Bucksport, Maine, USA

Last chance to prepare your practical jokes for tomorrow. And, a reminder: Don't let yourself be a victim of any tomfoolery, lest you be called a gleefully-targeted laddie or lass. [1995]

Custer, South Dakota, USA

Dino is all that remains of a Flintstones theme park. He was rescued and moved to a bedrock throne (get it?) on the outskirts of town, where he serves as a welcoming committee of one. Today, his job is to tickle everyone's funny bone and remind them that the most foolish of days is coming up in just under two rotations of the earth on its axis. [2019] 

Blufton, South Carolina, USA

These heaps of oyster shells along the banks of the May River go back to at least 1899 when the Blufton Oyster Company was founded. Five oyster landings once dotted this small river. Now there is only one, and it is the last oyster shucking business in all of South Carolina's Low Country. [2008] 

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Palms for Palm Sunday, but now we learn that palm trees are not much of a carbon sink compared to other trees. Miami, in fact, is replacing some of its palms with broadleaf trees that also provide more shade. Do you think that trend will spread to Honolulu? [2011]

Lewisburg, West Virginia, USA

 

In the 21st century, there is a quick way of judging the health of a small town. Does it have a coffee shop on (or near) Main Street? Here in the Appalachians, the Wild Bean declares to the world that Lewisburg is not just healthy but one of the best small towns in America (according to a vote taken a decade ago). [2012]

Washington, Utah, USA

Hatchback open.

Music in motion.

Parking lot empty.

Plays he fortemente.

Talent's a wasting,

No listeners chasing

His dotted half notes

Or rhythms that float

Across a wide sea

Of just asphalt and me.

[2019]

Augusta, Kansas, USA

When Zeus turned Pan's lover into reeds, Pan collected the stalks and made them into a set of pipes that will forever bear his name, the Pan Flute. Now, because of the mournful chords that Pan produced for his lost soulmate, we can consider the Pan flute the official instrument of the pandemic. [2021]

Montfort, Wisconsin, USA

The whole renewable fuels era is beginning to look a lot like these sleek wind turbines (with a nod to their ancestors, the windmills of old). In the renewable energy arena, the wind turbine has even surmounted hydroelectricity, accounting for 43% of electricity generated from renewables. Already, they are helping us get ready for the era of all-electric cars. [2019] 

Aztec, New Mexico, USA

The whole fossil fuel era is beginning to look a lot like this forlorn gas pump. Anyone else remember the days when there was only regular, with another pump for high-test? The U.K. will not sell gasoline powered cars after 2030. Volvo will manufacture only electric vehicles starting that year. And, even GM is envisioning an all-electric future. [2013] 

Pawcatuck, Connecticut, USA

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Does that apply to communities which have had to cope with major hurricanes? New England had its hurricane of record in 1938 (before the Weather Service assigned names), and it goosed up the preparedness of the entire region. [2018] 

San Diego, California, USA

In the post-modern age, everything that is utilitarian should also be aesthetic. That goes for big things like skyscrapers (think: 'glass and steel filing cabinets' from the 1970s) as well as small things like bike racks. Every community is trying to be unique, and any landscape element with plasticity of form makes that possible. [2013] 

New Lexington, Ohio, USA

This year, the first day of spring (today!) feels more like New Year's Day. A new normalcy seems to be in sight as we have learned how to manage the great god Corona. Not completely, of course, at least not yet, but we can see some light at the end of the tunnel, and signs of new life are appearing all around us. [2017] 

Pearlington, Mississippi, USA

Fortunately, the Apollo 13 lunar lander is outside. So, even though the Infinity space center is closed by dictum of the great god Corona, you can still see a NASA antique. When it was located at the nearby Louisiana Welcome Center, though, it was even more visible. [2009]

Brodnax, Virginia, USA

To escape the reach of the great god Corona, everyone is social distancing. But it is not appropriate in all circumstances, as the RZUA Church wants you to know. RZUA? Reformed Zion Union Apostolic. It's a pentecostal church that dates back to 1869, and here it is in its home territory. [2020]

Chicago, Illinois, USA

What do we know about the new normal? That the Chicago River will continue to be colored green for St. Patrick's Day. How do we know it? Because even though the the great god Corona declared a cessation to the St. Patrick's Day Parade, his threats did not deter the great green river's once-a-year wardrobe change. [1995]

Douglasville, Georgia, USA

What is the strangest thing about this mailbox canine? (a) He seems to be celebrating St. Patrick's Day a little early. (b) He looks pitifully peaked even though Mr. McFeely feeds him daily. (c) He keeps telling people he wants to be addressed as a malebox. [2018]
 

Key Largo, Florida, USA

What is the strangest thing about this mailbox canine? (a) She does all the work to attract other dogs to her master's motel, yet does not qualify for a room herself. (b) She would have been loved by Gertrude Stein because of her resemblance to fashionable Basket. (c) She will not budge from that post, almost as if she has a stick up her *rump*. [2014]

 

Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA

What is the strangest thing about this mailbox canine? (a) It has morphed into a Dalmatian even though there is no firehouse in sight. (b) It has established a 401K (stands for Kennel) for its canine alter ego even though he is still a puppy. (c) It takes the form of a roadside mailbox even though it is located on someone's front porch. [2006]

Nicosia, Cyprus

It may only be a parish church in Nicosia, but it still has a bust of Archbishop Makarios III, the cleric who became the first president of independent Cyprus. If you think the edifice looks aged enough to be within the walls of old Nicosia, you would be right. The original church goes back to the Byzantine era. [2004]

Riga, Latvia

Folk culture on sale here! Popular culture on sale here! What's the difference and how does it manifest on the cultural landscape? In your own life, how do you blend the best of folk and popular culture? [2003]

Tallinn, Estonia

 

If you like to fantasize about the Middle Ages, there are a handful of European cities that are well equipped to help you relive history. Tallinn is one of the best. Others include Bruges, Siena, Toledo, Colmar, York, Brasov, Delft, Berne, Girona, York, and others that Geographically Yours has not visited. [2003]

Tallinn, Estonia

 

Blue = popular in Estonia, Finland, and Russia. -pank = must be a cognate for bank. Gold = synonymous with wealth. Hansa = Hanseatic League era when Tallinn was at the peak of prosperity. Ship = symbol for the sea trade that put power in the halls of Baltic cities. Hansapank = now Swedbank. So much for local pride 👎. [2003]

Tallinn, Estonia

 

Dominating Estonia's palette of place is the color blue. The Estonian flag is dominated by blue. The national flower is the blue cornflower. (See any on this traditional cloak?) And, the national bird is the barn swallow, which is blue. By the way, don't confuse the palette of place (a place's signature colors) with the palate of place (a place's signature tastes). [2003]

Seurasaari Island, Finland

 

What is it? Too small to live in. Solidly built. Dry. Elevated above the ground. It's a storehouse for food and dried fish. Why do you think it is built atop an old tree trunk? The tree storehouse is one of many structures on display at the open-air folk museum on Seurasaari Island, right off the coast of Helsinki. [2005]

Lisbon, Portugal

Built on a near-shore island at the mouth of the Tagus River, the Belem Tower has marked the gateway to Lisbon since the Portuguese inaugurated the Age of Discovery in the 1500s. Backing up the tower is a magisterial landscape that honors the first world-class capital city. [2009]

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 

"When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray." Oops! Wrong religion! But Matthew's directive is probably good advice for anyone of faith. What faith is followed here? [2016]

Novosibirsk, Russia

 

Founded in the 1890s, along with the city of Novosibirsk, Alexander Nevsky church (and then cathedral) became an anchor of Russian Orthodox Christianity as the Trans-Siberian Railroad made its way west across "Russia in Asia." Although the doors were closed for more than 50 years by the Soviets, they re-opened even before the fall of the U.S.S.R. [2000]

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

 

In Quebec City, the summer season is short, but the summer blooms are beautiful. It seems like the perfect place for gardens and potted plants. Why? First, days are long. Second, temperatures are mild. Long days maximize photosynthesis. Mild temperatures minimize evapotranspiration. In the summer, being half way to the North Pole has it advantages. [2018]

Matthews, North Carolina, USA

 

If you're proud of your community, get its name out there. Let it appear on every public building. Let it appear on the town's water tower. And, let it be memorialized on walls that all can see from the street. You know how you feel when someone forgets your name. Make sure no one forgets the name of the place where you live. [2020]

Montfort, Wisconsin, USA

 

If you're proud of your community, get its name out there. Put it where everyone can see it. Water towers are perfect. In fact, every water tower in the world should proudly proclaim pride in the place that erected it. Let Montfort set the example. [2019]

Patagonia, Arizona, USA

 

If you're proud of your community, get its name out there. Put it on the landscape, and take every opportunity to cement that name in the minds of visitors and glorify that name in the minds of residents. Whether you are in Patagonia or elsewhere, seeing a place name should release a shot of dopamine to activate the pleasure sensors of the brain. [1988]