Rocks. We like throwing them (especially if we are boys). We like building with them (especially if we own a serious piece of property in Tahoe). And we like balancing them. It's just cool, rock upon rock, defying gravity. I know it's fun. I did it today, out at Muir Beach, on a surprisingly balmy Sunday afternoon with other Marinites who craved the sun as much as my daughter and I did after so many soggy days and moss between our toes.
Out there on the beach, other rock-pilers had made their mark. So we picked our plot of beach and our stash of stones, some pancakes, some risky blobs that threatened to fall and crush our toes. As our tower grew, my daughter added little side towers, like turrets on a rock castle. It didn't take long to make a respectable tower, a not-bad addition to an entertaining Marin phenomenon: rock piles on beaches like this wintry one today, rock piles up creek beds winding down Mt. Tam or in the wet folds of Big Rock Ridge, and trimming the edges of Phoenix and other mountain lakes.
Who started this Bay Area phenomenon? The guy with the magic touch in Marin and SF-and the guy who has inspired a legion of copy-rock-cats, is San Franciscan Bill Dan. He puts big ones atop small ones and somehow finds the sweet spot of balance, gently feeling the center point before letting go.Thanks Dan; you made our day at Muir Beach fun--and balanced.
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