Jackson, New Jersey, USA

Black Friday seems a more appropriate moniker for the day than Good Friday. After all, it was the day when Jesus was crucified, on a cross like this according to the Orthodox Christian tradition. Why three bars? The top one represents the plate inscribed with ΙΧΘΥΕ, the bottom one a foot rest. St. Vladimir's church honors the initial Baptism of the Rus. [2015]

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Some books are larger than life, and that would include the tomes outside the Cincinnati Public Library. They don't seem to have titles, but you could add them in your mind's eye. What books would you like to honor because they made a difference in your life? Use the answer as a conversation starter during National Library Week, April 9-15. [2013]

Palm Beach, Aruba

A soothing sunset marks the completion of every day in the ABC islands: Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. As they say: You never get a second chance to make a last impression ━ or something like that. [2017]

1000 Steps, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Surfer kids, they are (or, at least thinking about it). They're dancing along the water's edge where gentle waves meet the coral beach. These two feral goats are as sure-footed here as they are in the mountains and just as much a spectacle as they are in island towns. [2017]

Kralendijk, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Sandy beaches are scarce on the island of Bonaire, but the blue Caribbean on the sheltered western side invites all sorts of other activities, from sailing and windsurfing to diving and noodle swimming. As for the eastern side, it's bashed by waves, driven by the Tropical Easterlies, and far more dangerous. [2017]

Punda, Willemstad, Curaçao

There seems to be nothing more universal than pigeons. Always hungry, they are. Always willing to share lunch, he is. How much do you share with pigeons? Remember, one of their cousins returned to the ark of Noah with an olive leaf and the promise of a world reborn. [2017]

Otrobanda, Willemstad, Curaçao

Ferries are such throw-backs in time. Most have been replaced by bridges or causeways, but not here on the channel that separates Punda from Otrobanda. Two bridges actually cross the strait (called a bay by locals), but a ferry is still necessary. Formulate a hypotheses on why that would be, then visit Willemstad and test it. [2017]