Quite a few people have commented to me about my blog, saying that they really enjoyed this article or that one. It always feels good when people recognize (or at least acknowledge) my work. It makes me feel like the effort matters. A dear friend of mine began pestering me about starting a blog quite a while ago. I have a lot to share, the friend said. I can’t argue with that, as I have more than three decades of experience in the mining field. As I’ve probably said previously, I began my mining career at a copper mine in New Mexico, as a rodman on the survey crew. We’d survey blast holes, pit expansions and tailings facilities. It was a lot of good, hard work. After completing my undergraduate degree I was employed at the US Bureau of Mines in Denver. My group worked in ground control, and especially for underground coal mines. The field work mostly included the underground coal mines in western Colorado and central Utah. Again, good, hard work. And then I launched my life-long career in geotechnical engineering. As a consultant, I’ve resided in Colorado, Nevada and South Africa. As a part of my work, I have travelled to Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Chile, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Poland and Uzbekistan. I’ve been to other countries for conferences and the like. I’ve worked in almost all of the western states, and a few in the east. During this time, I have not learned all of the answers, or even all of the questions. But it is experiences and exposures that I am very happy to share. So, please indulge me, as I keep getting more things out of my head.