Last summer I first picked up the sand tools and tried my hand at sand art. This year, I spent a bit more time trying out new ideas while camping.
This "beach sign" was built at the bottom of the steps coming down to the beach at memorial lake. When it was finished, over a dozen people wandered over to have their picture taken by it. One man handed me his camera, and as I dutifully snapped his mug shot, he said that it was going to be nice to look at this picture (years from now I assume) and know where he spent the summer.
One of the couples that we met at Emerald Lake had a son, Reid, who was quite interested in sand art. He offhandedly suggested that I make a pyramid, and I thought that was a great idea - something quite different than what we had been working on all day. Cutting the lines for the bricks proved to be quite tedious!
Ah, yes. The sand bolt. This bolt took 2.5 hours to build and carve. When I told that to one of the ladies walking past, asking how long I had worked on it, she gave me a look that screamed out: "WHY?" :) Well, some people want to spend 2.5 hours lying on the sand getting a sun tan, which is a complete and utter waste of time to me, but I don't question that they're enjoying themselves. Anyhow, the sand bolt was born out of my desire to carve a spiral, which I did in the bolt threads.
This ice cream cone was built on Memorial Lake with my oldest daughter. We both learned how to make "sand balls" that day. The top scoop looks a lot rounder than the bottom scoop because it was formed and then put into place, whereas the bottom scoop was carved.
This sand arch was simple in design yet quite pleasing. Teenage boys sitting just off the beach, of the age and type who wouldn't normally approach a middle-aged stranger to chat, came over and marveled at the arch while talking with me.
This summer also brought a simple revelation: girls don't wreck sand art. Boys do. Without fail. Every single time that someone has stepped on any of my sand creations, it's been a boy. My wife asked me why I thought that was. I said, "I don't know, but it must be natural, because I was that way when I was a young boy, too!"
