|
|
Fortress 7090Home \ Fortresses \ July 2000 \ 7090
Location: Bellows Beach |
Sunday, July 9, 2000
Ronbo and I went to Bellows Beach and we built a fortress together.
It wouldn't be the first time Ronbo and I built something together in the sand.
A couple days earlier, we made a big bathtub at Waimanalo Beach and let the
ocean fill it up with water. Today was, however, the first time Ronbo carved the
sand with tools.
Actually, it was a collection of two fortresses. When we got to the beach, the tide was on its way out. We started digging the traditional pit in front of the fortress for water to mix with the sand and make cement, but after the water flooded it two or three times, the tide began to wane. We had barely built up any sand for the fortress when we ran out of the wet cement and now the tide was deserting us.
We decided to build another structure six feet closer to the water and hope for a 100-year flood wave to eventually run up and around this forward structure and fill the original pit, at which time we would revert construction back to the original structure. The forward structure became a single tower about four and half feet tall built on its own island. I did the carving on that one to show Ronbo the basics of sand carving. It was rather cathedralish and was turning out quite fine when we finally got the 100-year flood wave we were waiting for, which filled our original pit, which now lay between the two structures. The tall front tower I had carved had a good base under it, since we anticipated this 100-year flood wave, so it was not harmed.
 |
We went back to the original structure behind the tower and piled enough sand for a three-tower fortress with an arch. Ronbo concentrated on the largest tower, while I worked on the other two towers and their connecting arch. Ronbo's style was rather futuristic, carving a space-like domed structure reminiscent of "The Jetsons." My two towers were tall and sturdy, and the arch was nice, but shortly after completion, ominous signs of doom began to appear. After I had completed the arch, Ronbo and I dug out a bunch of sand underneath it to make it appear taller. We dug deep. Too deep, I guess, because a small stress fracture slowly started to form in the arch. I could tell it would only be a few minutes before it collapsed, and I was right. Just as I was explaining to Ronbo how the crack was a bad sign and was suggesting we fill the gap back up, at least partially, with some sand, the arch fell into the nice, deep trench we dug under it, taking a good portion of one of the supporting towers with it.
The funny thing was, neither one of us really cared. It was a cool arch and we liked it, but that's the way it goes in the sand fortress business and what was important was that my brother was in town and we were having fun at the beach.
I wanted to take some pictures of everything, but when I got my camera, I found that there was only one picture left. I lined up a shot to get as much as I could from one angle and pressed the button, but the camera was jammed and it wouldn't take the picture. I must have got some sand in it. Good thing I always use disposable cameras.
So, there are no photographs of our fine structures built on this day, but who cares, I had fun with my brother Ronbo.
We couldn't stay at the beach too long because later that evening, our brother Davey came into town and we had to pick him up at the airport. I was able to get another camera before we got there and got a shot of Ronbo welcoming Davey to Hawaii.