Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Brr or heat?

Creation Saturday!

You have a choice between building a giant snow fort or sand castle...big enough to live in. Which one would you pick, how would you do it, and what would it look like?

Do I have to live in it? Sand castles and snow forts are from two different climates.

No matter which you choose it has to be compacted. Sand castle require sand and water to be half and half while building. To build the base you need it to be 2 or 3 feet in diameter of compacted sand. You need it to be able to carry the weight of the walls, towers and buildings. Carving, tamping and compressing the sand with lots of water will make it work.

A snow fort to live in has to be enclosed in order to keep in body heat. Snow blown by wind has lots of oxygen which will insulate well. Igloos built by the Canadian Inuit can contain small heaters. They keep in heat. The heat can slightly melt the inside walls and then refreeze them which causes the walls to become stronger. It is built in a circle with the walls leaning progressively closer to the inside as you go. A parabola shape?

I don’t really want to live in a snow house but after reading about both these structures I have to say I think the snow house is the most efficient. The only thing about the sand castle is it is built in a warmer climate and probably has that in its favor since you probably are not in any danger of dying from the cold.

If you are living on the street. It is better to head for a warm beach, build a sand house and sleep in it until or if it dries out and collapses on you. Good luck crawling out from the debris of either.

The sand castle has the fun of being in the shape you create because you probably are not going to worry so much about heating it but just living in it.