Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, USA

No Cardinal Hickory Creek power line! Here in Mount Horeb, it seems like just a Horeb-le idea. Some would say whore-able. Big money (ATC) always thinks it can just pay to desecrate a unique environment, in this case the Driftless Area. Yes, it escaped the glaciers, but it may not escape rapacious capitalism! A Horeb-le thought to end a horrible year! [2019]

Moyock, North Carolina, USA

Only seven haircuts again this year. Top: Moyock, North Carolina; Derby, Kansas; Bismarck, North Dakota; Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bottom: Beckley, West Virginia (Lefty is on the left, she cut my hair); Eagen, Minnesota; New London, Connecticut (new dad Basilio = $20 tip!). Twelve states to go to complete my U.S. collection! [2021]

Lisbon, Portugal

The entrance to Commerce Square in Lisbon is guarded by a triumphal arch, Arco da Rua Augusta. Building gateway arches was one way in which the cities of Europe competed with each other (a) to see who could have the most majestic and (b) to put them in the same frame as ancient Rome which used them as marks of wealth and power. [2009]

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague Castle began with its first walled building, the Church of the Virgin Mary, in 870 a.d. Around the church evolved the fortified castle, which now serves as the seat of the Czech government. It may be the largest ancient castle in the world. The old kings of Bohemia would be proud (even though their lineage has been overthrown). [1994]

Asni, Morocco

As we approach the gateway to 2022, let's reflect upon the importance of gates and walls. We build walls to augment security, but we stagnate in secure environments. We must intuit when to venture beyond our walls even if it means opening a long-barricaded gate, scaling the ramparts, or using a wrecking ball to open a new portal. [2005]

Capernaum, Israel

What places made you who you are? In the case of Jesus, two villages, a town, and a city were paramount: Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum, and Jerusalem. Today, in fact, ancient Capernaum has been excavated and bills itself as "the town of Jesus." Located on the Sea of Galilee, it was the headquarters of the Jesus movement. [2000]

Lisbon, Portugal

Merry Christmas! Maybe you've never been to Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, but you still recognize the scene portrayed in its Gothic embellishments. You find it all over the world. It's a ubiquitous emblem of the Christian faith. If you had to boil Christianity down to only 12 iconic images (for the 12 days of Christmas) which ones would you choose? [2009]

Monroe, North Carolina, USA

That's one happy muralist (glassist? fenestrist?) and one scary depiction of the season. Please, St. Nicholas, save that poor boy from being snatched away from all things good and wholesome and carried away (in a garbage bag?) to the realm of sin and darkness. [2020]

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

What is so urgent, you ask! Finishing your Christmas shopping. There is only a day and a half left before all gifts must be wrapped and under the tree. But, December 25 is only the first day of Christmas. It took the wise men 12 days to get to Bethlehem, so we should really exchange gifts on January 6, Three Kings Day. [2021]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Forwards = Backwards: A palindrome reads the same forwards and backwards. That goes for numbers as well as words. Look at today's date. It's a six-digit palindrome: 12-22-21. It's not the first palindrome this month, not even the first six-digit palindrome. Remember: 12-11-21, 12-9-21, 12-8-21, 12-7-21, 12-6-21, 12-5-21, 12-4-21, 12-3-21, 12-2-21, 12-1-21? [2021]

Landisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

For Landisburg, it's the first day winter. What will this homemaker do when she needs to dry her laundry outside with temperatures below freezing. Nothing much: pin it to the clothes line as usual, let it freeze, and bring it in dry. The process is called sublimation. Water doesn't need to go through a liquid phase on its way from solid to gas. [2018]

Fenwick Island, Delaware, USA

At the foot of the Fenwick Island lighthouse stands the original stone marker that divided Maryland (see the Calvert coast-of-arms?) from Pennsylvania (the Penn coat-of-arms is on other side). Confused yet? (1) Why Pennsylvania? What did the Penns have to do with Delaware? (2) Why trans-peninsular? Shouldn't it be trans-insular? [2021]

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA

The first memorial to the Wright Brothers' (see them?) accomplishments was erected on the top of Big Kill Devil Hill. It's easy to guess when the design was authorized: 1930. It exudes the brutalism of the second industrial revolution: not light and airy like the flight itself, but dense and heavy. Conclusion: The designers were prisoners of their times. [2021]

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA

The "first flight" re-created on yesterday's post took place at this very location in 1903 when the tree-less landscape was nothing but shifting sand. Of the four flights that day (two for Orville and two for Wilbur), each one covered a longer distance. Takeoff is marked by the boulder; touchdowns are marked by four stones, the last one close to the trees. [2021]

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA

Life creates. We re-create. We know the first flight happened exactly this way because we have a photograph of it (below). It was the first re-creation of an event that changed the world. The sculpture above is one of the most recent re-creations. Orville is seen piloting, and Wilbur is seen running behind. The Wright Brothers made it happen on this day in 1903. [2021]

Lenexa, Kansas, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? A passenger rail station that seems to serve no one, but proudly displays a clock and the town's name. It has the feel of a residence but seems new and a bit mysterious. Maybe Lenexa should add an explanatory plaque. [2021]

Hurricane, Utah, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? A peddler's wagon. It was used to haul sorghum and fruit to communities in the north, and wool to rail stops for shipment back east. Maybe Hurricane should add an historical marker explaining all that. Oh, wait, they already did! Where do you think all this info came from? [2019]

Edgeley, North Dakota, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? A mural paying homage to the town's economic geography. Maybe Edgeley could add some real economic landscapes as a backdrop. Oh, wait, they already did!  See those grain silos rising above the storefronts? [2021]

Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? Its physical geography. Not every town has such a dramatic backdrop, the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Not every town can be home to the North Pole, either. Oh, wait, the North Pole in Manitou Springs is an amusement park! [2005]

Osseo, Minnesota, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? A water tower with the town's name in all caps. Other towns may have water towers, but there is only one town named Osseo. Maybe Osseo could add some pole banners that exploit the name of the town as well. Oh, wait, they already did! [2021]

Mulvane, Kansas, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? A town clock. Every American town could be satisfied with looking like every other town, but why not add something to make it different? Maybe Mulvane could also add a row of visually compatible lamp posts. Oh, wait, they already did! [2021]

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Minneapolis is among the coldest of America's big cities. But indoors, the landscape looks like spring year round. Wending around 80 city blocks, the Minneapolis Skyway connects islands like this, plus the businesses and offices they serve. It comprises a system of 2nd-story bridges that permit travel around the city without braving the elements. [2021]

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Who can turn the world on with her smile? The answer awaits on Minneapolis's Nicollet Mall: Mary Tyler Moore, of course. Her ground-breaking TV show in the 1970s was set in Minneapolis, and each episode ended with a hat toss, filmed on this very spot. With the statue, the fictional history of Minneapolis lives on, often eclipsing the city's real history. [2021]

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Today, Mill Ruins Park hosts one lonely piano (at least for the summer). A hundred years ago, however, twenty flour mills occupied this very site, a place where the Mississippi River drops 50 feet. Minneapolis used to be the flour milling capital of the world. Then, the center of gravity began a shift to Buffalo, and Minneapolis's last lonely mill closed in 2003. [2021]

White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, USA

Today marks the anniversary of the event that drew America into World War II. Eighty years ago, the Japanese Empire bombed the naval base at Pearl Harbor. Years later, White Sulphur Springs, like many home towns, underwrote a Roads of Honor program: a series banners-cum-encomia that turned the town's utility poles into a veterans' parade. [2021]

Ranger, Texas, USA

Here's an icon of the American West, a horse-riding cowboy, plus one future cowboy. That little boy is now well into his 30s, and the dad is probably into his 60s. The dates of all pictures appear in brackets at the end of each caption. So, this photo was taken in 1987 and posted today, one third of a century later! [1987]

Hobbs, New Mexico, USA

What do we put on a pedestal in American culture? Trucks. They represent a working-class life that parallels another icon of American culture, the cowboy and his horse. Of course, we put cars on a pedestal, too. [2018]

Lidgerwood, North Dakota, USA

What do we put on a pedestal in American culture? The Military. So, expect to find many a public park with aircraft, including helicopters, on display. The Cobra has become iconic of the Vietnam War. For Marines who were stationed there, an installation like this must trigger a lot of memories. [2007]

Esopus, New York, USA

What do we put on a pedestal in American culture? Working watercraft. The boat here symbolizes the important role played by the Hudson River, specifically Port Ewen, in building the town. Esopus may be upriver, but it is still at sea level and reachable by boat. [2019]

Edgeley, North Dakota, USA

What do we put on a pedestal in American culture? Farming. More specifically, we have elevated the family farm to almost God-like status. Here, our gaze is forced upward, where the great god of farming, John Deere, is elevated to a position of honor upon the altar. [2021]

Millford, Ohio, USA

What do we put on a pedestal in American culture? Private enterprise. In this case, the message of capitalism is carried by a corporate van. It functions as something of a three-dimensional billboard, and its unusual position seems to be well-suited to catch your attention. [2017]