226) You have to admire this mailbox’s gumption. Whereas most boxes are content to set up shop on a corner or tucked up against a building, this one has positioned itself right in the face of everyone exiting the Watermark Tower. All day, all night, it chants “I’m here, I’m blue, let me take that letter from you!”

225) This is a very defiant mailbox. Local legend says that when that very boxy, angular building went up across the street, the mailbox spun itself 90 degrees to present its classic rounded form to the new structure. This mailbox is not going to be intimidated. Not today, not tomorrow.

224) This photo looks like a promo shot for a new Vince Gilligan show. Those birds flying off as the exact moment the shutter clicked — that’s some heavy symbolism right there. And what exactly are we to make of that door on the right that presents a harsh one-foot drop to anyone leaving the building? Then there’s the mailbox, and his mysterious past that he only refers to as “the Tuscon days.”

223) One thing I’ve made abundantly clear during this project is that if I’m presented with a nice bench, I’m going to sit on it. The fine students, faculty, and staff of South Seattle Community College apparently know that their visitors arrive weary, and they have kindly provided this functional resting bench right next to this fine mailbox. The box and I had a nice chat about the sorry state of student load debt, and then I was on my way.

222) Yes, people, it’s legal now. But please, have some consideration for your stout blue friends. Do not munch down on $87 worth of edibles, then lick an envelope, then drop it in a mailbox. This poor guy had such a contact high that it took me three hours to talk him down.

221) I’m helping this box say “Hey, world… here I am!” Positioned just around the corner from the famous Jimi Hendrix statue, this box sees tourist after tourist snapping photos of the bronzed rocker, yet no one ever turns their camera in this direction. Well, dammit, I did.

220) What a lonely box. Sure, it’s placed next to a lovely park, but it’s on the far side of the parking lot, facing away from all the loveliness. I’m so glad I was able to brighten its day just a bit with my visit.

219) Night Out Series (4/4). We conclude our short stroll with a well-deserved rest on this magnificent brick wall. I didn’t stay long, however, because the box kept asking me to run across the street and get him “a bucket of the Colonel.” I just didn’t think that would be a good idea, so I left.

218) Night Out Series (3/4). For this next shot, we just had to pop over a couple blocks and get dangerously close to the crowds milling around outside Key Arena. For some reason, I had the brilliant idea of using my hands to frame the logo of the KEXP studio in the background, but yeah, it turned out kind of weak.

217) Night Out Series (2/4). The next stop on our thrilling series is a visit to this fine snorkel box. I decided to finally get to the bottom of the snorkel box’s secret and have a good look inside. As you might suspect, the snorkel box has a dark, dark soul.