Robot graffiti, Luxembourg

I find the facial expression on this graffiti robot really endearing and cute.

Mall skylight, Iowa City

I like how the hexagonal pattern of the roof and window extends into the spider of wires holding decorations above the children's play area in the Coralville Mall.

Bangular Perspective, Iowa City

Giant mall Christmas ornaments look really weird when you aren't looking from the intended direction.

Crossing Paths

In the air, far above the ground, you lose all sense of the speed at which you are traveling. When you cross paths with another plane, however, that all comes back as the other shoots past at startling speed a thousand feet or more above or below.

University of Augsburg, Germany

Another intriguing modernist building at the University of Augsburg.

University of Augsburg, Germany

The colorful textured outer wall of a building at the University of Augsburg in Germany.

Sunset in the Golden Hall, Augsburg, Germany

Sunset turning the many windows of the Golden Hall of Augsburg into silhouette.

Rest-Area Roof, Ohio

This mighty wheel and spokes was actually the roof of a rest area food court, somewhere off of Interstate 80 in Ohio.

Broken Window, University of Iowa

Over the summer, the outer pane broke while the inner stayed intact in a giant double-pane window in the Engineering building at the University of Iowa.

Dawn double rainbow off I90 in Minnesota

On that morning last summer, a light rainstorm swept past us as we drove West into Minnesota with the dawn breaking at our backs, a pair of red-tinged rainbows glimmering on its edge.

Turtle picnic, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison Wisconsin

Quietly in a corner of the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, these two topiary turtles share a contemplative parent / child moment over a picnic.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison Wisconsin

The Olbrich Botanical Gardens, in the middle of Madison Wisconsin are a lovely green oasis of vegetation, watercourses, and sculpture.

Ella's Deli, Madison, Wisconsin

A fuller view of the lovely madness and chaos of Ella's deli.

Ella's Deli, Madison, Wisconsin

To me, this is the freakiest exhibit in the whole of Ella's Deli: the singing foot family, who wobble back and forth singing mountain songs from "The Sound of Music." I have no idea why the singers are these hideous feet.

Ella's Deli, Madison, Wisconsin

Another inhabitant of Ella's Deli: this Humpty Dumpty looms frightening out of the uncanny valley over an unsuspecting table.

Ella's Deli, Madison, Wisconsin

Another image from Ella's deli, this one an Escher-esque window shade covered with colorful birds.

The Magic is Gone, Ella's Deli, Madison, Wisconsin

Ella's Deli was one of the first restaurants to serve authentic Jewish cuisine in Madison, Wisconsin, and the place is a remarkable fusion of a traditional New York-style deli, with all of the favorite dishes that you might be longing for, and knick-knack filled roadside attraction. Animatronic toys wobble on the walls and glide back and forth above the tables, colorful signs announce dishes and attractions, and it seems that every space is filled with some sort of antique mechanical miscellany. One of these that caught my eye is this pair of sad wizards, which I think were once (perhaps still are) part of a fortune-telling gizmo. To my eye, though, they seem to be mourning the passing of magic from their world.

Thai Pavilion at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison Wisconsin

Another perspective on the Thai pavilion in the gardens of Madison, emphasizing the spiky angles of its roof.

Thai Pavilion at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison Wisconsin

In the back corner of a botanical garden in Madison, Wisconsin sits a remarkable sight: a genuine Thai temple, in all its golden intricacy, gifted to the university by the government of Thailand.

Lights and Doves in O'Hare Airport

The holiday decor in O'Hare airport fills this airy space with lights and doves, surrounding the world with symbols of peace and brightness.

Deer Island Wind Turbine, Boston

Standing on one of the hills by the Deer Island water treatment plant is this: the strangest wind turbine that I have ever seen.  I wonder if there is some special purpose, or if it is just an experimental design that they piloted at the plant that has never managed to catch on elsewhere.

Deer Island Sunset, Boston

Sunset glowing off the massive water tower standing above the Deer Island water treatment plant, hidden just the other side of these parkland hills.

Boston under a lowering cloud

Boston, framed by cloud, as seen from out across the harbor by the Deer Island water treatment plant, where there is a lovely walking park on the breezy edge of the ocean.

Powerlines at Dawn, Illinois

Powerlines stretching over the highway at dawn, silhouettes against the subtle rainbow air.

Highway Sunrise, Illinois

Another fragment of the early morning, with the sun just peeking above the horizon across the fields of Illinois.

Farms at Dawn, Illinois

I've been seeing a lot of dawns, lately, as I get up early to work on my scientific proposals, and so this picture of farms at dawn, from when I was driving across Illinois on my way from Iowa to Boston two years ago, seems very apropos to me right now.

Dawn at Eastern Iowa Airport

A sight I see far too often, on early morning departures where I take the first flight out of the Eastern Iowa Airport.

Tranquil afternoon view, Seattle

Towards the end of a meeting, looking out into the tranquil afternoon, clear blue skies guide my view out Eastward from Seattle, across the lake, over the skyscrapers of Bellevue, all the way out to the misty quiet slopes of the Cascade Mountains.

Bubble porches, Seattle

I just like the bubbly round shape of these porches on an apartment building near the University of Washington in Seattle.

University of Washington reflecting pool

Near the computer science building in the University of Washington is a wide circular reflecting pool, still calm and tranquil on the early morning that I walked by it on my way to a scientific workshop.