I was out walking my dog. She likes rocks. All kinds. So do I. She likes me to throw them so she can chase after them and catch them. Then she likes me to chase her, so I comply, saying "Gimme that rock! I'm gonna get you!" Her tail curls way up over her back and she prances away from me, occasionally looking over her shoulder to make sure I'm following. She can run much faster, but she doesn't, knowing I have half as many legs as she does and am therefore MUCH slower.

But sometimes I'll pick up a rock and pocket it instead of throwing. She hates that, my dog. I have to quick pick up another one and throw it or she gets pissed. But I found one today. Dark grey, flat, smooth and rounded. Must have come from a lake or the ocean. It had clearly been worn by water. What was it doing out here on this forested path? Most likely was put here. This is an awfully nice path, I'm guessing it was paved and laid with stones. Or was it laid here by a glacier? Nah. I'll bet glaciers don't wear rocks this smooth. This is a water rock.

When I was a kid my grandfather taught me how to skip rocks on Lake Huron. You have to get a flat, smooth one. Disk-ish. Then you hold it horizontally in your hand and you flip it out, casting it as horizontaly as you possibly can...flipping it, lastly, off your index finger. If you've got the right conditions, you can really get that rock to skip. I think I got ten skips once. I still love skipping rocks.