american southwest – Krista Marson

Garden History

I love my garden. It is my happy place, my personal patch of paradise. Pictured above is what my garden looks like now, but that’s not how my garden started. No, my garden started off looking like this: It started off as a patch of weedy grass, random concrete slabs, river rocks, and a rustyContinue reading “Garden History”

Lonely, but not

Ghost towns are curious places because they feel a bit off. Humans don’t like to fail, and placing oneself inside a city that didn’t quite make it translates as somewhat jarring to the human psyche. Abandoned cities tend to make one feel a bit fritzy inside, and there is something about that strange feeling thatContinue reading “Lonely, but not”

Welcome to Miami

No, not that one. This one: Welcome to Miami…Arizona. This is what Miami looks like when it lives in the desert. There is a “river” there, but no beach. I put “river” in quotations because it’s usually dry. Well, I say it’s “usually” dry, but it hasn’t been dry lately, but I’m getting ahead ofContinue reading “Welcome to Miami”

America West

I used to travel. A lot. Like, an unreasonable amount. I used to travel a lot because I could travel for free anywhere that America West Airlines went. “America Who,” you ask? America West. They were a big airline in the ’90s. I wouldn’t say they were a popular airline because people loved to hateContinue reading “America West”

Phoenix Urban Art

Phoenix, Arizona is one of America’s fastest-growing cities. In fact, data released by the census bureau declared Phoenix as the fastest growing city in the United States between 2010 and 2020. During that time, Phoenix added 163,000 more residents, which translates to an 11.2% growth. Naturally, all this growth means that the city that I’ve knownContinue reading “Phoenix Urban Art”

Aridification

Definition: The gradual change of a region from a wetter to a drier climate. The American West is drying out. I live in one of the states where this is a concern, but most people I know aren’t talking about it. It’s almost as though people don’t want to know that water is depleting. As longContinue reading “Aridification”

Scared of Summer

WILDFIRES IN THE AMERICAN WEST The above photo is an image of a burned cholla cactus. I took this photo after the Sears fire ripped through its habitat in September 2020. The Sears Fire burned through nearly 14,500 acres (22.65 sq miles) over the course of a week. It’s hard for me to conceptualize whatContinue reading “Scared of Summer”

Water, Or The Lack Thereof

Above is a photo that I took of Hoover Dam in January 2020. The water level was precariously low then, and it’s even lower now. About 25 million people depend on the water provided by America’s largest reservoir, but a prolonged drought is slowly sucking the life out of a sustainable future. Living in theContinue reading “Water, Or The Lack Thereof”