Random Shoes

I always wonder about the stories behind the random shoes (and hats) you often spot on the sides of the road or on a sidewalk, was it intentional and do the owners miss them? Clothing items seen on the sides of highways are particularly baffling - did they blow out of cars or did the owners lose them in the course of an emergency stop?

This shoe was probably found on the sidewalk and placed on top of the draw bridge support on a bridge downtown. It's a child's pink plastic sandal - I'll bet the mom wasn't happy when she discovered the loss!