She watched as her grandmother struggled to thread a needle with fingers that were beginning to bend at odd angles, like old trees.

NEWYORKER: The Visitor

In a drought year, all you might see are dusty plains, the odd mob of kangaroos and emus, and a few struggling trees.

BBC: Watching Australia's wildlife

All that appeared odd then were the town's wide avenues lined with tall trees and the occasional spire of a Christian church rising upwards.

BBC: Welcome to Abbottabad

The Henderson headquarters, three squat beige buildings surrounded by palm and flowering plum trees, have become an unlikely pilgrimage spot for businesspeople, tourists, and the odd celebrity, many ferried to and from their hotels on the Las Vegas Strip in a complimentary shuttle van.

NEWYORKER: Happy Feet