7/10/2010 NO! NO! Not TODAY!

I have been looking forward to this day since I first heard about it this past May. Today is the Sandcastle Contest. The one I beat the streets collecting prizes for. The day I was going to take tons of pictures. The day I was going to get my hours in for the week while working on my tan at the same time. I was so looking forward to this day.

We woke up to cloudy skies. I got an early start because it was my day to get the reservations cards out and I wanted to get around the park at least once with Bob in the golf cart because he was going to take care of tracking the sites being vacated for me. We have to make sure all the ones leaving….do, before the letting the next group of campers in.

I got everything ready for my day on the beach, drinks, book, camera, extra battery pack, extra card for the camera, chair, towel, snacks,,,,I was set. Bob drove me over to the beach where it was being held and returned to the campground to keep track of campers leaving.

I made my way to the canopy set up on the beach which gave shelter to the prizes laid out on a picnic table.

I was introduced to the other park workers that I hadn’t met as yet. The contest wasn’t starting for another half hour yet when I arrived and I was hoping more contestants were going to show up because there weren’t very many to at this point. Everyone assured me that more would come.

I walked out to meet some of the players.

The first group I talked with gave me their team name in Spanish. It went right over my head as I don’t speak Spanish although I did catch casa which I know means house. Translated, what their team name is Castle in Heaven ….or something like that.

This crew came READY!

Plots were marked, team number stakes were driven in to the ground, the contestants were all registered and tools were lined up ready to go.

Nine thirty arrived and the builders got busy. The rest of us just watched the sky.

Meet Sierra. This little girl, I believe she told me she was five, is the sweetest little thing. (I was so jealous, she has eyes lashes out to HERE!) She found this little fish and told me all about how she was going to put it on the top of her castle and name it Fish Castle. Just too sweet!

Thick, long, lashes…..

Buckets of sand were moved from here to there.

In some plots, large piles of sand were made.

Some made deep holes.

Buckets of water brought from the ocean.

Tools of all sizes were used.

More sand castle builders came after the start time, I guess they had to decide if they were going to let the imminent rain keep them away or not.

All ages worked on the sand castles.

There were two categories, Open which meant anyone, any age could be on the team of five and Children which meant kids twelve and under only. No parental/adult help.

Oh, and each team had a supervisor….

A sister act….

Around 10:30 the drizzle started. It was decided that the Sandcastle Contest would go on.

I see a pattern in the sand drawn out, a plan must be in place.

This was a father and son team, every time I looked over the father was shoveling and the son was playing a game on his cell phone. What has technology done to the children of America the world??? (His son is sitting just out of range of the viewfinder in a chair under the umbrella)

Tamping the sand….different tools for different folks.

There was this fella out in the water on what looked like a skim board and he was floating along with the dolphins.

Although I didn’t see it, I understand this group had a timeline written out as far as what had to be accomplished in each half hour so that they could make sure their castle was done in time.

Things are starting to really take shape now and the rain doesn’t seem to be bothering too many of the players.

There was a break in the rain so I was able to get out from under the canopy for a bit.

We ended up with 32 teams on this cloudy, rainy day divided evenly between the two groups.

Around 11:30 the first and only streak of lightning showed itself but it was enough that the lifeguards cleared the beach. We all ran to the pavilion and took cover.

By the time the ones on the far end of the beach made it to cover they were soaked through and through for the rain was really coming down now.

No one would be allowed back on the beach until one hour passed without a lightning strike. We lost a few of the contestants during this time but for the most part most of the teams stuck it out and waited to see if we would be allowed back on the beach.

Thankfully, we were. However, the hour lost was gone. Each team now had 20 minutes to do whatever they could to finish up their castle/sculpture and the judging would begin.

It was time to start the judging now and of course the rain started again. So here I am carrying my clipboard, my camera (and trying to keep that DRY!) and an umbrella. Not easy. Not easy at all!

We had to judge in four categories. Originality/Creativity, Structural Complexities, Aesthetic Appeal and Use of Natural Materials. Each section was worth 10 points and we knew from the git-go that no one would get 10 points with the abbreviated time they had to build with. Each team could get a maximum of 160 points as there were four judges and each of us could award 40 points.

Let the judging begin.

The first sculpture we came to was a Kid’s Division project….a butterfly.

Pictures from the judging….

This next one was a big one!

….and very detailed. Here’s the boardwalk and each of the shops is named.

This next one is my favorite.

And of course,,,,an octopus!

This one really got high marks from all of us because he used “litter” from the beach in his creation. See the tire?

Seaweed is always good for a touch of color!

This one made good use of the seashells they have been collecting.

It’s time to add up the scores.

In the meantime, the kids are eyeing the prizes and picking out what they want should they be one of the first teams to place with the higher scores.

It was time to announce the winners. Actually, everyone who participated got a prize. We had so many and with the bad weather keeping many of the anticipated participants away, well, no one walked away empty handed, which was nice for everyone.

Now I guess you want to know which one sandcastle or sculpture won. The very top score of 146 went to the castle that used the tire! I think. Yep, that’s right, I THINK! I’M JUST NOT SURE. It resembled mass confusion when the first teams were called up so I just don’t have a clue. I’m going to make an educated guess and say it was the castle that used the tire.

I know these kids were the first ones in their division but again, I don’t have a clue what they built.

And so it was over. The day came. It rained. They built. We judged. They picked prizes. And we all went home.

There will be another sandcastle contest in Rehoboth next month. I’m going to that one only as a spectator and only on a sunny day.