Monday, April 27, 2009

#117











#117, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California


Carmel-by-the-Sea is the only decent-sized town in America - to my knowledge - to have the peculiar affliction of no house numbers. Mail arrives to its inhabitants on last names and cross streets alone, on a wing and a prayer as they say, and hopefully in the hands of a competent postal service employee. So what's a number aficionado to do, let loose on these mean, anarchic, un-numbered streets? Why, look harder at everything else, of course.

The postal bugle is one of those long-standing images that has a comforting universality. I've spotted the symbol elsewhere in my wanderings (in Dublin - though minus the crown, naturally) and love the simplicity of the image. And the bright red's a nice touch as well.

8 comments:

Ray Gunn said...

Argh! Blogger ate my comment. Which wasn't much to speak of in and of itself, really, but the WVW was awesome and involved babies and rotating diases and now I can't remember what it was.

Now I've just got "spires."

Flann O'Coonassa said...

No house numbers? Ok, you found this number Therese, but generally, is that not your Hades? Were the film Groundhog Day set in that town, would you have regarded it as a horror?

Jackie said...

I had never considered that there could be a place in America without house numbers. Everything now seems so... possible.

WVW:
polot- a facial expression which depicts exaggerated, false kindness

Therese Cox said...

That's too bad, Ray, but I think you've hit on a novel idea: first state the definition, then create the WVW to go along with it. I had to ponder yours a moment (since I kept misreading "diseases" for "diases" - must be all that swine flu on the brain) but I think I've retrieved your word: "tiltafant." Am I close?

Flann, it was in fact like looking for a bottle of scotch in a fridge full of Beck's non-alcoholic beer, but as you can see, I did manage. Just so long as I don't have to listen to Sonny & Cher, I'm fine. Thanks for caring!

Therese Cox said...

Jackie - crazy, right? But it is California, after all, where all things, no matter how stupid, are possible. The California legislature actually tried once to impose house numbers some time ago. Carmel's citizens revolted. They thought it would rob them of their individuality.

Ray Gunn said...

I remember now! It was "merradle"!

And the definition was something like "a baby's bassinet on a slowly turning dias to be used at special events such as a bris or a christening so that spectators can all have a good look at the proceedings without crowding the infant."

Therese Cox said...

You could totally market that.

Julie said...

Minus the crown in Dublin but with the crown in Carmel.

Why oh why?