Photo Challenge #402

For 400 weeks, our Photo Challenge has asked: “Where in Westport would you see this?”

Last week, it should have been: “What in Westport is this?”

Jerry Kuyper’s photo showed an alien-looking black object, against a blue sky. That was it. (Click here to see.)

Seth Schachter weighed in first. It was “managing multiple cables/wires from pole to pole,” he said. Marion Pietrowski noted something similar.

Right. Then Dan Herman narrowed it down further: “It’s called a banjo. Usually 2 within a short distance facing each other. They are used to store slack fiber optic cable in a cable run. The slack cable is used in lieu of splicing the fiber optic cable when the cable has to be relocated.”

Who knew?! (Well, Dan did.)

But then Michael Szeto added even more: “This is a loop structure attached to overhead cables between utility poles. There is usually one between 2 or 3 utility poles. You see them all along Compo Road South, and probably other parts of the town as well. In particular, there are 2 such loops between the 2 utility poles next to the Minute Man statue at the bottom of Minute Man Hill. I see them every day when I walk my dog.”

But leave it to Patricia McMahon, to correctly identify it as actually on Soundview Drive.

I don’t know how she knew. But I do know this: “06880” readers know their stuff.

This week, we’re back to “where in Westport would you see this?” If you know, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Ed Simek)