Covington, Louisiana, USA

We began the month in Covington, so we might as well end it in Covington. But, we haven't come full circle. The month dawned in Covington, Kentucky, and now ends in Covington, Louisiana. Someone, however, seems to want us to salute Covingtons everywhere. Who is that man competing with the water tower for attention? [2018]

Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA

By the late 1800s, germ theory began to replace the miasma theory of disease. So, up from the mists of time, she arose: Hygeia, goddess of hygiene and daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine. She was exactly the brand you wanted to sell bottles of Manitou Mineral Water in Colorado Springs in the 1890s. [2005]

Andorra La Vella, Andorra

Going back 500 years, Andorra's roadside Creu Grossa continues to remind travelers of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, perhaps giving them strength as they begin or end their journey. The ancient Gothic cross has become an emblem of Andorran nationality and has appeared on several postage stamps. [2005]

Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

If this is Plaza Santa Cecilia, then this must be Santa Cecelia herself! Sure enough: The harp is a giveaway since we all know that she is the patroness of musicians. Walk from her statue to the Arco de Tijuana, and you will have covered almost 2000 years of history. Cecelia was born in the second century and the arch was built in the twenty-first century. [2020]

Alligator Alley, Florida, USA

Here along Alligator Alley, there are three levels of mail delivery. The mid-level box is for air mail destined for human hands. The lower-level box is for alligators. And, the higher-level box is for all the birds with big bills, like the egrets and herons. [1983]

Willis Wharf, Virginia, USA

A race of half-patriotic (stripes but not stars!) giants lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, where it seems like all the mailboxes are twice as high as they are in other parts of the country (maybe a slight exaggeration). It shore makes it easier on their backs to get the mail. [2009]

Keenesburg, Colorado, USA

Some mail travels by surface transportation, and some mail travels by air. So, why not have two mail boxes? And, why not serve the community by having a fire hydrant, not for fires but "for dogs only"? [2019]

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Atwater Market, complete with clock tower, was built in the 1930s. (But you could tell that just by looking, right?) Judging from the size of the market hall, the neighborhood must have been at least a bit posh. With the rise of Montreal's suburbs, decline set in. But, now, it's been gentrified. "Flowers only for you" says it all. [2009]

Auckland, New Zealand

Built on a gore in 1911, the Auckland Town Hall's most conspicuous public service is providing the time to everyone in a totally egalitarian manner. The higher the tower and the higher the clock, the more people can see it, and the more thanks the government gets. Right? So, what's a gore? A triangular piece of land. [2011]

Istanbul, Turkey

Even clocks in public places are often sponsored by private companies to communicate their most important message: It's time to buy. In this case, it's time for women to buy clothes, specifically, from Gizia. Many towers carry clocks at their tops, including church spires in the Christian world but never minarets in the Muslim world. Why and why not? [2007]

Columbia, Pennsylvania, USA

Here is a clock tower that is very special. It marks the entrance to the National Clock and Watch Museum in the small town that once wanted to be the capital of the United States: Columbia, Pennsylvania. Near the top towers the timepiece, a reminder to everyone that there's no time like the present. [2013]

Santa Monica, California, USA

The original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica attracts gymnasts from all over LA. Some, in fact, are stunt doubles keeping fit and agile. Others are just giving their sons something to look up to. Think climbing a rope is easy? Try it sometime. [2020]

Santa Monica, California, USA

January is the second most perpendicular of months: hence, the perpendicularity of photos, too. Feel free to look back over the past few weeks and find the number 1 in each tableau. If you don't get it, you probably missed the festival of Perpendicularis Major, which was 11-11-11. If you do get it, don't ask why. See the Y? [2020]

Santa Monica, California, USA

Situated on the Pacific coast, Santa Monica became a tourist destination in the early 20th century, and then a famous surfing spot. Both surfers and tourists needed places to stay, and the market responded. [2020]

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

There is the CN Tower again, but this time it's on a t-shirt. Without the tower, the Toronto skyline is but another generic silhouette. With the tower, the skyline becomes iconic. As for the company: It has carved out a niche market by specializing in repairing deficiencies in high-rise buildings. [2013]

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto was just doing what the Bible directed. When the prodigal son was welcomed home by his father, he directed his servants to "put a ring on his finger." That's what Toronto did, but first they had to build a finger: the CN Tower. Then, they slipped on the ring: the observation pod. Honor be thine! [2013]

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

You've heard of a double-wide. Well, here's a double-tall. But, the two doubles are at opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum. There is really no reason for KL to have two of the tallest buildings in the world, but the Petronas Towers sure did put Malaysia on the map! [2011]

Rabat, Morocco

Happy birthday regal centenarian! Regal? Yes. The Rabat Lighthouse is located in the Kingdom of Morocco. Centenarian? Yes. The Rabat Lighthouse was built in 1920. If you hike out from the medina, you may find the tower being glorified by its supplicants: breaking waves and wind-driven sea foam. [1989]

Oak Island, North Carolina, USA

You may recognize it as a cylinder. You may not recognize it as a lighthouse. The current structure has invigilated the barrier islands only since 1958, by which time anything aesthetic about lighthouse design had apparently disappeared from the gleam in the architect's eye. Nevertheless, the town of Caswell Beach loves it, and so do its businesses. See below! [1990]

Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

What is your superpower? For Kokopelli, with his Hopi pedigree, it's fertility, and he is also a flute-player, a mischief-maker, and, now, a pop culture icon. As a meme, he may even preside over burials (as on this headstone from Cottonwood), particularly if the departed shared Kokopelli's superpowers. [2019]

Cross Plains, Tennessee, USA

Today, the Cross Plains Indian presides over a fireworks outlet not far from the Kentucky border. Where he came from, though, is a bit of a mystery. Could he be a cousin the of the "mufffler men" that dotted the auto repair landscapes of the 1960s and 1970s? [2019]

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Question you were surely asked in grade school: Who was the Greek god of fire? Vulcan, the blacksmith. He is also the protective deity of Birmingham, the "Pittsburgh of the South." Question you we were never asked in grade school: Where is the largest cast iron statue in the world? Birmingham, in Vulcan Park. [2005]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

From his perch atop City Hall, Billy Penn still presides over Philadelphia. Until 1985, no building in Billy's Philly was allowed to be taller than his hat, at 548 feet. Then came One Liberty Place at 945 feet. Now, the tallest building in the city is the Comcast Technology Center at 1121 feet. In fact, there are thirteen towers that now look down on Billy Penn. [2017]

Sofia, Bulgaria

Holy wisdom (see the owl?) presides over (see the crown?) the renowned (see the wreath?) city of Sofia. She was placed there twenty years ago to void the karma left behind by her predecessor: a statue of Lenin, of course! The name Sofia means wisdom and is of Greek origin, which is surprising given that the people of Bulgaria are Slavs. [2010]

Antalya, Turkey

Christian churches have their bell towers. Islamic masjids have their prayer towers. Both are used to call the faithful to worship, and the both mark the landscape with a symbol of dominance by one religion or the other. The prayer towers attached to mosques are called minarets. When they look like pencils, you can be sure their origins are Ottoman. [2014]

Bethlehem, Palestine

Merry Christmas! You will understand the greeting only if you are an Armenian and, therefore, a part of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Their calendar marks January 6 as the official birthday of Jesus. Here, the Holy Family keeps watch over Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, where Armenian priests help to invigilate the Altar of the Nativity. [2000]

Flagstaff, Arizona, USA

What's left of the hotel is now a youth hostel, but the iconic sign lingers on as a memento of the early automobile era. The same principle gave rise to the the Downtowner sign as gave rise to today's cloud-tickling Interstate signs. To keep up with the competition, you have to catch travelers' eyes before they get to town, and that means going vertical. [2019]

Muleshoe, Texas, USA

Sometimes a community's best asset is its name: Take Muleshoe, for instance. With a name like that, you just know visitors will remember being there. And, you just know who everyone will be watching play football on Friday nights: The Muleshoe Mules. [2018]

Ruston, Louisiana, USA

Nothing warms the cockles of a geographer's heart more than finding a map on the landscape. Here, it is held up proudly for all to see. What can you do in your community to make the ordinary extraordinary, to make the unnoticed noticed, to make the utilitarian aesthetic? [2018]

Adair, Iowa, USA

Because of the town's water tower, everyone in Adair wakes up happy every morning. Here is a salience with a name and a face to give it personality: just like you. What gives your community personality? What puts a smile on your face every day? Just like you. [2008]

Covington, Kentucky, USA

Look again. Here we have not just a rainbow, but a double rainbow. It's a twofer, a metaphor for the year ahead, a year that gives us a 2-for-1 2 and a 2-for-1 0. Or, if you prefer, a year that gives us a 2-for-1 20. Now, have a look at the order of colors in the second polychromatic arc. You have a Happy New Year to figure out what is going on here. [2019]