Round Museum

Curving walkways spiral upward in the four-story Potomac Atrium of The National Museum Of The American Indian, evoking a canyon full of light in the heart of the building. Named for an Algonquian phrase meaning "where the goods are brought in," the atrium is 100-feet in diameter with perfectly balanced acoustics so you can hear atrium presentations all the way up. Opened in September 2004, NMAI is the home of the most extensive collection of Native American art and artifacts in the world.

Washington, DC

11.22.23

A chameleon is a shifty arboreal creature. Sure it can change colors and blend into its environment with considerable variability. But its specialization doesn't stop there. How about their zygodactylous feet? Two toes in front and two in back gives them special climbing ability. Prehensile tail? Like a fifth limb. Projectile tongue? One flick and a fly is eaten.

You can look at these spiky, globe-shaped seed pods and wonder, "what could the name of this be?" Judging simply by what you see, you could probably come up with a few possibilities. The plant is very distinctive. What's it called? It is a popular ornamental element for florists to use in large scale arrangements, and for gardeners to accentuate flower beds. If you guessed "Asclepias Physocarpus Oscar," you'd be scientifically correct. If you guessed "Hairy Balls," you'd also be right. But don't Google that.

11.20.23

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile.

11.19.23

Well someone's been at work here. This ragged Round has been chewed and scratched and batted around the room a time or two. Or twenty.

11.18.23

This gold plaque was found on the chest of a man in a burial at Sitio Conte. Its imagery is related to pottery designs that feature supernatural combinations of humans, birds, and snakes.

700-900 CE (Classic Period)
Panama, Coclé Culture
Penn Museum
Philadelphia, PA

11.17.23

To signify your everlasting love for your partner, make a journey to Cologne's wall of "Love Padlocks" on the Hohenzollern Bridge and lock your vows into place! Since 2008 more than 40,000 padlocks hang from the railings, each inscribed or decorated with personal messages. That's nearly two tons of love! To seal the deal, drop the key over the edge into the eternal waters of the river Rhine.

11.16.23

Suspiciously shiny. Yes, trashcans are receptacles of waste where people discard their dirty paper plates, and crumpled gift wrapping, and little bags of doggie doo. But don't be fooled by this sparkling black mirror of cleanliness, reflecting the bright blue sky above. Something of unknown consequence that can't be recycled or redeemed lurks beneath this reflective dome.

11.15.23

Looks like we stumbled upon a Rootball game. What's Rootball? Funny you should ask. Three teams are formed with uneven numbers of adolescent neighbors. The game begins when the Captain -- who invented the rules -- passes the ball to any of the teams' members while one player of the Captain's choosing -- called the Rooter -- must try to steal it.

The center point of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, is The Dome of the Ascension, featuring one of the many gold-ground mosaics covering the cathedral's domes, vaults and upper walls. The mosaics have been retouched or remade for over eight hundred years to maintain their shimmering Byzantine styles. In the center, Christ ascends with four angels and is surrounded by standing figures of the Virgin, two angels, and the Twelve Apostles.

11.12.23