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 words were chosen by Rebekah: work, gold, centerpiece and balance.

One Community: September

I’m living in my hometown again, although this is my first time living in Phoenix proper. I logged the first 30 years in the Easy Valley, once upon a time. Now, I conveniently live in a neighborhood not far from work, where the billboards are in Spanish, the laundromat and torta shops fight for customers with loud paint jobs and sign twirlers, and the corner title and loan shop’s flickering neon can be seen from my bedroom window.

My new community is a bit rough around the edges, and I love it.

After the sun goes down, folks come out of their homes. Baby strollers and dogs on leashes and couples holding hands. Giggling girls with Justin Beiber backpacks and bright pink high tops and buns of raven black hair tied on top of their shiny heads after a day at the nearby elementary. Teenagers with arms of tattoos and ripped jeans and voluptuous brown skin piling out of tiny tank tops, leaving nothing to the imagination. (Or helping those teenage boys cool off.) Together we all wander the sidewalks before the night falls, happy the temperatures have dipped beneath 100. We walk off dinner. We walk to pass the time. We walk to talk about our days, or have a moment of quiet, or just make sure the dog doesn’t poop inside. Again.

The neighborhood has pockets of beautiful desert landscape, intense views of Piestewa Peak , oh the sunsets. The sunsets! These showgirls use every hue in the box of 64, and perform nightly for free — something we can all appreciate.

One Community: September

One Community: September

Work: because survival in the desert is work this time of year, even if you only dart from from one air conditioned space to the next.

One Community: September

One Community: September

One Community: September

One Community: September

One Community

Gold: So many great examples in the flora and fauna on a quick walk around the block. The desert is a shy beauty, but when you are patient — you can find her gems.

One Community: September

One Community: September

Balance: Holding on for dear life, praying the next storm is gentle — or better yet, that there is sun in the forecast.

One Community: September

Centerpiece: Green and turquoise and knitting. Because it is still my house. What else would you expect?

-K

 

One Community participants include:

Sarah is a life-long Missourian who shares her home with her husband, two sons, and an old grumpy dachshund. Like every good Midwesterner, she can (and will) talk to you at length about the weather.  Sarah blogs at www.beautyschooldropout.net 

Colleen lives with her handsome hubster and two feisty felines in Portland, Oregon. She loves rain and sun (in that order), words and pictures, and chatting up the neighbors. She blogs at: www.underaredroof.com

Rebekah lives in Kilkenny, Ireland with her husband. An American by birth, she’s discovering what it means to be an expat on the Emerald Isle. She blogs at Honeysuckle Life.

Kara is a cheerful nerd living in downtown Phoenix, AZ with her law-studying husband and an anxious pound puppy. She works full time in the mental health field but in her off time enjoys sunshine, great food and the occasional craft beer.  www.sunshine-cupcakes.com 

Wife and Mom to a houseful of boys in sunny San Diego; word geek and all-kinds-of writer; maker of things both creative and useful. Sue is now blogging again at nobaddays.wordpress.com 

Teresa lives in Massachusetts with her husband, college aged daughter and two crazy cats.  She is a creative spirit who tries to find the lesson, blessing and humor in everything and she blogs at http://laughteramongtears.blogspot.com

Stephanie is a lifelong Wyomingite with ranch girl roots.  She has her own marketing and graphic design business and in her free time, she enjoys knitting, fishing with her boyfriend, and team roping.  She blogs at: www.nowicanseethemoon.co  

Eduarda Schroder is a curious, visual creature who believes all pictures tell a story.  She hails from Mozambique, via Portugal and NJ, and now is desert rat living with her husband and two teenage daughters in Chandler, AZ.  http://of-blue.blogspot.com/