beach-keh, photo by *ojoyous1*.

July 17th is Throw in a Petoskey Stone Day. If you’re unfamiliar with it, that’s because it was invented on Michigan in Pictures last July 17th. The basic goal is to preserve Petoskey stones for future generations by throwing them out into the water., but nobody can fault you if you decide to take one or more home with you.

Click that link above for more about Michigan’s State Stone. Here’s what Rose Petoskey has to say:

Many people would associate the word Petoskey with the souvenir stone found on the northern Lake Michigan shorelines. However, to my family, the word Petoskey represents much more than a souvenir.

In the Odawa language, the word Petoskey (Bii-daa-si-ga) means the rising sun, the day’s first light, or the sun’s first rays moving across the water. The Petoskey stone is a fossilized coral created by impressions made in limestone during the last Michigan ice age. These stones were named “Petoskey” because the impressions resembled the rising sun coming up over the water. Just as the image of the rising sun is implanted within the Petoskey stone, the archaeology of a person’s names is implanted within. All names within our Anishinaabek culture reflect an individual’s personal history. Rocks go deep, but names go much deeper to reveal the stories of the past.

Read on for some interesting thoughts about language.

Joy found this on the beach near Frankfort. Take a stroll along Frankfort beach with Joy and I hope you have a great weekend!