One afternoon, Tucker and I were drinking percolator coffee and avoiding errands, when he suggested that we take a look at his collection of photos from his academically-guided trip to Israel and other areas near the Red Sea. What followed was a Spielberg-like tour through Petra (a.k.a. the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ) in Jordan , and a kibbutz* in Israel on Tucker’s monitor. Amid the comedy, danger, and sand, this shot of the city of Jerusalem struck me. It shows the eastern, or Arab side of Jerusalem, an area of relatively new development. The buildings and their glinting windows and green mosque lights coat the side of the hill like bright scales. Urban landscapes appeal to me, especially ones where space seems so precious that every inch could be the subject of a possible dispute. This interest may be tied to my upbringing in Alaska, where the land is so plentiful, people get tired just looking at it, let alone deciding what...