Preservation in Pink turned five years old on May 28. Five years ago was the debut of the very first (short) newsletter and this blog address served only as a placeholder for newsletter issues throughout its first year.
The newsletter ran for six issues, while this blog continued to develop and grow, starting as a regular blog in spring of 2008. The early blog days began with oral history anecdotes, field school lessons and subjects that I found to be preservation inspiration. As it turns out, once I started writing, I couldn’t stop! From community related issues to roadside America to national preservation concerns, landscape, transportation, historic architecture, graduate school, all things flamingo and coffee, these 900+ posts have been near and far.
Although PiP has evolved over the years, it remains true to the original purpose: to encourage communication between preservationists and non-preservationists, to keep us all inspired and enthusiastic, and to explain the benefits and relevance of the field to everyone.
To see the growth in Preservation in Pink is humbling and inspiring, quite frankly. To know that more and more people are reading about preservation and making the connection from one field to another says to me that we are all making a difference and people are becoming more aware and in touch with their built environment, communities, and heritage.
Perhaps understandably so, it is hard to remember my preservation life before Preservation in Pink or a time when most people I know did not associate me with every flamingo they saw. Without being too sentimental, Preservation in Pink has always been and continues to be a true joy in my life. When a post resonates with a reader (a preservationist or not) and that person can make a connection to the field, it warms my whole heart.
Thank you readers, longtime and new, regular or passersby, for your support, interest, conversations and comments, emails, word-of-mouth publicity and of course, for the flamingo links and photos. You are a wonderful bunch (dare I say flock?), and I learn from you constantly.
Just some of the Preservation in Pink flamingos.
Happy Birthday to Preservation in Pink!
————————
Some of My Favorite Posts Over the Years, New and Old
Grandma’s Pyrex Mixing Bowls (April 2012)
You Do Not Have to be a Historic Preservationist (March 2012)
How to Photograph a Bridge (February 2012)
Anatomy of Preservation Guilt: HGTV (January 2012)
I Am A Historic Preservationist (January 2012)
Preservation Grammar: Historic v. Historical (December 2011)
If Someone Offered Free Vinyl Siding (October 2011)
The Upside of Interstates (May 2011)
Preservation Basics – Series (April 2011)
I Wear A Hard Hat (January 2011)
My Ode to Derby (January 2011)
My Road to Preservation (September 2010)
Vermont in Pictures (August 2010)
A Response to “How to Turn Young Adults into Preservationists” (July 2010)
Gold in Them Thar Hills: Part Three (June 2010)
More of Carl’s (June 2010)
The Kitten Who Studied Architectural History (December 2009)
Landmarks Shaping Me (December 2009)
Right Place at the Right Time (July 2009)
Why They Don’t Let Me Outside (February 2009)
Interstates, Rest Stops, Service Roads, Old Asphalt, and Coffee (January 2009)
The Time Warp Effect of Home (December 2008)
Concrete v. Asphalt (December 2008)
Five Stages of Small-Town Preservation Induced Grief (August 2008)
Why Do All Preservationists Love Flamingos? (August 2008)
Old Memories, New Memories: The Evolution of My Favorite Place (July 2008)
South Carolina Road Trip (July 2008)
My Ode to Oral History (May 2008)
Nebraska Schoolhouse (October 2007)
Preservation in Pink 