This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Largest Lake
Sep
11
2019
If I asked “What is the largest mountain?” you would probably answer “Mt. Everest”.
There is an unambiguous meaning concerning what makes mountains big: it’s the height.
If I asked “What is the biggest lake?” you would probably look it up and find there are two answers because there are two meanings concerning what makes a lake big: area or volume.
My vote is for area.
What is the purpose of a lake?
To provide lakefront property? That requires shoreline, which is a function of area.
To run boats and jetskis? That requires area.
To provide scenic views and relaxing sunsets? No one cares about the volume of the lake for those.
To give waterfowl room to live? They care about the area.
To hold water for humans to use? That’s not a lake, that’s a reservoir.
Part of the problem is that we don’t have a word to describe area like we do for height. You can ask what the tallest mountain is. That is specifically for height. How do you ask what the lake is with the largest surface area? What is the area-est lake? No, you ask “What is the biggest lake?” Same thing for volume. What is the hold-mostest lake? No, you ask “What is the biggest lake?”
Any ideas for a word that means “largest surface area”?
Any ideas for a word that means “largest volume”?
And no, you are not allowed to suggest “loudest” as the answer for that last question.
Was it not You who dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the redeemed to cross over?
Isaiah 51:10
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:45 am and has been carefully placed in the Ponder category.
