Happy Birthday to the USA! Hope you have a great holiday!
See twitter and instagram for some parade photos from Port Jefferson, NY.
Tag: birthday
Happy 5th Birthday Preservation in Pink!
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)
Flamingo Cake
Last year's absolutely delicious, fun birthday cake from my dear friend Katie M. You know you have a good preservation friend when she bakes you a birthday cake and draws a flamingo and adds a TON of sprinkles ... and puts it on one of the few plates she keeps in her kitchen. It stil makes me smile. Katie, I miss you this year -- so far away!
Happy Birthday Vermont!
On March 4, 1791, Vermont was admitted as the 14th state in the United States of America. Happy 220th Birthday to the State of Vermont!
The Vermont State House, 1859. Photograph by Kaitlin O'Shea.
Read a timeline of Vermont history.
Read all of the Vermont roadside history markers.
Visit the Vermont Secretary of State kids’ page including a list of the things that Vermont was the first to do…
Visit the Vermont Historical Society’s Vermont History Explorer website.
Are you a Vermont expert? Take this quiz to find out!
————–
And is it merely coincidence that searching for “Vermont birthday cake” comes up with this cake?
I think not.
Happy Birthday Vermont! You are wonderful!
Flamingo Celebrations!
Laurel, me, Elyse, Missy, Ali, Maria, Kerry - at Missy & Shane's wedding!
Two special flamingo announcements:
1. June 7 – Happy Birthday Kerry!! I hope you have a fantastic day. You are one of the best preservationists I know!
2. Congratulations to Missy & Shane, the newlyweds! We all had an amazing weekend in Virginia and wish you the absolute best.
Mary Washington flamingo tradition at weddings.
The tradition began in Thousand Island Park (see here and here).
Happy Birthday Sarah!
Happy 21st Birthday to my sister Sarah! This is a picture of us during our Midwest road trip in August 2006 with a fabulous display of roadside architecture, a GIANT prairie dog, near the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. We also fed prairie dogs behind the parking lot. They were so cute!
Birthday Things
A birthday in roadside fashion certainly includes the world’s largest cupcake, even if it imaginary:
And if the cupcake is that big, I’m going to need the world’s largest pot of coffee and a giant cup in which to hold it. Note that the coffee pot pictured is the world’s largest Swedish coffee pot:
Both of these are in Stanton, Iowa, home of Virginia Christine, who is Mrs. Olson in the Folger’s commercials.
And I’ll probably need some flamingos who will share the giant cupcake and lots of coffee with me. Who’s in?
Cupcakes, coffee, flamingos … perfect. It seems like we have a case of, “If you give a mouse a cookie,” only it’s “if you give a flamingo a cup of coffee, she’ll surely want a cupcake, and some friends to join, and…” It’s a delicious cycle.
Now if only that homework thing could be resolved…
Trivia note: Did you know that “The Happy Birthday To You” song was popularized in the early 20th century, but before that, “Happy Birthday” was not seen on cakes?
Birthday Things
Cupcake poster for sale on Etsy
Old Mill at UVM
cupcakes, coffee, flamingos, and preservation thoughts (coupled with my favorite people)
… nothing makes a better birthday.
….except for this, the greatest present ever:
Thank you, Vinny! It is awesome.
Everyone wants one, I know. Stay tuned for news on PiP shirts for sale.
Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Maria Gissendanner!! Maria, I hope you spend your birthday enjoying one of your crazy off-the-beaten path adventures, where you’re sure to come up with good stories and photos, as you always do! Have a great day!
Preservation in Pink 