Ephemera: A collection of stuff from around the world

Prayer Ribbons, Pelourihno, Salvador, Brazil

Ephemera - e·phem·er·a

noun:
Things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time.

·Items of collectable memorabilia, typically written or printed ones, that were originally expected to have only a short-term usefulness or popularity.

Maid of the Mist. Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Travel is the essence of ephemera. When you visit a place, you are creating experiences that are, by definition, short-term. If it is your first visit to a place, your senses may feel bombarded with stimuli. Everything is new, and you just drink it in like a dry sponge. Or, you might be returning to a place you have been before. Now you are looking for specifics;

“Is that café still open?”

“Smell the bread from our favorite bakery.”

“The soup here is the best tasting  in the world.”

Fabrics. Palermo, Sicily, Italy

All of these experiences are short-term. So we try to burn them into our memories. But memory is fleeting, so we try to help it out. We write travel journals. We take photographs. That’s right, we create ephemera to help us remember ephemera. I guess that is what makes us human.

African Blouses, Brooklyn NY

Soap. Union Square Market, New York city

Fabric, Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Chiles. Minka Market. Lima Peru

Beads. Mercado Modelo. Salvador Brazil

African Fabrics. Brooklyn NY

Sombrillas (umbrellas) Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico

Plate Wall. New York City

Fish. Pikes Market, Seattle Washington

Maid of the Mist. Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada

Statues of Liberty. New York City

Mussels. Pikes Market. Seattle Washington

Radishes.

Spices. Union Square Market. New York City

Tomatos. New York City

Lobster Pots. La Push, Washington

Ayacuchana. Minka Market, Lima Peru

Railroad Timetables. Arkville NY

Bottle Trees. Oro Grande, California