Found another one!

Quirky mailboxes are getting to be harder to find.  Most people would rather buy one, like so many others, from their local hardware store.  I keep looking though for those special creations of someone's whimsical imagination, one-of-a-kind expressions that refuse to succumb to sameness and mediocrity.  Found another one of these treasures the other day.......!!

Another interesting one....

I can travel for miles through Ontario without encountering a single interesting mailbox.  But when I come upon that special one, I just have to slow down the car and make a u-turn to capture it - 

Imagination knows no limits

In this world of urban sameness, it is refreshing to come upon a simple item like a mailbox on the Canadian roadside and see that someone has not succumbed to the world of mediocrity, but created something personal and whimsical.

But, I have to admit, these kinds of whimsical creations are becoming rarer and rarer to discover.

The Hunt Continues.....

The hunt continues for the unusual mailbox -  This one, entirely constructed of iron, I found on the road between Perth and Ottawa. 

A Canadian Icon

The Maple Leaf and Beaver are two of the most recognizable and distinctive symbols of the Canadian identity.  But the moose does not lag far behind.  This one, with a humorous twist, I found in cottage country North of Toronto. 

Wine Barrel Mailbox

This mailbox I found in wine country on the Niagara Escarpment.  It works both as a useful object and as an advertisement of the vineyard.  

This one I located in the French region of Prince Edward Island.  The symbolic association of the rooster and the surrounding culture is obvious.

A Mailbox on wheels

Typical folk art is usually influenced by "the way things used to be", a nostalgic yearning for the old ways.  This mailbox is a good example of that nostalgic longing for the "horse and carriage ways"

Bird House Mail box

This mailbox shows a lot of whimsical detail in the style of a bird house.  I found this one in cottage country in Ontario.

The Wild West

This mailbox I saw on a road near Calgary, the home of the Calgary Stampede.  It is a wonderful example of how mailbox designs have been influenced by the culture and community in which they were created.

This is a Mailbox???

This is a Mailbox?  Yes it is!  Someone took a sit-on lawnmower, ripped out the engine and inserted a mailbox in its place.  Talk about quirky!

The Log House

One interesting aspect of these mailboxes is that they often reflect the culture and community in which they were created.  The one was found on a road near Perth, Ontario where there are still many homes and barns constructed of logs.

 

Not much personality but lots of class

I took this shot of this piece of abstract art in the guise of a mailbox while cruising on a road near Toronto.   I don't know about you, but I think it belongs in an art gallery - here is hoping that passers-by have not vandalized it by now because that is one of the main reasons why we see fewer of them.

This One has Personality!

I found this mailbox on a road near our home in Ontario.  It is one of my favourites and for good reason.  It has lots of character and pizzaz.  Actually, representations of animals are not that common.

 

Mailboxes with Personality

It may seem odd to collect pictures of mailboxes.   Here is hoping that others will catch the bug   will want to share their pictures of interesting examples they have seen on the roads and highways they travel.   But hurry and be vigilant because they are getting scarce.

 This beauty I spotted on a road near Kamloops, British Columbia.  It shows a flair and inventiveness that is absolutely wonderful, deserving to be exhibited in an art gallery.