Dalton, Nebraska, USA

Educated guess: The sunflower crop has been hit by a defoliant because the uniformity of dessication is exactly what the oil mill ordered. Just imagine how beautiful this field was when in full bloom. It's just too bad Nebraska didn't beat Kansas to proclaiming the sunflower the state's official flower. Nebraska had to settle for the goldenrod. [2019]

Union City, Ohio, USA

What could be more awe-inspiring than a field of late-summer sunflowers? The beauty-conscious you loves the flowers best, but the health-conscious you loves the seeds and oil. Sunflowers are now the world's fourth most important oil crop. [2018]

Mystic, Connecticut, USA

The Charles W. Morgan has been on the water since 1841. Not only is it the nation's oldest whaling ship, it is the only one left of the wooden fleet that numbered almost 3000 at its peak. The Morgan is probably the number one reason to visit Mystic Seaport, but you can also study seventeen other historic vessels while you are there. [2018]

Mystic, Connecticut, USA

Wooden lobster pots used to adorn the wharfs of every coastal village in New England. Now, Mystic Seaport honors those lobstermen of old. These traps were dropped overboard, with their locations marked by colorful buoys. Lobsters, attraced by salted herring, crawled in through the hole but could not escape. Modern traps are made from coated wire. [2018]

Mystic, Connecticut, USA

Mystic Seaport is one of the country's renown living history museums. Its stock in trade are historical vessels, but it also built a lighthouse, presumably to make sure the ships didn't run aground on the Mystic River. Built in the 1960s, the lighthouse is a replica of the harbor light on Nantucket Island. [2018]

Baxter, Tennessee, USA

Blooming flower or multihued octagram? Actually, it's a home-made quilt and the quilter who made it. When you are driving the blue highways of America, be on the lookout for roadside placards announcing quilts for sale out of somebody's home. Cash only! [2019]

McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, USA

Is it a grave with a headstone and footstone, or is it a bed with a headboard and footboard? In the 19th century, death often came to imitate life. People were not dead, they were sleeping. Even though she departed this life in 1858, her floral bedspread still inspires warm feelings of home, thanks to someone in the family who keeps her spirit alive. [2021]

Brunswick, Maryland, USA

Lock 29 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal required a lock keeper to operate and maintain it. This was his house, perched one level above the lock so he could keep an eye on any reprobates who might be trying to skirt through without authorization. Into the lock the coal boats would slip, only to be lowered 7 feet to the level seen here. [2021]

Unger, West Virginia, USA

They seem to be waiting for Yogi to appear from around the corner. Yogi's sidekick desperately wants to hear that greeting: 'Hey there, Boo-Boo.' Cindy Bear is trying to figure out how to tell Yogi why she doesn't have the pic-a-nick basket ready for a deep dive. And, Mr. Ranger, sir, has a few issues he needs to discuss with Yogi. [2021]

Warrenton, Virginia, USA

Every town's dream: a bakery-cum-coffee shop on Main Street. Every local economy's dream: whole-grain flour milled on site, eggs from nearby chickens, milk from southern Pennsylvania, local honey, coffee roasted two counties away. Every community's dream: a business that donates to the county food bank. Every dog's dream: a water dish by the door. [2021]

Cape May, New Jersey, USA

Cape May casts itself as America's original seaside resort. What's that have to do with this mailbox? Before railroads came into existence, there was no way for anyone to get to the seaside. However, when a rail line was built to connect Philadelphia to the New Jersey shore, patrons appeared and a resort for the elite was born. [2020]

Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, USA

Lucky McLucas knows that unicorns bring good luck, and if they are positioned roadside they bring beaucoup birthday cards, too. All with good luck wishes for the year ahead. [1992]

Edgeley, North Dakota, USA

That is some fine folk art for a mere mailstop. How would you interpret it? (1) A blissfully wedded couple lives here but the stag sees no reason to give his doe equal billing. (2) A blissfully wedded coupled used to live here, but the stag lost the lamp of his life and now lives alone with only memories of his doe. [2021]

Pierre, South Dakota, USA

Today, the average high in Pierre is 90 degrees F. In fact, based on long-term averages, July 19 is the hottest day of the year in South Dakota's capital. Will these averages hold this year? If anything, we might expect the high temperature to be even higher. It might just be hotter than h.... [2021]

Växjö, Sweden

When the international border between Sweden and Denmark was here, Kronoberg Castle was necessary for Sweden to guard its frontier. Lots of resources went into fortification, expansion, and upkeep. When the international border was moved to the Øresund, Växjö lost its strategic significance and the castle declined. Today, only ruins remain. [1984]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 11^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2021: From my travel log on the two days a friend and I spent in Växjö, Sweden, in the summer of 1984. “We headed inland and got off at Alvesta, then caught another train to Växjö. In Växjö we stopped at an outdoor museum (closed), saw a windmill, and a few folk barns, stopped to see the cathedral, and fortunately bought a few things for supper at the grocery store. Växjö was dead though. It was Saturday afternoon and almost everything was closed.”

The next day we rented an Opal Corsa for a single day and drove out into the countryside from which so many Swedish immigrants to the United States had come. My friend was a descendent of one of those immigrant families. “We  drove back to Växjö, after eating in the car, on a very rural road that wound its way through the woods and among the lakes of Kronoberg. It rained the whole day and prevented a lot of picture taking. In Växjö we rushed to the Emigrant House Museum, which is undergoing considerable expansion. It was located next to the Smaland Museum where they have some buildings moved in from around Sweden. Nobody in the museum knew anything about the outbuildings and didn’t have anything in writing about them either. The Emigrant House Museum was very nice. It had both English and Swedish descriptions which made it more meaningful for us."

“One more stop we made before returning to the hostel. We went to see the ruins of Kronoburg castle, the best castle we have yet seen. It is situated on a point of land which juts into Helgasjön Lake. The ruins were restored with a few bricks to support the arches and a few new stairways made of wood.  The castle is open to the weather, however. The only contrived aspect was the wooden stage and simple benches which were set up in the central courtyard and some passageways that were blocked off. We had the whole castle to ourselves. The castle is on the site  of a medieval bishop’s castles (Bishop of Växjö). The present castle was built in Gustavus Vasa’s time and was added to in the 1550s.” The next morning, we boarded the train to Stockholm. D.J.Z.

Castletown, Isle of Man

Castle Rushen is one of the most authentic medieval castles in Europe. What's not surprising is that it anchors the old capital of the Isle of Man, once an independent kingdom. What is surprising is that this happens to be the 4000th post on Geographically Yours. At a picture-a-day, that takes you back to the summer of 2010 when Geographically Yours began. [2011]

Birgu, Malta

Malta's Castrum Maris's innards go back to the 13th century. Those innards, however, were expanded into a complete fortress to protect the harbor. Quite a harbor it is, too, and quite a shame to waste such a capacious anchorage on a small island. Such a grand harbor really deserves a continent to back it up. [2009]

Sinaia, Romania

 
Peleş castle is part of Romania's cultural patrimony. In other words, it is a foundation of Romanian identity because it represents the best of the country's culture. It was built as Romania was winning independence from the Ottomans; it was restored and opened to the public after Romania threw off its communist rulers in 1989. [2014]

Dublin, Ireland

 
Castles: Europe has thousands upon thousands. Dublin Castle is just one of them. How many castles does America have? None, or, also thousands? It may depend on how you define castle. Does it have to be residential? defensive? super-sized? visually commanding? medieval? Does it have to be called a castle? [2004]

Athens, Greece

 

Greece has about 30 Starbucks per 10 million inhabitants. Compare that to Italy with its 2 per 10 million, and with the UK with its 111 per 10 million. Clearly, there is dramatic spatial variation in the distribution of Starbucks across Europe. Why? Look for explanations in the realms of economic, cultural, social, political, and environmental geography. [2006]

Damascus, Syria

Here is (or was) one of the oldest cafés in Damascus. And, here is one of the age-old rituals that goes on every day: relaxing with the narjilah, or water pipe. It has infiltrated American culture as the hookah, a name not used much in Syria. Here is, also, one of the age-old practices that characterizes traditional cities: gendered spaces. [1996]

Tunis, Tunisia

Tunisia is an Arabic-speaking country. So, what happens when a product from the Anglophone world is introduced? The name is often translated into Arabic. Reading right to left, can you figure out the Arabic letters from the transliteration of Coca Cola? You should be able to identify the k sound because it appears three times and is a very distinctive letter. [2004]

Amman, Jordan

Jordan is an Arabic-speaking country. So, what happens when a product from the Anglophone world is introduced? The name is often translated into Arabic. That seems to be the case with Pepsi. But wait? There is no p sound in Levantine Arabic. Pepsi, therefore, gets transliterated as Beebsi because there is a b sound. Remember: Read right to left. [1997]

Austin, Texas, USA

Fire stations make popular destinations for family field trips, and firefighters make popular friends for neighborhood kids. Even when you walk by a fire house, your imagination takes flight, and into an action flick you go. Think this young fireman has ever slid down a fire pole into the engine room? [2015]

Loretto, Virginia, USA

What color is 10? For synesthetes (digit-color synesthetes, to be exact), the answer often is blue. Now, where on a scale of 1 to 10 would you put this field of cornflowers? A 10, of course! And, if your birthday is today, what color is it? Blue, of course. Get it? [2021]

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

In 1830, 40 million bison lived under the stars of freedom, just like the country's human co-occupants. But, Americans couldn't leave their hands (or guns!) off them. They declined to 325 by 1885. Bison numbers have since increased to 500,000 but virtually all live in the prisons we call "reserves," so maybe prison-stripes on the rump are appropriate. [2007]

Jamestown, North Dakota, USA

In the United States we do anything we want with our flag. That's because the flag belongs to us: We, the People. Do you know that in many other countries the flag belongs to the government and its use is restricted to officially sanctioned places and events. But wait! Isn't there a U.S. Flag Code? [2021]

Warwick, Rhode Island, USA

Even a tawdry sheet-metal plant can look sharp if it has Old Glory on top. And, that smiling tin man standing sentry seems as proud as can be of his flag and his country. O Are you flying your favorite flag on this Independence Day? [2013]

Boise, Idaho, USA

Idaho was born 131 years ago today, and the state began life with Boise as its capital. A new state house was built about thirty years later, very much in line with the style of the U.S. capitol in Washington. Most Americans could not tell you when their state celebrates statehood. In Idaho, at least the date it easy to remember: a day before the nation's birthday. [2020]

Marion, North Carolina, USA

Kudos to the school kids who designed the mural! 

"Teetering fearfully on the edge of forever, 

Leaving the safety of the nest behind, they stretch unsteady wings against a sky bright with dreams.

Their feathers do not fail them.

Lifted by the thrill of the wind, eyes bright on the horizon, the little ones fly." [2020]

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Meet the atlantes who have held up Hotel Junker for more than a hundred years. In fact, they have outlived the hotel. Perhaps you remember Atlas, the Titan who held up the sky. Atlant is another name for Atlas, and a perfect name for these two because they hold up the building. They are also called telamons. [2021]