For the past month we asked:
What's your Caption for this Pamlico County picture?
A lot of fingers did the walking across keyboards for this month’s Caption Contest. Your mission was to find the fitting line for the bright red phone booth pictured here on a lonely stretch of Janiero Road between Arapahoe and Oriental. We’re here to report that y’all came through loud and clear. Unlike, say, cell phone service in Oriental.

The entries were so strong – unlike cell phone service in Oriental -- that the TownDock.net judges considered flipping a cell phone (just to make it feel useful) to determine the winner.

For working this local fact of life in to the Caption Contest (and a play on a popular TV commercial), top kudos go to Beverly Iverson:

"Can you hear me now?"

Beverly wins a free trip to the top of the Highway 55 Bridge where, when the planets are in perfect alignment, cell phone signals have reportedly been found. TownDock.net also is bestowing upon Beverly a just-in-case back-up prize of 50 cents for a pay phone call.

Runners Up:

First Runner Up is Kathie Bogue for the philosophical query:

"If a man speaks in the forest and there is no woman to hear him (in person or by phone), is he still wrong??"

Second Runners Up are George and Mary Duffie for an entry that may have come out of a promotional brochure. There was a bit of static on the line, but the judges think they heard this delivered in an extremely perky voice:

"Also, our county has one traffic light."

Third Runner up, by way of transatlantic cable, is Chris Barrow, now stationed with the US Army in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire England. Chris scored points for interweaving the action figure narrative with some local knowledge.

"I’d like to see Superman come out of this one without a mosquito bite!"

And being Pamlico mosquitoes, you just know they’ll bite through tights.

Honorable Mentions:

The Superman theme was popular (see below) but several of you envisioned something besides a changing room for an action hero.

"With a few modifications and a good wood seat, it will work just fine." Don Mau

"Hmmm. Add blinds, door, toilet seat and this could be a real money maker!" Gord and Deb Vipperman, of Crabby Dad's Galley & Pub

"A red roadside telejon." Charles Bryant

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s an Entry!

"Yes, I’ll slow it down, and repeat it again. This is Clark Kent, that’s K-E-N-T, my suit, tie, shoes and glasses have been stolen. It’s kind of a long story."
- Gary Mastrodonato.

"I’ve got my red dress on, but where’s Superman?" - Joy Laliberte

"Faster than a speeding bullet, but not as fast as the weeds growing in the phone booth." - Ben Casey

"Superman’s Folly Lost" - Judy Marco

"Clark Kent's Pamlico County Connection" - CatherineBaxley

Word has it that even Superman is powerless in the face of those calls at dinnertime, but one entry was thinking that maybe the booth itself could be a worthy adversary:

"A telemarketer’s nightmare" – Charlie Garrett

Several of you were in on the same party line:

"Call waiting" - John Hinners

"Anyone have a dime?" - Patricia De Baise

"Hello, hello?! Is anybody there?" - Lester Duffie

"Brrrring, Brrrring, Rrrrrrring - Is there ANYBODY out there!" - Rose Peterson

"Anybody know the number for 911?" - Keith and Judy Moore FYTC/RRYC/GYC

"ET Phone Home" - Joan Burns

"DOROTHY, CALL HOME!" - Judy Rand

Speaking of home…

"For Sale by Owner" - Bill Schmidt, new resident at Brown’s Creek

"Couth Booth" - Tom Finta

"Temporary Mosquito Shelter" -- that’s from BM1 Mark A Spillane, US Coast Guard who may know more than most about mosquitoes, being stationed at the station in Hobucken.

Mosquitos were also on Candy Bohmert’s mind:

This begs the question, "And just how big are the mosquitoes?"

The skies above Pamlico have been busy with not just mosquitoes but seemingly more military flights these days. Charlie Garrett sent a few scenarios that put the Janiero Road phone booth in the middle of the action:

"Mr. President, here is Saddam's hotline number, in case you want to give him one last chance..."

Or…..

"Hello Mr. President, this is Saddam. You can call off the troops! I promise I'll go along with anything you want! Hello?
Hello?
Hello?..." -- Charlie Garrett

And finally, one entrant predicted a limited shelf life for the subject of our photo:

"Threatened: Relic from Pre-Cell-Phone era. Slated for removal to telecommunications museum next year." -- Joy Laliberte

Given the cell coverage in Pamlico County we may want to preserve this threatened species. Thank you for submitting dozens of creative entries!

The next Pamlico Captions Photo will debut in the October 24 issue of TownDock.net

---

Previous Pamlico Captions

September 2002