Landisville, New Jersey, USA

Combine flat land with immigrant labor and farm technology: The result is one of the gardens that make New Jersey the "garden state." More important though, is relative location: New York City is at one end of the state and Philadelphia is at the other. [2015]

South Lake Tahoe, California, USA

If your first birthday is today, this could be you in ten years: rushing from the shadows of childhood into the sunny promise of adolescence. Along whatever path you pedal, be sure to hoist your colors high and avoid falling trees. And may the highs you experience include Fallen Leaf Lake in the High Sierra. [2006]

Eugene, Indiana, USA

The Eugene covered bridge has provided a way across the Vermillion River since either 1873 or 1885. The state historical marker claims the former and the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges claims the latter.  No matter which date is correct, the Eugene bridge deserves to be on the National Register of Historic Places, and  it is. [2015]

Barlow, Ohio, USA

The setting of the Mill Branch covered bridge is entirely artificial, but at least it has been preserved. In 1990, it was moved to the Barlow Fair Grounds, where it helped Ohio celebrate its bicentennial in 2003. Although it misses the Little Hocking River, it is proud of its promotion to a public relations position. [2016]

Somerset, Pennsylvania, USA

Walter's Mill covered bridge was moved to Somerset County's historical park in 1986, just in time to rescue it from destruction. Today it is open to pedestrians only. Thanks to the half-cladding, you can see the top of the Kingpost truss, but if you enter and inspect the architectural underpinnings, you will experience a little cognitive dissonance. [2010]

New Oxford, Pennsylvania, USA

Thanksgiving was yesterday; the Christmas season begins today. It's time to go shopping for all the stuff you and your family really don't need. "Seasons Greetings," as they say these days! [2015]

Sudan, Texas, USA

The name of the street is Temple. The name of the ironmonger that makes signs like this is West Craft Metal Arts. In so many towns of the Texas-New Mexico borderland, street signs take the shape of silhouettes. It's folk art in action, and the simple scene here is perfect for Thanksgiving day. [2016]

Nomini Grove, Virginia, USA

The roadside stand may be closed for the season, but the strawberry crop is already in the field and under the watchful eye of the old farmhouse. Garners is one of Virginia's 1379 Century Farms, which means they have been in the same hands for at least one hundred years. Stay tuned for spring! [2016]

Nomini Grove, Virginia, USA

Delicata. Acorn. Butternut. Kabocha. Spaghetti. They are varieties of squash. Add to them so many varieties of pumpkins and you have some autumn crops that will carry you well into winter. Along with potatoes, of course. Want to eat well during the low-sun season and live green, too? Build a root cellar and connect with ages past. [2016]

Nomini Grove, Virginia, USA

Autumn is coming to an end and roadside markets are closing for the season. That would include Garners on Virginia's Northern Neck. If you are local, though, all you have to do is sign up for the winter box program! Winter? Hard to imagine given the warmth and luminescence of Indian summer. [2016]

Amsterdam, Netherlands

In the Netherlands, there are as many bicycles as there are people, and one-quarter of all commutes to work are by bike. How does each of the following factors explain the Netherlands Number 1 status in the world of cycling? (a) scale, (b) topography, (c) climate, (d) urban planning, (e) tradition. Number 2 in the world is Denmark, but it's not even close. [2015]

Bangkok, Thailand

Temperatures in the 80s, muggy, no breeze. Just walking makes you break a sweat, but in the parks people try to sweat even more by ramping up the exercise regime and wearing long sleeves and layers. While you are burning calories and sweating out the poisons, though, be sure to protect yourself from the sun. [2016]

Malacca, Malaysia

Since it is Friday night, you can be sure that Jonker Walk in Malacca's Chinatown is alive with activity. It's the setting for one of Asia's famous night markets. But be careful: There are all sorts of chimerical creatures lurking in the shadows. [2011]

Gabrovo, Bulgaria

The woodpile is ready for the cold season, which must be upon Gabrovo by this time. Someone expended a lot of human energy cutting, chopping, lugging, and piling all that wood. It burns better when it's dry, so someone covered it with plastic as well. And, soon, there will be snow on top of that plastic. [2014]

Jogjakarta, Java, Indonesia

When you are traveling with only a backpack yourself, it is always a treat to find others born under the same star. As for the curbs: They are reserved for backpackers like us! [2016]

Longport, New Jersey, USA

Up goes a bulkhead, but notice there are no dunes between the houses and the beach. The width of the beach will dissipate some of the energy of ocean storms, but no houses anywhere on the Atlantic coast should be built directly on the beach. In fact, let's return our shorelines to their natural state. [2016]

Ventnor City, New Jersey, USA

If you are going to build near the water's edge, at least put a dune between your home and the sea. It will try to protect you. But, don't be too confident. Remember that "climate change" is just a euphemism for global warming. With more energy circulating, storms promise to be more frequent and more devastating. [2016]

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, house raising has been going on all along the Jersey shore. Given rising sea levels and rising storm possibilities, home owners will do all they can to buy a few more years. In this neighborhood the houses are not along the shoreline itself, but several blocks inland. Still, Atlantic City is on a barrier island, and totally vulnerable. [2016]

Washington, DC, USA

Planning a city requires public participation. Popularise.com is a "community engagement platform" that let's people give developers and property owners ideas on what kind of city they would like to live in.  "If you had the power to build a new place in your neighborhood, what would you build?" [2012]

Camp Pendleton, California, USA

If you have been a U.S. Marine since World War II, you may have spent some time at Camp Pendleton. Not only has it served the defense needs of the United States, it has also had the effect of allowing nature to have her way with at least a small part of the Pacific coastline. Today is Veterans Day. [1992]

San Francisco, California, USA

Racial and ethnic minorities now make up more than half of those Americans who are eight years of age and under. "We are a nation of many colors." And that is something we should be proud of. [2016]

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

"We are a nation of many colors," and "Somos una Nacion de muchos colores." That is something we all need to remember over the next four years. [2016]

New York, New York, USA

If you believe the future of the world will be determined by what happens in the United States today, then go out and VOTE. "The end is at hand": The end of the too-long Presidential campaign, that is. Finally! [2002]

Talcott, West Virginia, USA

Right outside the old Big Bend Tunnel stands a steel-drivin' man named John Henry, one of the most famous African-American heroes of all time. He cut through those rocks with his hammer and ended his life proving that tried-and-true brawn was stronger than the new-fangled steam drill made for such tasks. "Go John Henry." [2016]

Nekoma, North Dakota, USA

Grain silos thread together the landscapes of the Great Plains. Just imagine the day when grains were sacked in burlap to be taken to market. Expect to find a rail depot nearby? [2012]

Reston, Virginia, USA

If it's Saturday, you know that something must be going on around Lake Anne in Reston, Virginia. Ever wonder where the name Reston came from? Robert E. Simon ("RES-town"). And, there he sits still watching over the 'new town' he began in the early 1960s. [2016]

Earth, Texas, USA

What police force is this? The Earth Police! Has the U.N. gone this far? Not exactly. You have to understand that Texas (see the flag?) encompasses all worlds, and Earth just happens to be one of those worlds. [2016]

Edmunds, Washington, USA

The Washington State ferry system is the largest in the United States. If you put it together with the nearby ferry system of British Columbia, you might just have the ferry capital of the world. [2011]

Guilford, Connecticut, USA

Like the walls of so many graveyards that separate the land of the living from the land of the dead, Allhallowtide marks the boundary between the season when the earth comes to life and the season when the earth goes into hibernation. This is the third day of Allhallowtide: All Souls Day. [2009]

New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA

It's the day of All Saints, so many Christians around the world are spending some time in the cemetery. The darker half of the year begins today, so it's time for a harvest festival and for honoring all the saints who have crossed into the great beyond. Here's a living saint (aren't we all?) who's working in stone. [1996]