I’ve been interested in the natural world since elementary school.  By the 5^th grade, I had decided on a science career.  I was fascinated by remote places, mountains and deserts, violent weather, plants and animals, rocks and fossils, and travel.  I love to write, so I assembled this site to share my experiences as a child in Illinois, as a college student, and later as a geologist.  My goal is to describe how science and the natural environment, especially geology, have influenced me, and in many ways defined who I am. This site is dedicated to my son, Ken, my niece, Julia, and my nephews, Tom, Matt, and Joe.  It’s never too late to change majors.  I also wish to dedicate this site to other young adults looking for a rewarding career in science, and to geologists who have a passion for the natural world and love what they do.  There is no better reward than to be in an exciting place, totally immersed in attempting to solve a problem dealing with the Earth’s physical or biological systems.

I’ve separated my writing into two web pages.  The first is a memoir of my life as a student and geologist in my early years working in industry and government.  These chapters include: My First Recollection, Undergraduate School, and three later chapters describing my experiences as a graduate student. The focus of this memoir is geology but personal aspects of my life, including travel, relationships, and a variety unrelated experiences are also described.

The second web page, Essays, includes several pieces dealing with my work as a geologist and as a retiree, hiking and camping in western North America.  These chapters describe personal experiences with storms, rattlesnakes, slot canyons, crazy collecting habits, and schmoozing, to name a few.  Several pieces are interwoven with my memoir and describe special experiences in graduate school or work.

To the best of my knowledge, the writing in these pages is factual.  I have attempted to objectively describe experiences as they occurred, to avoid exaggeration and distortion of events from the distant past.  But time often takes a toll on memory.  I primarily use first names in these pages and have changed a few to protect the privacy of fellow students, colleagues, mentors, friends, and acquaintances.  This website is about me, and I take full responsibility for its content.

The final web page, Photos, includes personal images of my childhood and adult life, other photographs of various rock outcroppings, geologic phenomena, and some strange or interesting art shots taken when a camera was available.  I’ve labeled each image appropriately.

Finally, this site is intended to be funny, to see the humorous side of life, even if events described were not especially funny at the time they occurred.  If my humor falls short of expectations, I apologize.  If you smile or laugh, I have accomplished my goal.