Sand and Sun...Ahhh

One must share this amazing display of the 2012 World Championship Sand Sculpting, even if the camera is old and the shots less than perfect. These sculptures are incredible! They are entirely made of sand with the only sculpting tools being a shovel and a tamp. I have to believe these are specailized tools and maybe they are but you must admit that one cannot build a house upon the sand. What of a castle?

This is only one of the six or seven sand castles. Notice the leaves. In the distance is a Sculpture with a title something like "Take her heart and throw away the key."

Can you see the rose above the arch. Wow. Notice the size vs. the woman walking on the far side and the arches themselves.

This was my favorite castle. Yes, I love the horse but this sculptures title, if I remember right is "Twisting Tale." Notice how the whole thing twists and still stands. Of course I love a romance with a twist so that may be why I liked this one. Behind this sculpture on the left is the sculpture "The Three Muses." and on the right, one of our favorites. "Rising Above the Flames." Watch for the tiny details.

Notice the void to the left of the eagle's body above and to the right below. Now for the front, can you see the dripping blood?

From here we visited "Joan of Arc." I neglected to get her trojan style horse that is at the back of this sculpture. This photo was taken in the afternoon sun, but in the morning light her expression is so unique, I found it breathtaking. This angle/lighting does not do her face justice.

Notice the little fish looking on and his expression! Priceless!
This was the tallest of the sculptures. That is an eight foot temporary construction fence behind it and this sculpture can be seen from the street.
If you enjoy humor in art, you'll enjoy this next one as well.

Notice the tiny igaloo inside and the weakened iron below. There is nothing inside offering this structure's roof or sides support.

Time for a commercial break. These sculptures are built in a timed 28 hour period. Some of them are done by individuals and a few by teams of two. I didn't make note of which were which, nor did we take a picture of every one, just our favorites. These sculptures are sprayed with a fine coating of Elmers glue diluted with water. They are sturdy, yet fragile. A couple of years ago, we had a rainstorm that damaged some of the sculptures. I believe you can visit the Mirror 2010 archives for photos.

Time to get to our favorites. This one is entitled "The Unfurling"

Have you figured out what this is? In spite of shadow we captured this young fairies face.

Which takes us to my favorite face and the detail of Medusa.

This was a day well worth the $7.00 admission. If you are in the area, please go, it's worth it. For video check out http://www.nwsandfestival.com/ as well as searching the Mirror link above.