• Tagged Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness, Badlands, Bisti, De-Na-Zin Wilderness, King of Wings, New Mexico, rock formations, Valley of Dreams

When you think “alien” and New Mexico, Roswell might come to mind, but “alien” in this case is about 5 and a half hours away in the little known New Mexico Wilderness areas of Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah and Bisti/De-Na-Zin. The rock formations are fantastic and surreal, alien in appearance, and the area is full of dinosaur bones and other fossils. Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area has over 6,500 acres, including the Valley of Dreams, and the nearby Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness has more than 41,000 acres; all are remote and full of colorful hoodoos, pinnacles, spires, cap rocks, canyons, washes and other bizarre formations laid out in a remote maze. Those who brave the wilderness may not see another soul during their adventure, but they are rewarded by seeing some of the most unusual scenery and incredible landscapes in New Mexico; it is a photographer’s dream shoot location. [52 Photos, 1 Video]

• Tagged Hundertwasser architecture

Friedensreich Hundertwasser was an artist turned architect at age 55. He spurned traditionally boring 20th century designs, put out manifestos such as one proclaiming Window Rights, pushed his point across by giving lectures in the nude, used bright colors, distorted lines and designed with the desire to be in harmony with nature. Here’s a look at some of creations by the “the doctor of architecture.” [41 Photos]

• Tagged Tunnel of Love

If you have love on the brain, then everything can tie back to love; the reality of a place can be tinted by a whimsical and romantic notion that makes a tunnel into a tunnel of love. It was curious to see places that actually are real tunnels of love and what photographers tagged as “tunnel of love.” So tap into your inner romantic, let your imagination run wild and let your heart “see” what the photographers saw. Happy Valentine’s Day! [35 Photos, 3 Videos]

• Tagged cityscapes, miniatures, tilt shift

One of the reasons photographers use tilt-shift is to make life-size locations look like photos of miniature scale models. Tilt-shift photography is not only used for miniature faking, but these miniatures reminded us of the song “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” So let’s do some virtual globe hopping to view amazing miniature worlds in which city-scapes appear like toy cities. [60 Photos]

• Tagged bizarre, Brazil, desert, Lençois Maranhenses, National Park, sand

In Brazil, there is an very unusual national park in the desert. While you might expect to see rolling white sand dunes, you would not expect to see the area dotted with lagoons created by rainwater. Here’s a look at those dunes and lagoons in Lençóis Maranhenses National Park. [29 Photos]

• Tagged animals, bizarre, cats, dogs, dogs in wedding costumes, Festivals of Numerical Coincidence

Happy Festival of Numerical Coincidence! In the United States and Belize, we do dates differently than the rest of the world by using a month/day/year format. Believe it or not, there’s a mad rush to get married on 11/12/13. For example, San Francisco City Hall is all booked up. David’s Bridal compared the date to the Superbowl but for weddings. There’s a psychology surrounding numerical sequences, other than setting a wedding anniversary date that neither couple should forget. For couples who desire such a date, the next sequential date will be next year in December 12-13-14. Since it’s a big day for marriage-seekers, we thought we’d look at weddings featuring dogs and cats while discussing magical calendar dates that set marriage records. [25 Photos]

• Tagged abandoned, abandoned Sanatorium, abandoned tuberculosis hospital, haunted Waverly, Kentucky, Louisville, paranormal, paranormal phenomena, Waverly Hills Sanatorium

This former tuberculosis hospital has been called one of the most terrifying, most haunted, places in America. At least 6,000 people died there, many taken out through a ‘death chute’ tunnel, and Waverly Hills reached urban legend ghost status. Built in 1926, the massive Gothic architecture housed TB patients suffering from the “White Plague” with no antibiotic cure on the horizon. It closed in 1962, then became a facility for the elderly, but was shut down for patient abuse by Kentucky state officials in 1982. Here’s a ‘spooky USA’ armchair visit to a place of history and mystery, Waverly Hills Sanatorium. [66 Photos, 6 Videos]

• Tagged art, artificial reef, artificial reefs, Cancun, diving, environment, Grenada, Jason deCaires Taylor, Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park, MUSA, nature, The Silent Evolution, underwater, underwater photography, underwater sculptures, Vicissitudes

Our coral reefs are dying, but forward-thinking eco-minded artists are helping nature by creating stunning life-sized sculptures . . . and then sinking them. Man has been creating artificial reefs for thousands of years, starting with the Ancient Persians who wanted a military advantage by blocking off an area of the sea. As mankind has evolved, so too have our artificial reefs. The most amazing consist not of our trash or out-dated ships, but of incredibly detailed sculptures created to be placed underwater and slowly but surely undergo a metamorphosis under the sea. While it may look like abandoned statues starting to decay, it is actually art being rebirthed into living, breathing reefs. If you haven’t had a chance to dive or snorkel such locations, then you are missing out. So here is a look at the eerily beautiful process of spectacular art, underwater sculptures, transforming into artificial reefs. [52 Photos]

• Tagged abandoned, abandoned Varosha, Cyprus, Famagusta, ghost town

Imagine yourself on an island in the Mediterranean with beautiful white sand beaches, warm weather, fantastic places to shop, fine dining, and modern luxurious hotels that are frequented by the vacationing rich and famous. Then boom, the island is invaded and you must flee for your life from that slice of paradise. From tourist hotspot to ghost town, it’s a No Man’s Land with ruins that are rotting away. This happened: the island is Cyprus, the year was 1974, and the area was known as Varosha, a section of Famagusta. The crumbling vacation resort is a “forbidden zone” that has been stuck in time and slowly decaying for nearly 40 years. Sure, you could cross the “Buffer Zone” to see what that moment in time looked like when people fled and Varosha was abandoned, but if caught . . . trespassers will be shot on the spot. [36 Photos]

• Tagged boys, boys being boys, dads, Father's Day, holiday, quotes, why boys need dads

Boys will be boys and who understands that better than a grown boy, a dad? He was once a boy in mischief, full of daredevil energy for fun misadventures. Here are photographic examples of boys being boys to show reasons why boys might need their father. Of course we’re not discounting the value and power of what moms can do in these same situations, but having once been a boy, now a big boy, dad might understand this in a different way. Sprinkle in some quotes and here is lighthearted tribute to dads. Happy Father’s Day! [42 Photos]

• Tagged China, phenomena, Shilin Stone Forest, South China Karst, Stone Forest, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Imagine 96,000 acres of forest, then swap out the trees in your mind’s eye for huge karst formations, some of which formed at least 270 million years ago, and that “stone forest” is Shilin in China. Since the Ming Dynasty in 1368-1644 AD, the collections of intricate karst formations and landscapes at Shilin Stone Forest have “bewitched” people; the site became known as the ‘First Wonder of the World,’ according to the China Travel Guide. South China Karst is not one Stone Forest, but made up of many such individual landscapes of all sizes. In fact, UNESCO says South China Karst has “outstanding universal value” and named two smaller stone forests, Naigu Stone Forest and Suogeyi Village, both as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Here’s a look at Shilin Stone Forest in China.
[35 Photos]

• Tagged angel headstones, architecture, cemetery, graveyard, holiday, Memorial Day, tomb, tombs, tombstones

No matter your religious beliefs or cultural background, we all mourn our lost loved ones. When remembering the departed, we can all be ‘haunted’ by ghosts and specters of memories. Some people are so bereaved that they erect elaborate statues for tombstones. The details and symbolism on headstones are usually created by those still living, weeping and mourning; the monuments capture that sense of loss and pain to be remembered for all time. Graveyards are eerie enough, but other tombs are topped off with curiously spooky and complex reminders, making the cemetery seem like it was created to be a totally creepy and morbid place. Having lost a beloved grandmother and great-grandmother this year, we can feel the pain of loss and the love that went into these grieving angel statues. Angels monuments often offer comfort to those still living, but when they too have passed on and the graves are forgotten, time and weather may play havoc on the tombstones. For Memorial Day, here’s a trip through cemeteries that seem eternally eerie by being haunted by weeping angels and other ghoulish statues standing guard for an eternity. [45 Photos]