Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Miami, Florida, USA

Tomorrow begins the month of March. Will it come in like a lion and go out like a lamb? Or, will it come in like a lamb and go out like a lion? Where this lion stands sentry, though, March will be lamb-like all month. That means good eatin' for any carnivore. [2018]

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Milford, Nebraska, USA

That just has to be the work of a chain-saw sculptor. What's curious, though, is the gauge behind the bear. Is that to measure the depth of snow during the low-sun season? [2008]

Monday, February 26, 2018

Florence, Arizona, USA

At night, he howls at the moon. During the day, he howls at the mailman. Truthfully, though, he howls at no one because he is only a silhouette. [2018]

Sunday, February 25, 2018

White House, Tennessee, USA

Here's a white horse mail box in the town of White House. Is that just a coincidence? But that poor, old white horse looks like she's turning gray! You just know she's longing to spend her retirement years out in the pasture. [2009]

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Lewisville, Pennsylvania, USA

If an ailurophile is a cat lover, what is the word for a horse lover? If you know the meaning of the following words, you will have the answer: hippopotamus, hippodrome, hippocampus. Your assignment: Find a hippocampus mailbox. [2013]

Friday, February 23, 2018

Conyers, Georgia, USA

An ailurophile lives here. What's that? Figure it out from the picture. Confirm by visiting Merriam-Webster, where you will also learn that the first documented use of ailurophile was in 1910, the same year these words entered the English language: air-condition, bad guy, crossword, loudmouth, raw bar, sociopath, and war zone. [2015]

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Hondo, Texas, USA

Don't hurry through Hondo. Slow down and enjoy the roadside scenery. After all, this is a community whose welcome sign for decades has greeted visitors with these words: "Welcome. This is God's Country. Please Don't Drive Through It Like Hell." [2009]

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Bear, Delaware, USA

Two dogs and one cat: Are you getting the impression that this might not be a residential mailbox? The only way to find out is to do some field research on Dogs and Cats in the town of Bear in the Blue Hen state. Oh, my! [2008]

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, USA

Mailbox animals are pack animals. Where you find one, you expect to find more. Sometimes, it is the result of neighbors competing with each other to see whose property can attract the most attention. [2009]

Monday, February 19, 2018

Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, USA

Is that Blue Dog or just a blue dog? It's the latter, but maybe inspired by the famous line of paintings by George Rodrique. His Blue Dog was inspired by Cajun folk culture and expanded to international popularity from his home in New Orleans. [2009]

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Vacherie, Louisiana, USA

The mailbox is in Louisiana, so this might be the Louisiana state dog: the Catahoula Leopard Dog (adapted to the swamps and forests of the state). Or, it might just be a hound. [2009]

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Colonial Beach, Virginia, USA

Hazard alert! If you are delivering mail to this address in Maine (Oh! Sorry, Virginia), you will have to learn to avoid the crusher and the pincher: Lobster claws they are, and they're poised to strike. [2017]

Friday, February 16, 2018

Diamondhead, Mississippi, USA

The Gulf of Mexico is famous for it blue marlins, but they are deep-water fish who usually avoid the coast. This one, however, got tired a being a conformist and decided to stand up for his right to be different. [2014]

Thursday, February 15, 2018

St. Simon's Island, Georgia, USA

Don't call him a porpoise. He's a dolphin. You can tell by the long nose, a protuberance that shows its value every day as the letter carrier pulls open the mailbox. [2009]

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Dauphin Island, Alabama, USA

Here's a dolphin on Dauphin Island. Dolphin comes from the Greek word for womb (delphys), reminding us that they are not fish but mammals. Dauphin Island was named after the the heir to the French throne, i.e, the dauphin. Both words come from the same Greek root, through French. [2017]

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Tavernier, Florida, USA

Here's a manatee who has been livened up with colorful accouterments. She may think she's getting back in the water, but duty calls. She has two jobs to do: collecting the mail and entertaining the public. [2014]

Monday, February 12, 2018

Naples, Florida, USA

If you are a Floridian, you know exactly what you're looking at. If not, maybe you don't recognize this gentile giant. It's a manatee, and there is a whole army of them stationed in Florida for the express purpose of holding up mailboxes. Most are gray, like the mammals they portray, but this one has been livened up by its owner. [2018]

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Eatontown, New Jersey, USA

Think this flamingo was a shop project or a chain-store purchase? It's a shame more people don't do creative things with their mailboxes. We always seem to be thinking of new ways to express our identity. [2008]

Saturday, February 10, 2018

York, Pennsylvania, USA

These suburban Yorktowners must be snowbirds. Maybe that's why they have chosen a flamingo motif for their mailbox. It's a way of bringing Florida north with them for the summer months in Pennsylvania. Alternative explanation: They just like pink things. [2005]

Friday, February 9, 2018

Cincinnatus, New York, USA

The whole concept of Air Mail was suggested by the birds, specifically the passenger pigeon: genus Columba. Now you know what business the ancestral Columbus family was in. They were post masters. It was to their columbaria that messenger pigeons returned after delivering the mail. How do we use the term columbarium today? [2017]

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Spruce Pine, North Carolina, USA

If there was ever a bird that had no role in delivering mail, it is the chicken. But, here she is ready to receive letters delivered by air. Her life has been a little slow lately because there's nothing special about air mail these days. Does she realize what is coming, though? Drone Delivery! Her life is about to change. [2009]

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Galesville, Maryland, USA

The younger generation doesn't even understand the concept of Air Mail. But, for most of the 20th century, is was a way of getting a letter there fast. Now most mail boxes of this genre are showing their age, and they're just not as funny as they used to be. But, wait! A renaissance may be on the horizon. Any ideas? [2008]

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Pecos, New Mexico, USA

A milk cow, for sure: You can tell by the coat (the coat of paint, in this case). She's ready to flirt with the mailman when he arrives. Maybe she's not giving enough milk, so they stationed her roadside where she can use her good looks to bring some mirth into the lives of passers-by. [2017]

Monday, February 5, 2018

Lima, Ohio, USA

Every farm has its chickens, its pigs, and its cows. This heifer will eventually become a top milk producer. In the meantime, she's been given the task of stabilizing the mailbox. How do you like her skateboard? [2008]

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA

Meet Porky at Corky's. It's his restaurant, after all. And, yes, he does serve barbecue. He also spends more time outside guarding the mailbox than he should. That's because he doesn't want to become the main course. [2009]

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Boothbay, Maine, USA

Barnyard animals aren't limited to the chicken yard. Find a sty and you'll find a pig. This one, however, has wandered asunder to greet the mailman every day. Being a little short, however, she needs a plinth to give her some lift. [1993]

Friday, February 2, 2018

Gambrills, Maryland, USA

Probably a leghorn, the most prolific of the egg layers. Eventually, though, she got a new job: that of offering a daily welcome to the letter carrier when he stops at the Royal Farms, presumably to deliver mail, but probably to get a cup of coffee, or, maybe, a dozen eggs. [2004]

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Kingston, Rhode Island, USA

Antoinetta Goodwin probably had a bigger impact on commuter students to the University of Rhode Island than most professors. Past her farm, they would travel daily. And, every day would reveal a new wardrobe for her chickens. Come rain or shine, we all looked forward to seeing what "the chicken lady" would do to her mailbox. [1976]