by Neil Carleton
While I’m looking for and hanging out with shady characters in the area, many other things catch my eye along our rural highways and byways. The rock outcrops tell a story of colliding continents, long ago tropical oceans, and a landscape once locked in ice. A flash of orange indicates the nearby perch of a Baltimore oriole. A profusion of wood anenome flowers is accompanied by heady spring fragrances on the breeze.
Then there are the mailboxes at the end of each driveway or farm lane. These roadside treasures can be delicately painted, roughly welded, finely crafted, duct taped together, dazzling new, and weather challenged. Many stand upright, and others list precariously. Some go well beyond utilitarian with their creative construction and detail.
In the future articles I’ll include photos with birds, bugs, and field produce; wooden and welded assemblies; special airmail mailboxes; and much more.
