326) Queen Anne Five-Pack (5/5) – We continue our exciting QA journey visiting FIVE untapped mailboxes! Here we are, at the last box on this mini-series. I’m crouched down because I had to park very illegally, and I wanted to be as stealth as possible. Since most mailboxes are dutiful civil servants, I knew there was a risk of this guy reporting me, so I slinked in, got the shot, and slinked out. I don’t think he ever noticed. I hope you enjoyed this absolutely thrilling Queen Anne series! We’ll return to our regular programming tomorrow.

324) Queen Anne Five-Pack (3/5) – We continue our exciting QA journey visiting FIVE untapped mailboxes! We turn onto Queen Anne Ave and begin the climb up the counterbalance. At this first stop, I wanted the photo to convey some sense of the steepness of the hill, and as you can see I failed miserably. If you live in Seattle, you already know this is a steep hill; if you don’t live here, I guess you’ll just have to trust me that it’s steep.

323) Queen Anne Five-Pack (2/5) – We continue our exciting series of a cluster of FIVE untapped mailboxes along a QA route! The next box is just a couple blocks up Roy. This box, in contrast, enjoys his view of the Space Needle and is looking forward to seeing it in its renovated glory. Unfortunately, however, it can only see the Needle when that tree is bare. The rest of the time it can only stare at that parking lot.

322) Queen Anne Five-Pack (1/5) — Exciting news! Yesterday, we were heading out on some errands and i realized there were FIVE untapped mailboxes on our route! Faithful readers know that when I encounter a cluster like that, I like to feature them in a series… so here we go! The first stop in this series finds us just off of Aurora. This box has backed himself up against two poles, but for what reason I don’t know. Did something bad happen across the street and he wants to be sheltered from any further activity? Is he just tired and needs something extra to lean on? Is he actually in the process of walling himself off from all of society and is actively recruiting new poles to join him? Or maybe he’s just upset that the Space Needle is getting a $100 million facelift but he can’t get anyone to clean the graffiti off of him.

321) Yesterday I completely broke the internet when I posted a mailbox that was very unique in the world of mailboxes. Today I’m doing it again! See that box above? That box has the very special distinction of being the only box I’ve had to go out and photograph TWICE. Huh? You see, I first visited this box way back in April 2017, grabbing a photo of it and its lovely bus stop neighbor. But when I got home and checked the camera, the photo was gone. Gone, gone, gone. Not even in the Trash folder. I never did figure out what happened to that photo, but I knew that one day I would have to return and redo the shot. As you can see, I did in fact return to the scene, but this time I got distracted by the construction work across the street. At least the picture survived.

320) This is a very unique mailbox, for two reasons! First, it is the ONLY box servicing the Portage Bay neighborhood, which is quite a responsibility. Second, I’m pretty sure it’s the first box I’ve found that sits at the intersection of two avenues. Faithful readers will know that the vast majority of Seattle boxes sit where a street meets an avenue, with the occasional boulevard thrown into the mix. Or maybe even a “way!” But two avenues? That’s freaky.

319) I found myself downtown, dressed in full business attire with a Bluetooth earpiece stuck to my head, thinking I really fit in with the crowd. Apparently, however, I looked foolish because this mailbox wouldn’t let me stand any closer than this. If I tried to get any closer, he’d hiss and flap his mail door at me until I backed away. Personally, I think he’s just grumpy over having to stare at the weird library all day, every day.

318) You may think I have the world’s easiest job, skipping all over town and posing with mailboxes. Well let me tell you, it’s a lot tougher than it looks. Especially all the record-keeping. For example, I have to make sure each photo is properly logged to the correct address, otherwise I might end up with an embarrassing screw-up. Every now and then, however, I encounter a helpful box that makes my life supremely easy. Just look at this proud fellow. He politely positioned himself so that my photo would be awash with street signs, leaving absolutely no question as to where this photo was taken. A dutiful civil servant, indeed.

317) “Hey, Box. How’s it going?”

“Hey, David. Wow, what a day… the stories I could tell.”

(Pulls up a seal) “Well, I’ve got a few minutes, fill me in!”

(Looking nervous) “Uh… well… about 20 minutes ago I saw a dog.”

“Nothing really happened today, did it?”

“No.”