well, I’ve survived the plane trip and gotten through the first couple of days in the office. Weather is cold and clear. Have not yet managed to get out of line-of-sight of…
Before the Mine
A short while ago, I went out to a soon-to-be mine site somewhere in Western Australia. It was a beautiful spring morning, 32C, a brisk wind.We stood up on a mesa, about…
Crosiers, cathedrals, and the memory of trees
Many have commented on the resemblance between a bishop’s crosier and the delicate spiral of a tree fern. Which came first? Well, that one is obvious- no ecclesiasts roamed the earth before…
The First Goths of the Year
It’s almost spring, and the first Goths are emerging from their winter dens, blinking and shivering in the weak sunlight. Soon the light will grow too strong for them, and they will…
The Semiotics of Cave Tours
Independent of country, language and location, one can imagine a model of the ideal cave tour. It starts with a climb (or possibly a descent) through forested (wooded, landscaped) ground to a…