|
|
Fortress 4070Home \ Fortresses \ April 2000 \ 4070
Location: Waimanalo Beach |
Friday,
April 7, 2000
Since the last fortress I made on April 2nd flooded before I really even
started carving it, I decided I had to find out more about the tides. I did some
research on tide charts and how to read them and after converting the times specifically to Waimanalo
Beach, I learned that low tide on April 7th was around 10:30 am. I figured I would
get to the beach around that time, but Bellows Beach, where I had done most of
my research on the drainage system and had built most previous fortresses, is
actually part of a military base and is only open to the public on the weekends,
starting at 12 noon each Friday. So I went to Waimanalo Beach, which is right next
to it, where I had also done some previous testing.
-Shut up and get to the pictures-
I figured I would get to the beach sometime close to 10:30 and start building the fortress, knowing that the tide was coming in. The trick was to build far enough up the beach to give me enough time to complete it before the tide came in, but not so far that the tide wouldn't eventually reach it. (I have since developed a better system.) I guessed at distance of about 25 feet from the tide and checked out the sand.
Even though Waimanalo it is pretty much the same beach, and in fact, is connected to Bellows, the sand was not as fine. It seemed better on previous trips there, but I think I was closer to the water this time and the granularity of the sand was just not as fine. It is common to find shells closer to the water, and this may have been a factor. I could still make a fortress, I just wouldn't be able to carve as much detail. I started by bringing 5-gallon buckets of water up to the construction site. (A pain in the ass that I rarely do now with my improved system of timing the tides.)
I built a cathedral-like tower into the front wall to give it the traditional dramatic front feature. I worked on the left wall first (looking from behind) and ended it with a tower connected by a small arch. I also incorporated a Hawaiian influence into this one by putting two "Big Kahuna" heads on the front corners to protect it. I put another tower on the other side on its own island. There wasn't much detail in this one, but I liked it and had a nice day at the beach.
The weather was mostly cloudy, but nice enough to bring a few people out to the beach. A couple of body boarders stopped by and said they liked SF4070. Later, a woman walking two Jack Russell Terriers came by. She also liked it and suggested I should take a picture of it. (Duh.) Her dogs were playing with a little tennis ball, chasing it down the beach and bringing it back to her. When the three of them approached the fortress, one of the dogs wanted to play with me, I guess, and brought his ball over to me. So I threw it, not very far. Both dogs took off at full speed, and the one that got their first jammed his mouth on the ball, still running at full speed. He got the ball and, it looked like, a mouth full of sand. The force of diving his face into the sand for the ball stopped him fairly quick. Then he ran the ball back to me. So I threw it again, farther this time, and they took off. Those dogs had tons of energy; the only time they weren't running at full speed is when they were turning around, with the ball and a mouth full of sand, or standing, waiting for me to throw it again. Even though the woman had continued down the beach, they kept bringing the ball back to me. "Okay, here you go," I said, and threw the ball as hard as I could down the beach. They still brought it back to me. (Shees.) So I threw it again, and finally, after the woman had gone about 100 yards down the beach, they decided to follow her, and I got back to the fortress.
Researching the tide charts paid off. The fortress started really getting flooded about 4:00 pm and I got some pretty good shots of the fortress and the drainage system in action.
Later, when I was taking pictures, the woman and her dogs came back up the beach. I accidentally got one of the dogs in one of my shots. I wouldn't have minded, except he ran into the frame just as I was taking the picture and all you could see was his butt and rear legs sticking out from behind the fortress. This looked too weird so I had my brother Davey, who's a computer artist, digitally remove him. Can you tell which picture it is?
Photo Placement Map
|
|