As I stepped out to grab this shot of the small Arlington post office, I
experienced an epiphany of sorts. Ken Turmel, the fellow who turned me on
to US-80 in the first place, often says things like "get a
postmark" when talking of road related activities. Of course I am
familiar with Ken's use of postmarks in his art work and I was aware that
some people might collect them like thimbles and salt shakers but today I
was struck by the absolute uniqueness of a town's postmark. I'll try to
resist the real word ramble that I feel coming on but must say that I'm
going to look at post offices a little differently from now on.
As the size of its post office indicates, Arlington is not all that large
or heavily populated and the pink building labeled Desert Rose stands out
against the backdrop of flat sand. Inside, Steve served cold beer and told
me of his several visits to Covington, KY, for golf tournaments. He had
not been there for a couple of years and said he was ready for some
Montgomery Inn ribs. It was Karen who answered my question about Buckeye.
Founded by displaced Ohioans it was once known as Sidney but the name that
described its residents won out. Only at the end of the day did I realize
that I missed getting a picture of the rarity described on the wall.
That's it sitting beside the door. Plus, even though the question formed
as soon as I pulled over, I had forgotten to ask about the
"arena" mentioned on the sign. One task and one mystery for
another day.
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