Skipping Stones

When I was a boy skipping stones was a favoriter activity. There were two requirements pertaining to a successful skip. First, the selected stone had to be a flat as possible but not too thin. The thivkness of two nickels stacked on top of each other was perfect. Second, the way the stone was thrown would determine if a skip was even possible. To efectuate a good skip the stone had to be thrown sideways, and gripped between the thumb anf forefinger of the thrower. The idea was to throw the stone as close to level with the surface of the water and not into the water. If all was done properly then the stone would skip.

Skipping on a river or a lake was paramount fun. When the body of water was a river then the point was to get the stone all the way across. If the body of water was a lake then the point was to get as many consecutive skips as possible. Additionally, the trick was to top the previous amount on your turn. If you skipped rocks alone hten it was only for practice since there was no one but you to verify what was achieved.

The highlight of my summers as young boy was sepnding time in the mountains of New Hampshire. To this day that area is one of my favorite places in the world. My brothers and I quickly found out that the smooth river stones were the best for skipping. They were scattered all along the river bank by the dozens and made for alot of fun and entertainment in those pre – cell phone days. The only arguments we had were about the actual numbers of skips. We kept the numbers to ourselves becuase out freinds back home would never have believed us. We never took those perfect stones away from the river. They belonged there. There were other visitors that would use them to create their own memories. The only things we ever carried out of the Valley was our own memories.

Recently I watched my children create their own memories skipping stones. Katelyn was new to this so her brother Aiden filled her in on the basics. he observed and instructed her on the basics of stone selection and the correct way to throw in order to get the most skips out of the attempt. She got the basics quickly. Watching them, I could sense the same joy that I felt all those years ago.

It was a trip down memory lane. Echoes heard from one time to another. A continuous thread of memory alive in time.

T. S. Deary

12/22/23