My sarcastic response is that I decoded it to say:
"I have tiny man syndrome and need to vandalize to feel larger"

My guess for the letters... sideways P, R, single line so I? Then 2 curves. PRICE ?

With that red behind it I'm thinking maybe one street gang painted over another gang's letters and left enough red to make it clear what they did?

I've made and seen logbooks with a lot more pages than that and they still fit into a container.

And if it's planted in a location that may get a lot of finders 20-25 pages will fill up too soon. And then some boxes are rarely found. You kind have to "know" the possibilities of a location.

We could ask the Orange County CA police department what it says.

???

===
DZ & ECP don’t live in the OC (it would be cool if they did, cuz then we would have more boxes to find), but contacting their local gang enforcement task force is a good idea.

In my neck of the woods, graffiti is rare. What shows up is removed quickly. Our “gangs” mostly consist of male adolescents on e-bikes zipping through shopping centers and doing wheelies on 45 mph streets.

My son, who works in the Anaheim PD, does not recognize it, nor does the gang team there. He said it might help if you tell where it was located?

This is a throw-up (throwie) style piece — rounded bubble letters, thick black fill, white outline, and a red cloud background.

Reading left to right:
*The first letter is an O (with a star/asterisk style fill inside).
*The next two letters are G and G.
*The fourth letter looks like an I.
*The last letter appears to be a B (two rounded lobes).

So it most likely reads:
“OGGIB”

Throwies often prioritize style over readability, and the first letter’s star fill is a stylistic choice rather than changing the letter. It’s probably a tag or crew name rather than a word with a dictionary meaning.

Now that it's passed do you mind enlightening a new boxer?

I don't know what it says, but I love it!

Letting Wassa know where I live... what could possibly go wrong?

Ha ha, I kid, it's in Santa Maria.

Are we looking at the same graffiti!?

I bow to your apparent greater knowledge of reading throwie, but I'm having trouble seeing what you're seeing.

It's a Melmacian QR code - it links to a recipe for Cat Fricassee.

Agreed! I bought a magnifier with a light HELMET. It has made a world of difference for me!! They're around $15 at Lowe's and definitely worth every penny and then some ♡♡♡

For the depth issue, I had a lot of trouble early on. I started thinking of my gouge tip as 'skating' on the material, slowly, smoothly.

I agree about turning the material. I probably move the material more than I change the direction of the gouge. They often move together at the same time, but very slowly changing the direction of the cut.

It is with a heavy heart to let all of you know about the passing of LSQ this week. As I told Boot Tex she was like my Letterboxing Mom. She will be truly missed in Texas, especially at the TALE events. Very sad day yesterday when I found out, but I know there is a special place in heaven for her now. Boots, we love you and please stay in touch with us. Baby Bear

I echo everything my brother said and with Boot's blessing I would like to see a memorial page added to AQ where we can voice our love for this kind and loving person.

Silver Eagle

I still think it says RAKE. The asterisks the the place of where the "hole" would go in the R and the lowercase E. Also, the red is part of it, and under the bridge says other words that I think may be by the same artist as well.

Also, to any others concerned: not all graffiti is gang-adjacent,. Graffiti is historically a voice for the disenfranchised or oppressed, often an immediate way to be seen and/or heard, to get a message out, and sometimes one of the only ways of doing so. So, it's important to keep that in mind.

I can see the case for 'PRICE' but the P looks a bit pregnant.

I'm starting to come around to 'RAKE'

So sorry to hear this,
DoubleSaj and Old Blue

Also, if the paper is thin, ink wil bleed thu, so the double the number of pages. Or better yet, use better paper.

BTW See you at the Tucson gather!

DoubleSaj and Old Blue

I am using spare cardstock - it seems to work fine with even both sides stamped!

See you soon!

I've noticed in my area after being out of letterboxing for years I see most letterbox haven't been found or maintained in 2 to 6 years or more. Has everyone stopped letterboxing or something?

No.
I call it 'the usual suspect' attribute......once all of the normal, usual suspects in an area get a box, it may go quiet for a while until a new boxer comes around or boxers from a different area take a trip.

The AQ Theme on Friday the 13th has a graphic element, that, at first glance, does not seem to make any sense. And USUALLY, somebody will post asking "what the heck IS that thing???" Though somehow, against all historical precedence... nobody asked this year.

Fortunately, there is another coming up in March. Somewhere around the 13th, I think. It might be a Friday. So keep your eye out!

I see some never maintained either. I just started back into it and years have gone by. I just wondered . I know geocaching is booming and people are now putting stamps in geocaches and calling them letterboxes yet nobody is stamping log books lol. They just sign the log lol. I suppose I been out if it too long lol. Thanks for the reply

I noticed that theme and no it did not make sense, but I never thought to ask, as I am usually confused about lots of things :)

When using a gouge, depth is controlled by adjusting the angle between the blade and the substrate. At least that is how I do it. If you raise or lower your hand even a small amount it makes a big difference in the depth.

Oh so very sad to hear this. She was so wonderful. Boots my heart goes out to you and your family.

NLW

<quote>So it most likely reads:“OGGIB”</qoute>

Exactly the type of response one would expect from AI, well done :)

Here is what my favorite AI says:

The Letters: "REKSS"
R: The first letter on the far left. You can see the "kickout" leg at the bottom left and the "eye" (the white asterisk) representing the hole in the top of the R.

E: The second letter. It follows a classic lowercase "e" structure with a horizontal bar in the middle, though it's very rounded.

K: The third letter. The two humps on the right side represent the two "arms" of the K meeting the vertical stem.

S: The fourth letter. It has a distinct "hook" at the top and bottom, curving in a snake-like motion.

S: The fifth letter on the far right. This is a near-duplicate of the fourth letter, completing the tag.

I confess I usually do not check on old letterboxes. When they are found I am thrilled. And the comments they post are helpful to the next seeker.
Also, landmarks change.
Trees disappear. Vegetation grows. Clues???
So hats off to letterboxers who look
even if the box/ boxes haven't been found in years.