Spain v. Argentina (Part I) I rate countries on whether they are on the "short list" to return to visit. Both Spain and Argentina fall into this category. The history of both is long and deep on the landscape. Above is the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba. The Mosque is built on Ancient Roman and…

Among the Pilgrims Walking among the pilgrims to the Badarinath Temple was a remarkable experience. While I was there, I was in disbeleif that I was there. When I look at this photo I am in disbelief that it's me in the photo. (Badrinath, Uttarakhand, India, 2009)

Teal in the Sun I was out photographic doors and it was hot that day. The sun was wearing me out. This teal was just so cooling as the sun blazed down. I suspect it had been recently painted because it was not very faded. (San Juan Antiguo, Puerto Rico 2010)

Malvinas Nos Une One of the most interesting backstories of today's football match is the historical-political history between these two nations. When I was in Argentina last year, I saw these signs all over the country. The Malvinas is embedded in the Argentine mind and is recalled in the current…

It’s Not Just a Door But it's really an invitation. I love doors that offer more than the traditional "portal cover." This one called to me with the colors at first, but then the sounds from inside made me want to go in and see what was cooking in the kitchen. (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2025)

Too Little Time Here We expected to live here a very long time, but it wound up being just a few years. It was our first house with an alley which we loved and we never owned another house with a driveway. We got a better price on it because the previous owner had turned the dining room into a…

Purple Haze I had forgotten about this one. It had been an amazing day of early summer flowers in Butchart Garden. My memory of the day is coming across one amazing planting after the next. It was a day of beauty fatigue. (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2012)

Early Waterfall Work Everyone starts somewhere. I've taken a number of waterfall shots over the years. Not sure if this is the first one, but it is probably close to it. I was 16 standing at the base of the falls with an instamatic camera. Everything could have been better in the shot, but given…

The Hot Seat on a Hot Day We were saying farewell to our hosts and I was speaking for the group in my best "broken Spanish." I felt the heat of the moment, but not as much as my colleague who collapsed under the heat just a few minutes earlier. (Managua, Nicaragua, 2007)

The Family Laundry My Great Aunt Agnes had a dryer. There was something sweet about her hanging the wash on the line as she had done for decades. It looks like it was a great June day just before the winter wheat would be harvested. (Ann Arbor, Michigan 1970s)

Seriously Good Pie We had been tipped off by a friend where we could get some "seriously good pie." To be honest, I could have come back every day for a different flavor of pie. These were outstanding and unique styles and flavors. (Bath, England, 2023)

Explore the Castillo When You Are There The Spanish started to build the Castillo San Felipe del Morro in 1539 and it is one of my favorite places to visit and spend an afternoon wandering around the facilities. The walk along the ocean or wandering through the underground facilities is always…

Year of the Desert Ranch We were both on sabbatical for the first time and working at Arizona State that year. We were told by neighbors that when the homes on the street were built, you could smell the orange blossoms from nearby orchards. By the time we got there, the development extended past…

Dutch?, Not Dutch, Well it was Dutch One of my favorite things is when another culture comes into a place and erects buildings that look like the ones at home, rather than resembling the local ones. This phenomenon is ancient and has some spectacular examples across the globe. This one just…

You Could Hear Echos in the Silence I took a detour to visit the Manzanar War Relocation Center where Japanese Americans were interned during World War II. It was a quiet, cool, sunny day. There was an eerie silence about the place. It left me unsettled. (Inyo County, California, 2006)

Bring Lots of Water It was the early 90s and Tulum was clearly a resort, but not as trendy as it is now. Regardless it always requires good hydration and a hat if you visit. (Tulum, Mexico, 1993)

Dangerous Debris Among the beautiful homes in the San Gabriel Mountains are debris shoots and basins to capture and direct mud and rocks that tumble from above. After reading John McPhee's The Control of Nature I had to see these things for myself. This is the Shields Canyon debris field. (La…

Pizza Homeland I'm after pizza where I can find it. This time it was in some small joint in Naples. So good, so fresh, so hot. (Naples, Italy 2011)

She Makes a Grand Entrance I had been in Spain for about a month and Kathleen was coming for the last 2 weeks. She is, tired, jet lagged, her luggage is delayed, and she is trying to figure out where I am in the greeting line. I think she looks great! (Seville, Spain 2024)

The Garden Takes Center Stage Our next house was a plain white colonial with no plantings in front. Kathleen took on the challenge of making the front yard a spectacle of color and flowers all summer long. For the record, we were here for a long time as well. (Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin 2004)

More Laundry, This Time Croatia It's important to remember that people live in the places we visit. Seeing laundry brings this home to me and reminds me to think of this space as someone's neighborhood space. (Dubrovnik, Croatia, 2011)

The Laundry of Seville Spotting laundry on the line is a traveling hobby. This one was a particular good morning for it and this was my best shot from my vantage point on Las Setas. There is something special about the smell of clothes off the line. There is also something wonderful about the…

Sometimes You Need a Bowl at Real Chili A friend called me a few weeks ago and asked if I wanted to have dinner at Real Chili. It had been a while since I've sat down to this Milwaukee classic dish. If you know it, you love it or you know someone who loves it. The simple counter, the bright…

I Still Love Electric Scooters A couple years ago I wrote about my affection for this mode of transportation. Now that I've moved back into the city I think I will start using them again. They are inexpensive and pragmatic. Yeah, that sounds like me. (Reykjavik, Iceland, 2026)

Another Juan Arctic Mural in Reykjavik Juan Arctic (@juan_arctic) is one of my favorite muralists. I walked by his work nearly every day when I lived in Reykjavik. He is playful, aware of context, colorful, and just fun. When I was in town this spring, I was please to find a new work near my…

Prime River Spot for Fonzie I love hokey things. When TV Land was putting up statues of 1970s television characters (Mary Tyler Moore, Jackie Gleason, Bob Newhart, etc) Milwaukee got the "Bronze Fonz." I plan to do some photos of other statues around the city, but this is a nice place to start. If…

You Can’t Beat a Bungalow Our first house was a bungalow with beautiful woodwork and stained glass. It was exceptionally sturdy. The driveway can best be described as an adventure in "narrowness." Although we have move a lot, we were here for 9 years. (Shorewood, Wisconsin, 1995)

Why Use a Cane When You Can Carry It? This guy with his cane and headphones just said to me that someone he lives with told him to take his cane when he went out for coffee at La Biela--he complied. However they didn't tell him to use it. (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2026)

It’s Important to Color Coordinate the Truck with Mural I can't remember which caught my eye first--the truck or the mural. I have shots of both art pieces. I was also impressed by the parking job and how close the truck was to the car in front of it. (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2025)

What Do You Mean the Ferry Sunk? For several years I took students to Ometepe Island to work with local medical professionals. One year I found out the ferry we had booked has sunk the day before our return to the mainland. We caught a different boat, but I was amazed to see the crews working to…

Drugs and Seeds It's an old drug store and I was taking some images of it and I wanted some of the name stone across the top. It's no surprise that the name of the store and "drugs" are etched in stone. Seeds surprised me. I'm sure they sold them, but putting it in stone also says something about…

A Remarkable Pie One of the locals I know recommended El Imperio. When i walked in, it had all the earmarks of great pizza. The decor was simple and functional. The pizza kitchen was in the open and set up for high production. We were there early (about 8:00 p.m.) so we got a good table and this…

With Mashed Potatoes and Gravy I had breakfast here but couldn't resist taking a shot of the sign. Did not make it back for the meat loaf, but always wondered about how it was. (Claremont, California, 2006

Back to the Halls We moved back to Milwaukee and I was the coordinator for this residence hall complex. Our apartment was in the small tower. We were next door to the campus police station. We have never had a safer location. This isn't my photo--this is a scan of the post card we gave students.…

She Also Loved the Poolside When you take your dog on sabbatical you need to make them comfortable. Rob the Hound Dog liked the concrete, but Bella required a pillow for her pool time naps. She required a pillow for almost anything. (Punta Gorda, Florida, 2015)

Time for Art, Time for the Festival The Lakefront Festival of Art is on this weekend. Always a good place to wander, grab a snack, and find that nice piece for your living room that you didn't know you needed. The backdrop of the Lake and the Calatrava also make the day. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin,…

Welcome to Cleveland I've actually never seen the thing I love most about this building. If you are flying into Milwaukee going from north to south along the lake shore, look closely and you will see the sign on this roof that says "Welcome To Cleveland." This clever prank was completed by Mark…

No Perk at the Coffee Pot The Coffee Pot has always been one of my favorite places to grab breakfast or a sandwich. The food was great. The service was impeccable. In the summer dining outside with the cool Lake Michigan breeze was a guilty pleasure. After a fire, the place is closed and the neon…

Pizza Context Sometimes pizza is better by when and who you are with. Although this was a great pizza on its own, I was exploring New York City with friends. We had walked along the High Line and descended looking for a place to eat. Great company, great day out in the City, we were tired and…

He Loved The Desert Rob the Hound Dog loved the desert. Hikes through South Mountain Park were one of his favorite things to do. The year we lived there was a wet winter so the park was filled with spring flowers (Phoenix, Arizona, 2005)

First “Real” Place Our first 2 homes were in residence halls so this was the first time we had our own place outside of campus. It was a nice enough place, but the walls were thin and we could hear the drama of the couple next door (a lot of drama). (Columbus, Ohio, 1987)

Old Neon Still at Work Mr. Yee's has been serving food in Kenosha since 1955. Although if it was made today, the neon would read differently. However today, the neon would never have been crafted. I always loved seeing the sign as I drove by. The food was good too. (Kenosha, Wisconsin, 2026)

Summer Streetcar Ride I love the Kenosha streetcar. It is one of the best ways to avoid parking crowds at the Harbor Market on Saturdays. These restored streetcars are just a lovely ride through the harbor. Last time I was on it, I saw some new spaces and murals that I hadn't seen before.…

Sun, Scooter, Street, Enjoy I was in Kenosha for some meetings and spent some time downtown shooting photos of the new developments (there are a lot!). This guy was just great. He was enjoying the day and the sunshine in all the best ways. I enjoyed meeting him. (Kenosha, Wisconsin, 2026)

The Gremlin is Iconic In the 1970s AMC was putting out some innovative autos. One of my favorites was the Gremlin. It was nice to see it as a big mural. (Kenosha, Wisconsin, 2026)

I’ve Been Thinking About Pizza Lately I've also been thinking of the great places I've had great pizza. Like this one on my first full day in Argentina. I knew the pizza would be good since so many Italian immigrants came to the country at the same time they came to the United States. (Buenos…

Thumbs Up Milwaukee The statue has its fans and detractors, but I like it combined with the Milwaukee mural across the river. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2026)

Twice as Nice If your first married home is a residence hall, why not the 2nd one. We lived in Baker Hall in 1986-87 at Ohio State. It is a sprawling low building that is impossible to get a good photo of. I was on campus for a conference when I got this one (Columbus, Ohio, 2019)

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun It was just 40 years ago today on a sunny Saturday afternoon that Kathleen and I were married here. St. Patrick's was the first English speaking parish on the south side of Milwaukee. This building has been on the corner of 7th and Washington since 1893.…

Turn Around to See the Mural Behind You This alley is the full package, murals, colorful lanterns, and next to a coffee shop. It's the type of space that you would marvel at if you were a tourist. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2025)