Where have all the houses gone

Once upon a time people mostly lived in the country and every day as they worked and played they learned about rocks and water. They learned that rocks and water run downhill. So when they built their houses they built them away from running rocks and running water. Today people mostly live in cities and they know about running automobiles and running stores, but they don't know about rocks and water. People build cities almost anywhere: in the desert, in the low valleys and the high mountains, and by the seashore.

Some people like to build their houses in the desert because the desert is dry and the hills are rocky, bold, and clean. But rocky hills are hard, and hard to build on, so the people build their houses in the between the hills. These people don't know why the hills are bold and clean. They are bold and clean because in the dry desert, flood wash away the rick and soil. Then the rock and soil and water flush down the narrow canyons and through the houses the people build.

Some people like to build their houses in a long straight valley. They don't know why the valley is long and straight. The valley is long and straight because it follows an earthquake fault. Sometimes the fault makes the valley quake, and this shakes the people up while it shakes their houses down.

Some people like to build their houses among the big green trees in the mountains. These people don't know why the trees are big and green. They are big and green because big green trees like lots of rain. The rain that they like sometimes knocks them down then picks them up; rain also picks up rock and soil. Then the rain and trees and rock and soil go bouncing down the canyons and through the houses that the people build.

Some people love the sea so they build their houses on seacliffs. Those who love the sea the most build their houses at the edge. These people don't know why the seacliffs are there because they spend their time looking at the sea and not the cliffs. The seacliffs are there because the land is in the way of where the sea wants to go and that is why they are called seacliffs. The cliff houses are on the land that's in the way of where the sea wants to go, so the cliff houses go too, see?

Some people like to build their houses on soft rocks because soft rocks are easy to build on. But soft rocks can't stand people building on them, so they don't. Soft rocks are sometimes found on little shelves along a hillside or the bumpy ground below. Little shelves and bumps on hillsides are called landslides. Most landslides are on their way somewhere, and houses built on landslides that are on their way somewhere are on their way somewhere.

...gone to kindling every one ......."

George B. Cleveland