Bear joined the Circles Team in May of 2019. He got his start just like the rest of us by volunteering to groom the sand. He showed up for every draw along with his friend, Bethe Patrick, who had just been asked to join the team. It was not long before Denny realized that Bear could fill in for Betsy coordinating the volunteers when Betsy could not be there. When Betsy stepped away from Circles, he became the Volunteer Coordinator. Bear will hand first-time groomers one of our rakes and explain the finer points of how to rake the sand in-between the paths and the artwork. It's not a complicated process and Bear will have volunteers of all ages raking the sand within minutes. His favorite part of Circles is meeting and talking to people from all over the world that visit us on the sand.
His talents don't stop at grooming. Bear has an artistic side too. He demonstrates this by creatively placing driftwood in interesting places along each labyrinth. But, his talent really shines with his ethereal rock stacks. As a retired geologist he seems to have a magical way of piling one rock on top of another rock. If the theme for the day is Zen then it is almost a guarantee that Bear will bring a backpack full of rocks for balancing. His creations can incorporate small pieces of driftwood, petrified wood, and even geodes. One of his most memorable rock stacks was on a windy morning. At the very top of his rock stack Bear had placed a small piece of driftwood. The wind was blowing in such a way that the driftwood was spinning on the rock but it never blew off of the stack.
Bethe is lucky enough to have access to Bears' extensive collection of gemstones, glass floats, polished orbs and more. She loves to incorporate his treasures in her artwork for each labyrinth.
When you come to visit us on the sand look for Bear wearing his warm smile (underneath his mask) and iconic outback hat. Here's wishing Bear a birthday filled with joy and a walk on the beach scouting for unusual rocks.
Blog credits: Bethe Patrick
Photo credits: Donna Belt and Bethe Patrick