Washington, D.C.

Small front gardens and a sidewalk cafe on 17th Street, N.W., between H and I Streets, August 1973, by Dick Swanson for DOCUMERICA, via The U.S. National Archives Commons on flickr.

(Click on the image for a better view.)

None of these buildings remain today. The current view (from the ground) is here.

DOCUMERICA was an photography program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). From 1972 to 1977, it hired over 100 photographers to “document subjects of environmental concern.” They created an archive of about 80,000 images.

In addition to recording damage to the nation’s landscapes, the project captured “the era’s trends, fashions, problems, and achievements,” according to the Archives, which held an exhibit of the photos, “Searching for the Seventies,” in 2013.

The striped umbrellas

Remodelista recently did a nice post on cabana-inspired stripes, here.

Whenever we go to Gisenyi on Lake Kivu, I get obsessed with the Serena Hotel’s row of blue striped umbrellas along the beach.

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These pictures were taken in June at dusk. It really is serene there.