I am sure there is not a person alive who has not tried to skip rocks on the water. If you have never tried it you have lived a sheltered life and need to get out doors. It takes virtually no imagination and just a little practice and you can master a skill that is with you for life. Here is how it works.
First you have to pick out the right kind of rock. The rock has to be as flat as possible on one side and small enough to fit in one hand where you wrap your finger next to your thumb around the edge with the flat side (of the rock) down and the rock resting on the slightly folded second finger. Next you lower your arm so that when you fling the rock your arm is level or parallel with the water. You can start close to the water or far away and it does not matter as long as you can fling the rock with enough speed and velocity to just hit the water with the flat bottom of the rock so that you do not break the surface tension of the water and sink. If you do it just right the rock will skip across the water. Now to measure success, because it is almost always a competition especially when there are boys, you have to count the number of skips before the rock sinks or gets to the other side of the water assuming the body of water is that narrow. As I recall if you were able to get 9 skips you were likely to win the competition. Four or five and you are doing fairly well. One or two skips you really need to work on your skills.
Now the other concept in rock skipping is to show off to a girl your extraordinary talents in which case it is not a competition unless it is one of those more competitive girls like Becky Sharp. This particular talent is generally more successful at impressing the girls when you are in the 7th and 8th grade and it loses its attraction as you get older. Now I am not saying that boys don't like it as much but for some reason the girls don't seem as impressed. In fact I personally like to go back to the Osage and walk down the creek or find a pond and reminisce by selecting a few choice rocks and giving it a try.
I spent a lot of time chasing after my big brother and always trying to out perform him. Larry was talented at everything and I was always impressed especially when it came to skipping rocks.
Well, what did you learn in the Osage?
First you have to pick out the right kind of rock. The rock has to be as flat as possible on one side and small enough to fit in one hand where you wrap your finger next to your thumb around the edge with the flat side (of the rock) down and the rock resting on the slightly folded second finger. Next you lower your arm so that when you fling the rock your arm is level or parallel with the water. You can start close to the water or far away and it does not matter as long as you can fling the rock with enough speed and velocity to just hit the water with the flat bottom of the rock so that you do not break the surface tension of the water and sink. If you do it just right the rock will skip across the water. Now to measure success, because it is almost always a competition especially when there are boys, you have to count the number of skips before the rock sinks or gets to the other side of the water assuming the body of water is that narrow. As I recall if you were able to get 9 skips you were likely to win the competition. Four or five and you are doing fairly well. One or two skips you really need to work on your skills.
Now the other concept in rock skipping is to show off to a girl your extraordinary talents in which case it is not a competition unless it is one of those more competitive girls like Becky Sharp. This particular talent is generally more successful at impressing the girls when you are in the 7th and 8th grade and it loses its attraction as you get older. Now I am not saying that boys don't like it as much but for some reason the girls don't seem as impressed. In fact I personally like to go back to the Osage and walk down the creek or find a pond and reminisce by selecting a few choice rocks and giving it a try.
I spent a lot of time chasing after my big brother and always trying to out perform him. Larry was talented at everything and I was always impressed especially when it came to skipping rocks.
Well, what did you learn in the Osage?
- science and physics while on the job - re-read it and you find out what I mean
- practical and applied science
- life skills
- love and appreciation for nature and what God gave to us
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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