 am

    I’m ready for some ‘history mystery’! Bring it on!
    Linda in CO

  • Rachel

    March 24, 2008 at 10:55 am

    Wonderful! I’ve been itching for something ‘puzzley’ to do…and I can’t wait to learn more history! Thank you, Willi.

    God bless you,
    Rachel

  • violinman

    March 24, 2008 at 12:11 pm

    So what exactly are we loooking for in these next posts? Or are we not supposed to know?

  • Andrew Higginbotham

    March 24, 2008 at 12:45 pm

    Alright I am on! I am not sure exactly how much I will be able to do…LOL

    Tip: I use Google Reader for RSS feed subscriptions. (Walter, will that work?)

    Waiting,
    Andrew

  • Payden

    March 24, 2008 at 12:47 pm

    Here we go again *smile*
    Ready and waiting….

  • Star Dust

    March 24, 2008 at 12:51 pm

    Oh, looks like fun! I’m not sure if I will have time…but I’ll try! We need something to keep us on our toes till the hunt starts again. :)

  • Aunt Frances

    March 24, 2008 at 1:03 pm

    Is it okay to say something now? ;-)

  • Rachel

    March 24, 2008 at 1:11 pm

    Well, I can’t reply officially, Aunt Frances….but we wouldn’t mind! Lol!! (A winking smiley-face always arouses my suspicions. ;) )

    Blessings,
    Rachel

  • Walter

    March 24, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    @Rachel
    Heh heh, I believe Aunt Frances was merely referring to this comment :D

    @violinman
    You’ll know…..

    @Andrew
    Google reader, or any other RSS reader will work just fine.

  • Rachel

    March 24, 2008 at 1:33 pm

    LOL!!! She really is ahead of the game! :D

  • Shanna Thompson

    March 24, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    I can’t wait!!! You guys are so creative :-)

  • Elizabeth D.

    March 24, 2008 at 5:45 pm

    You all had me hooked on Wednesday! Count team kmekm in!

  • Elizabeth D.

    March 24, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    Oh, and are we allowed to ask y’all questions about this? Or do we figure everything out on our own?

  • Andrew Higginbotham

    March 24, 2008 at 6:12 pm

    Hay the top Commentors thing was changed…. What is up?

  • Walter

    March 24, 2008 at 7:54 pm

    @Elizabeth D.
    Well, you can ask alright…. Don’t know if you’ll get any answers, though. [grin] I guess you’ll just have to find out….

    @Andrew
    Yeah, the “top commentors” was getting a little too static for me, so I thought I would change it around a little bit!

    @Shanna
    Glad you’re with us! You guys should post something on your ThompsonTeam blog! [hint hint hint] :)

  • Justin

    March 24, 2008 at 9:00 pm

    Ever since I ripped Myst apart I have been bored. *licks fangs* I am ready for another puzzle… heh heh heh…

    BTW, Am I the only person to say that the picture for TSOTL is really really cool looking? Very nice.

    Breeng eet onn! (I should not talk, for I will most likely taste foot in the near future. Very used to it. What I actually mean is not egotistical as in “I can beat anything” but rather a “Breeng eet onn” that means I can not wait for some neurological stimulation. *Thinks back to The Incredibles* Maybe not…)

  • Esther

    March 24, 2008 at 9:03 pm

    This should be interesting…

  • Justin

    March 24, 2008 at 9:09 pm

    Is Kmekm a hint? Or an uncapitalized typo?
    I found it is the username of a top poster on steeplemedia.com… with over 8,000 posts… Is that you guys or something!?
    I’m so confyooozed
    please explain what you means…

  • Justin

    March 24, 2008 at 9:11 pm

    BTW that was @Angie’s post earlier today. I guess that is you guys. Grr… anyways… tell me of a puzzle and I becomes very very suspicious. Oh, and BTW, I didn’t tell you explicitly that I am doing this. Though you probably didn’t need that, I thought it migth clarify some sunbeams, there…

  • Walter

    March 24, 2008 at 9:31 pm

    @Justin
    Why don’t you take a little break? The “mystery story” hasn’t started yet! :)

    You definitely are confused…. But that’s OK – I like to pro-activeness!

    “kmekm” has nothing to do with anything here – it’s a fond memory of the JT400. I’ll let Elizabeth D. enlighten you further if she chooses…..

  • Lady Abigail

    March 25, 2008 at 8:57 am

    Count me in! I don’t have time for this, but once a treasure hunter always a treasure hunter!:D

  • Elizabeth D.

    March 25, 2008 at 9:56 am

    @Justin
    kmekm is my family’s screenname for steeplemedia. I can’t believe we really made 8,000 posts, though…
    sorry for any confusion!

  • Walter

    March 25, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    No way you made over 8k posts – those are forum points. No idea on how they are calculated….

  • Justin

    March 26, 2008 at 7:26 am

    Mm… when reading quick, points and posts look similar. Plus points is an unusual word, so I assumed that it was posts. And no idear here either. Never seen the like… maybe it adds up all the ratings (If there are any)?

    wvr

  • Aunt Frances

    March 26, 2008 at 12:11 pm

    I forgot to say that the photo is great! The post processing and darkened edges framing give it such an authentic feel. Kudos to whomever did it.

    What program did you use? GIMP?

  • Walter

    March 26, 2008 at 6:12 pm

    No, I used photoshop. And most of the post-precessing wizardry, is, sadly, a photoshop action script. (Just plug and watch the program chug).

    I did make some slight adjustments, though! :)

  • Melody

    March 26, 2008 at 8:10 pm

    Looking forward to it!
    God Bless

  • plautustheplatypus from vanfullof10

    March 27, 2008 at 1:38 am

    We are following.
    Glad to see there’s someone from Steeple.
    By the way, Justin, kmekm did not make 6,000 posts. They had that many points, that’s true, but if you really studied the page, you would know how many posts they made.
    We will be trying our best in this hunt, but life may be busy soon…so I don’t know how far we’ll get.
    Thank you Willi!

  • Justin

    March 27, 2008 at 11:33 am

    And while we’re on the topic, does anyone knokw what Stenography is?

  • Justin

    March 27, 2008 at 11:34 am

    My mistake., that would be “know” and “Steganography”. Big difference – actually the opposite. :]

  • Linda in CO

    March 27, 2008 at 1:04 pm

    LOL, Justin. Yes, I know what stenography and steganography are. Don’t you? ;)

  • Andrew Higginbotham

    March 27, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    I know! LOL This might actually be fun!

  • Esther

    March 27, 2008 at 9:16 pm

    Aw come on walter i thought you had done taht all on your lonesome lol i was about to say good job cause yes i forgot to comment on it too! Yes it is a very grand image nicely edited but hmm it wasnt done by you hmmmm shame shame shame lol no jk Your a smart man Walter my lad smart man!

  • Walter

    March 27, 2008 at 9:43 pm

    @Esther
    Building upon the work of others (that’s freely available, I might add) – that’s smart for a “computer savvy but not a photoshop wizard” guy like myself.

    Why reinvent the wheel when you can spend your time putting together a car? :)

  • Melody

    March 28, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    I signed up for the “hunt” but I haven’t recieved the e-mail. What am I supposed to do???

  • Pat

    March 28, 2008 at 6:35 pm

    Looking forward to being in the hunt again!

  • mysteryhound

    March 28, 2008 at 7:28 pm

    Hi,
    I am looking forward to this. I was in the JT400 treasure, and I love just about any mystery, so I can not not wait to begin.

  • Jack

    March 28, 2008 at 8:27 pm

    hello
    I look forward to the story.

  • Walter

    March 28, 2008 at 9:24 pm

    @Melody
    @Pat
    @mysteryhound
    @Jack
    And @anyone else who wishes to participate:

    As of the morning of March 28th, the “Story of the Land” has started, and you can easily join in! Study the rss feed to begin!

  • ivey_family

    March 29, 2008 at 9:21 am

    Hi Willi,

    Looking forward to this! btw, where is TN is your new land? My parents live near Townsend.

    Regards,
    C.

  • Melody

    March 29, 2008 at 9:29 am

    I got the e-mail, pasted the link into the address bar and when it gets there it says it’s “having trouble at the mill” arg!

  • Linda in CO

    March 29, 2008 at 9:59 am

    @ivey family
    Hey guys-you can find exactly where the land is by following clues in past posts. Google maps can be your friend :) Oops, Willi, did you intentionally give out enough info for us to find your exact location? (and btw, we did not use your name in our search-just generic info from your blog about your land!)

  • ivey_family

    March 29, 2008 at 10:14 am

    Thanks, Linda. I did figure it out. :) Google Maps is great.

    And, that puts you Willi not too terribly far from my parents. A very beautiful area!

  • treasurehound

    March 29, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    Hi,
    Okay, so I found what I think is the parcel of land, but what are we supposed to do with it. I am a little lost. Today has not been the best, so maybe my mind is just not on the hunt.

  • Walter

    March 29, 2008 at 6:31 pm

    Finding out the exact location of “the land” is not important. All you need know is that its in east TN.

  • Anonymous

    March 31, 2008 at 11:19 am

    Following along …

  • Marty

    March 31, 2008 at 6:21 pm

    Hi! This is Elizabeth’s brother, Marty. I’ll be following along in the hunt when I can. It looks like fun!

  • Kasie

    March 31, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    Welcome Marty! (and everyone as well:-) It’s neat to see some of our Jamestown friends on this. Especially fun to be on the ‘other side’ of all the clues and stuff, like we were all wondering with the treasure hunt. (except not to that extent…)

    Well, I guess I’m commenting just to comment, since I haven’t in a while! Just so you know there will be normal posts in the midst of this history mystery about our family happenings. You’ll just have to stay on the lookout!

  • Storybookstories

    April 4, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    Just getting started!

  • Chronicles of the Willi » “The Land Tells a Story”

    April 11, 2008 at 12:12 pm

    [...] The Story of the Land [...]


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