Just about exactly a year ago, I had the pleasure of posting some of Larry Deemer’s spectacular photographs from his local beach at Breezy Point, Queens, New York. I’ve kept in touch with Larry since then and, for a couple...
Sitting at the Philadelphia departure gate at 11.00 pm last night on a flight completely packed (presumably as a result of Easter and British Airways strike problems), the pilot informed us that he was "in conference" with Icelandic air traffic...
I have a habit, more often than not masochistic, of dropping into book stores to see whether my efforts are on the shelves. Wandering around the upper Westside of New York a couple of days ago, I spotted a reasonably...
The great rift valleys of east Africa were and are dynamic places, tectonically and volcanically vigorous as the continent attempted to tear itself apart – and they were also our birthplace. A year ago I wrote about work on the...
Ralph Bagnold, the man who figured out how deserts work, was a brilliant scientist and engineer, but his writing could also be lyrical, his passion for the dramas of desert sand and dynamics of its performances showing through. He compared...
As our group stood in the rain in the great arena of the stunning Roman amphitheatre at El Jem in Tunisia, guess who volunteered the fact that "arena" is the Latin for "sand", reflecting its capacity for soaking up the...
Let's face it, the research and writing are the fun parts of producing a book, and then there's the other stuff that is much less enjoyable but vital. Here are a few thoughts: 1. Editing. I've mentioned a writer's "darlings"...
Every individual, thank heavens, is different, with different habits, behaviours, and ways of thinking - that's what makes the human world such an interesting place. This is as true of writers as anyone else, and so what works for one...
I'll start off with some general thoughts and thefts - and a warning that this turned into a bit of an epic, reflecting the saga of getting a book published. Perhaps I should have applied some strict self-discipline in terms...
What to expect on the journey from an idea for a book to actually holding it in your hands? Three of us who have taken this interesting trip, Brian Switek at Laelaps (whose book, Written in Stone, will be published...
Your humble correspondent will be off for the next eight days, travelling around Tunisia - souks, medinas, Roman ruins, Carthage, the Atlas - and, of course, dunes. There may be some things to write about on my return (and a...
Another connection-following journey, entertaining, informative - and time-consuming. For his 12th day of Christmas post, back on January 5th, Chris Rowan of Highly Allochthonous wrote of "Twelve folds a-plunging," describing, and giving some dramatic examples of, the natural calligraphy of...
As a taxpayer in the UK, it has always struck me as ironic that, for freely available information, images, publications - and, I should add, very personal help with enquiries - I have for years relied on the US Geological...
A while ago, during our virtual conversation on the forum at About.com:Geology, Andrew Alden commented that it must have been interesting to be a student at Cambridge in the 1960s when the fundamentals of plate tectonic theory were being constructed...
Historically, the Brits have "done the beach" in a quintessentially idiosyncratic and eccentric way. Socks with sandals. A handkerchief knotted at each corner and worn on the head. Flasks of tea. Diverse contraptions to combat the weather (which is, after...
A few weeks ago, the art museum in Montpellier provided a welcome refuge from torrential rain (of course, I was planning on visiting anyway, but the weather drove me there). On the whole, I have to admit that the museum's...
Sediments around the planet continue their activities, paying no respect to our definitions of time or discipline. What we see today along our coasts is but an instantaneous legacy of yesterday and the prelude for tomorrow. Despite this natural continuity,...
The tour has moved on to Andrew Alden at About.com where he has posted a very much appreciated review, and we are in the midst of an ongoing conversation on his forum - Andrew has posed a series of different,...
One of the great enjoyments of rambling around the blogosphere is the discovery of new stories and connections and simply the journey you take in the process. I was fascinated by Geoff Manaugh's recent post on BLDG BLG on an...
