346) And just like that, it’s over.

Three hundred and forty-six days ago I started posting one mailbox selfie a day and somehow kept it up until I had grabbed every single one in Seattle. For the final box, I put out the call for people to join me, and I had a wonderful turnout… although the dogs seem a bit bored. The answer to the common question of what’s next is quite simple: nothing. No, I’m not going to do utility poles. Or fire hydrants. Or stop signs. I do, however, encourage other people to tackle those very important projects.

Thank you for following along and please, be nice to your neighborhood mailbox. It leads a difficult life.

344) Faithful readers know that I love to enjoy the services of a good bench while out photographing mailboxes. On this day, however, I found this otherwise lovely bench to be a bit too rain-drenched for my taste. Meanwhile, it looks like I’m thinking really hard about a phone number.

337) I had a long discussion with this box about exactly which neighborhood he resides in. According to the official maps, this stretch of Aurora is the dividing line between Phinney Ridge (to the west) and Green Lake (to the east), meaning the box is clearly a Ridge Resident. The box, however, would hear none of that. Despite several hours of explaining that the Ridge is an awesome neighborhood that he should be proud to call home, the box insisted on being considered a part of Green Lake. “It’s the ducks,” he wailed. “I just love the ducks so very much.” I really can’t stand a blubbering mailbox, so Green Lake it is.

302) It was cold. It was snowing. It was dark. I wasn’t too happy about being out in these conditions, but this moment had to be captured. Notice my tense, grumpy stance… now compare it to the defiant proud positioning of this mailbox. It doesn’t care about a dusting of snow. It doesn’t care about sub-freezing temperatures. It just wants to do it’s job and collect your mail.

166) Bike series (15/15). Our long 15-part bike series concludes with this magnificent shot outside the Greenwood post office. Look at how all the newspaper boxes are standing at attention, ready to receive their daily orders from the commanding mailbox! Oh yeah, they know who’s calling the shots here!

165) Bike series (14/15). Faithful readers know that if I find an opportunity to grab a quick rest, I’m going to grab it! Photographing mailboxes is hard, demanding work, and I certainly appreciate it when local businesses provide comfy resting spaces for weary mailbox photographers such as myself.

156) Bike series (5/15). There’s so much going on in this photo that I can barely contain myself. First of all, we’re on the very western edge of what can honestly be called Fremont, so it’s no wonder things are getting a bit wacky. But we have an abandoned shopping cart. We have a graffiti-covered mailbox. We have some doorstep-sitting youths, killing time outside an abandoned box-making company. And way off in the distance, we have the first rays of morning light casting a glow upon Ballard, signalling the start of another glorious day.

155) Bike series (4/15). I’m going to keep this one short, because… HOW DO I CHOOSE?!?

154) Bike series (3/15). Finally, I make it into the heart of Fremont, and not a moment too soon. Look at the condition of this double-wide box… it’s not surprising that it’s covered in graffiti, but what *is* surprising is that that graffiti is an utter mess. Shouldn’t we expect more from the self-proclaimed Center of the Universe? Shouldn’t they step up their graffiti game and show this box some love?

153) Bike series (2/15). Here we are outside Lighthouse Roasters. Over the years, I’ve heard about a dozen people mention “I saw Dave Mathews at Lighthouse Roasters the other day,” so I thought I’d keep an eye out for him. The thing is, I have absolutely no idea what the guy looks like, so this was a completely futile exercise.