Mailbox archive: 5962 East 26th Street

This mailbox isn't special — lots of mailboxes are embedded in walls and posts — but the setting is. There's an arch shaped like a mailbox and pots of cactus all around.

I took the photo on June 3, 2013, but haven't published it until today.

(Not) April Fools: Mailbox crash tests

I kid you not. This photo is from a government-funded 1978 University of Texas research study, Crash Tests of Rural Mailbox Installations. Click there if you'd like to see the report.

Scroll through for photos of cute mailbox installations as well as bizarre shots of different vehicles the study used to hit mailboxes. But, to make sure this isn't a complete waste of your time, you might also want to read Appendix A, U.S. Postal Service Specifications for Rural Mailbox Installations. You'll learn, for instance, that if you don't have stamps to mail something, you can leave money in the mailbox and the carrier will take care of it for you. (That was 40+ years ago, at least, in 1978.)

Mailbox archive: 6111 East 26th Street

Both sides of this handpainted mailbox are covered with desert scenes. Even the flag has a desert scene:

I took the pictures on June 3, 2013, but haven't published them until now.

Although I didn't snap a photo, the mailbox is on a camshaft post. I don't normally show mailboxes on a camshaft post, but the art on the box won. Here's a Google Maps Street View from May 2016 showing the post:

Mailbox archive: 6152 East 26th Street

The art in front of this home is a real family affair. The owner told me that her son made the wrought iron.

The flag looks to me like a crescent moon:

The quail along the fence are her children and grandchildren:

I rolled by this place on June 3, 2013. I haven't published the photos until today.

Mailbox archive: 6211 East 26th Street

A vine and some bugs wrap around the house numbers and what must be the owner's name:

I took these photos on June 3, 2013, but haven't published them until now.

Mailbox archive: 2344 East 23rd Street

This mailbox has three desert bits cut out of its post:

I haven't published the photo since I took it on June 1, 2013.

Mailbox archive: 2338 East 23rd Street

Here's the second of three mailboxes in the same part of its block of East 23rd. I've noticed that decorated mailboxes sometimes come in bunches:

That one needed new paint when I found it on June 1, 2013. Maybe it's gotten some in the seven years since then?

Mailbox archive: 2326 East 23rd Street

Two sunbursts make this gold mailbox shine even more.

I discovered it on June 1, 2013, but haven't published the photo until today.

Mailbox archive: 149 East 30th Street

The brown mailbox isn't exciting, but that post is different:

I found this box on June 1, 2013, but haven't published the photo until now.

Mailbox archive: 1805 North Belvedere Avenue

Here's a saffron-colored mailbox with a big flower on each side:

I discovered this mailbox on May 30, 2013, but haven't published its portrait until now.

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Mailbox archive: 4349 East Lester Street

I don't think there's room for much more scrollwork on the post!

I found this extravagant box on May 30, 2013, but didn't publish the photo until now.

Mailbox archive: 3725 East Pima Street

This sparkly post has “3725” (the house number) on one side and “T + J” (the owners’ initials?) on the other:

I found this box on May 30, 2013, but haven't published the photo until now.

Mailbox archive: 1009 North Dodge Boulevard

Bright flowers highlight this gray mailbox. The photos from May 20, 2013 haven't been published here until now.

Mailbox archive: 3679 Baker Place

A bird and musical notes grace this box. I took the photos on May 20, 2013 but haven't posted them until now.

Mailbox archive: 2017 North Tucson Boulevard

This mailbox looks tiny next to those big plants. I took the photo on May 13, 2013, but haven't posted it until now.

Mailbox archive: 2237 East 20th Street

Here's the second in a series of mailbox photos that I snapped but never published on this blog. (I'll post two of these each week until I've finished.)

This unique “post” wraps around the cylindrical mailbox. I took the photo on December 10, 2012.

Mailbox archive: Saddle up! 5644 East Fairmount Street

This is the first of a series of mailboxes I photographed but never published on the blog. Back on December 8, 2012, I was out hunting mailboxes, found this one, and was so amazed that I forgot to write the address where I found it! It's a mailbox with a “hump” on the post and a saddle on top.

Luckily, I had the geotagging feature on my cell phone turned on. Last week I checked the photo on a map and found it. A quick look at Google Maps Street View shows that the saddle wasn't there anymore — at least in March 2019 when the Street View car drove by. It's quite a scene… worth a stop if you're in the area (northeast of Craycroft & Speedway)! I'll include that photo below.

4480 South Heather Place

David Aber found another mailbox with a tiki post on October 10, 2017.

Besides the post and the grass shack, he spotted the fun sign on the fence at the left side of this photo. I've zoomed in below:

He sent the photo on January 8th. Thanks, Dave.

Glittering glass: 2010 East Hampton Street

Pieces of colored glass between the posts make this plain-vanilla mailbox much more fun.

There's a light at the bottom left that probably lights it up at night. If I get a chance, I'll stop by and grab a photo after dark.

I took the daytime shot on November 24, 2019.

Sculpture and mosaic: 818 N. Irving Circle

David Aber sent photos of this beautiful box on November 5, 2019:

Arizona flag flag: 8116 E. 6th St.

I don't see many mailbox flags that are a flag. David Aber found this one and emailed it November 5, 2019:

Most people don't paint the back of their box, but this person did:

Stunning skylines: 6250 E. 2nd St.

One side is at night; the others are during the day:

Thanks, David Aber, for shooting and sending these on November 5th.

Flight of fancy: 5317 E. Rosewood St.

Notice the bird carrying a letter on the end of the box? (As always, you can click on the photo for a larger view.)

This beauty is from David Aber. He emailed it November 5th.

Nighttime in the desert: 8846 E. 35th Cir.

David Aber emailed this on November 5th. The other side is solid black, he says.

Don't touch that box: 4220 E. 2nd St.

David Aber is at it again. How do you find these amazing mailboxes, Dave?

He emailed the photo on November 5th.

Finally, bigger photos (when you click)!

Until recently, Blogger would charge me money if I put photos on this blog that were longer or wider than 800 pixels. That used to be pretty big, years ago... but now it's small. They've raised the limit to 2,048 pixels.

Starting next week, if you click on a photo, you'll see a much larger version. (The template that holds the photos and text is still the same width. I'll try to fix that some day. For now, you'll need to click.)

3502 E. 27th St: Rock n Roll

I rolled by on November 21st.

(Sorry about that.) (Not. :)

Turkey mailboxes

Here are a few image searches for turkey mailbox:

• Duck Duck Go (a search engine that emphasizes privacy)
• Bing
• Google

Happy Thanksgiving!

6418 East Calle Dened

I'm not sure whether this mailbox was painted by one person or by a committee: flowers, leaves, a diamond pattern… and a flag with a pattern like a checkered racing flag?

I stopped by to ponder on June 21st.

6433 East Calle Dened

This mailbox isn't just mounted on the front wheel, fork and handlebars of a motorcycle…

Take a closer look at the box itself (below). There's a headlight on front and a handle for the flag. The house number is inside a license plate frame:

Amazing. I rolled by on June 21st.