Sapello, New Mexico, USA

As you begin your climb into the southern Rocky Mountains, cross the Sapello River and ascend! Scenes like this, with their lonely-looking cabins, remind you of how important it must have been to know the local environment and how to make it work for you. [2017]

Owls Head, Maine, USA

The coast of Maine is famous for its pocket beaches. They're the only places where you can find some sand in these sand-starved regions. Don't expect to go swimming though, unless you are hearty enough to withstand a seriously cold immersion. The Labrador Current fills Maine's coastal indentations with rather chilly water from the north. [2008]

Belle Fontaine, Alabama, USA

Hot Boiled Peanuts: It's an acquired taste. If you like them, let your mind take you back to their land of origin, tropical Africa. If you don't like them, purge them from your thoughts. For sure, though, if you are traveling through the American Southeast and see a sign like this, at least give them a try. [2017]

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

All the bases are covered: a place to park, a place to buy your food, a place to sit in the shade, a place to relieve yourself. Go ahead, order a Compass Taco and immerse yourself in Southwest culinary culture. Now, find the one thing in the scene that seems not to belong. It's on the margins. [2017]

St. Clair, Pennsylvania, USA

It's not a vintage filling station, but it does kick you back a few years. Does a scene like this make you wonder what we will salvage from the Flying Js, the Sheetz, the Wawa's, or the 7-11s that dispense gasoline (and lots of other things) today? [2017]

Florala, Alabama, USA

Check ya'oil fo'ya? In the heyday of the filling station, a pump jockey would actually come out to 'fill'er up' and check your oil. Now, looking like a movie  set, this long-abandoned station specializes in the teachable moment, perhaps starting a conversation between gramps and the grandkids. Now, write an essay on "Wormholes in the Local Universe." [2017]

New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA

Here are two greyhounds whose racing days are over but whose lives are not. Fortunately, they have some fans who make it their business to find loving homes for these former racers. They retire young: under five years of age, still with a lot of love to give. See the art deco movie theater behind them? [2003]

Waynesboro, Virginia, USA

Geographers classify Waynesboro as a 'gap town.' With few good passes, the Blue Ridge Mountains (see them?) are a formidable obstacle to east-west transit. One of the first routes to open up, though, was through Jarmin Gap. Suddenly, a town was needed as a service center for the crossing. Waynesboro sprang up to serve that need. [2017]

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Glass-clad buildings  have come to typify the post-modern skyline. It's hard to separate the building from the heavens above. Today, nothing is correctly conceived as categorical; everything is a continuum, a spectrum of possibilities. In an age of flows, the clouds seem to just flow through the floors, perhaps collecting data as they go. [2017]

New York, NewYork, USA

Modernity was defined by industrial production of discreet objects that made our lives better. Out of the factories they poured, eventually to end up as fleas at a market. Post-Modernity is defined by the work that goes on in offices, the output of which lives in 'the cloud' until it is needed. Its yield of collectibles for the second-hand market: none. [2017]

Seal Beach, California, USA

If a retirement community is given the name Leisure World by its developer, a world globe makes perfect sense as the welcoming icon. That's right: The one in Maryland isn't the only Leisure World! But, the one here in Seal Beach has not been set apart as a census designated place (CDP) like its cousin on the east coast. [1988]

Leisure World, Maryland, USA

If a retirement community is given the name Leisure World by its developer, a world globe makes perfect sense as the welcoming icon. The first residents arrived in 1965, and the population now stands at just under 10,000. Where is the development located? Leisure World is located in Leisure World, a census designated place (CDP) in Maryland. [2017]

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Basalt on Tenerife tells you that volcanic Mt. Teide is a cousin of the Hawaiian volcanoes: It rises from the ocean floor. When basalt cools it often fractures, but the most common results are columnar polygons and spherical boulders. Here, the basalt has fractured into a flower: La Piedra de la Rosa. Very unique. [2017]

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Mt. Teide last erupted in 1909, and everything around the peak is volcanic in origin, including the Roque Cinchado, which has become a symbol of the Canary Islands. It's actually a remnant of an old volcanic surface from which the current cone arose. The national park is one of the most visited in the world, complete with a teleferico to the top. [2017]

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Given its shape, there is no doubt that Mt. Teide, now the focal point of a World Biosphere Reserve, is volcanic (active!) and high enough to rise above the tree line. The white cloud bank frequently obstructs views of the coast from the sunny interior. Do you remember the name of the cold current that chills the coast and precipitates the fog? [2017]

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Not only does the cylindrical stone tower mark the southern-most point on Gran Canaria, it also adds a unique touch to the tourist amenities and dunes that sweep around it. The lighthouse of Maspalomas was illuminated for the first time in 1890. [2017]

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Las Dunas de Maspalomas are huge and accessible only on foot (or by camel!). That means it is always possible to find a private pocket of drifting sand for doing what you want. On one side of the dunes are the resorts, on the other side some pretty isolated beaches. [2017]

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

The Canary Islands are an autonomous community of Spain (just like Catalunya or Andalusia) but located a thousand miles away. Look at the landscape: It's an extension of the Sahara. In fact, the original inhabitants were Berbers. Like most oceanic islands, though, there is also a windward side, in this case the north, which is much greener. [2017]

High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

At 8,000 feet, in Toubkal National Park, you reach the col that divides the Imlil Valley from the Azadn Valley. Let's hope you have made arrangements for a Berber picnic in advance. Then, it's time to turn around and and head down. For some, that may be more risky than going up! As for Toubkal itself: well over 13,000 feet. [2017]

High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

As the piste continues, the valley floor and its villages are soon dwarfed by peaks on all sides, and you're not yet to the border of the national park. It's a hiker's dream, enough to keep Brits like this one coming back for decades. There is still a long way to go, though, until you summit and cross the divide into the next valley. [2017]

High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Jebel Toubkal is Morocco's highest peak, but if you want to ascend even the foothills, you have to do it on foot. Here, the piste to Toubkal National Park is just getting a started. At 6,000 ft., the valley bottoms are given over to walnuts, apples, and cherries. New construction, such as the mosque, has been stimulated by new roads serving the Imlil Vallley. [2017]

Agafay, Morocco

When the sun has done its work for the day, it sets in the western sky. This is what a sunset looks like in the deserts south of Marrakech. Red and orange wave lengths are more difficult for the atmosphere to scatter, but just before sundown, the depth of atmosphere through which sunlight must pass is maximized, giving us magnificence like this. [2017]

Agafay, Morocco

Given enough water, date palms and olive trees capture the energy of the sun and turn it into edible sugars and oils. Here, a small barrage along an ephemeral stream keeps water from flowing away and gives it time to sink into the ground, setting up conditions for oasis agriculture. See the dog? He may serve as the local police force. [2017]

Agafay, Morocco

The Agafay Desert south of Marrakech is not exactly an expanse of wilderness. Some salt mines and natural oases brought life to these arid landscapes in the past, and some wells make it possible for more people to live here today. The biggest source of revenue, however, is desert tourism, which generates the need for ever more building material. [2017]

Marrakech, Morocco

The souks of Marraakech are filled with ritual. Before opening his shop, this merchant purifies the air, presumably bringing the blessings of God upon his little corner of the art world. From his hand, swings a censer; from the censer arises the fragrance of burning incense. [2017]

Marrakech, Morocco

The Koutoubia mosque and its minaret are here framed by white wrought iron. The swirls form a central octagon which is an example of geometric design, one of the highlights of Islamic art. The white frame they create contrasts with the ocre buildings, which is very reminiscent of windows in Atlas villages. [2017]

Marrakech, Morocco

Jma el Fna is at the heart of Marrakesh. Few Arab cities have such a large open square but Marrakech was settled by Saharans who wanted a place to enact their desert rituals. Today, though, everything that goes on here is done with tourists in mind. The mid-day sun discourages a lot of activity, but when the sun sets, Jma el Fna fills up with people. [2017]

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Ever see a bubble busker? Here's one who has no trouble attracting attention on pedestrianized Argyle Street, the heart of Glasgow's shopping precinct. Do you think he feels bad because his audience completely ignores him because they are so bedazzled by his diaphanous creations? [2017]

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

These two are out for a Sunday morning dander, and, in so doing, they're keeping Scottish culture alive. They are wearing the iconic dress of Scotland, the kilt. Kilts are the formal wear for Scotsmen, but they are increasingly worn for less than formal occasions. If you are good at reading tartans, you may also be able to divine their clan heritage. [2017]

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Glasgow wastes no time reminding visitors that it was "the second city of the empire." During its heyday, the people who made Glasgow great were not only merchants but also men like the chemist Thomas Graham, whose statue is but one of dozens honoring Scots who helped make the arts and sciences what they are today. [2017]