The Art of Sand

“If you want to know how much I love you, count the waves.” – Unknown

For 48 years, the Cannon Beach community has held a sandcastle building contest beside the misty coast of the Pacific. Hoards of people from Oregon and Washington (I even saw a license plate from Utah!) battle the winds and rain to watch the sand sculpting take place throughout the morning for five hours. During this time, groups of sculptors — both professional and playful — create their masterpieces in front of camera-laden crowds to compete for titles.

I showed up on the beach just a few minutes after nine, and despite my expectation to fight cars and crowds, I was surprised to find hardly anyone at the beach, even though it was 2 hours since the beginning of the competition. Undismayed, I decided to walk down the beach to check out a small crowd gathered what seemed to be around the corner. My eyes obviously need checking, because I think I walked at least a mile to reach the gathering. But behold! – I found the sculpting groups busily working on their various projects as oldies blared on a large speaker and vendors sold sandwiches and t-shirts. As the morning grew closer to noon, the crowds picked up — quickly. Soon, it was difficult just to get a glimpse of the castles, much less take a decent picture. While I heard the announcement of who won the competition, I couldn’t remember the groups’ names (silly, I know!). However, I did get some shots of some of the festivities of the day.

Until next time,

LoveByrd