One Community is a monthly photo project in which participants photograph their homes and community with a theme in mind. The theme varies by month. The goal is to both showcase similarities and differences in our communities worldwide – and bring us all closer together in understanding through art.
This month’s four words from Kara are: road, float, sprinkler and oasis. Note the theme. Kara and I are both Arizona natives and by the first week of June, everyone in Phoenix is thinking, “Wait. Are we really doing this again?” It is still a dry heat this time of year. The monsoons will begin in six weeks, and then our excessive heat gets a layer of humidity on top. (No cherry offered.)
Friends, this isn’t a news flash. It gets really hot in the desert in the summer time. As such — a few photos to meet the theme:
Road: One year ago I was living near NYC. I am so incredibly thankful I had last summer to run around this frenetic, smelly, culturally rich, intense town. I will always look back on that snippet of time with fondness, wishing I’d spent more time simply wandering. And eating Ess-a-Bagels in Central Park. And staring at art in the Met. And photographing the melange of city dogs.
Float: Summer in Arizona means finding water. We are under an “extreme heat advisory” this week because it is 110-plus. There are rivers you can “float,” although these adventures have become less fun the older I’ve gotten. (“Show me your XYZ for a beer?” at 18: made me blush. At 34: I want to call his mother and wear long sleeves.)
I’d rather rent a kayak and float by myself on Tempe Town Lake. Or a pool raft, and float in the privacy of a backyard with a gaggle of my friends’ kids playing in the shallow end.
Sprinkler: This is a crazy recycling project gone right. Need a slow sprinkler for your summer garden? An orange juice bottle, some tiny holes and tape will do the trick. (Matty, the Pink Golfer, made this one once upon a time.)
Oasis: The pool at the Clarendon. I love this boutique hotel in central Phoenix, in part because one of my favorite restaurants is in the lobby. As such, one may eat tacos and sip palomas poolside — which might be my idea of heaven.
If you are interested in playing along this month, do so here.
The One Community photo project is all about the connections between us even though we all live in different places. Please join us by linking up your blog post with photos.