Category: Event

  • Let’s Decide

    The loyal readers of the Twelve Mile Circle certainly came through with a number of great suggestions for the most Iconic View. I have multiple favorites and I imagine you probably do too. There’s no objective way that I believe I can select a single winner. With that in mind, I’ve decided to let the…

  • Iconic Views

    Skip directly to the bottom if you want to be part of a little contest. Otherwise feel free to read through my blathering extended explanation of context for a few moments. I featured a nice Google Street View image of the historic Hume School in Arlington County, Virginia recently. It seemed familiar, and not because…

  • Mistaken Identity, Part 3

    I’ve called the final installment of my series on geographic mistaken identities, Baltimore, DC. A couple of comments on the earlier articles referenced people making the wrong assumptions about airports. This is another instance of that phenomenon so I won’t dwell on it for long. Instead I’ll keep it short. That way I have room…

  • Mistaken Identity, Part 2

    I call the second case of mistaken geographic identity the “Invasion of a Maryland Beach Town!” This instance of mistaken geography happened long before my birth, and all the way back in 1941. It became Howder family legend. And it will undoubtedly pass along to our progeny for generations to come. Some families bestow royal…

  • Mistaken Identity, Part 1

    I know it’s sometimes difficult for us to believe, being all geo-geeky and such, that not everyone shares our passion for geography. I couldn’t help being reminded of that when I started drafting my latest new visitor roundup. It brought to mind a story from my past when an incorrect geographic assumption caused quite a…

  • County Counter Extraordinaire

    Fritz Keppler of Arlington, Virginia recently discovered my humble Twelve Mile Circle blog as he searched for the boundaries of the Sandoval County exclave. He’s quickly become a regular reader and contributor in the comments section over the last few weeks. One early comment caught my eye in particular. I fixated on its enormity as…

  • One Flew Over the Void

    International borders serve as fodder for a frequently recurring topic on Twelve Mile Circle. I’ve written about borders in tunnels, borders across islands, and borders creating odd exclaves. I’ve even discussed a border that I crossed of somewhat dubious legality. However none of those approach the epic heights of one particularly noteworthy border crossing that…

  • Running the Table

    Running the table occurs in billiards when a player takes the break shot, pockets every required ball, and wins the game outright before his opponent ever has a chance to take a single shot. The entire sequence happens flawlessly, a perfect balance of skill and luck with awesome and impressive results. I’ve been trying to…

  • Celebrate the Day Twice

    As happens frequently here, I noticed an interesting phrase deposited by a search engine in my web traffic logs. The gist of the query — from an unknown but curious user — seemed straightforward enough. Could someone celebrate a birthday twice by crossing the International Date Line? Yes, it’s absolutely possible. There must be any…

  • Tourist Options During a Government Shutdown

    The benefit or the curse of living in the Washington, DC area — and the jury is still out on that call — is that national and international news for everyone else is our local news. Currently we can’t escape the theatrics of yet another impending government shutdown. Here’s to hoping that the immature politicians…