Shoe Tree

Hey, we humans are a pretty diverse species, aren’t we? Different colors, genders, sexual preferences, not to mention political persuasions, curiosities and turn-​ons, tats and piercings, culinary interests… hey, we’re all so unique, right? And we love to post those status updates letting everybody know just how special we truly are, ad nauseam.
But when it comes to how we inhabit this world, I’d argue that we’re all pretty damn homogenous. Albuquerque’s ever-​burgeoning über-​suburb, Rio Rancho, is case-​in-​point: endless rows of neighborhoods that blend seamlessly together, no character to speak of, sprawling across the sands. Expressing our individualism in mall-​selected fashion, choice of automobile, or Christmas lawn decoration, we generally prefer to hide within our swamp-​cooled abodes and smoke up on Reality TV, or streaming movies, or whatever defines us. That’s America, boys and girls. I Am What I Ingest.
The Shoe Tree is just a telephone pole covered in shoes. That’s all it is. You have to wonder how the artist pulled it off, he/​she probably started at the top and worked down from there. It’s in the middle of a pretty homogenous neighborhood near a country club. I didn’t take pictures of the adjacent house for privacy reasons but it’s totally worth a look. Know this: while you were watching the latest mini-​series, somebody was outside crafting this, and the rest of the castle, which is indeed a feat. Two dogs live here, and they continually cross a bridge in the sky. If that isn’t enough to piqué your interest, just go home and watch whatever it is you consider «your show».