Saturday, October 31, 2020

Boykins, Virginia, USA

 
On the eve of All Saints' Day, many families have let their demons soar (see the ghosts?) and slumber (see the grave?). Passing souls stop and gawk, but no one wants that black cat to cross their path. Happy Halloween! [2015]

Friday, October 30, 2020

St. George, Utah, USA

 
Biggest Spider:  Here is a monster arachnid who has taken over the whole town. You can do him no harm because he is wearing a coat of armor, one made of Utah license plates (see them?). Alas, he was captured and moved off Main Street to become the front man for a pest control company! [2019]

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Denver, Colorado, USA

 Bigger Spider: Let's hope a spider this big doesn't invade your home this Halloween season. As colorful as a trick-or-treater, he is. Or, as colorful as a peacock. Or, maybe, a black widow dressed up as a peacock spider for trick-or-treating. Maybe he will show up at your door! [2019]

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Swanton, Vermont, USA

 
Big Spider: It's fall, so you are probably seeing spiders under the eaves, all over the house, and in lots of places where they don't belong. According to the web master on the wall of this house, it's because she and her cohort are making end-of-life decisions about where they can lay their eggs. [2011]

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Taipei, Taiwan

People of Taipei: Holding themselves aloof from the world, mendicant monks in Buddhism depend on alms to survive. As he prays (not really an analog of Judeo-Christian prayers), passing pedestrians drop alms into his bowl. He shares the offerings with his order, but only clothing, food, shelter, and medicine are purchased. [2011]

Monday, October 26, 2020

Taipei, Taiwan

 
People of Taipei: Taiwan has the highest scooter-ownership rate in the world. Come rain or shine, they are on the streets of Taipei jockeying with full-size cars and winning the battle to get 'there' first. The proud tiddlers maneuver between lanes of traffic, bunch themselves into a mob at the front of the pack, and patch out as soon as the light changes. [2011]

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Taipei, Taiwan

 
People of Taipei: Wearing a mask on the streets of East Asia has been acceptable for at least a century. But why was the street demonstrator here the only one to don a mask? Perhaps he was not feeling well and didn't want to spread a potential disease to others. Considerate of him, wasn't it? [2012]

Saturday, October 24, 2020

London, England, UK

People of London: Some come on foot, some on bikes. All come for fresh breads and pastries, and take a stab at making the earth (in this case North London) a little greener. Everything on sale is totally organic. [2009]

Friday, October 23, 2020

London, England, UK

People of London: Because it is a first-order world city (like New York), London attracts residents from all over the world. With them, immigrants bring cultural traditions that expand the palette (or palate) of choice for everyone in the city, in this case for everyone in Spitalfields. Do you recognize the fruit and the pan-African colors? [2003]

Thursday, October 22, 2020

London, England, UK

People of London: Stanfords remains in Covent Gardens but it has closed its flagship store on Long Acre. Still, it remains the world's largest map and travel book retailer. "Explore Discover Inspire": That's what it says over the entry portal, but it looks like these two are already inspired even though they haven't yet gone in. [2009]

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Elephants are herd animals that do poorly in isolation. So, you better feel especially sorry for this one: He has no drinking buddies. Why? Because nobody wants to discuss the elephant in the room with him. [2017]

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Tucson, Arizona, USA

In the Low Latitudes of the Western Hemisphere you might see a Baird's tapir. The Low Latitudes extend from 30 degrees N to 30 degrees S. Like so many other mammals, though, you better go see it now. It's classified as Vulnerable because of widespread poaching and habitat loss. [2018]

Monday, October 19, 2020

Ashboro, North Carolina, USA

In the Middle Latitudes of the Western Hemisphere you might see a plains bison. The Middle Latitudes extend from 30 degrees N to 60 degrees N, and from 30 degrees S to 60 degrees S. The plains bison, however, lives only in the Northern Hemisphere, and its range is microscopic compared to only a hundred years ago. [2019]

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Columbia, South Carolina, USA

In the High Latitudes of the Western Hemisphere you might see a sea lion. The High Latitudes extend from 60 degrees N to 90 degrees N, and from 60 degrees S to 90 degrees S. If your pinniped sighting is not in the High Latitudes, you are probably looking at a coastline affected by an offshore cold current.[2020]

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Clancy, Montana, USA

 
You might think of Country Coffee as a private business, but it is also a public service: a filling station of sorts, a place where you can fill up on caffeine before the daily commute to Helena begins. [2020]

Friday, October 16, 2020

Clovis, New Mexico, USA

In Clovis, the world is within your grasp. Most global sculptures are located downtown. This one, however, is located on the main drag out of town. Do you like the way the American flag (the size of a continent) flutters imperially above the the whole world? [2018]

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Chappell, Nebraska, USA

Some advice from Geographically Yours: World globes make great monuments for small towns with big dreams, but please make sure they reflect the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth on its axis. We learn things from public art: Let's make sure what we learn is accurate geographically. [2019]

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

The technological revolution that began with Alexander Graham Bell's (see him?) telephone and transAtlantic cables has been honored in Charlotte with a memorial outside the AT&T building. Positive impact? Good ideas now have an easier time spreading globally. Negative impact? Bad ideas now have an easier time spreading globally. [1996]

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, USA

American Gun Culture ~ Exhibit F:  Your hometown shooting range is also "your second amendment connection." Where is Glen Rock's Freedom Armory located? On Second Amendment Drive. So often, the American landscape reflects the values that are nearest and dearest to our hearts. Right? [2006]

Monday, October 12, 2020

Murfreesboro, Arkansas, USA

 
American Gun Culture ~ Exhibit E: Holding true to family values means having children and slinging guns. Not only have these parents commissioned an etching of the Weatherby Mark V on their departed son's headstone, they named the boy after the bolt-action rifle. [2012]

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

American Gun Culture ~ Exhibit D: Billboards like this show up in every state. Attending a gun show is what patriotic Americans do. Need proof? The message is in red, white and blue, just like the Stars and Stripes. On the other hand, this is Alabama, so maybe it's just like the Stars and Bars of the old Confederacy. [2018]

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Bainbridge, Pennsylvania, USA

American Gun Culture ~ Exhibit C: Perhaps you are experiencing a little cognitive dissonance. First, this homeowner on behalf of the township welcomes you warmly. Then, this homeowner on behalf of the township threatens your life if you don't behave yourself. [2015]

Friday, October 9, 2020

Julesburg, Colorado, USA

 
American Gun Culture ~ Exhibit B: The gun-slinging 'Old West" lives on in rural Colorado! It even serves as an attractive decoration for your home: "We Don't Dial 911." [2019]

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

 
American Gun Culture ~ Exhibit A: The American landscape is replete with evidence of our love affair with firearms. Since 2010, the old Camp Verde jail has been a tourist attraction, and nothing attracts more attention than a gun. Made you look, didn't it? Guns and jails at least have a longstanding relationship with each other. [2019]

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Flint, Michigan, USA

 
Past, present, and future are all part of Flint's marquee. Past: The city must have been founded or incorporated in 1855. Present: The digital screen allows passers-by to keep up with changing events and reminds them of their cell phones. Future: The foreword-thrust script suggests the city is flowing gracefully into a rosy future world yet to come. [2018]

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Jamestown, Rhode Island, USA

 
The Beavertail Lighthouse and the Absecon Lighthouse were first illuminated within months of each other, but one conformed to the common cylindrical shape and the other was built as a rectangular prism. Which one represents the better design? To answer that question, compare air flow (as in storm-force winds) around each shape. [2019]

Monday, October 5, 2020

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

 
All cities look for a way to put their signatures on the landscape. A wave-like script helps if you are on the coast, but the key to getting recognition is the ability to play up anything unique. Atlantic City's tall-and-proud Absecon Lighthouse fits the bill perfectly. [2016]

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Biloxi, Mississippi, USA

 
Biloxi calls its historic lighthouse a "post-Katrina symbol of the city's resolve and resilience." It has survived since it was built in 1848, most recently standing up to the storm surge and pounding waves of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. What a difference 15 years makes! [2020]

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Marion, North Carolina, USA

 
When "Black Lives Matter" starts showing up on Main Street marquees in rural North Carolina, you know the train has pulled out of the station. Hope you didn't miss it! 'Cause change is coming. [2020]

Friday, October 2, 2020

Boise, Idaho, USA

 
"Wear a Mask": It takes so little effort. Why not think about the greater good? Why not think about the welfare of your neighbor, not just yourself? Plus, if you think about what you are doing, you will soon discern when you can take it off and go mask-less without threatening anybody. But it will take cognitive abilities that the anti-maskers do not have. [2020]

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Dillon, Montana, USA

 
It is time to elect a President who will make us proud to be Americans again. The one we have now is an embarrassment. He lies, humiliates, bullies, blabs, and bullshits. That became even clearer after this week's painful-to-watch debate. Please: Make America Proud Again. Elect Democrats up and down the ticket. [2020]