Sand Sculpting Competition

Something New on the San Diego Waterfront

Trip Report 20160903

The Experience

It was a super-nice Santa Ana day with temperatures in the mid-eighties, clear and no wind. Kathleen had noticed that there was a "sand sculpting" (the current cool name for sand castles) competition at the B Street Pier. It was Labor Day weekend so we headed downtown to check it out.

These photos were taken with a Sony A7RM2 body and a Sony 24-70GM lens.

The photos below are what we saw.

The area near the B Street Pier was totally packed so we headed into the downtown area to find parking. On our walk to the pier we passed a new Federal building under construction.

Some of the newer buildings downtown could be mistaken for Los Angeles or Manhattan.

Our path took us right past the Amtrak station near the old Santa Fe depot. This is one of their "newer" engines, but note the external deterioration.

This motor was not in much better shape. Note the rust over the windows.

The Santa Fe Railroad has changed names a few times since it was called the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. Now it is called Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). The building was opened in 1915 and is a good example of the so-called "mission revival" style of architecture.

When we got to the waterfront we got a good view of the city skyline.

Tickets for entrance were around $10 and there were plenty of "fair food" vendors so we got some lunch and checked out the sculptures. This one is still under construction.

There were lots of folks making taking photos challenging. These sculptors were hard at work.

Some kind of spray adhesive is used to cause the sand to cling together.

The sculptors used shovels, trowels, spoons and ice picks as their tools.

Something from a fairy tale.

This sculpture was very intricate and was called "Rocking Bobbin" for a sewing machine bobbin.

I was lucky enough to be able to get the sun at my back and get not only the sculpture but a bit of the skyline in the photo as well.

All of the sculptures required a huge amount of effort and days of toil to complete, but some were more engaging than others.

This one was a crowd favorite. Faces within faces within faces.

Interesting and intricate.

Another view of the screaming face.

There were some highly abstract works.

Lots and lots of detail. Note the fringe on the cape.

Intricate, but odd.

An outstanding sculpture.

There were lots of expensive apartments and condos under construction in the waterfront area.

The Sand Sculpting was interesting; the competitors clearly put a ton of time and effort into their projects. And it attracted lots of paying customers. Interesting sights and "fair food" so what's not to like?

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