Bob Thompson’s Tool Shed (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Constructed of solid plywood and 2” x 4”s, Bob Thompson’s tool shed is ignored by all those in Blackwarrior County and throughout the state of Alabama. Not only is Bob’s shed poorly constructed, it’s also full of mold, mildew and the occasional raccoon. The back wall is rotting and it smells really bad. Besides, he doesn’t even keep many tools in there anymore. After he threw out his back, he hasn’t done much yard work. Don’t be fooled, the bag of rotting leaves in the corner isn’t a nascent compost pile, he just forgot about it last month.
A Mail Box (The Bronx, NY)
There are many millions of mailboxes across the United States, but on the corner of West Reservoir Oval in the Bronx stands a pinnacle of non-wonder. Covered in graffiti, and often used as a urinal by the homeless and itinerant, this mailbox truly is a blight. Claimed as a tagging area by both “Rasor” and “Ginx,” it’s best to not put your mail in this box.
A Pile of Loose Gravel (Cairo, Egypt)
Over two meters in height and weighing almost a ton, this pile of gravel stands outside a hotel construction site in Cairo. No, it’s not just gravel; it’s also loose dirt, soda cans, cigarette butts, candy wrappers and other trash. It belongs to Mr. Mohammed Saddeg, a day-laborer on the site. If you dig too deep into the pile, you might find a scorpion, so be careful.
Tire Swing (Kent, UK)
Though the British would likely call it a “tyre” swing, people on both sides of the pond can admit that the swing is really not wondrous as at all. For one thing, it’s always full of old, gray rank rain water and secondly, the steel belts stick out due to wear and can poke a child or even rip his or her clothing. Sometimes there are insects.
Empty Lot (Augusta, GA)
It is full of weeds and features not one, but two, old rusty shopping carts. A victim of heavy erosion, the lot mostly just features dirt surrounded by a poorly constructed chain link fence. Actually the fence is kind of pointless as a barrier, since it features a prominent eight foot hole. There are also several 2 x 4s lying next to a mud puddle. One weed has a flower, but it’s a brown, dried out flower.
Rusted Out Chevy Nova (Rome, Italy)
Legend has it that the Chevy Nova once belonged to a Mr. Luciano Travetti, who abandoned it after realizing that the tow-away fee would be equal to 200,000 lire. After he purchased a new car in 1982, Travetti merely left the old car parked on the street where it accumulated not only rust, but also nearly two hundred and thirty different parking citations.
Stack of Wet Cardboard (Shangai, Peoples’ Republic of China)
Behind the factory that manufactures Robotron™ action figures and playsets, stands a pile of cardboard more than twenty three feet high. Soaked my many summer rainstorms, the cardboard has become structurally weakened and has begun to smell. As the local truck from the Peoples’ Refuse Collection Army has yet to come by, the stack continues to grow and a’molder.