geology – Sandra Friend

A black and a white pigeon strutting across flagstones

Tidbits Inspire

Posted on Dec 5, 2025Jan 10, 2026 by Sandra Friend

Story ideas spring from diving deeper with a sense of wonder.

Curious about George in Santorini

Posted on Apr 19, 2011Jan 10, 2026 by Sandra Friend

Yes, I’ve hiked across a volcano, and a historic one at that: the cinder cone in the middle of the caldera on the island of Santorini, Greece.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Posted on Apr 14, 2011Jan 10, 2026 by Sandra Friend

It’s not easy to get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and it’s a long ways by car from the popular South Rim. But the views are worth the journey.

Men talking in front of cases of minerals

Prospecting at Poland Mining Camps

Posted on Feb 16, 2011Jan 18, 2026 by Sandra Friend

At Poland Mining Camps, a destination for prospectors, collections of minerals extracted from famous Maine localities line the walls. Purple apatite, an inch thick and translucent as glass. Platy, iridescent clevelandite, encrusted with tiny sparkling crystals of muscovite. The human company is outstanding, too.

Beneath the Withlacoochee

Posted on Feb 13, 2011Jan 10, 2026 by Sandra Friend

Way down under the Withlacoochee State Forest, there’s a whole other world waiting to be seen. The forest is rich with caves, and there are groups that lead explorations into them.