ERL Research Scientist Dr Stephen Brown reflects on what he saw, and what he didn't see, in his early experiences with rocks and nature in this essay written for 52 Things You Should Know About Rock Physics, published this year by Agile Libre.  The book also includes essays by ERL Deputy Director Dr. Michael Fehler, and several ERL alumni including Prof. Arthur Cheng, Dr. Sven Treitel, and Dr. Xinding Fang.