The week started off hot, humid, and sunny which was the whole idea of being here but there was record warmth and sunny days back home too. Go figure. Morning beach hikes always scatter the shore birds. Sunset walks always include regal pelicans photobombing the view as they go fishbombing for dinner.
Revisiting nearby St. Petersburg reveals the iconic 1970's pier has been demolished and a dazzling replacement scheduled for 2018! The Dali Museum is fun even on the outside; we could reflect on the master's works. Can you see the dragon in the bushes? Personally inscribed admission tags wrapped around a ficus tree express dreams and desires and a return to Dali's melting bench...
The main local event this week was the 7th annual World Masters Sand Sculpting Championships --- "Sanding Ovations"!! It seems the 100 vendor tents are just another place to eat and shop too much. But the artists from 7 countries (2 of them from Canada!) are professionals on the circuit, vying for big ca$h prizes. The 3 days before the judging were spent in the setup, framing, and concept; the competitors create whatever their mood dictates each time. Intricate, detailed, unique.
It seemed like one row was traditional figures such as boy and dog, the sea god Neptune, and a giant face. But the other row was topical (girl in Muslim niqab), whimsical (mosquito bites man's pride), and universal (eternal love). We added our votes to the Peoples' Choice selection --- which do you think won the $12,000?
Bottle nose dolphins patrol the shores daily. They've become our Spirit Animal, bringing the luck and guidance of the ancestors. They're a common theme, being seen on everything from football teams to bar signs to Dali's deli. We'll need all that luck and guidance because we drive off tomorrow before dawn, heading north and into some iffy weather. Follow that fin!
Revisiting nearby St. Petersburg reveals the iconic 1970's pier has been demolished and a dazzling replacement scheduled for 2018! The Dali Museum is fun even on the outside; we could reflect on the master's works. Can you see the dragon in the bushes? Personally inscribed admission tags wrapped around a ficus tree express dreams and desires and a return to Dali's melting bench...
The main local event this week was the 7th annual World Masters Sand Sculpting Championships --- "Sanding Ovations"!! It seems the 100 vendor tents are just another place to eat and shop too much. But the artists from 7 countries (2 of them from Canada!) are professionals on the circuit, vying for big ca$h prizes. The 3 days before the judging were spent in the setup, framing, and concept; the competitors create whatever their mood dictates each time. Intricate, detailed, unique.
It seemed like one row was traditional figures such as boy and dog, the sea god Neptune, and a giant face. But the other row was topical (girl in Muslim niqab), whimsical (mosquito bites man's pride), and universal (eternal love). We added our votes to the Peoples' Choice selection --- which do you think won the $12,000?
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