A random mailbox sprung up in the mostly vacant lot near my house. In the photo above, I have taken a photo of the mailbox from the road. Note that the opening for the mailbox is not facing the road. The mailbox is being held in place by sandbags.
If you look really closely, on the right side of the mailbox in the photo, there appears to be a rain gauge.
I’ve seen random mailboxes like this before, however, it seems to be a newer phenomenon. Mailboxes cropping up where there haven’t been any before. Mailboxes plopped down where there is no associated house.
My next photo provides more context.
The road near this mostly vacant lot is in really rough shape, with the tar having been worn away in some areas. The city is getting ready to fix the road, with a “Road Closed to Thru Traffic” and other road closure signs waiting at the ready.
What might an impending road closure have to do with a random mailbox?
The other side of the random mailbox reveals its purpose. It is labeled “Knife River,” which is a local road construction company. I suspect this mailbox is for the company’s workers to leave work orders and other messages for each other.
I have no idea what the rain gauge is for, however. Might it be an indication of how wet the ground is under the road? I suspect this would affect construction conditions. If you know the answer to this, let me know in the comments.
You’ll notice my Doggle Woggle decided he had to be in the photo with the mailbox. He was quite uncooperative when I tried to keep him out of the shot. I have no idea what has captured his attention off-camera. Like the mailbox, he was being a bit random. 🙂