being sandy feet

Updates from ArtPrize: 9/19/12

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 11:10:00 +0000

Update 9/19: There was some damage from the sprinkler system, but that problem has been resolved. The recent rain had no effect whatsoever -- this sand is super good stuff! (Thanks again to Greg Jakubowski and Coit Ave. Gravel.) My biggest concern is vandalism - there is simply no way to guard the sculpture 24/7, and the promenade appears to be a magnet for folks who -- have no where else to be. They hang out and imbibe a bit, and I have tried to make friends. So far that seems to be working. One guy in raggedy clothes and with no teeth in his head surprised Em and I by insisting we accept his $5 donation.

Video: A short timelapse of the "pound-Up Party" - thanks to all who showed up and participated!

I know there has been some concern expressed about my "finishing" in time (today is the official opening of ArtPrize.) And it is true that I have a lot of uncarved sand laying around -- but that is by design. I am listed in the "performance art" category and will continue working (weather permitting) every day through 9/30. This project will never be "finished" - just abandoned when it is time for me to head back to Texas. In addition to carving on the main sculpture, Emerson is offering hands-on sandcastle lessons for anyone who is interested, and he has fielded several requests already.

I am excited about opening day and would be remiss if I didn't mention that as of today you can vote, and my code is 52584 :)

Most interesting request so far (from a guy with piercings in interesting places): "May I lick your castle?"

'Twas polite of him to ask.

ArtPrize Pound-Up Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 17:08:00 +0000

So. The last few days have been exciting! Delayed flights; plans changed in mid-stream; a fully-loaded truck bed tailgate-fail resulting in 3 weeks worth of my favorite workclothes likely scattered over hwy 77 and possibly gone forever (find them and return them to me and you WILL be rewarded); monster storm in IL that scared the bejeebers out of us but here we are at the family cabin on beautiful Glen Lake in northern Michigan (hi, sleeping bear!) for a few days of R&R before our ArtPrize adventure truly begins. What a life!

For my Michigan friends - It is looking like our pound up party will happen this coming Saturday on site at the Louis Campau Promenade. If you were ever interested in discovering what is involved in making about 7 tons of sand stand long enough to be carved into something amazing, this is your opportunity! Basically, it involves moving a pile of sand from wherever they let us dump it (hopefully very close by) into some plastic forms. The sand will be mixed in with some water (I have been told that we will need to get that water out of the river, but I am hoping to suss out a better source when I go by to check things out on Friday) and tamped down into the forms. If a lot of people show up to help, this will go very quickly. If I have to do it all myself, it will still go pretty quickly (this is really not a lot of sand) -- as long as a friendly face or two shows up with a six-pack and an encouraging word.... say, sometime after noon or so?

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:16:00 +0000

And so, the Sandcastle Trail blog morphs into the ArtPrize 2012 blog. I may get back to the trail someday -- when I figure out a way to ironclad a sculpture in way that it still looks like sand....

Very excited about ArtPrize -- thanks Grand Rapids for giving me a good reason to come home! Thanks to my high school chums for being so encouraging and supportive -- really looking forward to the good times we will undoubtedly have when I am back in the 'hood for a few weeks. And a BIG thanks to Greg Jakubowski at Coit Ave. Gravel for offering to help me out with some excellent sand. I am hoping to get about 6 tons of the stuff dropped someplace very close to the Louis Campau Promenade on Sept. 14 or 15. As soon as that happens, we get to have the "Pound Up Party" where we pack sand and water into plastic forms. With a wee bit of help (and a borrowed wheelbarrow or two), I should be able to complete that step in one day -- 2 max -- and then the fun begins. With the help of my amazingly talented nephew - Emerson Wierenga Schreiner (more on him later) - I expect to have something worth looking at by the time ArtPrize officially opens on Sept. 19.

But before any of that can happen, I have to zip over to California for a little project this weekend. Within hours of my return on Sept. 6th, Em and I will hop in the truck and take a nice long road trip from South Padre Island to Glen Lake, MI for a few days of R&R before heading back south to GR.

Please bookmark this blog for the very latest in my ArtPrize adventure, and if you haven't already, check out this page for some clues as to what I hope to accomplish there (and how you can help, if you have a mind to.)

My Sand Castle Days Idea -- fleshed out!

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:15:00 +0000

The headlines read that South Padre Island is best known as a super trashy spring break destination. Yay. What if we could change the world’s perception of us - virtually overnight! - into that of the place to go to see world class sand sculpture all year long? As I have already pointed out (multiple times) -- as of now the 25th annual Sand Castle Days doesn’t have a date or a home -- let’s do something extraordinary and create a new version of the festival that will last several months, be funded by a new private/public partnership and pay off in dividends all year long, benefitting the whole town while changing the way everyone looks at us by truly promoting SPI as the Sandcastle Capital of the World!

Let me paint you a picture

Starting shortly after Labor Day Weekend, the best master sculptors in the world begin arriving on the island. Each is committed to completing at least one large sculpture in a sandbox at a major venue (Louie’s, Hilton, Isla Grand, Sea Ranch, etc.) and several smaller ones in and around other local businesses. Starting as early as Sept., there will be things for spectators to see and do. Sculptors will post a schedule when they will be working and allot one hour a day to interact with the visitors, be it answering questions, demonstrating a technique, etc. Some of the sculptures will be built outside: in parking lots, courtyards or flower beds. Some will be built indoors: in lobbies, planters or window boxes or in less-used corners. Sculptures will be completed on a staggered schedule and each completion will be noted with a “opening/unveiling”, drawing more traffic to the host venue and giving the press something to crow about. Each completed sculpture will be added to the sandcastle trail map as it is completed, and spectators get to start picking their favorites and commenting on aspects of the various sculptures and their creators throughout Sept. and Oct. -- raising the level of excitement. All will be completed by mid Oct. (traditional SCDays dates)....

Leading up to one weekend in late Oct., which will be the big finale for the whole festival. Major venues will vie for the chance to host this. In addition to the amateurs, the one-day contest will feature the newly-enhanced “Texas State Championship” -- an 8-hr competition now opened to anyone (lingering master or ambitious master wannabe) willing to fork up the $50 entry fee and be judged via peoples choice…. perhaps in conjunction with a music festival and trash art sculpture contest, etc. Meanwhile, everyone can vote online for the "semi-permanent" sculptures at the major venues and the winner (medal only) is announced at the grand finale.

The sculptures on the beach will last a week or two at the most, but the ones built indoors or on private property could easily last through the holidays and even into Winter Texan season, giving visitors who may have missed the festival itself a good reason to come back and see what they missed (and make sure they don’t miss it next year.) Once the indoor sculptures start to crumble, the host venue could reclaim the space in time for spring break, if they so desire -- or they could keep the sandbox in place and a) hire a local sculptor to re-do the sand in seasonal themes, b) import kiddy toys and let the small fry take over or even c) hire a sandcastle instructor to give weekly demos and/or lessons in the sandbox while mom and dad spend money nearby. The venues that keep their sandboxes intact would be all ready for next year’s festival when, come Sept., the whole thing starts again. And the businesses who didn't participate in 2012 will be standing in line to participate in 2013.

This is what you expect to see when you come to the Sand Castle Capital of the World and it is truly and completely doable, even within the confines of the existing $35,000 budget. This is how:

Funding

I am envisioning this as a public/private joint venture. As I understand it, the city has committed to spend $35,000 -- which will easily pay for prizes and promotional expenses. The city will also help with ground transportation of sculptors, sand-moving logistics, etc. The other major expenses (mostly the ones associated with master sculptor fees and expenses) will be covered by the businesses who will also be the major beneficiaries of this festival.

City

Covers the amateur contest, Texas State Championship (1-day event with good prize money), sculptor “clubhouse” and special events

Agrees to temporarily “relax” some sign ordinances during the 2 months leading up to SCDays to encourage businesses to commission sculptures that tie in with their services (i.e. a book store could have a book-themed sculpture; Sea Turtle Inc. could have a sea turtle, Island Dogwash could have a dog, etc.)

To increase publicity, the city could pass an ordinance making it a crime to kick a sandcastle, similar to the one banning ties a few years back. Sentence offenders to a “sandcastle clinic” or something…. the internet eats it up!

Promotes the festival via internet, print and broadcast routes

Oversees voting and gathers info about the people who are coming and voting

Major Venues ($3000-5000?)

This covers the cost of flying in a master sculptor, providing room and/or board and a decent weekly wage

The venue also provides a sandbox of whatever size they want placed where they want it. They choose a sculptor who will work with them to create something they would be happy to look at for several weeks/months

In return, they get an incredible sculpture created and treated by a master sculptor which must be completed a week before the contest weekend. This sculpture could - with glue treatment and minimal on-site security (plastic chain link fence and a “do not touch” sign) - last for several months (see current Visitors Center Sculpture which has lasted for over a year.)

These venues also get an “unveiling/opening” party attended by press and all the cool kids, as well as a lot of attention on all promotional materials.

(These venues will see immediate and direct benefits from their participation during a time when business is usually very slow, and they can write it off as 100% promotion).

Second Tier Sponsors (restaurants, condos. shops)

Can contribute money or can provide meals or accommodations for the visiting sculptors. In return, they will get smaller, temporary sculptures in or around their properties.

Since these venues will see immediate and direct benefits from their participation during a time when business is usually quite slow, they will be happy to contribute $300-$1000 (cash, goods or services), certainly. These sculptures (and their host venues) will also be noted on all promo materials.

Master Sculptors

Many are between gigs or live in places that are turning cold in the fall. They could arrive on their own schedule and stay as long as they are working. The sculptors are encouraged to schedule times/days when they will interact with the public. On bad-weather days they can do smaller indoor sculptures for other local businesses. Some sculptors may just contribute one major piece, others may stay and do smaller, commissioned pieces as well. They could be housed in sponsoring properties and eat donated meals/groceries. The biggest chunk of their pay would come from the major venues, but would be supplemented by owners of smaller venues willing to pay to participate and be promoted on the trail. The sculptors who create the biggest crowd pleasing sculptures earn themselves an invitation back the next year on top of decent daily wages. If they stick around for the Texas State Championship, they have a shot at some good prize money.

Main Benefits

More participation from local businesses when they see that the whole town - not just one property - benefits

Fewer traffic/parking issues with spreading the event out over several weeks and several venues

Creation of a new, long-lasting attraction that can be built upon each succeeding year

New identity for SPI that will help us stand out in a crowded field of similar beach towns
More bang for our buck - the city spends the same amount of money but gets a lot more sand sculpture!

As you can see, I have given this whole plan a lot of thought and am willing to work my tail off to help make it happen -- if the town would just give the idea a fair shake. I have presented this idea to everyone I can think of and gotten a lot of really positive feedback from everyone EXCEPT the city officials who could get the ball rolling (with the notable exception of Councilwoman Alita Bagley, who has been most encouraging.) This is the time! We can do this! It won’t cost hardly anything and the potential benefits are many. You would pay an ad agency big bucks for an idea this uniquely-tailored to the island -- why do I have to keep begging people to give it serious consideration?

I am so sure that some beachy community somewhere someday is going to do something like this and benefit from it hugely. Why not us? Why not now?

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Anti-Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:44:00 +0000

I really really dislike Valentines Day. Even way back when once upon a time long ago when I kinda felt like I was in love with some guy, VD was generally a tense, demanding day that was almost always a disappointment to everyone concerned. Bah humbug.

This year I have been preemptively mitigating the pain by creating "sandy hearts" (a calorie-free alternative to candy hearts) in my lovely back yard. Trying real hard to feel the love. I've been enjoying the process, but I find myself very tempted to make mean, cynical statements with them and am having a hard time restraining myself.

So. In an effort to get the bile out of my system, I have created a series of "anti hearts" that I will now start tossing out into the internets. Feel free to steal: I've learned that my heart is just not worth all that much on the open market.

not "too hot", not "too cool"

I used to be "Mad 4 You" but now I'm just mad

Once upon a time I wanted you to Be Mine but that was then

(X as in "Former")

"Sweet Pea?" I think not

I used to heart U; Now I just stomach U.

Sand Castle Days Evolving?

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:15:00 +0000

I want to talk today about Sand Castle Days and the Sand Castle Trail. (Please doesn't groan ;)

I recently received an email asking about dates for the 25th annual SCDays. The website has not been updated, so I forwarded the request to Mary K, who wrote back to tell me there was not a date or a location as of yet, but that the event would probably be moved to Sept. due to weather and red tide considerations.

This suggests to me that this event is in for some sea-level changes -- which I think is a good thing, as it opens up opportunities for this festival to evolve into something bold and completely different in 2012:

Who says SCDays can last no longer than a week? Why not start building large sculptures in Sept., and have them finished and viewable all autumn long, leading up to the traditional amateur & Texas State Championship contests in Oct., to take full advantage of 24 years of tradition? And who says all the sculptures have to be in one location? Why not put them all over town (spreading traffic and parking over the whole island and over a month or longer) and let people seek them out and then vote for their favorites online? Why not have the masters do multiple sculptures while they are here (solo, duo and team) and get more bang for our buck? Why not build contest sculptures indoors (at city hall, the convention centre, the visitors center, etc.) when the weather is not cooperative? Why not start even earlier and have weekly amateur events all summer long leading up to the fall festival? With a little "out of the box" thinking, we could take that same $35,000 budget - lasso in some more funds from the larger island properties who will be able to see direct benefits from their contributions - and create something even bigger that will attract and entertain more people than anything we have done before.

(I would encourage interested parties to google ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI - a long-running, very successful contest where different venues host artworks and the public votes for their favorites. There is no reason why this couldn't work as a model for something completely new and different to the world of sand sculpture -- and it could originate right here on SPI!)

This is my area of expertise. I started this event and was fairly instrumental in keeping it going for most of the past 24 years. I have lots of great (and probably some not-so-great ;) ideas as well as the energy and the enthusiasm to help make them happen. But when I wrote the town's activity director and respectfully requested an opportunity to work with the city and share my ideas on how we can make the 25th annual SCDays the best yet, I was told in no uncertain terms that my input and assistance were not needed or wanted.

What if the Sand Castle trail and Sand Castle Days were to work together to extend and grow everything? What if all the people who love sand sculpture and SPI could work together instead of jealously guarding their little territories? Why not really and truly make SPI the Sand Castle Capital of the World?

All I am asking for is a seat at the table and a chance to serve my community by doing what I do best.

This Castle Needs a Forever Home - updates from the sandcastle trail

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:45:00 +0000

And so the plan evolves....

I was betting a lot on that mermaid. I spent a lot of time on her. I took things slow, pouring lots of diluted glue into the form to give her a decent shot at setting up quick enough to foil the vandals. I carved her head, and waited, letting them pick at her and patiently repairing every indignity they bestowed upon her. I fenced her in. I posted a pleading sign - "Thanks for not touching." I pressed tumbled glass into her tail to make it sparkle in the sunlight. After she was finished, I sprayed her good -- and almost as soon as I walked away, they took her out.

Destruction was pretty much complete.

It kinda sorta felt like murder. I grieved.

And then I pondered...

I had done everything I could think of - short of posting a guard 24/7 - to keep this sculpture around long enough to develop the protective shell she needed to get called “semi-permanent” -- and it wasn’t enough. Is it time to give up on my idea of a Sand Castle Trail for South Padre Island?

Nope. Not yet. Because I have experienced just enough success to convince me that there is a way to do this!

Here is what I Have Learned:

The sculptures that have lasted have been the ones built in yards, tucked into landscaped corners, and created in a park that hardly anyone knows about or visits (the SPI Butterfly Garden.)
After a month or two of curing, the sculptures become so hardened that they will stand up to a fair amount of abuse.
High-traffic areas on public property are just not good sites for these sculptures. More people get to see them in such areas, sure. But the terrorists are too numerous, too thoughtless, too darned mean.
Private, commercial and/or off-the-beaten-path locations are better. Make people seek them out. Make 'em look at the site, print up the map. Make them think twice about destroying private property.

Conclusions:

To give the sculptures their best chance, they must be protected while they are curing.

They will cure faster if they are smaller.

They will be molested less if they are on private property.

I can best protect them while they cure if they are located in my fenced-in back yard.

If I am going to have to move them, they have to be light-weight and either relatively small or modular so that they can be reassembled in their final resting spots.

This Castle Needs a Home!

Voila! A prototype! This castle stands about 21 inches tall. It has a styrofoam core to reduce its weight -- I am pegging it somewhere between 10 and 20 pounds. When it has throughly dried and hardened, it can safely (I ~~hope~~ believe!) be moved to some sort of pedestal or perhaps it can become part of a larger castle to be installed in some sort of semi-private or commercial location -- which will become the next stop on the SandCastle Trail.

(The pedestal could be just about anything -- a piece of wood, a rock, a planter -- or it could be made of sand, with a name or whatever carved into it.)

So all I need now is a good place to put this little castle -- and that is where you come in. I am going to give this sculpture away to a good home. If you can suggest “the perfect spot” for this castle, please do so - ASAP. I will take all suggestions into consideration and -- once the castle becomes solid enough to move (which could be in just a week or two thanks to the sunshine and hard, dry wind we are currently experiencing) -- I will install it in its new location and we will see how it fares. Deal?

Please send a description and - if possible - a photo of a good spot for this castle to spisandy@gmail.com at the earliest opportunity -- thanks!

Trail Update - 11/25/11

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:59:00 +0000

Well, the flying turtle at city hall is the most recent victim of the sand terrorists. The sculpture was constructed of styrofoam and cement and I’d like to think that the turtle put up something of a fight. Takes a lot of moxie to attack public art directly outside of the police station -- I’m sure it gave the perp a great deal of satisfaction....

In other news: the Turtle Lady has been decapitated and both the surfer and the caterpillar are history. The Angry Birds Tiki and the butterfly castle live on, as does the fish/turtle sculpture that used to be the School of Rock. Or parts of it, anyway.

A less-determined soul would take this as a sign that this trail is just not meant to be -- but I vow to persevere. Some of the sculptures survive, and where the vandal hordes have left sad piles of sand, new sculptures will arise. (And we are looking at options for repairing the flying sea turtle as well.) We continue to learn what works and will be incorporating this new information into creating sculptures that have a better chance of surviving long enough to become truly hard.

But first: I have to go build something lovely in Huntington Beach, CA. I’ll be back on the trail (if the weather cooperates) in December.

Greetings from Ft. Myers Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:02:00 +0000

Hope you SPIslanders are getting out and about to see and enjoy the new sculptures. I am getting ready to compete at the American Championship in FMB tomorrow and will be doing two more contests in the Sunshine State directly after this one -- but before too much time passed I wanted to extend a few great big "Thank Youse" to the folks who helped, including the Sea Ranch Restaurant, Dean & Alita Bagley, Don and JoAnn Evans, the SPI City Council, City Manager Joni Clark and her staff; the super-helpful folks at Public Works and Ken Dunkum for all their help and support.

Also big thanks to the sculptors who stuck around and worked for far less than they deserved to help me get the party started: Wilfred Stijger, Edith Van De Wettering, Abe Waterman, JOOHeng Tan, and Suzanne Altamare. You guys went above and beyond and it was a whole lot of fun hosting you in my sandbox and watching the gears turn and the sand fly.

And finally huge thanks to Raybo. He is strong and smart and he gets the sand moved and the sculptures sprayed. I couldn't do without him, truly.

What's next -- We will continue to spray magic potion, but with less frequency. The sculptures will get harder and become less vulnerable to vandals. The caution tape will disappear. I may once again open up access to the online map -- or maybe I will make it a challenging game to encourage visitors to seek out the sculptures and discover them for themselves. I might drop clues such as "Go visit the nice folks at Paragraph's on Padre to find out where the closest stop on the trail is." This is an experiment and the rules will mutate.

Meanwhile, three more sculptures have been commissioned (two restaurants and a guest house) and several more are in the planning stages. If you think you are going to want to add your address to the Trail, you should probably talk to me about it soon as these sculptures are only going to get more expensive the busier I get. (And if enough orders come in we might even be able to get Edith and Wilfred back!) Learn more about how you can participate here.

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:03:00 +0000

Sand Castle Trail Update: Hey -- its' really happening! Sculptures are rising on the beach at Good Hope Circle and on the landscaped corner of Saturn and Padre Blvd. And how's this for timely: sculptor Joo Heng Tan from Singapore is creating a bust of the Turtle Lady at Turtle Lady Park -- just in time for an unveiling at her 107th birthday celebration on Sun., Oct. 30.

Here is a photo of Dutch carvers Edith von de Wettering and Wilfred Stijger who are creating a multi-media sculpture for the South Padre Island city hall. It will feature a pair of little characters riding on the back of a giant gravity-defying sea turtle.

Announcing the Sand Castle Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:04:00 +0000

I am very happy to report that the leaders of the town of South Padre Island in their infinite wisdom have given me the green light to proceed with a Sand Castle Trail pilot program. Over the next few weeks, a half a dozen sculptures will be created on city-owned property by some of the most talented sand sculptors in the world. The sculptures will be treated to withstand extreme weather and casual vandalism, and should easily last through the holidays and perhaps a good bit longer. (As they disintegrate they will be repaired, rebuilt or removed.)

The artworks will be created by some of the talented sculptors coming down to compete in Sand Castle Days, including the following:

Kirk Rademaker (Santa Cruz)

Wilfred Stijger & Edith von Wettering (Holland)

JooHeng Tan (Singapore) is

Abe Waterman (Canada)

Suzanne Altamare (Daytona Beach)

and me! sandy feet (South Padre Island)

The sculptures will be built at city hall, the landscaped corner of Saturn and Padre maintained by Ken Dunkum; Turtle Lady Park; Water Tower Park; the butterfly garden south of Suntide II and the Good Hope and Bougainvillea beach accesses.

This project has not asked for or received any money or labor from the town. It has been accepted as a kickstarter.com campaign which will be launching any day now but all donations to the cause are always welcomed -- including meals and fun island experiences for the six visiting sculptors. Sponsoring individuals and businesses will be acknowledged and thanked on the web site.

Watch this space for more details and photos of the sculptures as they progress and visit sandcastletrail.com for the trail map, photos and general information. In the meantime, I hope to see you at the 24th annual Sand Castle Days Family Fun Festival at Clayton’s Resort, Oct. 16-21 -- come by and cheer me on!

Blue norther blowing in

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 20:23:00 +0000

Blue norther blowing in, originally uploaded by sandyfeet.

What would it take to make South Padre Island the "Sandcastle Capital of the World?

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Street Indentifier

In this day and age there are many beachside resorts competing for American tourist dollars. How do we make South Padre stand out in a crowded field? I propose that we immediately start calling ourselves the Sand Castle Capital of the World - a designation that takes advantage of and directs attention to our beautiful beaches but in fact drives traffic into local businesses on every part of the island. And then we put some HOT money towards making it so.

South Padre Island’s “SandCastle Days” has been successful enough to keep going for 23 years, but it has never lived up to the full potential promised by the great building material we have in such abundance. Part of the reason this is so has to be attributable to the challenges posed by our long, narrow island with its lack of centralized public beach access and parking for crowds. Isla Blanca Park has been a better fit than any of the beaches in town, offering many advantages for a traditional-style masters sand sculpture contest -- but let’s entertain some other ideas that would bring year-round sandcastling exhibitions and contests right into town and spread the sand around.

Amazin's Yard Sculpture

“The SandCastle Days Sand Sculpture Trail” would put breathtaking sculpture in the lobbies of hotels, on fishing piers, in parking lots and on street corners -- everywhere our visitors go. We could bring master sculptors down as early as Sept. and let them stay for as long as they are willing (just getting them here is expensive, so why not keep them a little bit longer and get more sculpture from them?) and pay them fair wages to just blanket the town with sculptures - big and small, castles and mermaids and cartoon characters and reproductions of famous artwork etc. etc. We post a map online and hand them out at businesses, etc. showing people where to find the sculptures and forcing them to go places they have never been to see them. We encourage everyone to vote for their favorites (perhaps with some sort of “passport” where they can check off the sculptures they have seen, write notes to help them decide, etc), and even setting it up so they can vote with a text message or online. Then we hand out a “peoples choice” award with great fanfare -- perhaps as part of the “light the island” holiday celebration.

Best of all, these sculptures are an investment in the future. The Sons of the Beach are currently creating sculptures that can last for months and longer, even while under attack from rain, ice storms, wind and pokey hands. (For examples, view the sculptures at 117 W. Corral, the corner of Campeche and Laguna, and 117 E. Saturn. And while you are at it, take a look at Andy Hancock's little sandcastle lesson park on the beach at Boomerang Billie's. We already have a start on this trail!) When something is damaged, it can be repaired, rebuilt or removed. This stretches SCDays out for months, not days, allowing hundreds of thousands of visitors to see them instead of just the numbers we can handle in one weekend.

The free sandcastle lessons and open (amateur) contests could still happen in Oct. on the beaches at Wanna Wanna and Boomies -- beaches that can be walked to from pretty much anywhere on the island -- eliminating the parking problem.

The “Winter Sandcastle Days” could be a smaller-scale masters event. My suggestion would be to call it the new “Texas State Championship” with only Texas sculptors invited. (There are a bunch of us!) Since the sculptors would be driving themselves from points nearby, we could even keep the dates flexible to be sure that we have good weather -- promoting it through TV, internet and print media just as soon as the meteorologists can help us nail down a date.

The “Summer Sandcastle Days” could be a series of amateur events/contests where anyone interested gets a free lesson one day and then comes back the next day to compete in a medals-only contest. The weekly winners could get invited back to compete in a new category at the Oct. SCdays.

South Padre Island could really and truly be “The Sandcastle Capital of the World” - making us stand out among similar-sized beach resorts! This is a worthy use of HOT money that would assuredly put “heads in beds.” It is also almost guaranteed to capture the attention of the media and its visual nature will lend itself to viral marketing via cellphone cameras.

Business Identifier

We don’t need an event company from out of town to come down here and skim the cream. We have two resident sculptors - myself and Amazin' Walter - who together have organized and participated in more successful sand sculpture events than just about anyone in the world. We have other resident sculptors who compete at the masters’ level - Christy McDonald and Andy Hancock - and we have a slew of experienced sandcastle instructors and crew members. Our community undoubtedly boasts the highest per capita ratio of serious sand sculptors in the word! Why not capitalize on that fact?

If we don't claim the title, you can bet that some other (not nearly as well-qualified) town will.

Louis Ledford live @ the Playing Field 11-15-09

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:48:00 +0000

Look who's coming to the SandBox this Sunday!
Snacks and socializing start at 5; music at 6. Everyone welcomed!

C'mon Texas - get your shit together!

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Today I was paid a personal visit by someone with the Comptroller of Public Accounts Brownsville Enforcement Office. My alleged offenses (actually omissions) were serious enough that a phone call wouldn’t do, apparently.

And what horribly important thing(s) had I failed to do? First - I was accused of failing to file a corporate franchise tax report. I inquired as to what corporation she might be referring to, and am I not supposed to get some kind of request for such a report prior to being visited by an “enforcer”?

So then the lady hauls out her laptop and does some research online, only to discover that I am not a corporation, never have been one and therefore am not required to file the report after all. (Funny that they had to send an “enforcer” all the way to my house to make this discovery in my driveway.)

Next she told me I was in hot water for not filing a 3rd quarter occupancy tax report. I went back to my records, which showed that I sent the state of TX a check in the amount of $585 on Oct. 13, a full week before the due date, and that the check had cleared. Once again the enforcer was able to verify this information on her laptop (apparently my driveway is the only place she is able to do this) and what it came down to was that the perforated payment slip I had enclosed with my check was apparently not enough of a report.

I don’t own a copier. If I need to make a copy of something, I have to scan it and print it. And my scanner has -- issues. I just don’t use it enough to warrant the time it would take to get it going again. So my question - and I think it is a valid one - is why the hell can’t Texas set it up so I can file and pay online like the rest of the world is now doing? Or at the very least, why can’t they do what the town of SPI does and include two copies of the report form in the mailer so that I can send one and keep the other for my records?

The enforcer wasted half an hour of my time, causing me great stress and aggravation, for something that could have been handled from the office with a simple phone call.

Big FAIL on the efficiency front, Texas.

Season's Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 01:23:00 +0000

generationMEX returns to the SandBox

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:53:00 +0000

Dec. 25, 2010 starting at 1:30 PM for Christmas Brunch. All are welcomed!

Ghost of Tour de isla - UPDATE 10/31

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:01:00 +0000

Happy Halloween!
It's a beautiful day for bike-riding here on South Padre Island -- please join us!

Here's the rough plan: meet at Boomies by 3 pm for the costume contest; from there we will duck in at Jake's (even though they did not respond to my request for treats, a TDI without Jake's just wouldn't be a TDI at all); then up to kelly's; Paragraphs Bookstore (4:00ish); One Particular Harbor; Chill; the Massage and Healing Arts Center and then end at Padreritaville sometime between 5 and 6.

We will stop at each place long enough to to do the meet and greet and "where's my treat?" thing and then if we are having fun we will stay a little longer or push on the to the next stop.

I will tweet/Facebook updates at every stop in case tourers want to join us. I will be on a bike but you may use any form of transport that you so desire.

See you at Boomie's!

Ghost of Tour de Isla - Details

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:51:00 +0000

OK, Fellow SPIslanders --

How long has it been since the last Tour? The low-rez photos I found without digging too deep are dated 1996, and I have a T-shirt design and brochure dated 2000 and claiming to be the 13th annual.

So has it really been 10 years since the last Tour?

Aye carrumba. We are so overdue.

So here is the plan: We will meet ... somewhere (TBD) at 3 PM on Halloween. Wear a costume, please -- even if it is just a silly hat. Bicycles are the preferred means of transportation but you can walk, drive, take the Wave, whatever you like. And then we will follow a vaguely pre-defined schedule to every participating business gathering treats as we go. (That means you’d best make sure you have a backpack or a basket on that bike.) We will post photos and updated reports of our progress on facebook and twitter so participants can join (or abandon) the Tour at any step along the way.

Bars/Restaurants/Shops

Just confirm that you are participating by emailing spisandy@gmail.com and we will put you on the list below, which we use to generate our traveling party map. The only requirement is that you have a “treat” for the participants. Could be a piece of candy, a special price on a special drink or munch, a song or a dance, a set of cheap sunglasses, a coupon for next time -- whatever you feel comfortable offering. I will try to get riders to sign up in advance to give you some idea of how many "treats" you need to have on hand, but there is no way to give a totally accurate prediction, of course.

Would you very much like to be the first or last stop on the tour? I am taking applications ... ;)

Participants

Watch for a sign-up sheet on Facebook - I will be sending out invitations to all locals on my friends list but signed up or not, EVERYONE is invited.

Pace yourself. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED OR ENCOURAGED TO CONSUME ALCOHOL AT EVERY STOP! ;-)

Wear a costume: No trick? No treat!

List of Businesses who have signed up to participate (as of 10/10/10)

Paragraphs on Padre

One Particular Harbor

Need a special pumpkin to display at your business? We can carve your logo in one! Or you can opt for a more traditional spooky face model. Proceeds go to support the unlitter campaign. See some samples of our work here.

The Ghost of Tour de Isla

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:58:00 +0000

(stay tuned!)

Musicfest Musings

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:09:00 +0000

I was out of town for the most recent one, but I have attended all the others and I can tell you that you do not create a successful event like this by throwing a bunch of money at a big promoter and hope it does the right thing. We need to start from the bottom with something small and friendly and let it build on its own success.

I love listening to music, I love playing music and I have hosted nearly a dozen house concerts in my backyard - each successful in its own way. (How do I gauge success? People came and listened and bought CDs and put money in the tip jar and talked about it the next day.) I have a lot of friends who are successful musicians and I am fully aware of how little $ it takes to give really talented folks an excuse to come to the beach. So if someone entrusted me with a small budget - say something in the $5000-$20,000 range - this is what I would do.

Seek out bands and solo performers with wide variety of styles and dedicated local (RGV to Austin) followings. Offer them a smallish stipend and a nice place to stay (easy to do during the off season). Forget the bouncy tents and trying to appeal to kids - a music festival is not for kids. Make arrangements with venues of all sizes to host the shows - rock and roll and/or country acts at the bayside clubs; jazz and blues at mid-size venues (Padreritaville, Wanna Wanna) and folky acts at really small venues (the SandBox Inn, Blackbeards’ patio). Headliner would be someone like Del Castillo - a great band with local roots that will draw fans from Brownsville to Austin. Charge everybody the same price - $10-20 - for a bracelet that gets them into everything. Use smartphone apps to tell people what is going on when. Don’t attempt to tie it in with fishing or food or arts and crafts or anything else - not at first, anyway. Make it all about the music and make people drive or ride the wave or their bikes all over the island to find the kind of music that appeals to them and then let them post how much fun it all was on facebook so that their friends will be all fired up about coming to the next one.

I guarantee the merchants up and down the island would be smiling and asking how they can help with next year’s event. I have said and continue to say that I think SPI should strive to be Austin-On-The-Beach emphasizing music and art in our off-seasons. Start small, and build on success. Give folks a good excuse to come to the beach.

And here's a good excuse to come to my next house concert - Jason Weem at the SandBox Inn on Nov. 7 -- it's my birthday party, too!

ghost of the tour de isla

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:59:00 +0000

OK, Fellow SPIslanders --

How long has it been since the last Tour? The low-rez photos I found without digging too deep are dated 1996, and I have a T-shirt design and brochure dated 2000 and claiming to be the 13th annual.

So has it really been 10 years since the last Tour?

Aye carrumba. We are so overdue.

So here is the plan: We will meet ... somewhere (TBD) at 3 PM on Halloween. Wear a costume, please -- even if it is just a silly hat. Bicycles are recommended but you can walk, drive, take the Wave, whatever you like. And then we will follow a vaguely pre-defined schedule to every participating business gathering treats as we go. (That means you’d best make sure you have a backpack or a basket on that bike.) We will post photos and updated reports of our progress on facebook and twitter so participants can join (or abandon) the Tour at any step along the way.

Already got plans? This can fold right into them. We will tweet, IM and facebook minute by minute updates as to where we are and what we are doing so you can join in at any point on the traveling party.

Bars/Restaurants/Shops

Just confirm that you are participating and we will put you on our facebook party map. The only requirement is that you have a “treat” for the participants. Could be a shot, a piece of candy, a special price on a special drink or munch, a song or a dance, a set of cheap sunglasses, a coupon for next time -- whatever you feel comfortable offering.

List of Businesses who have signed up to participate (as of 10/10/10)

Paragraphs on Padre
One Particular Harbor

Need a special pumpkin to display at your business? We can carve your logo in one! Or you can opt for a more traditional spooky face model. Proceeds go to support the unlitter campaign. See some samples of our work here.

If you want to participate more fully, we would love to sell you a very cool carved pumpkin - delivered no later than Friday, Oct. 29. If you want people to hang around a little longer, volunteer to be the starting or finishing site for the Tour. $50 gets you a cool one, and a percentage goes to support the unlitter campaign.

Participants

Meet at the agreed-upon bar or restaurant at 3 PM (?) On bike, on foot or drive your car.
Collect your trick, an then move on to the next stop on the map.

Rules

Pace yourself. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED OR ENCOURAGED TO CONSUME ALCOHOL AT EVERY STOP! ;-)
Wear a costume. No trick? No treat!

Karen Fralich is ready to go #worldchampioship

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 04:11:00 +0000

Karen Fralich is ready to go #worldchampioship, originally uploaded by sandyfeet.

I like this shot I snapped of one of my favorite people at the world championship sand sculpture competition.

Aug. 25, 1930

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:24:00 +0000

Had he lived, Dad Feets would have turned 80 today.

Maybe we would have had a surprise party for him, as we did on his 70th. At the last minute I cashed in my frequent flyer miles and flew up from Texas - surprising everyone including myself with my stark refusal to miss the celebration.

I love this photo I shot of him just before he blew the candles out, the way he is engaging with the kids -- all of whom absolutely adored him.

Happy birthday, Dad.

And Dylan. And Eliot, too.

And Mom. (And Stew and Ashley, though I don’t know you.)

This beach billboard is for you.

Time lapse castle - "Bubbles!"

noreply@blogger.com (Lucinda) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:51:00 +0000

I've been having lots of fun with this new camera. It comes with everything you need to make great time-lapse videos.