Auckland, New Zealand

It is not everyday that you see a lighthouse like the one atop Bean Rock in Auckland Harbor. It's so small, so alone, and looks so vulnerable atop its pilings. The house itself is built of wood and was the residence of a lighthouse keeper until 1912. What a job! [2006]

Belize City, Belize

The Fort George Lighthouse guards the entrance to Belize's harbor. The tower's image became attached to the country's identity and has become an iconic part of the broader nation-building landscape. More than anything else, it is associated with Belikan, the beer of Belize, which has named one of its lagers "Lighthouse." Perfect for a light beer! [2015] 

Changhua, Taiwan

Would an American be surprised to know that the Bagua pagoda is in the Republic of China? Probably not, because our images of Asian cultures all meld together in our minds. In reality, however, this Buddhist temple is a reminder of the Japanese aesthetic. It just happens to be in Taiwan. [2012]

Cinnamon Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Here is some widely touted advice for landscape photographers: Look for a frame to put around your subjects. Here, driftwood fits the bill. It focuses attention on the activities at sea and adds depth to the tableau. [2014]

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Who spake these words in 1994? (Yes, so long ago it deserves an archaic past participle.) "My mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get?" City skylines should also be like a box of chocolates, so diverse in colors, shapes, and textures (= flavors!), you never know what you are going to get. [2010]

London, England, UK

 

Today, if you are walking along Tottenham Court Road, don't expect to enjoy a pint at the Jack Horner. London is currently under a Very High Covid Alert. In numbers, the city's pubs have held their own over the past decade, but one wonders how many will now be out of business permanently because of the pandemic. [2009]

Sinaia, Romania

How do you know Sinaia monastery was a success? 150 years after being founded, it got a new, nation-building church. Find the three green entwined cords that circle the building. Three! Obviously a reference to the Trinity. Also, a reference to the unity of Romania's three regions: Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania. Sinaia is close to where the three meet. [2014]

Sinaia, Romania

As a monastery, Sinaia must have cells for resident monks. Of course, the brothers prayed and meditated, but they also performed other services by providing shelter and medical care as called upon. That's just what was needed along the strategic road between two of Romania's three parts, the road that connects Wallachia and Transylvania. [2014]

Sinaia, Romania

In the late 1600s, a Romanian aristocrat made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land that included a visit to St. Catherine's monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai. When he returned, he built his own monastery and named it Sinaia after the holy mountain. One of the first buildings to take form was the Old Church. [2014]

Jerusalem, Israel

Look at the timepiece. Is it a clock or a wormhole? If you don't recognize the numerals, it might be the latter, i.e., a time tunnel connecting two dimensions: 21st century CE Israel with 10th century BCE Phoenicia. The numbers are letters from the ancient Phoenician alphabet. The only one that looks familiar is the 8. Yet, surprisingly, you can read all twelve! [2010]

Nashville, Michigan, USA

"Never again" said God, after the flood, as he put a rainbow in the sky to remind people it would never happen again. Yesterday, a similar deluge ended. It lasted four years instead of forty days. Now, it's time to look for rainbows that repeat the message: "Never Again." Can you find the double rainbow in the sky here? [2018]

Foster, Rhode Island, USA

Alleluia! Alleluia!! Alleluia!!! Alleluia!!!! Four years of lies, hate, perfidy, and treason are at an end. Now, it is time to create a new future, with compassion for all, respect for science, protection of individual liberties, and a return to the "pursuit of happiness." Four years ago, the uneasiness was palpable; now we know why. [2019]

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Re-gilding the eagle begins tomorrow. Let's hope the last four years of lies, hate, perfidy, and sedition are an aberration in American history. And, let's remember that re-gilding begins at home, with each and every one of us. This American eagle watches over the Indiana state capitol. [2018]

Waitsburg, Washington, USA

Bales of hay that look like this, each weighing about 100 pounds, are becoming distant memories. Round bales, each weighing up to 1500 pounds, are taking their place. Small square balers do not support the economies of scale at which farms today must operate. [2019]

Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

Just looking at a tree house lets you escape the mundane. It lifts your spirits and gives flight to your dreams. As for living in a treehouse: That's for the birds (and maybe cats). [2019]

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Initial impression: The world is being being buried in trash. Then, you notice the pipes that lead to the surface. Intended impression: The world should be channeling the energy of landfill gas to the surface and using it to generate electricity. "Waste not, want not!" according to the plaque at its base. (See it?) [2020]
 

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

"Properly care for your car's tires." That's the message of this globe. See the tread marks and tire pressure nozzles? An efficiently running car eliminates thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere: Carbon dioxide pollution is what it was called in the 1970s; but, after the election of 1980, we didn't take it seriously. [2020]

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Look closely and don't scream when you discover it is not simply a decorative sphere. It's a world globe. Do you see Australia and Southeast Asia trying to make their screams heard? What is the entire world screaming about? Global warming. Planet Earth is calling out for help. And the City of Charlotte wants you to know it. Thanks, Edvard Munch. [2020]

Charleston, Illinois, USA

Jimmy John's grew up with the millennial generation, which seems to have become the sandwich generation. JJs was founded in a garage on January 13, 1983, and broke away from the competition when it prioritized delivering to the local college market. Today, it shows up on every list of the 'top 10' sandwich shops in the country. [2017]

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The city is Toronto. What's the name of the lake? Superior or Huron or Michigan or Erie or Ontario? Deep, large lakes are rare around the world. When they do occur, it is always in the plural, and they are always in the middle of great (as in the three largest) continents: North America, Africa, Asia. Why? [2010]

London, England, UK

They sit on a Japanese throne in the middle of a globalized European city. Where do you think they are from? Clues: (1) physiognomy, (2) social class, (3) regional context. European communism collapsed about a decade before this photo was taken. [2003]

Brussels, Belgium

During the first 15 years of the Surveillance Era (post-1999), "big brother" felt obligated to let you know if you were being watched (post-1984, the book, not the year). Now, we all assume we are being both watched and recorded every time we step out of our private space and into public view. Amazingly, we don't seem to care! [2015]

Beraban, Bali, Indonesia

Pura Tanah Lot is an active Hindu temple. It is one of seven sea temples along the coast of Bali, the "island of the gods." To each come the faithful to pray, and all are in the market for an offering fit for deities. The purchase of preference: flowers and flower petals. [2018]

Beraban, Bali, Indonesia

Sea arches are short-lived. Here you see evidence that one has collapsed, turning what was a promontory into an island perched upon a wave-cut terrace that is accessible on foot at low tide. Why would you want to walk there? Because it is the site of Tanah Lot temple, part of Bali's Hindu landscape. Remember: The religion of Bali is Hinduism. [2018]

Beraban, Bali, Indonesia

Here is an ancient Hindu temple on a sea arch. Even though Bali is a volcanic island, this bedrock appears to be limestone associated with mature karst. The arch itself looks like the roof of an ancient cave, part of a landscape that has been uplifted and attacked by waves and currents. In geologic time, sea arches are quickly erased by nature. [2018]

Cruz Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Hope you didn't take down your crèche the day after Christmas. The wise men did not arrive until January 6, which we call Three Kings' Day or Epiphany. Seems like today should really be the day of gift giving. Christmastide ended last evening, so it is now permissible to send the magi back to your attic for another year. [2014]

New Kent, Virginia, USA

Green vs. New Kent County went to the Supreme Court and forced localities nationwide to actually desegregate schools in line with the Brown decision of 1954. To unveil the historical marker, the Green family assembled to honor their patriarch, Calvin Coolidge Green, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of his grade-school son, Charles (far right), in 1965. [2021]

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

It's time to celebrate Utah's qasquicentennial! Statehood came 125 years ago, making it the last state of the nineteenth century to join the union. The capitol was finished ten years later. When you see Capitol Hill up close, it looks like the humid East, but when you zoom out you realize it is all an illusion: You are in a desert. [2020 and 2003]

Tucson, Arizona, USA

When he began his distinctive "Behind the Mask" murals, little did Finn DAC know masks would become one of the calling cards of 2020 and, now, 2021. Maybe his avatar will return from Europe to cover her nose and mouth, too. The arm tattoo says "Forget me not." Actually, it is hard to forget Finn DAC's distinctive aesthetic. [2018]

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

After the anchor triumvirate (led by Delaware) ratified the Constitution in 1787, Georgia kicked off the new year with ratification on January 2, 1788. It never occurred to you, though, that a new name might be in order. Your birth name honored a colonial king (one of those Georges!). Fortunately, there was also George Washington to give you cover. [2020]

San Diego, California, USA

Happy new year, for sure. May the likes of 2020 never be seen again! Now, let's see what the new normal looks like around the country and the world. Let's hope smiles return to streets everywhere. Maybe by the end of 2021, no one will need to wear a smile-hiding mask. [2020]