Aw, that is so sweet!! You know she had to say yes!!

I saw a whole sand town a few years ago on Balboa Beach. A whole group of sand castle builders got together and each couple guys made a big building. Then they made the street and people could walk down the street and look at the buildings. It was awesome to see it all together.

Be sure to post it if you find out about Sarah!

We enjoy the grandkids when they make sand castles. They are so cute with their little pails and shovels. It must be an international pastime because children everywhere have done it for as long as we can remember.

The professional castles are something to see. What is the liquid they spray on the sand to make it stay together? They claim it is just water but I think it must have something in it or the sand would never stay together like it does.

Wouldn't it be awful if after spending all day making a beautiful castle it collapsed just as you added the finishing touch? I hate to even think it!

Here is a primer for making a simple castle. And yes, it is just water:

STEP 1: Choose a square, level site near the water, but not so close that waves will destroy your castle as the tide comes up.

STEP 2: Dig a hole down to the water table where the sand is dark and moist, or bring up large buckets of water from the ocean or lake.

STEP 3: Scoop wet sand onto the center of the area in which you'll be working. Work fast so the sand stays wet.

STEP 4: Build towers by forming and stacking sand patties about the size and shape of thick pancakes. Place larger patties on the bottom, and gently shake the patties from side to side as you pile them so that the sand settles. Seal your towers by gently pouring water over them.

STEP 5: Build walls to connect the towers of your castle by jiggling - gently shaking from side to side - wet sand into brick shapes and laying them on top of each other.

STEP 6: Carve the towers and the walls into shapes using tools such as a small trowel, a putty knife or plastic utensils.

STEP 7: Dig a moat around the castle to protect it from invaders such as breaking waves and dogs.

* Extremely wet sand is easiest to work with. Use a spray bottle to wet down the sand if your castle begins to dry and crumble during construction.

* Be sure to jiggle the sand while building, as pounding, beating or pushing the sand might destroy your castle.

Have fun!

It may fall into the category of "art form" but not really "art", at least in my opinion. Amazing and entertaining but not art in generally accepted terms.

Here is how the pros do it:

http://www.harrisand.org/textonly.htm

Apparently it really is water.

According to the dictionary, this is definitely art:

1.The quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

2.Subject to aesthetic criteria.

I call it "temporary" art. Or "momentary" art.

Castles are pretty common in SoCal. They always draw a big audience.

But the srtists usually suffer bad sunburns. Ah, the proice you pay for fame.

Uh oh, the tide is coming in....

Aw, you chose this one over the bigger, more elaborate ones. You're a romantic softie!

It's more architecture or engineering feat as opposed to art.