Author: Ms. R.

Often mistaken as a commemorative statue, this sculpture has become a memorial of sorts, honoring the deaths of 23 Chinese cockle pickers who died in Morecambe Bay working for criminal organizations. The sculpture was actually imagined before the tragedy occurred in 2004.  Unveiled in November 2013 and carved out of limestone, “The Praying Shell” overlooks the Morecambe Bay. The creator, artist Anthony Padgett stated that the sculpture was designed to inspire walkers venturing along the bay. Padgett said this……

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What could be mistaken as a lighthouse, the Portland Observatory was built in 1807 by Captain Lemuel Moody to serve as a communication station for Portland Harbor. The Portland Observatory was one of the earliest marine signal stations in the United States and the only one still standing today. It was a commercial venture designed to give a competitive edge to ship owners who paid a subscription fee of $5.00 a year to alert them when their sailing ships……

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It’s a common sight in tropical places from Nigeria to India to the Philippines. In the mornings, before the harsh sun has burned the mist away, tappers climb the palm trees. Aided with nothing more than wiry muscles and woven rope or cloth, they scale to the top, risking the steep drop to collect palm sap. Like tropical maple-syrup collectors, they pierce the tree and tie earthen pots to catch the juice that seeps out of this wound. As……

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The Bateshwar collection of Hindu temples is believed to have been constructed between the 8th and 10th-centuries by the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. Little is known about their construction, as once this empire fell, the temples too disappeared from the history books and were swallowed up by the jungle. They were re-discovered by British archeologist Alexander Cunningham in the 19th-century but were in ruins. Historians believe that an earthquake during the 13th-century was responsible for the destruction.  Despite being declared a……

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Molly Lester was walking around north Philadelphia a few years ago when she saw a ghost. The specter was haunting the alabaster remains of 1513 North Second Street, a former townhouse. Lester took a picture, the first of what has become a spirited collection of Philly building ghosts—the imprints of demolished rowhouses that linger on their neighboring buildings’ exterior walls. This particular apparition included a white plaster outline where there had once been three floors of rooms, stairs, and……

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Rome consists of several contrasts between life and death, opulence, and decay. The Tiber Island considered a sacred enclave across the centuries hides one of the best-kept secrets in its subterranean world, the burial crypt of the Sacconi Rossi Brotherhood. The confraternity, whose complete name was Brotherhood of the Devotees of Jesus at Calvary and Holy Lady Mary of Sorrows in Relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory was established in 1760. The institution was founded by young Christians to……

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Eric Morecambe was part of one of the most successful comedic duos of all time: Morecambe & Wise. Born in May 1926 with the birth name of John Eric Bartholomew, he chose to use the stage name Eric Morecambe, which was the name of his hometown. The statue, a life-sized dedication to one of the greatest comics of all time, overlooks Morecambe Bay and was unveiled by non-other than the Queen of England in July 1999. The stance portrayed……

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Designed to highlight the agricultural diversity of the Piedmont region of the Carolinas throughout the year, this seasonal produce clock was completed in 2020. Measuring nearly 12 feet in diameter, the installation features a custom-built clock hand that makes one full rotation per year. With 12 o’clock aligning with the winter solstice, the hand slowly progresses through the seasons, passing over hand-painted illustrations of dozens of unique fruits and vegetables. Intended to promote local agriculture and the importance of……

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Colma, California is often known as San Francisco‘s City of the Dead. Olivet Memorial Park is one of the 17 cemeteries located in Colma and within its grounds lies a clown cemetery. Showfolks are buried all over the United States. The largest Showmen’s memorial resides in Indiana after a horrific train crash killed 86 circus performers. Colma California hosts a smaller Showfolks’ memorial. Known to the locals as “Clown Ally” the monument can be found in the back section……

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When Yozaemon Chikiriya established his garment business, Chiso, in Kyoto, his primary customers were monks who required fine clerical vestments. That was 1555. More than four centuries later, the company’s intricately cut robes are coveted as luxury garments, and Chiso—having persevered through shrinking economies, shifting trends, wars, and more—has found itself among the last of Japan’s bespoke kimono houses. Still run by descendants of the Chikiriya clan, it has managed to survive as a powerhouse while honoring tradition and……

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Though it lies just a few miles off England’s southern coast, the curious, diamond-shaped Isle of Wight seems to exist in another era entirely. Once a beloved vacation destination for Victorian visitors, the island – still reachable only by boat from the mainland—remains a British family holiday favorite that capitalizes on the kitschy seaside charm of yesteryear. But the end of an era on the Isle of Wight is approaching. The island’s train line, whose rolling stock has consisted……

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