Dear Tom;-
     Thanks for the nice words. And I do believe that the purchase of
books is important. In fact it is so important that I find myself to
be more a collector of books than of shells. It's what you advise
when someone says, " I have a simply lovely collection but I don't
know a thing about them." I find some people talking that way as if
they really believed that a little knowledge, if not dangerous, was
at least a bit dirty. I also found that to be true in a number of my
high school students.
    As far as Oceanless New Mexico is concerned, fret not. It is my
understanding that the federal government is planning one for you and
Arizona alike as part of their new "Workfair" program.
         Art