Nature's Etch-a-Sketch

fleeting moments of zen

Alan Kay, a semi-legend in the world of technology (he was a scientist at Xerox Parc and Atari) once said, "Most ideas, you can do pretty darn well with a stick in the sand".

In that spirit, I found myself drawing in the sands of Asilomar Beach, near Monterey, during Christmas break. The wind, waves, and sand were so relaxing that I decided to create Jizo images. A Jizo Buddha is the patron saint of children and travelers (both of which I am accused of being).

Very quickly, I realized that the impermanence of life demanded these zen images be created in the surf break. So, I scratched an image, took a picture, and stepped back to let nature's etch-a-sketch go to work.