“In the desert, the two primary elements are stone and water. Stone comes in abundance, exposed by weathering and a lack of vegetation. It is a canvas. Water crosses this stone with such rarity and ferocity that it tells all of its secrets in the shapes left behind.” TwoLeftWaterSecretBehindsShapesElementsStonesCrossesPrimariesDesertAbundanceExposedCanvasLeft BehindRarityVegetationFerocity Author:Craig Childs
“All these soft kinds [of stone] have the advantage that they can be easily worked as soon as they have been taken from the quarries. Under cover, they play their part well; but in open and exposed situations the frost and rime make them crumble, and they go to pieces. On the seacoast, too, the salt eats away and dissolves them, nor can they stand great heat either.” WellsKindHas BeensPlaySituationTakenPiecesAdvantageStonesHeatExposedSaltFrostQuarry Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
“When stones lying warm in the sun were turned over, they exposed the cold, damp earth underneath; and that was where Masako had burrowed deep. There was no trace of warmth in this dark earth, yet for a bug curled up tight in it, it was a peaceful and familiar world.” WorldEarthLyingDarkSunColdStonesWarmFamiliarPeacefulWarmthExposedBugsDamp Author:Natsuo Kirino
“When the uncultured man sees a stone in the road it tells him no story other than the fact that he sees a stone ... The scientist looking at the same stone perhaps will stop, and with a hammer break it open, when the newly exposed faces of the rock will have written upon them a history that is as real to him as the printed page.” MenRealFactsStoriesRealityFacesScienceCultureBreakHistoryWrittenRocksPagesStonesScientistExposedHammersPrinted Book:Nature's Miracles: Familiar Talks on Science Source: Nature's Miracles: Familiar Talks on Science