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