Architecture
![Heavenly Stone Masons](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200119-334-tn.jpg)
Heavenly Stone Masons
Medieval masons created almost magical architecture with their magnificent mastery of stone and geometry.
![The Troubling Legacy of North America’s Oldest Brick House](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20100330-596tn.jpg)
The Troubling Legacy of North America’s Oldest Brick House
Bacon's Castle in Virginia is a microcosm of major trends in U.S. history and culture.
![The Style that Went Around the World](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Neo-Gothictn.jpg)
The Style that Went Around the World
Most Gothic architecture was built in the 19th and 20th centuries when the medieval style underwent a global revival. Now, Gothic is trending again.
![How to Read Stained Glass Windows](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Stained-Glass-Window-8tn.jpg)
How to Read Stained Glass Windows
Stained glass windows, one of the most durable types of art, have long imparted both powerful religious and secular messages.
![Saint Sulpice Church - Paris’s Temporary Cathedral](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Saint-Sulpice-14.jpg)
Saint Sulpice Church - Paris’s Temporary Cathedral
Saint Sulpice Church in Paris has a turbulent history dating to the 7th century. Today, it is Paris's temporary cathedral amidst the pandemic.
![The Rosetta Stone](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20190124-0534tn.jpg)
The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone, which revolutionized the study of Egypt and ancient languages, continues to court controversy today.
![Comeback of the Courtyard House](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/IMG_3381tn.jpg)
Comeback of the Courtyard House
The pandemic, soaring cost of housing and environmental concerns are renewing interest in courtyard houses, albeit on a miniature scale.
![Rebuilding after 9/11](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20120521-381tn.jpg)
Rebuilding after 9/11
Remembering September 11th has been a national opportunity to evaluate the past and move on with the long messy process of rebuilding.
![Versailles’ Checkered Legacy](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20190131-0531tn.jpg)
Versailles’ Checkered Legacy
Versailles has an image of lavish opulence under the Sun King, Louis XIV, but the palace also has a history of revolution and American ties.
![Gothic Architecture - Imagining Infinity](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200120-869.jpg)
Gothic Architecture - Imagining Infinity
Gothic architecture has been called both magnificent and monstrous. We examine why.
![The Booming and Broiling Southwest](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20160507-515tn.jpg)
The Booming and Broiling Southwest
The American Southwest is the fastest growing region in the United States, but also the hottest and most arid.
![Japan’s Golden Pavilion](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180402-294tn.jpg)
Japan’s Golden Pavilion
The Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan, is evidence of Japan's aesthetic balance of restrained simplicity and bursts of opulent grandeur.
![Why is Washington, D.C. so Roman?](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20120228_245tn.jpg)
Why is Washington, D.C. so Roman?
The U.S. capital has more Roman-style architecture than almost any major city. We explore why.
![The Panthéon of Paris](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200128-176tn.jpg)
The Panthéon of Paris
The Panthéon in Paris, France's national mausoleum, embraces the contradictory themes of the nation's turbulent history.
![A Classical Chinese Garden](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180918-278tn.jpg)
A Classical Chinese Garden
Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Ore., was built by artisans from the garden city of Suzhou, China, to demonstrate the basic elements of Chinese gardens.
![Duke’s Beautiful Campus, Academic Excellence and Mixed Legacy](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou100618187tn.jpg)
Duke’s Beautiful Campus, Academic Excellence and Mixed Legacy
Duke University's Gothic architecture and academic excellence alongside its mixed historical legacy makes it a microcosm of the American South's historical dilemmas.
![Qing Ming Painting Resonates Over Centuries](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Boattn.jpg)
Qing Ming Painting Resonates Over Centuries
China's most famous painting captured traditional life, the traces of which have survived into modern times.
![Peace Village](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Peace-Village-171.jpg)
Peace Village
We take a look back at a remote Chinese village that is now a crowded tourist destination.
![China’s Stone Scriptures](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Stone-Scripture-16tn.jpg)
China’s Stone Scriptures
Thousands of Buddhist scriptures carved in stone and buried for centuries are among China's greatest cultural treasures.
![Resting Place of Kings](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200118-0379tn.jpg)
Resting Place of Kings
France's dazzling royal necropolis, the Basilica of Saint Denis, is also the birthplace of Gothic architecture.
![The Racism of Confederate Statues](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Anson-County-statuetn.jpg)
The Racism of Confederate Statues
The racist past associated with the Confederacy and Confederate monuments has a complex history.
![A Tale of Two Roman Cities](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200126-891-tn.jpg)
A Tale of Two Roman Cities
The amphitheaters, military garrisons, forums, trade and craft shops of two Roman colonial cities have emerged from the dust.
![The Tower of London](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20190125-0550tn.jpg)
The Tower of London
The Tower of London, enduring symbol of the British monarchy, combines royal pageantry with warfare, court intrigue and executions.
![Paris’s Oldest Food Market](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20200118-858.jpg)
Paris’s Oldest Food Market
Rue Montorgueil in Paris began as a village street with a medieval church and food market. It has retained that character.
![Meditation and Japan’s Rock Garden](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180402-043tn.jpg)
Meditation and Japan’s Rock Garden
Meditation is the theme of the Ryoanji dry rock garden. Find out why the garden inspires meditation and how to meditate.
![Sustainable Tourism for Holidays](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180402-129tn.jpg)
Sustainable Tourism for Holidays
Packing for travel this holiday season should include a primer on how to be responsible, sustainable tourists. Here it is.
![New Orleans - Exuberant Hybrid](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/IMG_6984-tn.jpg)
New Orleans - Exuberant Hybrid
New Orleans's hybrid culture is the result of its 300 years as the gateway to trading networks of the Mississippi River.
![Wolf in Ship’s Clothing](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Wolf-tn.jpg)
Wolf in Ship’s Clothing
The picturesque town of Bristol, Rhode Island, once was a slave port and home of the nation's leading slave traders, the DeWolfs.
![Tiananmen Square](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/selects0151tn.jpg)
Tiananmen Square
China's Oct. 1 celebration of 70 years of Communist rule centers on Tiananmen Square, one of the world’s most controversial places.
![What is the Louvre?](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Louvre-and-pyramid-tn.jpg)
What is the Louvre?
The former palace, the world's largest museum, music video and fashion show venue, and global brand has never been more cool.
![Britain and Greece’s Parthenon Dispute](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Parthenon-tn.jpg)
Britain and Greece’s Parthenon Dispute
What are the chances that two men from one family set off international disputes by carting off treasures from Greece and China?
![Giant Buddha, Giant Hall](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Yodaiji-Buddha.jpg)
Giant Buddha, Giant Hall
An emperor built a giant Buddha to unify his struggling country, as the center of a network of Buddhist temples throughout Japan.
![Japanese Design Past and Present](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Kengo-Kuma-garden-tn.jpg)
Japanese Design Past and Present
Architect Kengo Kuma's village at the Portland Japanese Garden blends modern architecture with traditional Japanese design.
![The World Mourns Notre Dame](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Notre-Dame-maintn.jpg)
The World Mourns Notre Dame
Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris, France's national cathedral, was badly damaged in a fire.
![Battle of the Samurai](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Osaka-Castle-tn.jpg)
Battle of the Samurai
Osaka Castle marks the site of an epic samurai battle and one of the most important turning points in Japanese history.
![Memorial to Once-Forgotten People](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20130520-054_1.jpg)
Memorial to Once-Forgotten People
A moving monument and burial ground in Manhattan comemorates enslaved people who once made up more than a third of New York City.
![Scaffolding the World](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Forbidden-City-scaffoldingtn.jpg)
Scaffolding the World
Finding a historical site shrouded in scaffolding is disappointing, but it is a valuable tool for preserving the world's heritage.
![A Palace to Remember](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180330-213-1-tn.jpg)
A Palace to Remember
Visible traces of the Heijō Palace, Japan's palace from which the emperor ruled in splendor, were gone, until the site was restored.
![Building an Arch and Cabinets](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/IMG_9821-tn.jpg)
Building an Arch and Cabinets
To carve space for our office out of a larger living space, we built an arch and cabinets out of old reclaimed beams.
![Retreat by Design](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20180401-151-copy.jpg)
Retreat by Design
What makes a retreat restful and soul restoring? A former imperial retreat in Kyoto, Japan, gets retreat design just right.
![Elements of a Japanese Garden](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou20170803-085tn.jpg)
Elements of a Japanese Garden
Imagine you're sitting in Los Angeles traffic on a hot day. Take a break and head for a cool green oasis - Suihoen Japanese Garden
![China’s Walled Cities](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Tiananmen-Square-135-tn.jpg)
China’s Walled Cities
Only scattered remnants survive of the many walled cities that once defined the Chinese empire.
![The Round Door Arrives](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Round-door2-tn.jpg)
The Round Door Arrives
The Thoughtful House's round door has arrived and been installed. Our video and blog celebrate round architecture.
![California’s Danish Village](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou060821058-tn.jpg)
California’s Danish Village
Solvang, California's Danish village, is the perfect place to take an afternoon stroll and enjoy pastries and art galleries.
![The Land of Junipero Serra](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/rou091219501-tn_1.jpg)
The Land of Junipero Serra
Junipero Serra's "sainthood" is controversial, but the extent of his cultural impact on California is indisputable.
![Excavation of The Thoughtful House](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Excavation-tn.jpg)
Excavation of The Thoughtful House
This story begins with a hole in the ground - a nasty, dirty, wet hole.
![Why Isn’t Every Town Like Carmel?](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Lilliput-tn.jpg)
Why Isn’t Every Town Like Carmel?
Carmel, California, demonstrates how design, planning and environmentalism can enhance a small town.
![Construction begins](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Thoughful_House-tn_1.jpg)
Construction begins
Construction begins on The Thoughtful House after four years of planning and preparation.
Enhance your life and dig deeper with apps and books
![Cooking Without Tomatoes](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Donnas-supreme-pizza-tn.jpg)
Cooking Without Tomatoes
Tomatoes are ubiquitous, so life with a tomato allergy or intolerance is challenging. The No Tomato Cookbook can help.
![Beating Non-food Inflation](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Inflation-Non-food-085tn.jpg)
Beating Non-food Inflation
With annual inflation at seven percent, we look at how you can save money on non-food items and services.
![How to Fight Inflation of Food Prices](https://hobblecreek.us/assets/images/Groceriesttn.jpg)
How to Fight Inflation of Food Prices
Inflation, health concerns and climate change are at the top of the news. Wise food shopping and consumption can help with all three.