Panama City, Panama

The present encroaches upon the past. On the other hand, just think of how many more people can see the remains of Panama La Vieja through all those sky-scraping windows. Do you think they ever think of Henry Morgan sacking the city in 1671? He used this bridge which led to the western gate of the original city.  [2017]

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico

If your name is Lucas, this is your cape, and these are your guardian pelicans. If your name is Lucas and this is your birthday, then you must be two years old and ready to start seeing the world. South from here, though, you won't find another morsel of land until you reach Antarctica with its guardian penguins! [2016]

Aroumd, Morocco

You can't see the path, but the mule can! As for his master, he seems to be completely secure in the knowledge that his beloved pack animal will not tumble downslope and send him rolling into a hospital. Have you ever seen anyone ride a horse in a position like this? [2017]

Swanzey, New Hampshire, USA

The Carlton Bridge is in a particularly bridge-rich area of New England with residents who recognize the value of cultural patrimony. In 1993, the townfolk made sure the Carlton Bridge did not continue downspiraling into oblivion. Later that decade the bridge was completely rebuilt. [1993]

Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA

Watt's Bridge was among the last in Cumberland County when it fell victim to an arsonist. Unfortunately, the county in 1970 did not recognize the value of it cultural patrimony, so the remains of the bridge were simply piled up by the side of the Conodoguinet, where they remained for a decade. A county that once had dozens of covered bridges now has one. [1970]

Thurmont, Maryland, USA

Loy's Station Covered Bridge was built in 1848 and stood for almost a century and a half. Then, in 1991, an arsonist set it ablaze. Because Frederick County recognized the value of its cultural patrimony (and the value of Loy's Station Park), the old wooden bridge was rebuilt to look again as it looked circa 1930. [1994]

Yanceyville, North Carolina, USA

Since yesterday was a day for saying "Thank You," today must be "You're Welcome Day." In this case, you are welcome to Yanceyville, a place of tradition with vision. Does your town or city have a welcome sign or banner? If not, you might pick up some ideas from Geographically Yours Welcome. [2015]

New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, USA

It's both Thanksgiving and the 100th anniversary of my father's birth. Happy Birthday, dad. Here's one of your oil paintings that has survived: Baughman Memorial Methodist Church, the very place Geographically Yours was baptized so many decades ago. [1948]

Amarillo, Texas, USA

Do you believe in zoos? One hundred years ago, bison from the Bronx Zoo were reintroduced to their native habitat in Oklahoma, the first successful reintroduction of a mammal species in U.S. history. At the time, the species was on the verge of extinction. Thanks to the nation's zoos, we now have bison and many more species back in their homes. [2017]

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

With The Lion King, warthogs entered the pantheon of popular culture. Before that, they were just crusty old pigs with warts (six in number), tusks (2 in number), and and an appetite for anything organic (plant or animal) they could dig out of the soil. Now, they are sought out by kids of all ages and almost as popular as the meerkats. [2014]

Clovis, New Mexico, USA

Barbary Sheep are from the Barbary coast of North Africa, where they have practically died out. Fortunately, they have been introduced to other regions of the dry world, where they now thrive. According to the placard at Hillcrest Park Zoo, their indigenous name is 'aoudad,' which sounds very Berber. [2016]

Ballintoy, Northern Ireland, UK

The state's official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Ballintoy is located on the island of Ireland, part of which, Northern Ireland, is one of the United Kingdom's four constituent countries. Before Irish independence in 1921, the official name of the country was the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. [2009]

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

The state's official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Edinburgh is located in Scotland, which is one of three countries that comprise the island of Great Britain. Scotland was a kingdom of its own before 1707 when the Acts of Union created a United Kingdom. In the late 1990s, Scotland reconstituted its own parliament. [2017]

Cardiff, Wales. UK

The state's official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Cardiff is located in Wales, which is one of three countries that comprise the island of Great Britain. Wales was absorbed by the Kingdom of England in 1535. After a referendum in 1997, Wales regained self-governing powers, including over its own language and university. [2015]

Manchester, England, UK

The state's official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Manchester is located in England, which is one of three countries that comprise the island of Great Britain. England was a full-fledged kingdom of its own before 1707 when the Acts of Union created a United Kingdom. [2004]

Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic

At rest. The sea is calm, the boats at anchor, the waves in abeyance, and the sands awash. It's not always so peaceful, though. Just imagine what the coast will look like the next time a hurricane comes through. Coastlines are just like people: subject to moodiness (often beyond their control). [1992]

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Telamons: using their heads, shoulders, and arms. Since they have no legs, you can be assured they will never abandon their posts! Never! Even though both ancient Greece and Rome inspired the birth of modernity, telamons are usually Greek in lineage. More skin = more Greek! [2011]

Piraeus, Greece

Telamons: male figures that serve as columns. Since these four are in the heart of Greece, however, we ought to call them by their Greek name: atlantes, the singular of which is atlas. Remember Atlas? From his perch in the far west, he supported the whole sky on his shoulders (though he is usually pictured as holding up the spherical earth). [2006]

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Telamons: male counterparts of caryatids. But, in the case of columns, there were working women before there were working men. Both, however, remind us that the Renaissance continued for centuries. Here is evidence of the worshipful reverence that nineteenth century architects had for ancient Greece and Rome. Even the garb is Greek. [2017]

Sofia, Bulgaria

Caryatids: using their heads (as caryatids do). In ersatz classical style, these princess guards invigilate the entrance to Princess Casino. But, they do raise a question. Did the ancient Greeks engage in gambling? Yes, even the gods (notably Hermes and Pan) were known to lay odds every now and then. [2010]

Warsaw, Poland

Caryatids: three of them. They are wearing the prescribed vestments for their ilk. As the bronze personifications of faith, hope, and love, they set the tone for a new era of Polish independence when institutions like the Supreme Court (seen here) were being rebuilt in the 1990s. [2003]

Ponce, Puerto Rico

Caryatids: two of them. They support a false balcony overlooking the main entrance to the house of a wealthy industrialist in Ponce. Their ancestors supported the false porch of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis. Good ideas never die. They are simply recycled: in this case, recycled by the neoclassical architects of the early 20th century. [2009]

Granby, Quebec, Canada

Don't break your right angle. It means you can't drive. On the other hand, you do learn some new skills like navigating around on a knee scooter. Where did it happen? In the foothills of Mt. Toubkal. Coming down the mountain was a killer. Not really, cause I'm still alive. But, it was a breaker. As you can tell from the x-ray-ted picture below. [2009]

Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

Street sweeper or street greeter? Judging from the smile, probably the latter. Actually, he's a municipal employee who keeps the city looking good, but he also keeps pedestrians happy by offering directions, snapping digitals, and grinning out loud. [2017]

Cuzco, Peru

Here, in one of the barrios that surround Cuzco, serious work is in progress, but at least the kids are there to help. What's going on? Incumbent upgrading, a process that is turning a so-called shantytown, into a regular neighborhood thanks to the hard work of the people who live there. [2001]

Sofia, Bulgaria

An innovation wave that began in California didn't stop until it reached Bulgaria and enveloped the world. In the United States, when life returned to normal after World War II, skateboarding was born as an off-season alternative to surfboarding. It is now such an established part of world culture that we assume it has always been with us. [2010]

Havana, Cuba

In Cuba, politics is writ large on the streets and roads. The U.S.-orientation of the 1950s resulted in tons of classic Fords, Chevys, and Chryslers. The U.S.S.R.-orientation of the next three decades brought Ladas and Eastern European models.Thanks to the inventive genius of the Cuban people, all are still purring along. [2014]

Cleveland, New Mexico, USA

Derelict but delicious! A rusting flatbed truck seems like the perfect remembrance point for a Rocky Mountain valley that is slowly transitioning from agricultural gloria to residential exurbia. In excelsis Deo, of course. [2017]

Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA

Surplus hay at the end of the harvest season? Donate it to the city for a museum-quality sculpture. It's just as good as Carrara marble even if it doesn't last as long. Surplus tires at the end . . .  Well, you get the idea! [2012]

Oxford, Pennsylvania, USA

For Roman Catholics, the first of November is set aside for honoring 'all saints' who have made it to heaven. In practice, it's a day for cemetery visits. For Protestant Christians, All Saints Day (or the first Sunday in November) is used to honor all those who have passed on during the previous year. [2014]