Round Museum

It takes 217 steps to reach the top of Barnegat Lighthouse, a 169-foot Coast Guard lookout tower on the northern end of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. All along the circuitous journey upward, the spiral stairwell is punctuated periodically by windows, landings, portholes and vents.

12.17.17

What winter wonderland will we walk in willingly? While wide-eyed waifs wait and wrestle with wild wishes, we wave a warm welcome to Wreath Week. Wander with wanton wallow, will you?

In a slow climb up the winding spiral stair of the Barnegat Lighthouse, this vent is part of a system to manage airflow within the tower architecture. A beacon on the northern tip of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, for the past 182 years, "Old Barney" was first constructed in 1835 and remained in operation until 1944 when it was deactivated. On January 1, 2009, at the 150th anniversary of its opening, the lighthouse was re-lit and is currently open for tours.

12.16.17

This weathered old bottle has been places and seen some things. What do we think is contained within? One could imagine a fine wine aging in a cellar for decades. Or maybe it is a mysterious elixir that had been sold to your great grandfather by a gypsy fortune teller. Or it could be the Round prison of an evil genie long ago trapped by a spell. Do you pull the cork?

12.14.17

Crumbling, crumbling down all around you. Not what you'd want to hear if you were in the hospital. Eastern State Penitentiary maintains the state of sustained ruin that gives this former prison turned museum its current haunting ambiance. When it was still in operation in the 1950s and 60s, though, this medical wing was well-equipped and well-run for the care of inmates with challenging medical conditions.

12.11.17

These little chicks haven't strayed very far from mom, huddled just within reach in the Round. Sure, they've put down their own roots, but are still connected through an underground runner. So, have the kids really left the house? Will they ever?

12.10.17

Slingers, shufflepuck, or table shuffleboard. Whatever you call it, if you're playing this table top game in a bar, arcade or a friend's basement, you need a deft touch with the quoit. You want to cross that line and knock off your opponent, but watch out. Too much force on the cheese and you'll be face down in the alley. Game over.

12.08.17

Does an anoa know the difference between a workout and play? Does it like to work for its meal? Headbutting a ball at the San Diego Zoo seems more like a chore than a pastime. But maybe this giant wiffle puts the food into fun.

San Diego Zoo
California

12.07.17

Copernicus' heliocentric theory assumed a few basic conditions: there is no one center of all the celestial circles or spheres; the center of the earth is not the center of the universe; and a model of it will look awesome anchoring a living room space.

12.06.17