The Sand Sculptures of Yarmouth

Protected by fences (from overenthusiastic viewers) and umbrellas (from overenthusiastic clouds), the sculptures had lasted two weeks when Marash Girl took these photographs of Yarmouth's sand sculptures.

Commissioned by local businesses and local government agencies, 31 sand sculptures were carved out along the roads of Yarmouth.  Given the thousands of pounds of sand used in the creation of these sculptures, one would think that there would be cavernous gouges along the beaches from which the sand was taken, but the sand used for these sculptures was actually wet, compacted, man made sand.  As one sculptor put it, "We never know how much sand we're getting when we order 5 tons of sand (the amount it takes to make one of these sand sculptures) -- it depends on how wet the sand is!"  Checking the internet, Marash Girl learned the following:  "Manufactured Sand: Rock quarries crush rock into various sizes, and the smallest particles are called ‘fines’ and sold as Manufactured Sand, Man-made Sand, Crusher Fines, or Stone Dust. These particles range from 5 mm to fine dust, are sharp and will tightly compact if used alone. The mineral composition can range widely, and these particles are not the hard 'surviving' quartz grains of tumbling river action, so they may be softer and break down to dust sooner."

The sand sculptured lighthouse in front of Yarmouth's Subway.

A sand-sculptured clam peers at Marash Girl & Helene as they  pull up in front of Captain Parker's.

An elegant sand-sculptured fairy sits calmly in the shade along Yarmouth's main thoroughfare.

Frederico, a world-renowned sand sculptor, works to repair the damage to the sculpture he built in front of Salty's, the damage caused by over-enthusiastic admirers of his work.

"Some folks create and some folks destroy. . ."  commented Frederico.

Despite the damage caused to her person, she continues to smile pacifically at her admirers.