Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2007. While visiting Peter's parents in Boston, we took Mattie to the beach. Mattie loved to check out the sand and particularly collect things along the way as he was walking. Mattie wasn't so much interested in going in the water. So he and I related to each other perfectly! 



Quote of the day: It is not fair to ask of someone else what you are not willing to do yourself. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Today we visited Revere Beach. Rather ironic, since the photo I posted above was also taken at Revere Beach with Mattie back in 2007. I uploaded that photo to the blog before I left DC, and I had NO IDEA we would be heading to this beach today! Revere beach is considered America's first public beach, which was established in 1896.

What I did not realize until today was that located alongside the beach was a famous amusement park called Wonderland. Wonderland Park, Revere Beach’s Mystic City by the Sea, was America’s foremost self-contained amusement park. Conceived in 1905, it opened in 1906. Some people believe it to be the inspiration behind the Disney theme parks of today. The similarities are striking. The park had it all, from carousels, roller coasters, to ballrooms! Why this name sticks out to me is because my 85 year old friend, Mary used to talk to me about Wonderland ALL THE TIME!!!

Here is a photo of what the giant coasters at Wonderland looked like at one time. Of course NOW there isn't even a trace of an amusement park left by the sea! Instead the amusement park has been replaced with a Greyhound racing track. 






One of the highlights on our trip to Revere Beach today was to see the remaining sand sculptures on display. The Revere Beach 12th Annual International Sand Sculpting Festival was help on July 24-26. This free event is open to the public and draws crowds from all over New England. In 2014, the event attracted over 600,000 attendees. At the heart of the festival is the Master Sand Sculptor Competition. Over the course of 4 days, over 20 sculptors (invited from around the world) compete for a prize. I have seen photos of sand sculptures before but I have NEVER seen them up close and personal. This was a first! I know Mattie would have absolutely LOVED this! 

There were about 20 sculptures on display. During the actual festival, there were gates all around each sculpture. But now that the Festival is over, you are allowed to walk up to each structure and examine and touch it! Which is actually very special. We took a photo with this one. I selected it because of its content. It has a motto at the base of the child's figure, which reads, "While there is life, there is hope!" This resonated with me, because in the world of cancer, this is indeed true. As long as we had Mattie alive, we always had great hope, no matter how grave things looked. As you can see this sculpture won second place. 

Barbara and I posed by this incredibly large sculpture. When I went on line to learn more about these sculptures, I could see that the base of this beauty was started using what looks to be boxes. If you want to see what I am talking about, go to this link:

http://reverebeach.com/2015-sand-sculpting-festival-coverage/

Although I do not know the names of these pieces, this one clearly features Lady Liberty, with what I imagine to be her welcoming an immigrant to our Country. Someone in search of a better life for herself and her family. I suspect this, as this woman is holding a boat in her right hand. Symbolic of the journey she took to get here and perhaps of what she is leaving behind.

Thought this woman clearly looks like she went on one massive shopping spree, I think the content of this sculpture is more in depth than this. But I could be wrong. Since the signage is no longer in tact and the sculpture itself is missing parts, one is left to one's own imagination. Maybe that is okay too! 

Here is another example of the intricate detail and nature of these sculptures. Not only are they works of art, but clearly they also have meaning and messages behind them! I would love to get a hold of one of these artists and encourage them to sculpt something for childhood cancer. To bring awareness to this issue and to let this message go viral. But in a format that people would find engaging, such as a sand castle. I can't think of a better medium that symbolizes children! Most children gravitate to the beach and playing in the sand.