Sometimes, it pays to look down

One of the things I’ve missed, since coming returning from Switzerland, is being able to walk and tram and train everywhere, so I’ve been trying to get into the habit of walking more here in Tucson, not just as exercise, but also as transportation from one place to another. Not always doable in a spread-out city with blistering summers–but perhaps more doable than I’ve been assuming. Anyway, today I was heading home, walking along the sidewalk just a few blocks from our house, when I look down and see a sidewalk tile:

three-eyed alien

I smile, delighted, and keep walking. Soon I see this:

waving lizard

I backtrack, and discover a tile that explains this was part of a 2003 summer community art project. The rest of the tiles–more than a dozen in all–were as delightful as the first two. A couple other favorites:

dino with flowers turtle with stars

Just a few blocks from my house, but I hadn’t noticed until now. I wonder what else I miss, when my car is a barrier between me and the world. Or even when it isn’t, and I simply fail to look down.

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