Rotorua, New Zealand

What do New Zealand and Hawaii have in common? They are both island groups in Polynesia. What else? They are both ridden by rainbows. [2006]

Antwerp, Belgium

The penguins have chosen to emerge from the refrigerator behind them, probably because they like to be the center of attention. Perhaps, they will be immortalized by this artist or one of his companions. If it could happen to the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, it could happen to them. (She now lives in the Louvre.) [2015]

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Do you think these joggers, with their colorful costumes and quasi-choreographed moves, know they are engaging in performance art? They are so much more inspirational and attention-getting than that lifeless statue they passed when they came through the gate (see it?). [2018]

Marbella, Andalusia, Spain

Academic field trips have been eliminated from American public schools, but not in Spain. Here, los estudiantes are using their home town to sharpen their skills of observation, to practice recording information, to develop an affinity for data-based facts, and to learn something about where they live in the process. Never happens in the United States! [2015]

Upper Rock, Gibraltar

Buttercups enjoy the view from atop The Rock just as much as humans do. But the views are different: Humans look down at the harbor; buttercups look up at the sun. [2015]

La Verkin, Utah, USA

Thanks to so much public land, there are large areas of Utah where you can pitch a tent and watch the snow melt. In this case, the meltwater of the Pine Valley Mountains feeds the Virgin River, a tributary of the Colorado, which has formed a spectacular canyon of its own just southwest of here. Not far away is the Grand Canyon. [2019]

Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA

Desert sunflowers add to the brilliance of this year's super bloom. In addition, they have assistance from other bands of the spectrum: orange cups, purple desert lupine, and lots of green. Don't forget to appreciate the green! It's the photosynthesis that makes flowering possible. And, green is not a normal desert color! [2019]