Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Michelangelo, the artist not the turtle, observed that "a true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection." Does that apply to this snapshot of Geographically Yours? [2016]

San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A surfer dude must have gotten a little too frisky with his last surfboard, giving rise to a new species. It doesn't look like there is much room for a brain; though in this day of artificial intelligence, who cares? [2016]

City Centre, Gibraltar

Bib overalls on the streets of urban Gibraltar? Where's the farm? Maybe he just disembarked from a cruise ship for a few hours. Not too many cruise lines allow you to bring your pet rabbit on board, though. [2015]

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Cincinnati's Metrobot accepts Tweets, makes calls, and swallows big screens, all in the interest of drawing people into the Contemporary Arts Center. Hope he doesn't scare them away instead! [2015]

Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Oh, lovely Rita, meter maid, where would Columbia be without you? For an answer to that question, you might consult (a) City Center Partnership, (b) Matthew Kramer, (c) Paul McCartney, or (d) Sgt. Pepper. And, from each you might get a different version of reality. [2016]

Chester, Illinois, USA

When you have a famous cartoonist, E. C. Segar, as your favorite son, you don't waste the opportunity to use the forces of localization against the forces of globalization. Placelessness may be setting in all over, but not in Chester, Illinois. On practically every corner, there is a character from the Popeye cartoons. Do you recognize this one? [2015]

Leesburg, Virginia, USA

It's Michelangelo moonlighting as a security guard for Meadows Farms. From up there he can issue an intruder alert immediately. What is his weapon of choice? Nunchucks, of course. [2014]

Waterloo, Illinois, USA

What's a big blue bear doing outside the Monroe County Courthouse on a sleepy Sunday afternoon? Perhaps he escaped from a nearby elementary school. Perhaps he is starring in the next Toy Story. So long Buzz Lightyear! Animalia are taking over. [2015]

Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA

The geography of the Atlantic coast between Florida and the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay was perfect for pirates, with many (a) nearshore islands and sheltered hiding places, and (b) offshore merchant ships heading to Charleston and points north. Now, that history is perfect for place promotion. [2008]

Alexandria, Minnesota, USA

 

Was the birthplace of America in Minnesota? Big Ole says 'YES'! In 1362, someone in his party of Viking explorers inscribed the story of their expedition on graywacke. The runestone was discovered in 1898 and has become one of the legends of American folk culture. [2012]

La Cross, Wisconsin, USA

Gottlieb Heileman passed away on this day in 1878 here in La Cross. Until last year, more than two decades after the Heileman brewery went bankrupt, Gambrinus still stood outside the plant proclaiming himself to be not only the King of Beer but also its the inventor. Perhaps someone can tell us whether he has returned to the landscape. [1991]

Paddy Run, West Virginia, USA

"The eagle has landed." Mission complete. It may be the Mountain State rather than the Moon, but that doesn't diminish the accomplishments of a great artist in de-flighting the eyes. [2014]

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

If this were New Jersey, she would be pumping your gas. But, here in Wisconsin, she just guards the pumps. Don't approach too closely, though. She's wearing an Elizabethan collar, and that means she bites. [2006]

New York, New York, USA

Now, there's an electrician's electrician, fully equipped to deal with any wiring problem. How did he get his start? By installing rabbit ears on TVs in the 1960s. [2010]

Auburn, Nebraska, USA

Another blogger said it best: "big guy with the puppy-like face, frosty mug of root beer, and giant oreo sandwiched in a hamburger bun." The restaurant? Dairy Sweet. Nephew? Big Boy. [2008]

Jonesville, Michigan, USA

Scarecrows have left the garden patches of rural America and come to the cities. Now, they help us celebrate fall with straw while standing tall for us all to see. Is this what public art has come to? [2008]

Norfolk, Virginia, USA

A tiger has escaped from the Virginia Zoo, which is right across town. Guess he liked Town Point Park better than Lafayette Park. Of course, he would: Town Point is tonier. [2014]

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Pancho came down from his high-latitude home to spend the winter months with his cousins, the sea lions, in Cabo San Lucas. He might just stay: looks like he found a job. [2016]

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

It's not easy being green. Is this (a) Kermit the Frog, (b) The Grinch, (c) Mike Wazowski, (d) Shrek, (e) Señor Frog, (f) Oscar the Grouch, (g) Gumby, (h) The Incredible Hulk, or (i) none of the above? [2007]

Gyeongju, South Korea

It's not easy being green. Is this (a) Kermit the Frog, (b) The Grinch, (c) Mike Wazowski, (d) Shrek, (e) Señor Frog, (f) Oscar the Grouch, (g) Gumby, (h) The Incredible Hulk, or (i) none of the above? [2012]

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

His fellow minions have been assembling for several weeks to get ready for today's festivities. It's Fat Tuesday, a.k.a., Mardi Gras. Lent begins tomorrow. [2011]

Marble Falls, Texas, USA

Perhaps there is no more ambiguous word in the food lexicon than BAR B QUE: How do you spell it and what does it mean? Sometimes you simply have to judge by location. Since this is Texas, you are likely to find something quite different than in North Carolina. Time to go in, man. [2015]

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

Check out that waistline. For someone carrying around a spare tire (or two), she seems awfully svelte. When it comes to the hips, though, it's a different story. [2007]

Yulee, Florida, USA

That's not the real King Kong. He's either a pretender or the cartoon version who starred in The Mighty Kong in 1998. Like his flesh and blood relative, though, he does well selling cars. [2008]

Burlington, Vermont, USA

King Kong has been on the big screen since 1933 and has starred in a dozen films. Did you ever wonder what he did in between pictures? Here's your answer. Yes, there was a long period of unemployment after King Kong Lives debuted in 1986. [1995]

East Point, Georgia, USA

"The muffler man, the muffler man. Do you know the muffler man, who lives on Berry Drive? Yes, I know the muffler man, the muffler man. Yes, I know the muffler man, who lives on Berry Drive." [2015]

Dallas, Texas, USA

He survived the destruction of an entire planet, Planet Hollywood, in 2001. He survived the closing of a entire "festival marketplace" in 2006. Still, this dragon seems happy to be surrounded by so much Dallas history: lots of  industrial-era warehouses and factories awaiting re-purposing in the West End Historic District. Hope he survives that, too. [2007]

Roxboro, North Carolina, USA

Two is a fitting number for the second of February: obviously partnered, obviously friendly, obviously patriotic, obviously evangelical, obviously mechanical, and obviously not at all interested in whether the groundhog saw his shadow today. [2015]

Schellsburg, Pennsylvania, USA

Recognize him from your childhood storybooks? He's the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and he will lead a parade of fanciful creatures through the coming monat. February is the oddest month of the year, and in leap years it's even odder. So, get ready for a procession of oddities, many as pied as he is. Pied? Perhaps multi-hued, perhaps cunning. [2010]