Line Dried: Curating the Clothesline

The clothesline has become an insta worthy, almost romantic symbol of sustainability, ease, and slow living ... signifying times past, and recalling some other world altogether.

Having grown up in North America, with the comfort and convenience of electric dryers, it took our move to an island in the middle of nowhere to slow down enough to realize we were missing out on harnessing the natural power of the sun to routinely dry our clothes. That this romantic symbol of days gone by was actually relevant today, more than ever! 

There is so much beauty and zen in the simplicity and efficiency of line drying your laundry...the meditative ritual of hanging each piece, the art in curating a scene...the open intimacy of the items out on display - the smell of the laundry - the light as it shines through the clothes- the ocean breeze as it gives life to and freshens each article... even the articles themselves seem to tell a story as well - tiny socks tell of a home where children dwell...a row of jeans - a worker's wash.  

When we first arrived on Santa Maria, we found the charm of the clothesline novel- so much so that we began photographing them! It wasn’t something that we were used to seeing on a regular basis- and the backdrops of old broken rock walls, verdant green rolling pastures, volcanic hillsides and tiny stone houses framed by lush gardens or chicken coops brought on even more old world charm. But now, we've joined the locals in making line drying a routine, family affair- the kids help pin up and take down.

There are so many benefits to this practice - it forces us outside early on a beautiful day, saves natural resources, and cash! Not to mention the sun makes your whites whiter and the natural line hanging process extends the life of our clothes vs throwing them in a machine...sooo much more sustainable!

Reflecting on this- I began to wonder why we hadn't made line drying a part of our routine before? - to take advantage of the natural energy we can take freely and cleanly from the sky...