1202 North Del Valle Place

A locomotive-shaped mailbox on top of a water pump with a handle:

I snapped the mailbox (and a bit of myself) at 1202 N. Del Valle Place on December 8th.

5841 East Fairmount Street

A pig serving mail from a reddish mailbox? That's just one of the artistic surprises on this part of Fairmount Street.

Even more surprising was that, after I'd been slowly making my way along the block, taking photos, a man came out of this home (at 5841) and said that he’d been taking photos of me. What was I doing? I explained, gave him my card, and complimented him on his mailbox... but he still didn't seem convinced. (Strange for a house with such a creative box out front...)

5838 East Fairmount Street

A yellow mailbox with an orange sun — and, on the post below, a yellow-and-orange pipe joint.

This is one of a bunch of artistic mailboxes I found on December 8th in this part of Fairmount Street. (Check previous and next posts, as well as Valentine's Day.)

5834 East Fairmount Street

In a block full of mailboxes, this red mailbox with the number underneath (in blue cut metal) on a red post isn't particularly special. (Check out the hand-painted heart mailbox down the block that I'll post on February 14th.)

I snapped it on December 8th.

1402 North McKinley Avenue

This double-height mailbox (it looks like they added more room on the bottom?) is painted in what might be camouflage colors.

This was yet another find on my December 8th art-hunting bicycle ride.

1511 North McKinley Avenue

I don't recognize exactly what this post is made from, but the crank handle at top makes it interesting!

(If you know, please leave a comment below or send me email.)

I took the photo on December 8th.

1400 North Sonoita Avenue

This plain brown mailbox rests on an extension of a terracotta-colored post which has a cutout running horse on top. There's also a little solar-powered light near the top of the post.

I found this elegant-looking contraption on December 8th.

1440 North Sonoita Avenue

This plain white mailbox has a turtle design between the posts. (Somehow it reminds me of a sea turtle swimming into a beach, but that's a guess.)

I “snapped” the turtle (sorry :) on December 8th.

1502 North Sonoita Avenue

This ordinary mailbox is special because it's on a "post" of glass blocks and cinder blocks:

I found it on December 8th.

1632 North Van Buren Avenue

On December 8th, as I was exploring this presidential part of town (with avenues named for US presidents), I noticed a mailbox with a picture of an adobe home.

The next-door neighbor was just pulling in to her driveway, so I asked if she knew the story. She directed my gaze from the mailbox (well, actually, from her) to the house behind...

The mailbox has an image of home as it used to look when the Baker family lived there, years ago. The home has changed, but the mailbox hasn't.

1638 North Jefferson Avenue

What makes this mailbox special isn't the mailbox: it's the lavender column with decoration around the address, brick above and below the column, and a pot on top.

I spotted it on my epic art-finding bike ride December 8th.

1630 North Rook Avenue

The fading black paint on this black mailbox (which has a band of flowers and a wheelbarrow on top) seems to be covering something else: a US flag, maybe?

I found it on December 8th.

5912 East 2nd Street

This plain white mailbox has a flag with a (humming?)bird and a flower. I took the photo on December 8th.

5042 East Eastland Street

This rusted-metal mailbox is mounted on the side of an angular pedestal with a metal ball on top.

I wondered whether the homeowner is an architect, artist, or other creative type... or if they bought the mailbox from someone else. No matter what, it's creative, eh?

I found it on my December 8 art-hunting bicycle ride. (That, by the way, is how I find almost all of the mailboxes on this blog as well as the murals blog.)

5017 East Eastland Street

This black mailbox has a hand-shaped flag and a post decorated with a trellis, dragonflies, and leaves.

I snapped it on December 8, 2012.

4817 East Eastland Street

A brown mailbox painted with stars, moon, sun, a fish and a seahorse:

I took the photos on December 8th.

3201 East 30th Street

This black mailbox has an image of a hot rod engulfed in flames:

The homeowner said he bought the box at a car show. (He also has a classic car or two behind the fence in his front yard.)

4202 West Anklam Road

On the way to Gates Pass from the south side of town, you'll see this mailbox with a hummingbird and two flowers on a white post.

2332 East Seneca Street

A black mailbox with flowers, butterflies, and metal scrolls:

I fluttered by on November 11th.

2323 East Seneca Street

Artistic mailboxes tend to come in groups: a bunch along the length of street, or a group of neighbors across the street from each other. This hand-painted box is the third of four from this part of Seneca Street; it has a garden with bird feeders, some insects, flowers, and maybe a bird or two:

I was in the neighborhood on November 11, 2012.

2335 East Seneca Street

A Zebra-striped mailbox with a flag of a bird sipping nectar from a flower:

The photo is from November 11, 2012.

2365 East Seneca Street

I wonder whether the homeowners built this rabbit-shaped mailbox — or pulled it out of their hat?

I hopped by on November 11, 2012.

2818 East Drachman Street

This mailbox looks like stainless steel; it's on a flat rusted-metal post. The two sides are for two different families, I think.

I took the photo on October 16, 2012.

2802 East Drachman Street

Hand-painted flowers on a white mailbox:

I took the photo on October 16th.

2608 East Drachman Street

The box here has translucent sides and is on a rusted metal post. I took the photo on October 16, 2012.

3202 East 28th Street

Tucson has lots of eucalyptus trees, but not many koala bears (as many as you'd find on eucalyptus in, say, Australia). The folks at 3202 E. 28th are doing their part, though:

I was there on August 22.

632 North Anita Avenue

This stuccoed mailbox post is hand-painted with angels and plants:


I found it on August 22, 2012.

Update (June 14, 2013): There's a mural behind the mailbox. Click there to see it on the Tucson Murals Project.

2904 East Adams Street

Why not counterbalance your mailbox with a young cactus in a pot? The residents here did it:

I rolled by on May 24, 2012.

2819 East Geneva Place

This mailbox has a springy post with an "arm" (which looks like... uh-oh, is that another saguaro? :).

I found it at the end of a cul-de-sac on May 24, 2012.

This mailbox rocks: 2811 East Geneva Place

This plain mailbox doesn't have a post. It sits on a pile of rocks:

I took the photo on May 24, 2012.

2903 East Toledo Place

This mailbox is at the corner of East Toledo Place and East Calle Glorieta, and the 2903 address fits this part of town in both directions. It might be on East Calle Glorieta instead of Toledo Place. (If you know for sure, a comment below would help... thanks!)

Anyway, here's the chile-covered mailbox on that corner:

I took the photo on May 24th.

Christmas Cactus: 2355 East Parkway Terrace

The 2012 holiday season is almost over. I thought I'd wrap it up here with one last photo. This mailbox has accomplices: a gang of Santas:

Happy 2013!

3362 East 23rd Street

Between the two posts are (I don't know cattle breeds; if you do, please post a comment below), horseshoes, a rodeo rider, and a couple of saguaro cactus.

I took the photo on May 6th.

3312 East 23rd Street

Lots of Tucson homeowners get the idea of mounting their mailboxes on a saguaro. I posted photos of several on December 23rd. I'll try to resist posting all of the saguaro-mailhox scenes I find in the next year. Here's one I couldn't resist posting. It has a yellow cast that wasn't easy to remove, but you'll get the idea anyway:

I took the photo on May 6th.

150 South Westmoreland Avenue

Some mailboxes have flowers, but this mailbox has one REALLY BIG flower — larger than the (plain black) mailbox itself.

According to Google Maps, this is A Neighborhood Early Learning Center. I rolled by on April 22.

2303 East Adams Street

A very fun mailbox with assorted reptiles, lightning bolts, and an extra-large flag:

I slithered by on April 6th.

2041 East Adams Street

Here's a white mailbox with hand-painted flowers.

(There are lots of similar mailboxes around town. Maybe some — including this one? — are mass-produced. You're watching me learn what's out there as I take more photos and post them here. I'll try to be sure not to post duplicates.)

I snapped this on April 6th.

Merry Christmas from 2525 South Edmondson Avenue

This mailbox, nestled in a post made of bricks painted white, is wrapped with Christmas lights and garland. (Too bad I wasn't here at night!) I rode by on December 23.

Happy Holidays from 2435 South Sawtelle Avenue

This white mailbox with sky-blue flowers is decorated by some holiday ribbon and a bell.

I took the photo yesterday.

Saguaro You Today?

That (the title of this post) is a well-known bumper sticker phrase (here's a story of its creation)... so it fits these four mailboxes with saguaro-shaped posts:

	4339 E. Monte Vista October 11, 2012
	2603 E. Drachman October 16, 2012
	2606 E. Drachman October 16
	2601 E. Drachman October 16

(The last three are next to each other, so there's only one map link. Also... that last mailbox could be a young saguaro, a barrel cactus, or whatever...)

Artistic mailboxes seem to come in groups. On (at least) one street (northeast of Speedway & Craycroft — I'll show it in a future post), the same artisan made a whole series of mailboxes in similar styles. There are lots of saguaro mailboxes around Tucson... I'll try to keep some variety here!

If you don't live in southern Arizona, FYI: We pronounce saguaro as, roughly, "so are oh."