Desert aesthetics

[mollyringle]

One type of Christmas card or holiday image I always particularly liked was the star of Bethlehem scene: a lovely star in a deep blue winter night sky, over the warm yellow-tan hues of desert sand and camels and torchlit Middle East ancient buildings. Not because of the religious moment, but because of the colors and the beauty of the composition. So I think one reason I long to visit the Southwest, especially in winter when all we have up here is gray, is that they have that same color palette going on, with the adobe and the dry clear skies.



Santa Fe, I will be in you, someday sooner rather than later if I get my way.

Comments

2000 years ago?

[(Anonymous)]

( from new_iconoclast, via cell phone): Today, that's the climate, and northern Europe probably isn't right. But what was it like 2000 years ago?

Re: 2000 years ago?

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Middle East 2000 years ago, I assume, had rather more trees and vegetation, and less desert, though still warm and dry on average. Goats eating everything green was apparently one reason for the de-greenifying of the Fertile Crescent. The US SW probably looked about like this back then, climatewise. All Indian territory at that point though, of course. :)

[avari-maethor.livejournal.com]

Each year the US Postal Service puts out a "forever" stamp. It might be a little known fact, or not I really have no idea, but post offices around the country are very competitive with who gets to present the yearly "forever" stamp.

Last year my local post office submitted their request to be the one chosen. The post mistress didn't have a lot of hope because we're such a small town. However! We were chosen and so she had a big ceremony, hired a horse and buggy to bring people from the church behind the post office to the office and had the presentation ceremony. It was really neat.

This was the "forever" stamp last year: https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/s720x720/534531_578814315782_1232215889_n.jpg (well, a rough painting of it, the actual stamp was much prettier)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Lovely! Congrats to the town!

I always buy the forever stamps if I can, what with the USPS raising stamp prices whenever I'm not looking.

And appropriately, tying it all back together, the Southwest cities like Santa Fe still do the "posada" tradition of having a Mary and Joseph wander around on Christmas Eve looking for shelter.

[modmerseygirl.livejournal.com]

Lovely!