Anticipation

Cheeseburger and Fries, Decatur, Georgia, USA
We waited twenty minutes at Decatur's Farm Burger to order this delicious cheeseburger, and it was worth the wait! Although the title of this post is "Anticipation", this cheeseburger was topped with homemade paprika mayonnaise and not Heinz ketchup!

Cheaper than a Palm Reader

Public Binoculars, Portland, Maine, USA
For just 25 or 50 cents, you can look out into Casco Bay for a few minutes. Public binoculars are found in many places where there is a scenic view. These allow you to see far ahead for less cost than a fortune teller or palm reader.

Liquid Sun

Cloud Gate, Chicago, Illinois, USA
The sun hit the famous Cloud Gate sculpture at just the right moment to create this image. Located in Millennium Park and familiarly known as The Bean, the Cloud Gate is meant to resemble liquid mercury and is a favorite of both locals and tourists.

Walking in the Sky

Sky Bridge, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Hovering 6 stories above ground level at its eastern terminus, this sky bridge in downtown Atlanta takes pedestrians one very long block (about 2/10 of a mile) over downtown Atlanta. From a drab parking garage to the Peachtree Center mall, you can reach adjacent office buildings and avoid the bleak city streets below.

Thanksgiving in the Mountains

Valley and Lake, Lookout Mountain, Georgia
Several years ago we spent Thanksgiving weekend in a log cabin near the town of Cloudland in the North Georgia mountains. The cabin is long gone, but the memories of a restful weekend remain. This was one of the many beautiful places we saw during our visit.

Senior Citizen of the Air

Everts Air Cargo DC-6, Everett, Washington, USA
This Douglas DC-6 is over 60 years old and still flying the rugged Alaska wilderness. Despite these airplanes spending more time in the maintenance shop than flying (reportedly 12 hours of maintenance for each flying hour), these aging giants outperform more recent aircraft.

Criss, Cross, Climb

Escalators, Chicago, Illinois, USA
This double escalator bank (2 pairs of up and down) is found in the Macy's on State Street (originally the Marshall Field & Company flagship). We really like how these crisscross and appear almost suspended in the atrium.

Hoodoo Descent

Navajo Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
The switchbacks on the Navajo Trail are slippery with loose rocks and gravel. If inattentive or wearing the wrong shoes, you risk slipping off the trail and tumbling down the canyon. Descending from Sunset Point, the trail takes you below the famous hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park. We loved Bryce and highly recommend it for a day or two day visit.

Almost Unbelievable

Baha'i Terraces, Haifa, Israel
The Shrine of the Báb is a holy place for members of the Baha'i faith and is surrounded by gardens. The exquisite garden terraces traversing steep Mount Carmel above and below the shrine are so perfect as to be almost unbelievable. While we're not Baha'i, we do admire the beauty of the gardens.

A Crisp Morning

Fall Sky, Falmouth, Maine, USA
This was the view from Falmouth one late November morning. You can almost smell the fresh, crisp air!

The Sunshine State

Sunset, Biscayne Bay, Miami, Florida, USA
If not for the bay and buildings, you might not know this is Miami. The colors and clouds are more like the Desert Southwest than South Florida.

Florida is known as The Sunshine State. It seems like it is the sunrise and sunset state too!

This sunset came after a nice afternoon watching cruise ships come and go.

Portman's Portholes

Marquis II and Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
John Portman is the architect responsible for much of downtown Atlanta's look, both good and bad. On the upper left is the curvaceous Marriott Marquis hotel, one of the most whimsical and well known buildings in downtown Atlanta. It is a gem inside and out. In the foreground is the Marquis II office tower. Except for its large windows, it would not seem out of place in a communist country.

Utility Art

Utility box, Kfar Saba, Israel
Utility boxes are common on city, suburban, and rural streets all over the world. Most of the time, these boxes disrupt the aesthetic of the surrounding landscape. Kfar Saba has many painted and decorated utility boxes. This box on Weizmann Street is now a whimsical piece of street art rather than just an essential eyesore.

Feeding the Competition

Chick-fil-A, Dahlonega, Georgia, USA

We found it very funny that an employee of Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries in full regalia stopped by the anti-burger Chick-fil-A.