On the Outside Looking In: An Interesting Thing You Probably Didn't Know

Let me just clear this up. I'm not visually an artistic person. I can barely draw or paint a masterpiece. But I do know how to sculpt a little bit. I'm not talking like clay pottery or stone structures. I'm talking about sand. Yes, sand. I live about 4 or 5 hours away from the beach. Every time we visit we naturally visit the sandy shores and salty waters. I do more than just lay down on a towel and bake in the sun though. I love helping my father create sandcastles. I'm not just talking about the ones automatically formed in a shovel and pail. I mean legit ones. They're not so easy to create. I don't help with any of the fine, sculpting details. That's what my dad does. I help him create the foundation. When we pick a spot to create the sculpture, we do right where the wet sand and dry sand meet. The foundation is basically the base or structure of the entire thing. You have to do it exactly right or else your sandcastle will crumble into little pieces. So I take the long walk between the ocean and the structure to help form the base. This is how you make a solid base. You place sand, then pack it water back and forth. Trust me walking back and forth to the ocean to collect water is a major workout. We surround it with a roofing tarp to help from a cylindrical base. After adding a couple more additional bases on top of the main base, my dad starts chipping away the sand with random kitchen tools, a water sprayer, and a straw. I don't partake in that part. I usually just build a little wall or a wall with arches in front of the sculpture to highlight the main structure more and as a temporary barrier when the ocean comes to it.

I love sand sculptures because they aren't permanent. They don't last long. They entertain those who have an observant I to see the sculpture. The only things that can preserve them are photographs. It's kind of relaxing to see the ocean wash it away. It's feels so peaceful watching mother nature take it's course. It reminds you that life happens for a reason. We may lose people who we once thought were our friends. We may have formed a great relationship with someone one day, only to see it wash away the next. Sandcastles are like that too. No matter what happened, no matter how things just drifted apart, the only important thing is the great memories that were captured.