A Whole Street of Houses, Stirred With A Spoon

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“ And by this time they were come up to the great iron gates in front of the house; and Tom stared through them at the rhododendrons and azaleas, which were all in flower; and then at the house itself, and wondered how many chimneys there were in it, and how long ago it was built, and what was the man’s name that built it, and whether he got much money for his job? These last were very difficult questions to answer. For Harthover had been built at ninety different times, and in nineteen different styles, and looked as if somebody had built a whole street of houses of every imaginable shape, and then stirred them together with a spoon.” —The Water-Babies, by Charles Kingsley. Ch.1 (1863)

Two places I'd love see in person

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Ball's Pyramid, 12 mi southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean (approx. 400 miles off the coast of Australia). All-access banned in 1986 due to its treacherous approach, delicate ecosystem and fragile surface.

Tristan De Cunha
Tristan De Cunha, the most remote island in the world, approximately 1500 miles off the South African coast. Population: 250. Visitors are welcome but please are invited not to stay long. To best appreciate exactly the island's location, click here and scroll out. Edgar Allan Poe introduced me to the island via his novel, "The Narrative of Gordon A. Pym of Nantucket." 

Tristan De Cunha


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