Dillon, Montana, USA

Different geography, same adaptation to the frontier. Thousands of miles away from the East Coast (Rocky Mountains), and centuries later in time (1800s), pioneer settlers continued to make single-pen log cabins their starter homes. This one was moved into town from a nearby ranch. Imagine surviving a winter here. Single pen = single room. [2020]

Chickamauga, Georgia, USA

Unlike Europe, which had suffered centuries of deforestation, America had plentiful and easily exploited timber resources. On the frontier, therefore, single-pen log cabins became the "starter homes" of the day. This one has survived because it is on the Chickamauga battlefield and played a prominent role in Civil War military history. [2013]

Swedesboro, New Jersey, USA

Who built the first long cabins in America? The Swedes of New Sweden (which included many Finns) on the lower Delaware River. This may be the second oldest (ca. 1654) to survive. It is smaller than the Nothnagle cabin, but both are single-pen structures, originally with dirt floors. If you are into today's minimalist movement, this might be your ideal home. [2005]

Gibbstown, New Jersey, USA

The Nothnagle single-pen log cabin may be the oldest surviving log structure in the United States. (Attached house built much later.) Date: ca. 1640. Size: Larger than most. Builder: An immigrant from Sweden (though probably a Finn). The Swedish Empire (see the flag?) attempted to colonize the lower Delaware River, calling it New Sweden. [2016]

Bastrop, Texas, USA

A phenomenon of the 21st century is the tiny house movement. As if tiny houses were anything new! Tiny houses have always been with us. In some parts of the world, they took the form of tiny apartments. Are you enough of a minimalist to enjoy living in a house this size? [2015]

Panyee, Thailand

In the floating village of Panyee, back in the 1980s, the boys built a floating soccer field and conditioned themselves to play in the local, regional, and then national championships. Do you think they overcame the odds and won any titles? Guess you'll just have to read The Floating Field (2021) by Scott Riley. [2011]

Quartzsite, Arizona, USA

According to geographer James Parsons (Landscape 30:1/1988), mountain monograms are "a conspicuous and durable part of the identity of many communities, fortifying institutional allegiances and the sense of place. . . . for travelers in the arid West the letters are 'anchors to the eye,' adding diversity and interest to the natural beauty of the landscape." [2015]

Port Royal, South Carolina, USA

Welcome to Lowcountry, the southernmost part of South Carolina. It's a region where the boundary between water and land is masked by marshes, where Spanish Moss creates one of the nation's most distinctive geographies, and where the pressure to gentrify has overcome the tendency of the natural environment to isolate. [2007]

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Welcome spring! Soon, the world (or at least the northern temperate latitudes) will look like this again. How privileged was the head gardener who got to live in this cottage to put him close to his work: supervising care of the Princess Street Gardens! The gardens were created about the same time as Frederick Law Olmsted was building Central Park. [2017]

Eastville, Virginia, USA

If you have visited the Eastern Shore of Virginia, you have seen some fine examples of "connecting architecture." The locals describe it as "big house, little house, colonnade, and kitchen." They also think it is unique. Why do you think such architectural ideas were so popular in on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay? And why no connected barn? [2022]

Old West Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA

Along the Connecticut River are many examples of New England "connecting architecture," sometimes described as "big house, little house, back house, barn." Yes, that garage probably started as a barn. Why do you think such architectural ideas were so popular in New England? Could the snow on the ground be a clue, or is it more complex than that? [2022]

Marksville, Louisiana, USA

The "Cajun cottage" is one of the most distinguishing features of Acadiana's vernacular landscape. Note the porches (unusual for there to be two!) and roof lines. In the 1970s, Marksville had the foresight to rescue a really old one for the sake of generations to come. Below is what the structure looked like when it was first moved to town. [2022]

Ottawa, Kansas, USA

In contrast to standard-issue street signs, the wayfinding aids in Ottawa deviate from the norm. They are not even near eye level: They are on the ground. And they deviate from the form we expect, too. They take the shape of three-dimensional polyhedrons rather than two-dimensional planes. In placement, though, no surprises: They are on the corners. [2021]

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]

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]

Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

What does Road Town, Tortola, have in common with Hampton Roads, Virginia? Their names. Both are roadsteads, deep-water places along the coast that are less sheltered than harbors. Hampton Roads has turned its roadstead into the world's largest naval base, and Road Town has evolved into one of the sailing capitals of the Caribbean. [2014]

Knotts Island, North Carolina, USA

High school commencement ceremonies are now over, and graduates have been released into the world. Those from Knotts Island will have stories to tell that are different from most. These grads had to take a bus to the county's only high school, but the bus had to be ferried across Currituck Sound. That's a 45 minute ride every day, each way. What fun! [2021]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Question 1: On this date, five years ago, the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community in American history took place in what city? Orlando (Pulse nightclub). Question 2: What three flags (one is a twofer) are visible in front of this Philadelphia row house? US, Rainbow, and Transgender. Question 3: What is special about June? It's LGBTQ Pride Month. [2021]

Novosibirsk, Russia

Until Communism came to power, the city of Novosibirsk was built largely of wood, and many of the housing units were traditional Siberian cottages. Few are left. Those that are continue to reflect the chroma of Siberia: rich blues and greens, just like the colors chosen for the city's Ascension Cathedral. As for Communist-era buildings: no chroma. [1999]

Stockton, Maryland, USA

What is that house doing there in Pikes Creek Marsh? And, it's on land that has been set aside as a wildlife management area. When will we realize that human settlement should not take over unique habitats that provide what we call today "ecosystem services" and which used to be called "natural capital"? [2020]