Monday, October 5, 2020

Magnificent entrance and quirky mailbox

Never seen a mailbox with a broken-looking post and a mouse on top? You have now:
(At least, it looks like a mouse to me.) Next to this quirky masterpiece is the gorgeous mural-covered entrance to the home. Tomorrow, you can click here to see the entrance on the Tucson Murals Project blog.

I pulled over and squeaked to a stop on May 29th.

Monday, September 28, 2020

1238 East Silver Street: Sea Creatures

David Aber took photos of these gorgeous mailboxes on May 23rd and emailed them to me the next day. Amazing mailboxes, as usual, Dave!

Monday, September 14, 2020

7372 East 31st Street: Engine 7372


David Aber found this gem on March 15th. The owner put (OLD?) “OL NO 7372” on the side:

Monday, September 7, 2020

4040 East 17th Street: Lawnmower



I spotted this mailbox with a lawnmower chained to the post years ago — but didn't take this photo until February 13, 2020. As far as I can tell, the lawnmover hasn't moved!

Monday, August 31, 2020

5702 East 19th Street: Tractorbox



We're finished with the mailbox archive. Back to mailbox hunter extraordinaire David Aber. He's outdoing me again :) with this photo he emailed on February 11th. Thank you, Dave!

Monday, August 24, 2020

4975 North Sandario Road: Desert mosaic posts

Many people put the effort into their mailboxes, but this plain box has mosaic tile on both sides of the post:


David Aber made that montage from the photos he took on April 2nd. Tomorrow morning's entry on The Tucson Murals Project blog will have closeups of the two posts. Starting tomorrow (August 25), you can click to see the closeups.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Mailbox archive mystery: 2415 Somewhere

The camera says I took a photo at 2855 E. Grant at 6:05 AM on June 27, 2013. I rode my bicycle a ways, then took the photos below four minutes later — at 6:09 AM. The address on the box is 2415. Where did I take them?


I searched streets around the area with Google Maps Street View for addresses starting with 2415. It looks like there's an office building behind — maybe that's along Tucson Boulevard? No luck. So here are the photos. If you know where I took them, please leave a comment below! (You can remain anonymous.)

Monday, August 17, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3342 East Seneca Street

Here's a unique post that hangs the mailbox far out:


I found this box on June 25, 2013, but didn't publish the photos until now.

Monday, August 10, 2020

Mailbox archive: 2726 East Seneca Street

Birds are walking across the top of this box, and a lizard flag adds color:


I flew by on June 24, 2013 (and stopped for a photo). I haven't published the photo until today.

Monday, August 3, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3221 East Glenn Street


You can't miss those huge house numbers! And the “Yes” flag is a fun addition.

I found this mailbox on June 12, 2013, but didn't publish the photos until today.

Monday, July 27, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3311 East Glenn Street



When I found this mailbox on June 12, 2013, the hand-painted flowers on both sides were faded by the sun. I wonder what it looks like seven years later?

I used my photo editor to zoom in on this side of the mailbox…


Here's the other side:


I haven't published the photos until today.

Monday, July 20, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3321 East Glenn Street



This mailbox has the house number in the post, one digit per circle — except that the last number, at the bottom, is missing. Since the whole thing is tilted at a crazy angle, I wonder if a car hit it?

I found this on June 12, 2013, but didn't publish the photo until today.

Monday, July 13, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3515 East Glenn Street




The sun is just over the hills in the cutout sheet of metal between these two posts. I took the photo on June 12, 2013, but haven't published it until now.

Monday, July 6, 2020

Slowing down for the summer

I've decided to head for the hills this summer — to Santa Fe. So I'm going to publish mailboxes once a week — every Monday — until I'm home in September. If I see a great mailbox in Santa Fe, I might publish it here too.

Stay cool this summer! And by the way, if you haven't seen all of the mailboxes since this blog started in 2012, look for the “Blog archive” in the right-hand column on a desktop (or tablet?)… or just keep scrolling down the list of blog entries, page by page.

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Mailbox archive: 2737/41/45/47 North Richey Boulevard


This group of four mailboxes has two lizards between the posts. I found them on June 12, 2013, but haven't published them until today.

Monday, June 29, 2020

Mailbox archive: 956 North Richey Boulevard




Here's a mailbox with a mosaic post showing the sun, a saguaro, and a coyote (or wolf?).


The two sides are different.
You might have noticed a strange pattern in the second view above. The mailbox has a series of horizontal lines. But, as I edited the photo, I noticed that it had striped patterns that changed depending on how much I zoomed in. Here's an example:


If you see something like that, it actually isn't real! (If you have nothing better to do, click on the second view and zoom in and out… you might see the patterns. How exciting. :)

I took the photos on June 12, 2013, but haven't published them until today.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3602 East 3rd Street




Another in our long-running series of mailboxes I photographed in 2013 but didn't post until now is this box with a cutout plant on a metal plate between the posts. I snapped the photo June 12, 2013.

Monday, June 22, 2020

Mailbox archive: 717 North Richey Boulevard




Someone went to a lot of work to make this elaborate flower “post” from nails and other cast-iron pieces!

I rolled by and stopped to gawk on June 12, 2013. I haven't published the photo until today. (By the way, I used my favorite free photo editor, GIMP, to select the flower and darken it.)

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3444 East Calle Alarcon




Here's a handsome mailbox embedded in a post that's faced with what look like thin sheets of stone.

I discovered it on June 12, 2013, but haven't published the photo until now.

Monday, June 15, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3554 East Calle del Prado



I'm not sure what to call the design on the flag and under the mailbox. The one underneath looks kind of like an apostrophe to me. Whatever it is, it's interesting! (As always, you can click on the photo for a larger view.)

I stopped by and scratched my head on June 12, 2013, just down the block from the previous mailbox. I haven't published this photo until today.

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3564 East Calle del Prado



This home has a mailbox with (metal) plants between its two posts…
… and the entrance to the home has a gate with the same design:

I stopped by here on June 12, 2013. I haven't published the photos until today.

Monday, June 8, 2020

Mailbox archive: 3942 East Guaymas Place



When I rode my bicycle past the home on May 28, 2013, I talked with the homeowner. The metal between the posts is recycled, she said.

I haven't published the photo until today.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Monday, June 1, 2020

Mailbox archive: 4204 East Holmes Street



A rusty plant climbs up the post and around the rust-finished mailbox in this photo from May 27, 2013. I haven't published it until today.

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Mailbox archive: 4525 East 26th Street



The flamingo by this mailbox post is a lot more tame than the lion a week ago. I found this a bit later the same day, June 3, 2013. I haven't published this photo until today.

Monday, May 25, 2020

Mailbox archive: 6201 East 26th Street

I found this flaming red, white and blue mailbox just after Memorial Day 2013: June 3rd. I haven't published the photo until today, Memorial Day 2020.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Mailbox archive: 4533 East 26th Street



No one will dare steal mail from here. :)

I found this mailbox with a lion next to it on June 3, 2013. I haven't published it until today.

Monday, May 18, 2020

Mailbox archive: 4558 East 28th Street



Mounted on a tilted blue pole, one side of this mailbox has a scene that reminds me a bit of Taos Pueblo in New Mexico.

The other side is much less fun:


This is one of the mailboxes I found on June 3, 2013, but didn't publish until today.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Mailbox archive: 4609 East 26th Street

Bet you can't miss the house number as you drive by this mailbox:


(The other side has the typical small paste-on numbers.) I found it on June 3, 2013, but didn't publish the photo until today.

Monday, May 11, 2020

Mailbox archive: 4669 East 26th Street


After groaning for a moment (I've seen enough smiley faces for a lifetime :), I stopped and snapped the photo on June 3, 2013. I haven't published it until today.

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Mailbox archive: 4809 East Andrew Street




No, I have no idea why. :)

I spotted this smashed mailbox, mounted sideways (parallel to the street), on June 3, 2013. I haven't published it until today.
Amazingly enough, a Google Maps Street View three years later — May, 2016 — showed that the box was still smashed:


Monday, May 4, 2020

Mailbox archive: 4901 East Andrew Street



Here's another in the series of photos I took years ago but didn't publish. I rolled by this mailbox on a wheel June 3, 2013.

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Mailbox archive: 4910 East Andrew Street

A sky blue mailbox with a two-color stripe:


The photo is from June 3, 2013. I haven't published it until today.