2850 North Tyndall Avenue

This plain white mailbox could use some zap, for sure… the (much) larget-than-life jar of Tabasco sauce is a great addition. This is the third of three fun boxes that I found it its block on March 12th.

Mailbox(es) #400: Fish(es) out of water

After three and a half years of mailboxes, we're at the four hundredth:

I reeled it in March 12th at 2841 North Tyndall Avenue.

Before I showed you this “box,” I wondered if it was made commercially. First I did a Google image search of that exact image (click there to run it). I found lots of fish, but almost all of them were real. Next I did a Google image search for fish mailbox.

After looking at a few hundred fishboxes, I found a couple of green fish that looked a lot like this one. But they were in locations that seemed a lot closer to abundant fishing spots than Tucson. (Have you heard the saying: “You know you’re from Southern Arizona when… You no longer associate rivers or bridges with water”? :)

The second search above is fun to run: You'll see lots of fishy mailboxes.

With apologies for all of my puns over the years… Please stay tuned for the next 400 boxes.

2829 North Tyndall Avenue

I'm not sure exactly what's perched on the top back corner of this black mailbox. It looks like a bug, with bugged-out eyes, shielding its eyes with one hand while its other hand wraps around its belly. I'm even less sure what's hanging from its tongue: a door knocker?

Hmmm…: this was March 12th.

5221 East 3rd Street

Here's a black box with handpainted flowers and orange sripes around the side of its door:

David Aber was driving through the neighborhood on the morning of March 10th when he spotted it.

612 North Rook Avenue

So many mailboxes include quail that I've thought about adding them to our boring mailboxes list. But, like a lot mailboxes with other critters and plants, each “quailbox” (as David Aber dubbed this one) is generally artistic and pretty unique.

So, bring on the quail! These are cut from a rusty sheet of metal that also includes a prickly-pear cactus and what looks like tree branches.

The mailbox itself has a sort-of copper patina finish with splotches of gold. (I made that photo from the single original photo David sent me on March 10th.)

5637 East 4th Street

Some mailboxes as clever as this barn-shaped box (red sides with white stripes over the door and a black shingled roof) are commercially-made. We tend to avoid those and lean toward one-of-a-kind mailboxes. This one — which David Aber found on March 10th — looks to me like it's made of wood and is just a bit irregular.

(Who knows? It's fun, anyway.)

3250 East 27th Street

Here's a large metal mailbox, painted lavender, with flowers on top and around its brown post.

I couldn't possibly miss it as I drove by on March 5th.

3919 East Cooper Street

Bursting out of the middle of a spectacular iron sunflower is this rust-finished mailbox…

David Aber, who took the photo, calls it “Sunflowerbox.” Seems like a good name to me! He sent his photo on March 28th. Appreciated as always, Dave…

9066 East 20th Street

On top of curvy pipe sections is this rust-finished mailbox:

David Aber (who also contributes to the Tucson Murals Project blog) found it on March 17th.