Nicosia, Cyprus

Perpetuation through time is analogous to diffusion across space. Some innovations neither last nor spread; other innovations both spread and last. Mosaic art is among the latter. It made ancient civilizations famous, and it continues to command artistic attention, especially in Mediterranean countries. [2004]

Jerusalem, Israel

Jerusalem stone: It's the building material that has given Jerusalem a sense of place all its own. The city sits atop a limestone ridge, and the underlying geology has become the foundation of the built environment. The most amazing aspect of Jerusalem limestone is that it changes color as the sun arcs across the sky. [1997]

34.47° N 81.21° W, U.S.S. George Washington, Atlantic Ocean

On an aircraft carrier, you need a tailhook to land and a catapult (actually four of them) to take off. The catapult launch makes it feel like you are in a sandwich press. I boarded the U.S.S. George Washington on its way to Japan. Six years later, the mission is ending, the GW's place in the Pacific to be taken by the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan. [2008]

29.48° N 79.33° W, U.S.S. George Washington, Atlantic Ocean

The runways on an aircraft carrier aren't long enough to land a jet, so a tailhook is used to force an arrested landing. As with all things in life: practice makes perfect. [2008]

29.48° N 79.33° W, U.S.S. George Washington, Atlantic Ocean

On this day, six years ago, I joined a party of civilians who flew out of Norfolk and experienced a tail-hook landing on the deck of the U.S.S. George Washington, an aircraft carrier on its way to a new home port in Japan. These sailors reflect the average age of the crew: 20. The man in the middle is the helmsman; he's driving the ship. [2007]

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Here are two competing vertical skylines: skyscrapers along Peachtree Street and tombstones in Oakland Cemetery. The first gains its height by adding stories, the second by adding Victorian grave makers to the top of a hill on the edge of town. [2014]

McDonough, Georgia, USA

By what criteria do you judge the worth of a small town?  Must it have some public space in the middle? a farmers market? some restaurants? a bakery? a Starbucks? Mercifully, McDonough's Starbucks are out by the Interstate. On the square is Bliss, the hometown favorite. [2014]