Crumbling Sand Art

I didn't really feel like going for a walk in Laredo on Sunday afternoon. But it was 16°C and sunny and Marga really wanted to. So I slipped my camera in my pocket and we headed out the door. These are the opportunities that make having a pocket-sized camera so valuable. There must have been some sort of sand sculpturing competition that day. What we saw were the abandoned, crumbling sculptures, still cordoned off, but quickly losing the moisture they needed to maintain their shape.

As with most sculpture, I was amazed by the attention to detail, like the sagging skin on this elephant. I wonder what this solemn lumberjack and his elephant friend were doing making cones before his face fell off?

I didn't like this one very much. What's the deal with those holes? The curls of hair that you can see right through were pretty impressive, though.

Ah, the hardest thing to sculpt: the human form. It must be the hardest thing because we are so familiar with it, and therefore can sense when even the smallest detail is out of place. The muscles on this man's arm and the ribs and abs of both figures really stood out as fine details. The sexuality of this piece is unmistakable: the bull's face, the exaggerated feminine curves... If it's not clear yet, this was my favorite sculpture.

This one was a little too Bladerunner/Tron for my tastes.

This maiden on a pedestal was probably pretty cute before her face fell off.

I'm pretty sure I couldn't even make this simple structure at the end of her spiral platform. Perfect straight ridges, and yet a gentle curving slope. How do they do that?

The maiden's mouth and chin were clearly visible on the ground below. How sad that something so beautiful can be so transient.

"It happens to us all," I said, as I took Marga's hand and walked into the setting sun.