Blog Archives
Zia. Zia.
Zia. It’s everywhere in New Mexico. On the flag. On license plates. Twice on this building in Clovis. Even, according to this article, on public toilets.
But it’s also a sacred symbol of the Zia Pueblo, a tribe of about 850 members, who feel that perhaps their tribal symbol is being used in ways that are not in accordance with their beliefs. The current session of the state legislature has asked the State Department of Cultural Affairs to prepare a report on the matter. A previous fiscal impact study on the issue said the Cultural Affairs Department should consult with Zia Pueblo, but cautions that “there is potential for conflicts of interest between the state and the pueblo, particularly if the report is intended to include recommendations.”
Clovis, New Mexico
photographed 5.25.2013
The ghost of what once was
This wall beside a parking lot tells a story about what used to be here, before asphalt rectangles with space numbers painted in yellow were more valuable than buildings.
Speaking of rectangles: kind of a lot of them here, aren’t there?
Austin, Texas
photographed 5.11.2013
A substantial sky, 2
Another substantial sky, as a follow up to this one.
When I was in Chicago last spring, I was able to check out a bit of the city between sessions at my conference*. One afternoon, I went to Navy Pier to see what I could see. Maybe I was there on the wrong day, or in the wrong season: there wasn’t too much going on.
Oh, except for that storm.
Chicago, Illinois
photographed 4.15.2013
*I really did go to the sessions.
Haven’t seen Albuquerque?
The website for this store, Skip Maisel’s, says it is housed in “one of the most interesting and unusual buildings in the Southwest,” which is a pretty grand statement. And, in my opinion, may not be particularly accurate. For example, I think this place is pretty interesting. And so it this. But maybe I am biased.
The website also says “if you don’t go to Skip’s, you haven’t seen Albuquerque.”
By that definition, then, I have not seen Albuquerque. But I have seen some alleys…..
Albuquerque, New Mexico
photographed 9.2.2012
The excellent arrow
“The excellent arrow” is what I named this the day I found it.
It was a wayfinding arrow, showing where the parking lot was, for a now-defunct restaurant in downtown Lubbock. I like the curves, the blue-and-white, the way the artist signed it, the dappled sunlight on the concrete block wall.
For that matter, I even liked the restaurant.
(Regarding my use of the urban-planning term “wayfinding” – you may not know this about me, but I actually am a licensed urban planner! That doesn’t mean much, really, except that I once passed a test and continue to pay dues to the American Planning Association. But every now and then, just to keep in practice, I throw in a planning term. Here’s another one, just for fun: road diet. It really IS an exciting profession.)
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 3.13.2011
