Design Destinations: Crème Carmel

[Alyson Kuhn] A stamp-portunity presented itself while I was in Carmel, Calif., earlier this month: The new U.S. Express Mail stamp depicts the Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur, illustrated by veteran stamp artist Dan Cosgrove. So we motored down the coast, and my friend Vinz Koller took my picture on the brink of the bridge. My postal prop is an envelope for Terry McCaffrey, manager of Stamp Development for the USPS.

BixbyCreekBridge1830-single-2

DSCN0976There is no door-to-door mail delivery within Carmel-by-the-Sea, so everyone rents a P.O. box … if you get a lot of mail, you can rent a P.O. drawer. Some boxes have keys; others have combinations. The post office is a true hub of community activity: big bulletin board, flyers for upcoming theater programs, lots of meeting and greeting.

DSCN0963The houses along Scenic Drive are in unincorporated Carmel, which does have mail delivery. We spotted several extraordinary mailboxes. I am seriously kuhntemplating sending mail addressed to “Fortunate Occupant” to ask about the inspirations for these mailboxes.

DSCN0968

Alyson Kuhn encourages you to learn more about Dan Cosgrove and his stamp art.

Photos by Vinz Koller; U.S. stamp design © 2009 U.S. Postal Service, all rights reserved.

02.23.10
  1. Posted by Eric on 02.24.10 at 9:03 am

    Nice piece, nice art, nice stamps. You should definitely contact the fortunate occupants, I bet they’d love to tell the story about their unique mailboxes.
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