Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand

When you go sea kayaking, there's only a thin veneer of fiberglass that stands between you and the open ocean: so open that it could swallow you up in two shakes of a yak's tail. [2006]

Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA

They haven't offered tours of the chocolate factory since 1973. Guess who was on one of the last. They have had Kisses for street lights for as long as anyone can remember, including guess who. The whole town used to hang heavy with the smell of chocolate, but it doesn't anymore. Guess who remembers when it did? Geographically Yours, of course. [2019]

The Everglades, Florida, USA

Why should you visit the Everglades in winter? Third, it's as good a season as any to see the Great Egret, but hurry. The number of breeding pairs in the Everglades has been declining. What's first? What's second? [2018]

The Everglades, Florida, USA

Why should you visit the Everglades in winter? Second, it's the perfect season to spot a little blue heron. That's because so many return from the north to over-winter here. What's first? [2018]

The Everglades, Florida, USA

Why should you visit the Everglades in winter? First, the weather is beautiful because it is the dry season. That means perfect conditions for boat-board fishing. Just be careful to steer clear of the manatees! [2018]

Lansing, Michigan, USA

Michigan became the 26th state admitted to the Union on this day in 1837. Ten years later, Lansing replaced Detroit as the state's capital city, and construction of a capitol (not this one) began. In moving the state's government westward, Michigan followed the lead of most seaboard states. [2018]

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, USA

Witherspoon has weathered the winter for 135 years, and it remains up to the task of carrying cars across Licking Creek. When winter transport was by sleigh, however, covered bridges presented a problem: no snow on the roadbed for the sleigh's runners. In those days, snow had to be shoveled onto the roadbed, not off. [2018]

Ashboro, North Carolina, USA

The Pisgah covered bridge has a lesson to teach about climate change. It was washed off its foundations in 2003 by flooding. We know that heavy rainfall events are increasing as the atmosphere warms. We also know that some of those events will occur on creeks with historic bridges. Let's hope those bridges will be put back together like the Pisgah bridge. [2019]

Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA

In the spring, it's all about hue and saturation. In the winter, it's all about shadows and silhouettes. Welcome back to Elizabethton and its famous covered bridge, rediscovered once again by a gaggle of geese: Canada geese (sans passeport) to be exact. [2019]

Punda, Willemstad, Curaçao

Bananas or plantains? Onions or shallots? Lemons or limes? No matter what they are called, buy some and take them home. Then, come up with a recipe that uses all three ingredients, plus only two others of your choice. Before you start, though, you might want to buy Jamie Oliver's new book: 5 Ingredients. [2017]

Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Photovoltaic solar panels aren't just for land lubbers any more! It's a great way, especially in the sunny tropics, to keep your boat's batteries charged. And, with more peace of mind, it is a great way to keep your batteries charged, too. [2014]

Hong Kong S.A.R, China

Just think how heavy they would be if filled with water! Just think how much smaller the ecological footprint would be if they were filled with tap water at the offices themselves. On the other hand, just think how much larger the ecological footprint would be if all those office workers were drinking from 8-ounce, one-use, plastic bottles. [2011]

Las Palmas, Jalisco, Mexico

Give up screens for a week and you'll be making things like this, too. Screens? Flat surfaces on which images appear electronically. They have become ubiquitous. Ubiquitous? Occurring everywhere. How addicted are you? [2008]

Jerusalem, Israel

The Dome of the Rock, on the left, is the most recognizable and most architecturally significant monument in Jerusalem. Rarely, though, is it photographed with its little brother, the Dome of the Chain, which is visible through the arches. Both were built in 691 AD, and the Dome of the Chain was probably the model for the larger Dome of the Rock. [2010]

Novosibirsk, Russia

Two decades ago, it looked like the relationship between Russia and the United States was becoming ever closer. Even in far-away Novosibirsk, American flags were fluttering across the Russian landscape, presumably as symbols of friendship. Alas, the era of good feelings seems to have come to an end. [1999]

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Somewhere between the dandelions and the high rises is an international border: the frontier between Canada and the United States. Wouldn't it look so much better if there were a border wall snaking its way across the landscape? Maybe you could even build it in the middle of the river itself? [2013]

Durham, North Carolina, USA

"Thank You Dr. King":  Today is your birthday. You would have been 90 years old. We honor you all year, of course, but on the third Monday of January (next Monday) we have had a declared federal holiday since the 1980s. It took until 2000 for all the states to fall in line, however. South Carolina was the last state to proclaim a state holiday in your honor. [2012]

New York, New York, USA

It's still winter, but here's a fruit-and-flower vendor who is sitting outside soaking up some rays: sleeves rolled up, eyelids rolled down, brain pouring over a map of the Azores high pressure system that seems to have moved a bit farther than usual to the west this time of year. [2012]

Portland, Oregon, USA

Feel free to be what you want to be, but you're not a bumble bee. Nor are you Bumblebee, unless you can prove otherwise by transforming yourself into a classic Lamborghini. That would surely show up your cousin B-127. And, it would so impress your queen, Queen Anne. [2011]

Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

Transcript of a conversation between two buildings within earshot of each other: "I see a building. What kind of a building are you?" said I.C.A. to I.M.A. "I am a Medical Center" was the reply. [1995]

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

"Paean" is the word of the day because it fits this piece of public art so perfectly. What does paean mean? It's a fervent expression of praise and thanksgiving. In this case, a bit of folk art gives thanks for family traditions. Now, compare this family to yours. [2018]

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Canal Street is said to be the Avenue des Champs-Élysées of New Orleans. So, let's compare the two. No, not the landscapes, which are incomparable, but the geographic nomenclature: (1) Street vs. Avenue, (2) Canal vs. Elysian Fields. Let's face it, no other street in the world can compare to Paris's Champs-Élysées. [2018]

Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Statehood came to Connecticut 230 years ago today, when the legislature ratified the new U.S. Constitution. Ninety years later, the new capitol building was ready for occupancy. In 1971, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks, of which the state now boasts sixty-three. Doesn't it look so lusciously French? [2018]

Jonesborough, Tennessee, USA

The sign is in Spanish, English, and Arabic: "No matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbor." You can see it around town in Jonesborough and well beyond. Both the sign and the sentiment started in a Mennonite Church in Virginia and spread from there. Here's yet another sign (and sentiment) that Jesus would approve. [2019]

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

The crocodile monitor may be the longest lizard in the world, but its cousin, "the dragon," is far more massive. Indigenous to New Guinea, it has a snout more like a crocodile's than other monitors. Plus, it warns locals of crocodiles in the vicinity: believable when you consider it lives in trees. Kudos to the Cincinnati Zoo for exhibiting a hard-to-keep species. [2013]

Mandai, Republic of Singapore

The Malayan water monitor ranges more widely than his Komodo cousin. Rather than being confined to a small island or two, he lives throughout Southeast and South Asia. The Red List sees the species as unthreatened. Truth is, though, water monitors are part of the global pet trade and are prized for their skins: evil economies of the modern world. [2016]

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

In the wold, the Komodo Dragon is found only in Indonesia's Komodo National Park. But, probably driven by its name, its size, and its ferocity, the Komodo is among the most popular attractions in zoos around the world. In case you are wondering, it is not a dragon at all (or is it?), but a monitor lizard, of which there are dozens of species. [2011]

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

King Billy rules the Canary Islands: the goat and his nanny, that is. If you look at the landscape looming over this goat farm, you will understand why. Visit the islands, and don't leave without eating some goat meat, drinking some goat milk, and downing some goat cheese. [2017]

Tbilisi, Georgia

Bolstered by its Christian roots, the Georgian alphabet has survived for almost a millennium and has become a bulwark of Georgian nationalism. With only 4 million speakers, though, think of the pressures to adopt something more widespread. For the Soviet-era seat warmers it was the Cyrillic alphabet, and for the post-Soviet youngling it is the Roman alphabet. [2015]

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

For so many Scots, cycling becomes part of fitness-for-life. It starts early, with special family week-ends during which many streets are closed to motor vehicles and many parks are turned over to games and competitions. Let's hope these ups and downs are not a metaphor for a bumpy ride ahead this new year. [2017]

Newburg, Maryland, USA

"Have a great new year!" Let's hope 2019 doesn't bring a three-alarm fire because this truck doesn't have a driver, and all the ladder-man does is horse around. What's his name? Apollo Lusa. He's part Greek and part Portuguese. Get it? If not, click here. [2017]