It was very rainy over the past weekend. The wind was howling and it rained for several straight days, often heavily.
So after the worst of it was over, I noticed the following scene in my driveway. This shot is looking straight down at the
driveway while I'm standing on my porch leaning over the railing.
Perhaps you see what I'm getting at? The pattern of stones in the run-off from the downspout? It sure looks
to me like they are from the roof.
But OK, that's not crazy, right? It's just a demonstration of the power of hydrolics and wind. The roof is
sloped, so of course any loose tar or material is going to eventually slide down to the gutter. When a big rain like this
comes in, the gutters swell with water and the hydrolic action eventually gets the rocks heading to the downspout.
Whereupon they pick up some speed, falling with the water and then are ejected out the end guided by the stream
of water, landing in a random pattern as above. Rocks like this don't last in a pattern because this particular stretch of
driveway is where we walk to the car.
OK, so there must be a punchline, right? Of course. And here it is. Throughout the storm, look what managed
to not get swept off the roof.
Unbelievable. This, ladies and gentleman, is a
Stomp Rocket. It weighs just a few ounces. One of the kids shot it up on the roof during a break in the storm and I was unwilling to go
get it when it was wet out. I could see it from the third floor windows, though, and I figured it was a matter of time before
I found it in my driveway. Imagine my amazement when I had to actually go out and retrieve it.
I did discover one partial reason why it was still there, apart from the wind break that the metal edging
provides. If you'll notice, it's oriented downwards and it has a hollow shaft. It was partially filled with water that had
run down the shaft. I guess that was enough to do it.
